V for Vigilante

B [Edited]

I walked down the street to go to work at Chicago Times, a newspaper/magazine business where I am one of their photographers. As I enter the business, Carl, one of the other photographers with dark blonde hair, and wears rock t-shirts everyday, comes up to me. "Marcie, Jane wants ya to come into her office." Jane was the editor with a stubborn attitude. She was the reincarnation of J. Jonah Jameson if there ever was one.

"Why does she need me? Why can't she have you take pictures of stuff?" I ask, waving towards him.

"I think its about that guy leaving the V's everywhere." Carl makes a peace sign that was suppose to be the letter.

"V? V as in Vicky, or b as in barf?" I asked again, shuffling slowly to Jane's office.

"Vicky." Carl snapped his fingers and walks away as I enter her office.

Jane was sitting in her black leather chair talking to someone on the phone, her dark brown hair in a ponytail, and makeup done in a fancy way. She had her white fluffy shirt on that had a small ketchup stain near the neck. She hung up and looked at me. "Why aren't you taking pictures?" She asked harshly.

"I left my camera here for the week so my friend wouldn't break it. What's happening?" I asked pushing a hair back.

"Last night, a guy supposedly killed several cops while they caught him stealing from a bank. The guy left several V's near the bank." She picked up a pencil and pointed it at me.

"Well, me and my friend was near the bank, and I saw a V on a poster." I cross my arms. She could've said something about this to me by the door because now this sounds interesting.

"And you didn't come to me sooner?" The phone rang and Jane answered. I stood there for a moment before she motioned me away.

I took my camera, and went outside. As the hours ticked by, the sun started to go down. I never saw another letter. I sigh and head back home. Going back to the office today would be like stepping into a bin of snakes. "Asps..."

I start back home at the edge of dark. The walk from point A to point B will take awhile, so getting lost in thought keeps me going. As I'm traveling both mind and road, I realize who had been leaving the clues.

When I come through the door of my apartment, I head for the living room. Heck barks at me, seeing my sporadic behavior. "Shush." I command as I quickly go into Dani's room for some of my clothes. We don't share rooms, just closets. I change then go to the living room, get my laptop, open the lid to the computer, and sit in the floor.

I research about a story I've seen years ago. "Masked man kills several cops while supposedly 'saving' city from Big Brother Government. I wonder if they have a picture of some crime scenes..." I scroll down to see two pictures of a wall with a V on them. Why this letter? What's so special about this letter?

Heck lays by my side and lays his head on my legs. He shoots his head up when he sees something out the door. He growls and gets ready to bark.

"Heck, shush." I petted him, hoping he would stop. Heck barked and jumped for the door. "Heck! Didn't Miss Buckle take you outside?" I close the laptop, and lay it on the couch.

I stood up, and went to the door. There was nothing there. But there were fresh foot prints in the snow. This was odd for Chicago. No one ever snoops on balcony's. If they did, the balcony bottom would show their hand prints -which, there were none. I pet Heck on the head again. "Its all right." I walk to the kitchen. I had put the rose in a water bottle on top of the microwave. It still looked fresh.

I got a cold bottle of Diet Mountain Dew out of the fridge and start to drink it. Heck barks again. "Hey, hey. Calm down." I sit the pop on the floor, and pull the bed in the wall out.

I go back to the door to the balcony one last time to see nothing. "Goin' to bed." I pet Heck once more and head to the bed.

I stretch out. It was the middle of the night when I wake up. I sit up on the bed, and reach down for the pop I got earlier. It wasn't there. I look over at Heck to see if he got it. He didn't have it either. I sigh and let a small groan escape as I swing my legs over the bed. It was too early -or one could argue too late- for this. I walked back to the kitchen to pluck a water from the drawer.

I open the fridge door to get another pop. I close the door, and notice there's a small v painted in red on the freezer handle. I look back to the balcony. "Who's dickin' with me...?" 

I open the water and sit back down at my bed. Going back to sleep was a must, but getting there took forever. Visions of people who could be the culprit; Dave. No, couldn't be him. He could care less of people. Kara, a friend of Danielle's. Another no. She wasn't very athletic. Maurice, a friend of mine? He cares more about primates. 

I fall asleep. No dreams come with this sleep. 

I wake up about nine o'clock and start to get ready for the day. As I walk out the door with Heck on a leash, a lady down the hall talks on her cellphone as she walks out her door. "Yeah, I saw a guy on that drunkard's friend's balcony last night. Her dog kept barking, what an idiot of a dog." She looks at me. I glare at her before leaving. 

I hear her say something else to her friend. "Oh my gosh, Stacy, she just gave me the most God awfullest look ever." I continue down the stairs and walk down the street, camera around my neck.

Heck looks up at me as I take a picture of the V  I saw the day before yesterday.  "Now Jane will be a little proud of me." I smirk as I look back at my dog.