Shadow Hunters

Howls

City lights do hold a sentence at night, preferably the ones who screams their existence in neon colours and various changes in intensity-from sudden dim to bright, from hazy to stubborn beams. It was endless.

The young girl wore those colours on her skin. The lights changing and so did the hue on her skin- like living in the dictation of the scrap lights of the city. Nights in the scam cities are always sleepless, arriving with the sugar of many activities. The people here have mastered the night-seeing its darkness as an asset many people won't. In that darkness their own electrical lights glimmers. There was pride in that glimmering.

On the far distant she can hear the weak sound of rock music. Free concerts for the poor and small by singers extending from fan less and fameless holes. And of course the traffic's honking impatience added to the tune. But nevertheless, the rushed wind and chill in the air gave off a sign she could read. Storm.

Her shift at the cafe wasn't exhausting. Her friends suggested outing the entire night. She refused. She told them her bones needed the blanket and the pillow so they let her wander her way to the bed. They call her childish behind her back.

As she walked on the sidewalk, feeling the urge to seek, she noticed the city and its loud colours. She loves this city for its energetic atmosphere. There is always a schedule to run to and a deadline to meet. Mayhem. And people; to survive here also need that torrid amount of energy in them. She knew she had it. In the pre hours of a storm, her sleeping energy seem to repose. And so she will seek and free tonight.

She hurried on her footsteps now, determined to outdo the storm. The thunder she heard were nearing. When the wind was more restless-throwing plastic bags and wrappers into her direction, she stopped cold.

The sleek pathway between the two buildings sent out a sense of presence to her. The narrow opening which will mercilessly only allow thin people to pass swiftly, had an aura of disturbance. She stepped forward in that direction.

She should be able to see. Instead she heard-the crackling and snapping sound, the reviving of a wake. Two long limp arms pushed out of the pathway, lingering for a second before being recoiled back. The glaring city lights agonized it.

The blond girl stood there observing, a slim smile on her face. She searched her bag and took out the multi purpose hand tool. She turned on her feet and crossed the street for the circuit box sitting fat there. A screwdriver was rotated out of the hand tool and worked upon on the screws of the circuit box. Once that was done, the rusty door was swung open and with a snap of the knife, the street lamps across and around buzzed off with a spark. The authority will fix that by next week. Scam cities have their tolerance to constant vandalism by anonymous rowdy dwellers and so there was a laziness practiced when it comes to
rennovation and reconstruction.

The creature sensed the abrupt change in brightness. Those black limpy long arms slithered out again, pulling the deformed tall body after it.

The shadow creature was rather tall and thin. It's long hybernation in the narrowness of that pathway made its posture look sloped and clumsy. They are always clumsy, she thought. But to its advent she greeted with a smile.

"The storm..." She assured.

The creature looked up, it's head touching the 3rd floor of the building next to it. "The cold" it howled.

"CCCOOOLLLDDD" it howled again. It's breathless struggle was a shriek in the air, for those who will recognise it for its purpose. The cold energized her too.

The creatures large bulging eyes looked terror struck. Then they saw her and leaned to her. "Cold" it whispered in her ear.

The cold the creature was yearning for was far from home. The city had a haughty air in it. The smoke from cars and chimneys added to the effect. Even when she can feel the prospect of a icy storm, the hot city air was still unmoving.

This one however woke before the time. It howled again. The watching girl heard other distant howls answering it. They weren't meaningless cries into the air. She could clearly hear them say it.

"CCCCOOOOLLLDDD"

It was a plea. The cold was yet to come. The storm still mile's away. And she prayed it will come unlike the group of people who gathered for a budget concert on the shady parts of the city. Unlike her friends who will sadly turn for home if that storm came by. Unlike herself who'll stay the entire night out if a storm do attacks the city-to retrieve and awake many of these creatures as possible. She needed the cold. She sympathized them-the creatures and the sleepless humans.