___

I ran like the world beneath me was going to swallow me whole, never looking back once to see what was giving chase. The metallic taste of blood was strong in my mouth, from my burning lungs that were not used to this much strain. I navigated through the dark corners of buildings, trying to find a place to lose the red hooded figure. Eventually, I came across a fenced-off storage unit, chocked full of potential cover.

Quickly, I jumped onto the metal chain links, climbing my way up over the other side before jumping down onto the asphalt. I grunted from the impact, a sharp wave of pain shooting up my feet as I continued to run. The gravel-like surface beneath my feet was slick with the frost of a cold night. I could feel the wind with her unforgiving breath sting my face, like shards of ice. Still, I pressed on.

I need to keep running, I thought.

Then I heard the sound of that metal-linked fence being jumped on. That made me push myself further, because what followed were the red hooded figure’s running feet in pursuit. Causing loud stomps with those heavy, doom-impending boots.

Until I heard a crash. The sound of sheet metal being impacted on. I thought I hit something, but I didn’t care. That’s when I noticed the boots behind me were non-existent. I saw a turn, and I sharply took it, hoping to lose my chaser. My heart sank as I turned, and I realized I was running into a dead-ended space. I glanced behind me for the first time, scared that I was caught. I braced myself to see… Nothing.

To my surprise, I looked around frantically, slowly backing up into the dead end. I couldn’t hear anything. Just the sound of my frantic panting, trying to catch my breath. I turned around to see a dumpster in the corner of two storage units. Without further delay, I raced to hide. Just when I started to run towards my destination-

BANG!

A loud crack exploded into the air, causing me to scream. The sound brought an ear-deafening ringing in my ears. The ground just inches from my foot has smoke arising from its new cracked dent.

Someone had just shot at me.

With my heart pounding I looked behind me to my left, then looked up. Sure enough, there was the figure who pursued me. He had never fallen behind, only instead finding higher ground to search for me. The red hooded figure stood atop one of the storage units, with his pistol lifted at me. I watched as he took one step off of the metal roof, jumping down with his metal boots striking the asphalt. I looked at him, frozen in place. Under his red hoodie, his face was adorned with a shiny, metallic red helmet, almost like it was military. His face was concealed under its surface. I watched as the terrifyingly imposing figure slowly stepped towards me, his leather jacket rustling with his every movement. He was like a slow, cunning predator, creeping up close to the prey he stalked -

Me.

Through his helmet, I heard him speak.

“Well, well, well. I take it you’re what they were coming for.”

His words sounded mechanical through the metal helmet that was most likely amplifying his voice.

I held my breath, my eyes wide open like an animal begging for its life.

“Not much of a talker huh? That’s going to be a problem.”

He got even closer, and before I knew it, he had his pistol pressed gingerly against my temple. Its metal barrel was cold, yet I could feel the slight warmth from my warning shot radiating from it. I swallowed fearfully, looking at my reflection in his helm. Even though his face was obscured, I could tell his eyes staring me down, as if to anchor me to my place with his sheer terrifying demeanor.

“Well, I’ll keep it brief then. Who are you, and why are you out?”

I felt like I couldn’t respond, my tongue couldn’t form the words I needed.

“Talk!”

He shouted, his thunderous voice making me jump where I stood.

“I-”

I couldn’t speak. Words became near impossible to form and trying to do so made my mind blank. I was so gutted by the panic this intimidating man imposed.

The red-hooded man slammed his fist next to me on the storage unit door. I let out a small shriek, flinching as he did so. The sheer force of his fist managed to dent the metal, which was terrifying to think about. If a single punch from him could dent the storage unit door, what could one punch do to me?

“Talk! Now!”

The red figure shouted at me.

It took all of my focus to say something, anything.

“I-I was on a transfer to Arkham!”

“Doesn’t answer my question. Why are you here then?”

His voice gave a snarl.

“I-I don’t know! On our way two vehicles pulled up and started shooting, causing us to crash! The guys in clown masks. They killed the officers e-escorting me and… and…”

My anxiety was shooting through the roof, making me stumble over my words. I tried to think of what to say, but I got stuck once again, my brain going into a panic over the direness of the situation.

“And? Why did they? Stuttering's an easy check on my 'how to piss me off' list.”

I could feel him add slight pressure to the gun against my head. I could feel his impatience seeping out of him.

“I-I don’t know! They just said they wanted me to come with them, or else they would kill me! Look you can take me back just-”

I was sharply cut off.

“Oh, I plan to. See the problem is you’re now involved in some very serious stuff. And I like my information. I don’t feel like you’re giving me the full story. I don’t like hitting women, but if you don’t start talking I might have to bend that rule.”

Just then I felt his sturdy hand suddenly push me violently against the wall, pain now radiating in my spine from the sudden impact. He backed away from me, the barrel of his pistol no longer at my temple. I was relieved to have some distance from this menacing red-hooded figure, but he had now pulled out two pistols, both of them aiming for both of my eyes. My pulse picked up, feeling as if I was about to go into cardiac arrest.

“I’m not lying! Please, you have to let me go before he finds me again!”

My voice began to waver, cracking under the pressure.

“Who finds you?”

“I don’t know! He was wearing a clown mask, and he chased me down the alleyway!”

“Tell me the name!”

“I don’t know his name!”

“Yeah, see… I wish I believed you!”

The cock of his gun was a nightmare to my ears.

“I don’t know his fucking name!”

I don’t think I’ve ever cussed out loud before. The pressure from the situation I guess brought it out. Just as I raised my voice at him, he ran up to me to close whatever distance we had left between us, using my forearm to push my throat against the wall. His cold leather jacket and padding almost embed itself into my neck. His muscular arm constricting my airflow made every breath that followed harder and harder to catch. This intense interrogation was bringing me to the breaking point, and I could feel the monster within me calling out, beckoning. The voice whispered within me.

“You have about five seconds until I start implementing bodily harm.”

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

I gasped, and I choked, hopelessly grabbing and hitting at his arm, trying to get him to release his deathly hand on me. The adrenaline coursing through me, and my desperation feeding the monster inside me.

I dreaded having to let it out again, but I had no choice.

I’m not going to die. I refuse to die.

“Trust in me. I’ll h-”

Suddenly, a hauntingly familiar voice resonated in the distance.

“Ah, it looks like you found what ran away from me!”

A familiar shrill and raspy voice interrupted the atmosphere and the monster inside whispered to me.

Oh no, I thought. It’s him.

The red hooded figure withdrew his forearm off of my throat, leaving me to double over coughing and gagging. I could feel life start to flow back into me again, with every breath I could freely intake.

I looked over, still keeled over, to see the neon clown-masked maniac who chased me down the alleys. His large gun slung behind his right shoulder, staring at me.

The man in the red hood turned away from me, facing the masked freak head-on.

“Well look at you, late to the party.”

The red-hooded man said to him. His voice cut the busy city night like a knife. Coarse and sharp, like a dog’s fierce bark.

“Aw, don’t be mad at me. Someone didn’t wait up for me!”

The demented man in the neon attire tilted his body to the left to look at me, crow's feet plaguing his eyes, indicating a cold, evil smile was behind his terrifying mask. He then sharply jolted back upright, his purplish cornrows swinging wildly, looking back at his red-hooded adversary.

The clown-masked man spoke up again.

“Well, I hate to crash and dash Little Red, but I have a package to deliver. And I’d rather not be tardy.”

His voice was the opposite of the red-hooded figure. Rapsy, high-pitched, and peppy. So happy, yet so disturbed. Like a sickening carnival ring leader, introducing the circus of Hell.

“Yeah you see, that’s not going to happen Candyman. I think it's about time I scatter your brains on the pavement, finally.”

“Well, I never liked the idea of an open casket!”

The clown-masked man, who I now understood his name to be Candyman, started giggling demonically.

The red-hooded figure spun his pistols on his index fingers before pointing them at Candyman. His skill with those pistols was fluid. He handled them like he was born with those guns attached to his hands. Meanwhile, Candyman then reached into his pocket to grab something. Suddenly I remembered the escort he had killed. Right before the poor guard took off running, Candyman reached into his pocket and then slipped whatever he retrieved into the escort’s pocket.

Oh no.

I quickly ran and took cover behind the dumpster. Red man be damned. He was grabbing explosives like he did with the escort before. I peeked out from the edge of the massive metal garbage bin. I watched Candyman make a throwing motion, hearing the tiniest little object flying to the ground. Then-

BOOM!

I flinched at the loud sound, quickly retreating behind the dumpster to avoid any heat or force from the explosive. Once It cleared, I peeked out again. There Candyman was, but the red hooded figure was gone. Before I even had time to wonder where he had gone, he swooped in from the top of the storage units, landing a kick to the jaw of Candyman. I watched as the intense fight between the two started.

Candyman recovered quickly from the impact and managed to flip backward away from the red hooded figure out into the aisle of the storage units. Candyman then pulled out his gun and began open firing into the alley, giggling maniacally. I shielded myself behind the dumpster, still managing to look out into the chaos. The red hooded figure swiftly dived right out of the bullets’ trajectory range, summer salting until he was near the wall of the storage unit in front of him. When Candyman aimed his direction again, the red hooded figure used his strength and agility to jump off of the wall, expertly back springing off of it to avoid the path of the bullets and landing in front of Candyman. Before the maniac in the mask could pull the trigger again, the red-hooded figure headbutted him, sending Candyman back.

While Candyman was being sent back from the impact, his opponent seized the opportunity to upper kick the madman’s large gun out of his grasp, leaving him weaponless. That’s when the red-hooded figure began firing his pistols at the foe. I thought the fight was finally over, but Candyman recovered from his assault, quickly leaping out of the way, and reaching into his pocket to throw his explosives at the red-hooded figure. I heard three tiny metal objects collide with the ground, before-

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Once again, I ducked behind the dumpster to take cover. When I could peek out again, I saw the red hooded figure land a few feet from Candyman. It appeared he jumped out of the way just in time. The red-hooded figure was truly versed in combat, and watching him dodge and attack would have been entertaining if I wasn’t fearing for my life. I looked at Candyman, expecting him to bring out more explosives. He instead unlatched the hook from his belt, and just as he did so, the chain that wrapped around his left leg fell onto the ground. The chain remained in his hands now, ready to use.

He then began swinging it wildly at the red-hooded figure. He wielded the chain with precision, and with a perplexing elegance. The chain flew in the air with the hook on its end attempting to catch its prey on the end of it. The red-hooded figure did what he could to dodge the metallic weapon, firing shots at Candyman, the bullets not quite finding their target. Candyman then caught his adversary off guard, the red hooded figure falling violently on his back after the heavy chain whipped him across the chest. Candyman, then using his new leverage, ran over and placed his neon leather boot on the red hooded figure’s neck. The entire time, the madman was laughing in his shrill pitch. Candyman picked up the large hook that was at the end of his chain, holding it as if he were about to slash somebody. He lifted it above his shoulder, ready to end his opponent.

Thoughts were racing through my head, watching the fight break out. It didn’t matter who won this match. The surviving victor would come for me next. I contemplated running while they were distracted, leaving so I could save my own life. The guilt racked up in me, somehow, seeing the red hooded figure be bested. I considered my options. I could run and save myself, leaving the red-hooded figure to die. The likelihood of me escaping Candyman seemed bleak, however, and it couldn’t be known if he’d spare me if he caught up to me. The red hooded figure could still kill me, but if I could just convince him I truly knew nothing, he might be more lenient.

Just then, I remembered a saying from my mother’s boyfriend years ago. Something he’d quote in his drunken ramblings about his dealings with old friends in the drug trade.

"To beat a devil, you need to make a deal with one."

I watched Candyman laugh as he was about to slash the red hooded figure. It felt like my decision was made in a flash. I would fight alongside a devil to beat another. Taking a shot in the dark, a decision for my survival. Within mere seconds I emerged from the dumpster, beginning to run. I heard the sharp whispers in my ears as I did so.

“I will help you.”

Suddenly, I wasn’t running anymore. I appeared in front of Candyman, black smoke and shadows encasing my being. I raised my blackened hand, with its menacing claws knowing my intentions. I sliced down, causing Candyman to jump back, him barely avoiding my clutches. I briefly saw my misshapen reflection in the rusted metal of the storage unit doors. I was a creature of pure destruction. No humanity left, only a shadow remnant of my former self. I felt my power coursing through me. I knew what I needed to do now.

I needed to fight.

I looked back at Candyman, just in time to see him run at me. Quickly, I jumped out of his way, maneuvering behind him. Just then, the red-hooded figure pushed himself off of the ground, jumping up in front of Candyman. He quickly pistol-whipped him, before kicking him square in the chest. The impact from the red hooded figure’s foot sent Candyman flying back towards me. Without thinking, I felt my instincts take over. I ran closer to Candyman while he was still semi-midair. I felt my claws retract, and my shadowed fist grabbed his face, quickly jumping to smash his head into the ground.

His head impacted the asphalt, leaving a small crater in it. Candyman grunted from the impact. I was almost a little shocked at my brute force, realizing I was not only just faster in my shadow form. I was stronger too.

Within seconds of his head colliding with the asphalt, I grabbed him by his shoulders, aggressively throwing him into a storage unit door. His body made contact with it, leaving a large dent in his shape. I watched as Red Hood then rushed quickly over, side-kicking him away. Candyman got up, and I noticed half of his clown mask broke off, revealing a man with sharp features. He wasn’t laughing anymore. His eyes swirled with glinting madness, and his mouth scowled evilly. His face was bruised and bleeding from our assaults. Apparently play time was over for him. He was now serious.

Dead serious.

He let an infuriated war cry erupt from his scowling mouth, before swinging his chain furiously. The red hooded figure dodged them with ease, acrobatically evading the massive chain links. I, on the other hand, had difficulty. It took everything in me to focus on turning myself into a non-solid form, just like how I evaded the bullets from the clown-masked men earlier. I also dodged and weaved out of the way a few times. However, Candyman’s chain happened to catch me in a moment where I was out of focus, colliding with my solid body. The force of his massive chain hit my chest, sending me flying back and skidding along the asphalt.

I watched as the red-hooded figure managed to jump at Candyman, attempting to shoot him, but Candyman evaded his bullets with ease. His eyes still echoed his contempt for us. I quickly got up, pushing off of the ground, running behind Candyman and kicking him towards the red hooded figure. When Candyman fell towards his target, the red hooded figure swiftly grabbed his chain, wrapping it around his neck. Before Candyman could collide with the ground, the red hooded figure then spun and kicked him back to me, still holding his chain. I seized the opportunity, and when he stopped against the chain’s force that was effectively choking him, I took my clawed hands and slashed him across the chest, his blood beginning to pour out like a waterfall, spewing out of the deep wounds onto the cold asphalt.

The echo of his choking gasp was sent into the night before being followed by silence. I looked Candyman in his eyes, watching as his glint of insanity stared back at me angrily. His life began to fade, as he stared at me. His scowl started to soften from his growing weakness.

“Y-Y-You’re…. D-Dead…”

He managed to whisper out, before falling to his knees and onto his side. I heard his last heavy breath, sighing with blood gurgling out of his mouth. The last traces left his body as if it were his very soul.

When the danger subsided I started to catch my breath, returning to my normal self. I heard the chain fall to the ground, and I looked over at the red-hooded figure, prepared to negotiate for my life. I expected to see him, but instead, he had gone. It was as if he had vanished into the cold, night. Confused, I stared at the spot he disappeared from, looking for any signs of him but finding none.

That was until I heard a thud against the asphalt behind me. Before I could turn around to see what caused the noise, I felt a very heavy object hit the side of my temple. The impact area encased my head with pain, making the world around me go blurry as I fell onto the asphalt.

This is it, I thought. There would be no negotiation.

I tried to keep my consciousness, but the world around me became dark. I drifted into its unknown slumber, silently awaiting the outcome of death.