Chapter 1 Disturbances

Shadows approached...

It was after midnight. She was not supposed to be here.

A tiny figure rushed through the forest. Branches flayed at her aggressively. She hissed and muttered something as they poked needles into her arms. She knew she was in trouble…

Trouble followed her everywhere it seemed. It was dark and blinding. If only she could remember why she came here in the first place, she wouldn't feel so lost; not that she would ever choose to come to a place like this on purpose.

Leaves rustled from the trees above, quickly followed by a twig snap. She froze, looking up at the silhouette of the tree leaves blocking the night sky. Beads of sweat trickled down the side of her temples. More leaves rustled as the girl squinted into the darkness, breathing hard.

A sudden pair of lime-yellow eyes flicked on, glaring down at her from above. She locked eyes with it for a second, stumbling back a few steps before breaking into a run. She could feel her heart throbbing in her throat, restlessly. How long must she keep running away from everything? The air felt all the more heavy to breathe. She felt like screaming but no sound would come out. Everything felt exhausting.

Another twig snapped. By the time she registered the sound, her feet had already stopped instinctively. She panted, feeling a sharp pain in her chest as she struggled to catch her breath. The sound had come from right in front of her. Clapping both her hands to her mouth, as to not breathe so loudly, she took a step back.

A pair of lemony eyes floated two feet from the ground. They were slow as they inched closer as if searching for her. Her small figure was hidden well behind a tree. She attempted to mimic the creature's movement. With her hands still glued to her face, she took one step back, as it took one step forward. It was a weak attempt at masking the sound of her own two feet.

Anxiousness stirred up inside her stomach, pulling away at any strength she had left. Her knees wobbled. Moments after, she found herself on the ground. Part of her just wanted it to end. Even if she was to miraculously survive this, she wouldn't get far before they would catch her again.

She looked up fearfully. The eyes were stationary. The seconds that followed felt like something from a bad dream, where your body is numb but you can still witness every horror that follows.

Someone was screaming. She could hear a very high pitched tone ringing in her ears from far away. She realized her hands had already shielded her ears. It was like a cat's scream mixed with metal surfaces scratching against each other.

Several other pairs of yellow eyes began to surround her. The creature had called out to its pack. She was trapped!

.

It was just a feeling that led me to where I was. It didn't belong there so I took it back. Did it count as stealing if the object never existed there in the first place. I knew what brought it there.

Silent winds blew my dark hair onto my eyes. I could feel them; angry…

They wanted it back.

'Cowards.'

My eyes skimmed right from left. They were watching me. I could feel their gazes rooted at me. I let out a light whistle, blowing my hair out of the way.

A series of clicks echoed all across the outer wall of the building as their bodies stiffened.

'That's right. Watch me as I get away with the golden cube…'

I took a step out onto the metal window sill, looking down from several floors above. Their lemony eyes shifted to my feet as they clung to the wall, surrounding me.

The flats were all adjoined, running along a line from one corner of the street to the other. Parallel lines of flats connected by metal stairs that zigzagged in between them; all occupied by tons of people. Each of them had their window shutters down by nightfall as they had no desire for falling into the hands of trouble.

Trouble that I usually brought with me while doing my night duties.

I tightened my grip on the small golden cube. It looked like a golden rubix cube, except so small that I could hide it in my fist. The corner of my mouth turned upwards in a half smile.

"Hmp!"

Their pointed, cat-like black ears twitched at the sound of my voice. I put my right leg forward, letting my body go limp. I fell. My smile broadened as the little black creatures all dived in after me like a swarm of bees.

I kept my eyes open despite the wind thrashing at my face. I looked to my side. All the windows of the flats were running upwards past me. I swooped past the metal stairs one by one, counting them… 9, 8, 7, 6, 5….

The third was my stop. Still clutching the cube, I reached out to grab the metal railing and swung myself onto the steps. I looked up; the creatures were already seated on the 4th set of stairs. I grinned.

They were keeping their distance. They couldn't hurt me even if they tried. Smart move… but cowardly.

The darkness loomed endlessly as the moonlight seldom reached the lowest floors. I slowly tiptoed towards the metal door of the flat. I glanced up one last time to make sure the creatures kept their distance. It was like they were frozen statues with glowing yellow eyes.

I was about to slip in through the door when a sudden buzz in my pocket made me pause. I took my phone out. It was a distress signal with the location attached, followed by an incoming call.

I exhaled in irritation.

"Yeah," I answered. The call lasted a few seconds. I stuffed my phone back inside my pocket.

"Pft… Just when I was about to call it a night." I sighed, "Just one more task… then I'm done for tonight…"

I followed the signal till it led me to an abandoned, rusty old building. From where I stood at the top of it, about 4 stories high, I had a clear view of the forest. Dark and gloomy, lit up only by dots of light gathered in a single spot. It was on the outskirts of this town, Darkwood. It connected to the neighboring town but no one ever wandered through there, unless they were new to the place. Even then, everyone knew that was the home of those creatures.

Those beads of light meant they were grouped up to attack. I ran a hand through my already messy, dark hair, contemplating whether or not I should bother with it. Possibilities were high that the person may have already died.

"Ah, what the heck…."

I lifted myself with one hand on the railing at the edge of the rooftop and jumped down. It only took a minute of walking to reach the forest. Once inside, it was like the wind had stopped breathing. One would suffocate to death before any creatures would find them. Sweat had already begun to seep through my clothes as I marched forward.

I knew these woods too well from when I was twelve….

It didn't matter how loud my footsteps were, crunching away at the leaves below. I was angry every time I came here. Also, I needed the attention of the creatures if I were to save anyone.

Branches continuously poked my arms. I could feel the fine leather of my black jacket being scratched permanently. I grabbed a spiked twig, tearing it from the tree trunk and tossed it onto the ground.

Their ears twitched in my direction. I looked up. A group of lime yellow eyes blinked at me. All my anger washed away as I grinned back at them. Some of them were already backing away. The rest of them now had their gazes fixed at me. I could slightly make out the little girl curled up in a ball, hugging her knees. A feeling washed down the back of my throat that felt a lot like relief, despite my constant complaining.

My eyes had adjusted well to the dark through years of constantly being dragged out at night to fulfill my duties… or was I always able to see in the dark? I couldn't quite remember. I stopped only a few feet away from the little girl and let my eyes meet the glowing ones that were closest to her.

The creature had one skinny dark arm raised with three metallic fingers. I felt a sudden surge of deadly energy flow through my veins. My eyes turned pitch black as the energy gathered at my feet, into my shadow. The creature froze. It watched something rise from the ground behind me, blowing dirt with so much force it caused a dent in the ground.

A shadow took the form of a dark, bone like figure. Its cape flailed to one side as if being swept by wind. A long scythe formed in the figure's hand. More creatures disappeared as the shadow started to rise from the ground to take its original form. Seeing the scythe, stained with blood and wrapped in old bandages, the creature's hand quickly retrieved and it backed away.

"Boo," I muttered, and to my satisfaction, they all fled stumbling in haste.

I sighed and my shadow reverted back to normal. My neck felt stiff from lack of sleep. My gaze drifted towards the girl again. She was trembling. She didn't look old enough to know what was going on… nor was she old enough to be left alone.

I stood there for about an entire minute wondering if I should call someone. It was way past anyone's bedtime… except mine apparently. No one would be awake at this hour to attend to her.

"She did venture on her own… maybe she can find her way back," I was muttering to myself when my eyes caught sight of her scratched up arms. "But in that condition…."

.

I kicked the door open and walked into my apartment while carrying the little girl on my back. She was already unconscious by the time we were out of the forest. She barely even knew she was being carried. 'This kid,' I wondered, 'What would a tiny person like her be doing in this place at night? Does she want to get herself killed?'

I strode through the small dark corridor and into the lounge. Everything was exactly how I'd left it. Empty; except for the one long couch that had only recently been shifted here because some people thought I lived in a bat cave or something.

It was a one bedroom apartment, with a kitchen, a lounge and my bedroom of course. I didn't need anything more. I barely lived here. It was more like a place to crash for the day… everyday.

I lay the girl down onto the couch. She was small enough to sink into it comfortably. Her long silver hair blanketed her in waves as if protecting her.

I stretched my arms up in a yawn while tiptoeing toward my room. I shut the door behind me. My room was the only place that showed some sign of life. There was a single, worn out mattress, a desk with a computer resting on top, a side table whose drawers were all hanging open. I never got the time to get it fixed because time was something I never had much of.

I walked across the pile of dirty clothes that were lying on the floor, skipping over them, and slumped onto the mattress. It felt like someone had just pushed a heavy load off my back. The best part about my work was when I retired to my bed. I would be so dead tired that I would fall asleep instantly.

Closing my eyes I could already feel my body drift away, my senses going numb, and a warm sensation took over….

A sudden gust of wind forcefully blew through the window. My peace shattered… I frowned, opening one eye to see that I'd left my window open. Sighing heavily I got to my feet, dragging them towards the window. My arms ached as I reached for the shutter when another mighty swipe of wind blew at me. I lost my balance fell on my back. The mattress heaved underneath me.

I stared, dumbfounded. All of a sudden, the closet door banged shut and I was on my feet again. Rushing towards the door I yanked it open. Hurrying outside, my gaze fell on the empty couch. The girl was gone. I breathed in deeply.

"...Strange kid," I muttered.

My back started to ache again and I couldn't care less about where she went. I dragged myself back inside. Sleep caught me off guard and I slept through the night without any more disturbances.

Sunlight poured in parallel lines through the shutter over the window. I rubbed my eyes while reaching for the alarm clock beside me. I squinted at the time.

"Great…"

The needle was stuck at three. It was no wonder the alarm didn't go off. I couldn't tell what time it was. It was awfully quiet outside, strange for a town always bustling with chatter during the day.

"Impossible…" I whispered, pulling open the window shutter. A blast of sunlight hit my face. I squinted to make out the adjacent buildings.

The apartments looked vacant from where I stood. Despite being occupied by tons of people, each of them had their shutters down, still.

"It's morning. So where is everybody?"

I got up and dragged myself to the bathroom. Half my head was pounding like someone was mining in there. Inside, I looked up at my reflection in the mirror. Nothing but the mature face of an eighteen year old, with short, crispy dark hair and shiny black eyes that now seemed deprived of sleep, even though I'd slept but who knows for how long.

"Stupid clock stops working in the middle of the night…" I muttered to myself while splashing cold water onto my face.

The streets were all vacant as I stepped out into the sun, half struggling with my black coat. I looked up at the buildings. My brows creased. They looked duller than ever with that silent atmosphere lingering around. I noticed cracks running up the walls. I walked slowly with narrowed eyes as if inspecting a crime scene. The buildings always had cracks but tiny ones here and there.

These didn't seem to fit the description of 'tiny' that well. The cracks ran deep in a non-uniform zigzag pattern. Hot rays of the sun shone brightly at me, forming a hard shadow on the wall beside me. I stopped to notice where the shadow was looking. Following its gaze up, I noticed a metal staircase, just above my head.

My eyes widened as they took in the view of the broken metal rods hanging loosely in mid-air. I quickly moved out of the way.

"Something happens on the one day my alarm doesn't go off."

I broke into a run, navigating my way through the buildings and alleyways. The cracks led me right into the main marketplace, at the town square. It was the Eastern part of town. The air felt dry here for some reason. There was a similar feeling of suffocation like in the forest. My throat itched and I swallowed. I hadn't had breakfast yet, and all the shops seemed to be closed for the day.

The square was just as empty as the rest of the town, with shops having their shutters down. There was not a single person in sight. I cautiously slipped a hand in my coat pocket to feel for the thing that mattered most while I scanned the area.

My hand came out empty. I quickly searched my other pockets... No luck. 'Damn. Where did it go?'

I still fumbled into my pockets repeatedly until I was sure the cube was missing. I cursed myself under my breath.

'How could it have just disappeared like that?' I thought to myself.

I'd stolen it from a strangely glowing apartment several nights ago. The Catters that brought it there just seemed to follow me around all night. They seemed oddly attracted to the thing.

My thoughts were cut short by a sudden sound of glass shattering nearby. My heart jumped in excitement and I dashed towards the source of the sound. It came from inside a dark alleyway, almost hidden behind a line of small hut-like shaped stalls.

"Hey!" I called while rushing in, only to hear someone's feet pitter patter away from me. My footsteps automatically turned soft, tiptoeing my way into the alley. I arrived just in time to see a small figure disappear off into the distance. I quickened my pace, jumping over old, used boxes and wrappers. When I turned the corner, I heard footsteps.

I sat down with my back against the wall, silently listening to the steps. They stopped the minute they realized no one was following them, then began to slowly move closer. I shut my eyes to let the sound help me see better. I could feel the dampness at the back of my neck, sweat weeping down my shirt, even though it was the brink of winter. I rubbed the back of my neck in restlessness.

Something shifted beside me. I opened my eyes to see a familiar tiny figure with her back to me, not having realized I was sitting there. She just walked past me.

"There you are."

In a single motion she gasped, jumped, and turned around all at the same time; her long silver hair slapping my face as she did. I put up a hand to shield my face as I stood up. She stared up at me with large, frightened blue eyes. Her hair went all the way down to her knees as if to protect her from harm. Even though she looked fragile and innocent, I didn't buy it.

"Alright, where do you think you're going?" I asked, crossing my arms. "You know I had to save you from those Catters last night. What were you even doing there?"

She suddenly seemed distracted, as if it had registered that I was no longer the threat, therefore, no reason to pay attention. She kept looking at her surroundings as if watching out for something.

"Hey, I'm talking to you-"

Then her head turned towards me. Our eyes met. This time, it was a warning. Not from her, but from whatever was after her. She held her gaze for a moment before it turned to pain. She let out a tiny gasp and stumbled forward. I noticed her right hand slowly move to grip her other arm. There were red stains all over it.

"The hell happened to you?" I blurted out, quickly crouching down to inspect the wound. What was surprising was that she let me. I reached for the left arm and lifted it to examine properly.

"It wasn't like this last night when I found you."

Something sparkled on her skin. I squinted closely at what seemed to be tiny, golden pieces of shards pierced into her skin. They were so small that I wouldn't have noticed if my fingers hadn't poked them.

I glanced at her face, worried she might cry or something, but she didn't even flinch. It didn't feel like I was looking into the eyes of a typical little girl. There was some form of wisdom I could sense from her. I looked back at the arm.

"These are stuck too deep. You're going to need a doctor."

She was distracted again, looking around for something I still wasn't sure what it was. I gently let go of her arm and it just fell limply to her side. I raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

"Talk about crazy, if it hurts then say something, damn it! It's completely dislocated! If you're in pain or in trouble, you tell someone."

She finally looked me in the eyes but this time, I saw fear.

"How did this happen?"

"I am…" she spoke in almost a whisper.

"What?" I couldn't hear the rest of it.

"In trouble," she said before heading back towards the alley again. I noticed a slight limp.

"Hey, wait," I called after her but she started to walk faster instead. I wasn't sure where she was trying to go since it was an eventual dead end.

I began to take a step forward. With my foot still in the air, something dark swooped past me at lightning speed. I froze.

The next second, a loud, piercing scream tore through my eardrums and I felt a cold shiver run down my back. A white flash emanated from the left turning where the girl had gone. There was a loud thud of heavy metal hitting the ground. The light shone vibrantly for a short instant and then faded away just as quickly. It all happened so fast.

I watched with a benumb expression. Seconds ticked by and I heard no other sound, nor was there any more light coming from the turning. A cold breeze blew over my face. The air was no longer suffocating anymore. I followed after. Once I got there, it was a dead end and she was already gone.

A cylindrical shaped metal trash can lay on the floor, its smelly contents scattered around.

'Where did she go? What was that thing just now…'