Touch of Darkness: An Urban Fantasy Short-Story (Scythe of Darkness, Prequel)

Present

Padding down the center of the main walkway is a leopard—free. No zookeeper. No restraints. Where are the guards?

Not far is an overturned stroller. A mother is trying to unlock her baby, but she appears to be having an issue with the belt. Beside her are two boys—the same two boys that had jumped from the bushes.

The leopard turns in their direction. His legs flex, and his upper body hunches lower to the ground with each thick step.

Without waiting, I take off in a full sprint. My feet barely touch the ground.

With one swoop, I skid in front of the family, scraping my palms across the stone floor as I come to a stop. The mom's eyes widen as they meet mine, and she frantically yanks the stroller straps.

I turn to face the leopard, bending my knees in effort to lower to his level. I want him to see me, not them. The tips of my fingers brush a cold bench to my side, and the legs wobble. It isn't adhered to the ground.

A wet snarl escapes his mouth. Teeth flash.

I reach for the bench. In that same moment, the leopard leaps for me.

With all my strength, I fling the bench between me and the leopard. Its nails dig into the back of my hand, and I shout with pain. "Get off!"

Managing to untangle from his weight, I whack him across the face, but he seems unfazed. With my palm, I smack him again. He yelps, jumps off, and runs into the bushes.

The mom and her kids run safely inside a concession stand.

Molly.

Pushing with my shoulders through the mass of people hiding in the Tropic Zone, I hear her yell, "Thanatos!"

I get closer.

"Your hand!" She reaches for my hand, but I pull away before she touches me.

"I'm fine. Really. It's just a scratch."

"You're bleeding."

I take my shirt off and wrap it around the wound. "I'm good now. No blood."

"What happened?"

"A leopard is loose."

With an incredulous stare, her voice stutters. "Th-that's w-what people are saying. But I thought they were just idiots. Oh my Gawd, are you okay? What did you do?"

She reaches into her purse. "I've got some antibacterial gel ... doesn't get infected." Her words fade as she digs around in her small purse.

It's merely a scratch. I'm fine, but trying to convince her of that appears out of the question. "Guess I should've given this to you earlier." She tosses my blue gift to me, and keeps searching. "It's so dark in here. I need a light."

"Now?" I say, referring to my present.

"Open it." Using the light from her phone, she digs back in her purse; her attention divided between me and whatever it is she's looking for.

My hand aches, but it isn't bad. I rip open the corner of the gift. The package is flimsy, and the layer of paper comes off in one swoop.

"You got me gloves?" Black leather gloves.

She smiles, chuckling. "You like?"

The speakers chime on. "Ladies and gentleman, the situation has been resolved. Please make your way to the exits. The zoo is closed for the rest of the day."