Night Walker

Chapter 4

"EY LOOK WHO WE 'AV 'ERE! OLD RAVVY'S 'ERE TO SAY ELLO?"

Everyone in the vicinity of Silver's huge, rumbling voice turned around, some smiled and waved, others just went back to walking around aimlessly, trying to scavenge for some food.

I nod hello and let a small smile escape,"hi Silver, yeah I did just stop by to say hello, but I was wondering if you had heard anything worth my while about some sort of a new organisation, people who protect others?"

Silver is an old but extremely tough looking (and sounding) woman, she has shiny, silver hair and wears a pair of pink stained Lennon glasses. Most people nowadays have different names to their originals, mainly because they want to forget their old lives and the people in it. For example everyone calls Silver her name because of her hair, but some people choose their new names, like me. My old name was Chloe Hazer, but I changed it to Raven Nightingale because... Well let's just say it's personal.

Silver owns a tent on Mains near the out skirts, but she knows everyone. And I when I say everyone I'm not exaggerating, she literally knows everyone.

This is where her surprisingly thriving business comes from- Silvers secrets.

Everyone loves Silver, she's the kind of person that has the strange ability to be likeable to everyone- she even befriended a thug to protect her family before they... Died.

That's why everyone tells her their secrets and rumours, because they trust her- and they get a small cut of the pay if anyone asks for their particular secret or rumour.

I throw $25 onto the bench (equivalent to about $5) and look at her expectantly.

She fiddles with the money, and looks at me seriously, lowering her voice for once,"Listen Rav, I've heard... Things, rumours. It's very hush hush though, I don't know if 25 dollars is enough."

I just shake my head. This is our lives now, it's never personal or anything, but every buyer/seller needs to barter, it's just apart of their job.

"Sorry Silver, it's 25 or nothing."

She sighs and smirks,"ah well, worth 'eh shot." She leans in and beckons me forward,"ok so I've 'eard loads of sources say the same thing so I'm pretty sure it 'as some sort of truth in it..."

There it goes again, the curiosity burning inside of me,"I'm listening."

"Well 'parently there's 'bin sightings of people, dressed all in black, do'in some sort ah ninja stuff... Ugh what was it called? Park something?"

Excitement bubbles up within me,"parkour! It's when people train to use their environment to get to point A to B as quickly as possible."

Silver just shrugs and carries on,"well anyway 'parently this big group of crazy people who hate the CBD live in an underground complex somewhere- they 'parently found it half dug at the beginning of the apoc" (that's the slang for apocalypse) "and 'av bin diggin it further and further eva since, someone said their population has increased cause they've started to hand pick recruits 'emselves."

My mind is buzzing with the new information, along with a myriad of questions. Who told her this? Did she have any idea where they where situated? What's their purpose? How do you get picked? Recruitments for what?

Before I know it, these same questions are tumbling out of my mouth, a huge dam that's just been released.

Silver holds up her hands, chuckling,"ay, ay! Hold up! All I'm gonna tell ya is that their soul purpose is to destroy da CBD 'an all its thugs, then resume control 'emselves, to restore tha peace, one of my sources told me that they asked no questions bout ya past or anything, it's basically a new life."

Excitement courses through me- what if that guy was trying to recruit me? A new start, a new purpose, a new life!

Boy did that sound good.

"Thanks Silver, that really helped, see you around!"

The old woman frowned and called out softly,"Ravvy hon, just... Be carful who ya associate with, not everyone 'as good intentions, you of all people should know that."

I nod and wave goodbye, but I'm still thinking about what she said, I don't think she knows how deep my trust issues go- I can't remember fully but I recall being a very reclusive or.. Standoffish kind of kid, to this day I'm exactly the same.

Whatever, that doesn't matter. What does is that I might be able to gain a new life, forget about my old one; but do I really want to do that? What about my brother?

With that last question I wince automatically, for these past two years since my parents death, I've had an uncontrollable thirst for revenge against my brother. I've searched everywhere looking for him- relishing the day that I can kill him just like he killed everyone in that cinema just to gain the trust of the CBD.

The worst part is that he did it with a smile on his face.

There are a lot of evil people in this world- but very few can equal or top the horrific crimes my brother committed, and even fewer can do it without a trace of a guilty conscience.

Suddenly a thought popped into my mind as I started to run my usual route (I used to be a marathon runner, so I kept up my training schedule for something to do) what if i could join these CBD haters, tell them my story, then get them to help me put my brother to justice? He's one of the ten CBD leaders (killing his family and friends was just a test) so if these people helped me catch him... Then it's very likely they could destroy the whole thing!

My pulse quickens, not because of running however, but because I might have just found a way to get back at the heartless animal I once proudly called my brother.

* * *

I breath in the crisp night air and slip from shadow to shadow, easily blending in with my black attire as I jog past my place, past a silent Mains, past an even quieter Dyson st and along the path of twisted alley ways that I had sprinted along in blind terror just yesterday.

I waited a day to refine my plan and now, mainly because of nerves, I'm going over it inside my head.

First I'm going to get to the street where I met that boy... What was his name? That's right, shadow. Then I'm going to scream, hopefully that kid was telling the truth and they are watching me- making sure I'm ok. After he magically arrives I'm going to except his offer, tell him and his friends my story, kill my brother, take over the CBD and live happily ever after.

Yeah right, Raven.

I have an awful feeling in my gut that this is going to go terribly wrong, but I looked at all the possible scenarios and the worst that can happen is me getting kicked out and told to never come back.

That's not too bad.

Right?

I just sigh and keep on jogging until I find my self standing In the exact same place as yesterday, the memory is so vivid, so horrible that I find it quite easy to scream at the top of my lungs.

Now I wait.

And... Wait.

Five minutes go by and no one comes. Then ten, fifteen. Looks like my ingenious plan has come to a stand still- before it had even begun.

As i dawdle back, not caring about the strict curfew of 10:00pm, or the dangers of walking around at night alone, my spirits slowly cascade down until I'm basically dragging myself home.

Thud.

Suddenly awake and knife in hand I spin around, my eyes scanning the dark, empty streets around me.

"You know you didn't have to scream like a maniac for me to hear you, yeesh I'm not deaf!"

Feeling like a fool my eyes meet with his, I open my mouth to say something but nothing comes to my mind so I just shut it again and shrug.

He chuckles and I can only just make out the dark blue in his irises.

"So you're curious about us Night Walkers huh?"