The Scarlet Phantom: Finding the Light in the Darkest of Times

Seizure

There are two types of people. One, that play by the rules. And Yor had always played by the rules. Weather it was fighting Zereph all those years ago or more recently on the rooftop. She always played fair. And that's why she was always one step behind an opponent who was as a thieving, conniving scumbag as Zereph or even Ulterior. Even now, she was racing over rooftops and slinging across buildings; slowed down significantly as not to be caught in broad daylight. Well, it was a thousand time faster than being caught up in the jam-packed traffic.

Zereph was not one of those people. He came in the second category. Of winning by hook or by crook. Whatever it takes. And he was, having pickpocketed his way into Ulterior Evitom's apartment, hunched behind the shoe rack, awaiting the arrival of the great hacker in the flesh. Like a tiger waiting patiently for its pray to come to it. He already had his henchmen raiding the other two address that he, Yor and Cody had managed to scavage. But judging by the time periods Cody had drawn up for when the hacker had erased the various CCTV footages and social media posts; he would work primarily during the night to dawn and his work schedule at the embassy as well affirmed that he'd be on his way home from work right about now. Yet, that feeling, that gut instinct he'd learned to trust...It wasn't giving him any responses. That was, until he saw the tall, lanky man clad in a crisp white pinstripe shirt and shiny, polished shoes and his Employee ID tag decorated proudly on his chest as he walked proudly in the building courtyard and disappeared into the elevator, hugging a paper bag filled with groceries to his side as he walked with the pride of a man who lives an honest life. That walk, that head held high, that chest puffed out in dignity and that pride. It was as if Zereph was watching his dream worn by another man. Another man wearing the same mask Zereph had always strived to wear. And it made him hate him all the more.

"I....2...." Zereph thought, his figure rested on the trigger of his gun "Floor 3...Must have gotten out of the elevator by now.... Walking down the corridor.... Past Mrs. Oreius's apartment...Past Mr. Agrius's apartment...And he should be entering.... NOW!'

He waited. And he waited. Then...A thud. A thud so seemingly meaningless and soft yet striking Zereph's ears like thunder.

And akin to thunder, he bolted out the door, holding up his gun, ready to fire. And there it was, lying at his feet, the bag of groceries left abandoned as its owner had fled. For a moment too long, He stood frozen, stairing at the items on the ground.

"There's no way...Just no way...." The world rolled over "The paper slip under the door...I put it back just as it was...There is no way he knew I'd entered his apartment."

And apple rolled out the bag and came to a hold as it collided against Zereph's boot. Ulterior had fled. And at that moment, Zereph's feet proving superior to his stunted brain. With lightning sizzling behind him, he bolted down the stairs, taking the steps four at a time, and ran out the building.

'Too easy,' from the shadowy depths of Mr. Agrius's apartment emerged Ulterior Evitom, picking up the apple from the floor and sinking his neat rows of pearly white tenth into the crispy skin of the fruit 'You disappoint me, Zereph Etharious.'

He tossed the apple into the air and closed the apartment door behind him as the apple landed back into the palm of his hand. Well, now that he had been discovered, he had to do damage control, he thought as she opened the secret door between apartments and entered his own house.

*****

'Zereph!' Yor's words came between staccato breaths due to running and leaping over fourty kilometres 'I'm here...I am at Ulterior's building.'

'You wasted your time.' Zereph spoke back into the phone as he ran down alleys and twisting cobblestone pathways, somehow hoping that Ulterior would just bump into him on the next turn 'He knew we were coming...He ran away...He hand a paper slip above his door...I put it back but-Phew-But I don't know how he knew...Mabey I folded the paper the wrong way...'