Shadow Thief

1 - The Thief

Most people fear the night, especially in the city where criminals run free. Criminals like me, Shadow the Thief. I take pride in the fact that I've taken the night and made it my own.

As I walk down the sidewalk, I pass a poster with my name on it. It reads:

'Shadow of the Night
Wanted for theft, murder, vandalization, and intent of homicide.
Wanted dead or alive
40,000 pages'

Wow, they bumped up my bounty since my last job. My eyes slid to the artists rendering of me. What I looked at was a lady who appeared to be in her early thirties. She had black hair and brown eyes. Her chin was thin and pointed and her eyes glared daggers at civilians who passed by.

"Hey miss." A male voice called out from behind me, drawing my attention. I turned to see a man with a nice black top hat and handle bar mustache looking at me. He wore nice clothes and carried a cane that he obviously didn't need. The flush on his face told me he was clearly drunk. "You shouldn't be walking the streets alone."

His eyes left a trail of disgust up my body and then moved to the poster behind me. Luckily, the artists rendering looked nothing like me. Her sharp features were were nothing like my soft round ones, her eyes nothing like my bright blues ones, and her hair nothing like my wavy blonde locks. Even her age was off. I, myself, was about twenty years old.

"Come on." His mouth reeked of alcohol him as he bent over to take my hand. I let, deciding he'd be easy prey. "Why don't I escort you home."

"Why thank you." I let my voice fall into a smooth and sweet purr that I had gotten used to after years of stealing from lusty men.

His soft hand, free of the callouses of a working man, wrapped around my waist, gripping me harder than I liked.

I led him to a vacant house that I'd slept in many times. When I open the door, his drunken mind didn't take notice when I didn't have to unlock it. When I closed the door, I let him entangle me in his arms, but felt bile rising in my throat.

I made the job quick, slipping a dagger from under my sleeve into his blubbery neck and ending it quickly. He fell onto my shoulder, his full weight taking me onto the ground. I swear, all the rich people in this city were overweight.

I struggled, pulling him off me and wiggling out from under him. The damned man had left a bloodstain on the shoulder of my only nice dress. Oh well, I'd pay for it with his money.

With much effort, I rolled him onto his back and looted him. In his wallet was 483 pages, a fair amount for a new dress and maybe even a snack. In his other pocket was a silver watch that I might make a couple hundred pages off. Finally, I pulled a ring from his finger with a dazzling green jewel on it. I'd have to sell these to the black market just in case they had any family insignias on them. I had a few friends who came to mind at the moment.

A knock at the door made me jump.

"Excuse me?" The soft voice of a young woman asked. I ran, following a path I often took into the second story of the house.

I heard the creaking of the door open and then a scream.

I quickly opened a window besides a door in the bathroom of the second story. Planting my feet firmly on the windowsill, I jumped, my hands catching on the roof of the next building. Using all my strength, I pulled myself up and ran.

I could never go back there again, never. Too bad, because I was actually starting to like that place. I mean, a few of the floor boards were bloodstained but hey, a home is a home. It wasn't my real home, but it worked when I was in the area.