Warehouse

The warehouse at the end of Hall Street had been vacant for years. Lucy knew that Luke would only ask her to meet there if he had both feet in total shit. She asked the taxi driver to wait, with his negative headshake not being a surprise to her. Nobody remained in this area for long. The local crime rate was too high, with every second block handled by a different gang. Drug dealing, weapon smuggling, robberies, even some well-paid hitmen were said to have made their first professional steps in this part of the city.

And then, there were the latest rumors to add to this pile of human degradation. The newspapers wrote of a creature that lived in the area and appeared only after sundown. A horror that some whispered was born out of the hate, fear, and disgust that Hook Point locals had for one another. Lucy got out of the taxi and walked towards the warehouse's side door; Luke was supposed to have left it open for her. The cold breeze had her tighten up her jacket while fastening her pace. She knew that she was going to regret this.

Luke was an odd fellow, a typical runaway guy. A known gambler, street racer, and a happy drunk, but still with a certain charm that made him have his way around situations, and naturally, people. Lucy knew what she liked in him, as certainly as she knew that her presence there only meant one thing. Luke had fucked things up, so he turned to the only person he knew would give two shits about him.

She reached the side door and tried it. The door moved with ease after some effort of her accord. Lucy stepped in; a long hall was in front of her, surrounded by containers, boxes, and wrapped up boxes. Lucy could barely see where she was going since the warehouse was dipped into darkness. The only light she saw was coming from a room at the end of the hall. Lucy felt uneasy with the deafening silence of the place.

"Luke? Luke, are you th-there?" the tremble in her voice made her stutter. Her hand squished her purse tighter; she had a feeling something was off.

Lucy had almost reached the room when she stretched her neck to take a pick inside. Luke was there all right. The source of lighting was a floodlight mounted at the top corner of the room. Lucy could see two desks with a lot of equipment on top of them. From computers and cellphones to metallic cases that contained electronic parts as far as Lucy could see. A few chairs and file cabinets seemed to complete the furnishing of the room. In the middle of it, strapped in a chair, gagged and badly beaten, there was Luke. Lucy turned her head around in a panic. However, before managing to make a move, she was grabbed by someone and pushed into the room. Two men were in there, closer to the eastern part of the room, thus not visible before, grinning at her. The third guy -the one that shoved her in- came close to her neck and sniffed her perfume.

"Hmm. We have a clean one here, guys. Maybe we'll get to make a mess out of her later," the man announced to his friends, and they all laughed together. Lucy felt tears coming to her eyes and turned away from the guy's foul breath. She silently swore that she would stay away from Luke from now on if she got out of there alive. That was if she didn't kill him first.

The same guy took her purse and threw it at the others. One of them looked at Lucy and licked his teeth. Luke was making muffled sounds and trying to move, but it was futile. Apart from the rope which held him tightly on the chair, his previous efforts and the punishment he received had drained his strength.

"Please, just let us go. It's all there, I swear!" Lucy burst into tears. This whole operation was supposed to be easy. She reckoned that listening to Luke, and bringing a bag full of money for him to pay his debt back, would be enough. That then, he would be cleared in these guys' books and be left alone. It sounded simple, although risky. Luke was not a gang member; he wasn't a drug user or had ever held a gun in his life. His passion was gambling. Little did he know that losing his last poker game would end up so catastrophically. Lucy realized how stupid, naïve, and blindly in love she had been with him from the very beginning.

One of the thugs counted the money and nodded to the others. The guy that had pushed Lucy into the room drew a gun and pointed it at Luke. The girl screamed, but the sound of the gunfire covered her voice. The bullet hit Luke in the chest. He made a gurgling noise; the shot must have raptured his lung. Luke kicked and attempted a move, the ropes that were holding him tightened even more with every inch he flickered. While the deadly show absorbed the men, Lucy turned around and stormed out. The killer noticed her and pointed his gun. Simultaneously, a whirling sound echoed, and the floodlight exploded as if someone put a bullet in it.

"What the hell? Joe, hurry, turn on your damn flashlight and for the life of you, do not let her get away!" The guy that shouted to them was the one closer to the door. The three of them bailed out -with Joe lighting their way- in an attempt to catch the woman before she could flee. After all, it was just a straight line from the office to the exit door.

By the time they stepped on the corridor, just out of the office's door, something heavy dropped on them, throwing two of the men on the ground. Joe pointed the flashlight to the others. Something was moving fast. He tried to visually follow it, noticing that it was faster than anything he had ever seen. Whatever it was, Joe thought, looked big enough to cause them trouble. He took his gun out and tried to get close to the others. The two of them were lying in agony, one having his shoulder dislocated and the other with at least a concussion and a few bruises.

"What the fuck is happening? What was that?" one of them asked. Joe gave him his hand to help him get up.

"I don't know. I think we have to get out of here fast." Joe still held his friend's hand while answering him. He heard a growl and then a slashing sound. A moment passed, where he stood there holding a dismembered arm while the rest of his friend's body was thrown to the ceiling. Joe heard the guy screaming before hitting the roof. A body didn't fall, though, Joe noticed instantly. He heard blood-curdling sounds of cracking bones and slurping, satisfied sounds. Joe turned to Fred and grabbed him by his jacket's collar, forcing him to stand up. Lucy had just reached the door, and Joe could now see the street light coming from outside.

"Come on, Fred! Almost there, buddy, come on!" Joe screamed to him. Fred tripped, feeling dizzy from the hit on his head.

By the time Joe turned his head to him, Fred had disappeared without a trace.