To Be Human: Volume One

Five

Location: City of Haven, Streets

Date: April 27th, 2037

Time: 22:10

   He was still bleeding through his side, walking while doing the best he could to ignore the pain shooting through his body. He limped, slowly, his veins pulsing and throbbing as he kept his eyes ahead of him. Every step was closer, he would get there eventually, he just had to stay focused, keep walking, never stop no matter what. The street was surprisingly empty, not a single car or pedestrian came by. It was a side road just out of the entertainment district, the people and vehicles crossed further down at the end of the road like a moving wall. 

   Where he was, the light didn't reach, and there was nothing worth going to for anyone. It was at best a route to take to walk home from the evening, but it's dim lighting from only the streetlights that lined either side in intervals of fifty meters made it less than ideal for pedestrians. Even though there was nothing to fear in the area, dark avenues were a turn off to most, as if crime would operate so close to so many people. Police often roamed the areas, and everything was still too exposed. No, Karma had seen where the street crime people worried about was, and it was no where near there.

   It had taken another ten minutes to find a bus stop, and another twenty for a bus to show up. He watched Serina board and leave before continuing the walk on his own, making sure no one shady looking got on behind her. He was expecting something, an attack, a tail, and hoped the attention would stay on him.

   As he stopped by a streetlight and leaned on it for a minute to check his wound, his bloodied hand seeming to keep most of the blood at bay which he was mostly self circulating with his ability. He could do such things, and tried to stay concentrated on it to keep as much blood as he could inside his body. It mostly worked. He looked behind him briefly as a strange sense of unease filled his bones. 

   Whereas he had picked the street for its emptiness, the business lining each side all closed with their lights shut off in a dimly lit, monochrome image, he too felt a strangeness that came with the almost uncanny sense of the lack of activity. The hair on his neck stood, a strange chill swam by him, he was alone, truly so, the nearest activity hundreds of meters away from him in the mind altered, tranced crowd of night lifers.

   As a precaution, he put up all defenses, activating his ability as best he could. Some things were easier than others. Flying was too difficult and dangerous in his state, but reflections, that he had known all too easy. It was second nature to him; he didn't even have to think about it. His timing was perfect as he was hit, the force of the impact from the high calibre bullet making him stumble back as the round bounced off his chest and slid across the road with a rapid metallic pinging and rolling. 

   It had come from a building, but he wasn't sure which. It was too dark to see, there was no flash, no vapour trail, just a shot, it wasn't too loud either, and as Karma ducked behind cover in an alley way, he noticed the crowd at the end of the road not disturbed in the slightest. The shot was loud, but not loud enough. He figured the shooter must've had a damned good suppressor on it.

   Riley stood at a second-floor window of one of the many buildings, waiting for him to stop to line up the perfect shot. They had tracked the two of them out of the club, not as if the trail of blood they left in their wake made it any difficult. They saw the smaller girl leave, and suck to their orders to keep on the albino, not worrying about the girl if she wasn't a threat. Things had worked out well, especially when he turned into a dark alley, and they could make to the shadows and tail him closer. 

   The buildings provided a much-appreciated vantage, and she always found it ridiculous how many business owners only locked their front doors, and none of the service doors in the alley rafters' multiple floors up. Though the ladders were not available for climbing, she had no issue finding other means to get up. Living as she did, there was almost a whole new world on rooftops and alleys, service scaffolding and rafters, all the parts of buildings that, even though are made for human use, are not used by people unless required. Maintenance, emergency exits, and mercenaries.