Black

Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Darkness cloaked the street, the sound of traffic from the larger arteries faded now at four in the morning. The moon had already made its nightly arc across the charcoal sky, and the city was as still as it got. Rap music thumped dully from an open window of the apartment building on the corner, faint evidence of a party winding down, the celebration muted to avoid a visit from the police.

A dark brown furry form slunk along the gutter, hoping for a tidbit as it made its nightly loop around the neighborhood, lord of its domain as long as it avoided tires and the occasional loose pet. It paused by an overflowing garbage can, weighing the benefits of leaping up and gnawing the dark green trash bag open, until it stiffened, startled by a scrape from down the block.

A lone figure hugged the shadows as it made its way down the sidewalk, rubber-soled running shoes padding softly against the hard concrete. The figure stopped near a large oak tree, one of the few concessions to nature left on the street, and surveyed the area to ensure that nobody was watching. Satisfied, it moved along the seemingly endless string of cars until arriving at its objective. With a fluid motion the stealthy shape shrugged off its black backpack and disappeared from the rodent's view.

Ten minutes later the running shoes traversed the remainder of the block, continuing on until rounding the corner and disappearing into the gloom, the errand completed.