Death from the Shadows - Chapter 2
CHAPTER TWONyeusi pulls the hood of his trench coat up to block the wind that has kicked up. He looks around for a moment, checking his surroundings before he turns right and begins to head down 51st street, headed towards Flatbush and to his apartment. It's a long 3-mile walk, but a walk which Nyeusi has grown to relish. Long walks, on a night where no sane person would be out, gives one time to think in peace and quiet."Who would have dared to give a random person any information on me?" Nyeusi asks himself, out loud. In this city, no one even bats an eye at someone talking out loud to themselves. This city is cold, as it has always been, so people largely ignore each other and just try to get from point a to point b. This is fine for Nyeusi, as he dislikes having to make small talk, or even acknowledge others, and it also allows him to have conversations with himself.In his line of work, there were rules that you followed; both for the person doing the job, but also the contact providing the job. One of the rules that you always follow is you keep your contacts secret, no matter who is asking about them. For someone to give out his usual hangout is giving out a bit too much information. Whoever gave out this information will be getting a visit, though the punishment for this slip-up will not be severe. No one got his name, nor did they get information on where he lived or where his warehouse was, so a discussion is all that is in order."I think the far more pressing question here, though, is what is this woman's intentions?" Nyeusi pauses at the crosswalk, waiting for the signal to change. This may seem a strange law for a hired killer to follow, but when one is a killer for a living, drawing any sort of attention to themselves from the law
can be a detrimental thing."A book about the hybrid project and she needs to speak to me. How does she expect me to have all the answers she needs? I am not someone who was in the project, rather I am part of it. All I know of it is all I know and that's not much. She can't possibly believe I have some intimate knowledge that no one else has."The crosswalk signal finally changes to walk, and Nyeusi walks to the opposite side of the street and continues down the direction he was originally traveling. "Also, why me? It makes no sense. There are hundreds, if not thousands of hybrids she could talk to that would be far less of a risk, but she chooses me. None of this adds up...absolutely nothing adds up about this. Also, agreeing to the fifteen thousand...I thought for sure that would back her off, but it didn't. Yeah, something seems odd -- or at the very least motivated. She will have to be held at arms length, that's for damn sure."Nyeusi has reached the point of no return, at least for humans, now. While there is a sense of an old city throughout New York, this part of New York seems out of place. The buildings are completely rundown, un-cared for and have been like that for decades now. Burned out husks of what were once buildings are scattered amongst the still intact buildings. Graffiti is not just around, it's the only paint job any of the buildings has gotten. The 'painters' of those buildings, though, have long since moved out and so even the graffiti is beginning to flake off. This is a city that once was and this is Nyeusi's home.A few cold rain drops begin to fall, and Nyeusi lets out a grumble, pulling the hood further over his head, now almost covering his eyes. "Damn cold rain, I am not designed for this shit," Nyeusi says as he continues walking. He then pauses, looks up into the sky scowling, "At least you waited until I got this far." He isn't sure why he talks to
the sky, there is no one up there to hear him, but it makes him feel better and that is what counts. Nyeusi now reaches an unmarked alleyway, an alleyway most would miss, and heads down the alleyway.Once Nyeusi is in the alleyway, he pulls the hood down. The alleyway blocks the wind, and there is enough overhead cover to avoid the rain entirely. He stops for a moment, reaching down into one of his boots, and pulls out a switchblade. He presses the switch to swing the blade open and carefully palms the weapon to hide it from sight. He then continues walking down the unmarked alley, ever-vigilant, as this is where things can get dangerous.This part of the city is where all of the hybrids have been herded into. Nobody in the city wanted them in their backyard, yet the bleeding heart liberals didn't want any creatures created during the project to be destroyed, so the city had little choice but to put them somewhere. The city managed to find the most run-down place possible, and that is where Nyeusi has called home since he left the orphanage. The danger with this area is that most who live here barely have enough money to buy basic needs, so robbery is rampant as is every drug imaginable. Nyeusi has never understood that part of it: the residents here cannot afford food, but drugs they find money for. He cannot fault them for wanting to get away from the misery by injecting themselves, or snorting substances up their nose. What he can fault them for, however, is by seeking drugs first they now need to commit crimes to feed themselves.Nyeusi pauses outside the door to a small unmarked building. He carefully folds up the switchblade back up and sticks it in the waistband of his BDUs before opening the door and heading in. While much of the area you need to have something to protect yourself, this particular building is at least safe. This is one of the few grocery stores accessible
by the residents here, and while it has a meager offering, it carries the basics and that is all that is important. Also, both of the hybrids who run it are decent enough people and Nyeusi is tolerant, sometimes even friendly, towards them. "Hey Kes," Nyeusi calls out as he walks into the store. A border collie hybrid comes out from the back of the store, tail wagging a little which always elicits a small smile from Nyeusi. To be able to be happy, while stuck in this hell is admirable, and even Nyeusi, as cold hearted as he may be can appreciate that."Nyeusi, hey, haven't seen you in a bit," Kes says, in his quick, excited way of speaking, "What's going on this evening?""Nothing to speak of," Nyeusi says shrugging his shoulders. "Rudy booted me out, saying I was over-served. Decided I should pop in and grab a couple of things for the evening before heading back to the apartment.""You always keep weird hours," the collie says, "It's morning now, not evening." The collie waves a paw chuckling, "I know, I know it's just your schedule." The Collie heads behind the counter, pulling down a couple of packs of cigarettes, "Usual smokes for ya?""Yea Kes, usual smokes. Also, can I grab a fifth of Jack from ya as well? My supply is dwindling, and a panther without his whiskey is a sad panther."The Collie pulls a bottle of Jack Daniels off the shelf behind
the counter and sets it down on the counter. "I don't get how you can drink this stuff, but I would prefer to avoid a sad Panther, so absolutely. That's thirty-two even."Nyeusi pulls out a wallet from his front jacket pocket, the wallet that he keeps his small bills in, and tosses two twenties on the counter, "Keep the change, Kes. Mind tossing that into a bag, preferably plastic, so it doesn't fall apart on my way home?"The Collie grabs a bag from under the counter, and bags up the bottle of whiskey and two packs of smokes, handing it over to Nyeusi, "Sure can. It is raining like a sombitch out there, ain't it? Makes the night just miserable, and kills off all my normal customers. All afraid they are going to melt, or frizz up, or something I'm sure."This statement causes Nyeusi to laugh, as he pictures a poodle puffed out due to the rain. "Yea, it certainly is raining out there," Nyeusi says before lightly tapping his palm against the counter. "Hey Kes, take it easy alright? I will catch ya around." Nyeusi begins to head back towards the door but turns back and grins, "Don't head out there, wouldn't want you frizzing up." This elicits a laugh from the collie, and another bout of tail wagging as the Collie heads back to the back of the store. Nyeusi shakes his head grinning, before muttering, "damn dog, how can you always be so happy?" Nyeusi opens the door and heads back outside into the alleyway.Back outside Nyeusi pulls the switchblade back out and reopens it. He continues down the alleyway, keeping the plastic bag under his jacket the best he can while keeping full control on the switchblade. Finally, after another ten minutes, he arrives at what looks like a single story apartment building, or what was once an apartment building. The building is as dilapidated as everything else around, with pieces of plywood covering over holes in the roof, and many windows replaced with
the same plywood. Nyeusi makes his way around to the entrance to the building and disappears into the darkness of the building.**********If the outside of Nyeusi's apartment looked dilapidated, the inside is no better. Paint is peeling off of every wall imaginable, wallpaper falling off any wall that wasn't painted. The carpet in the hallway is torn up, allowing wrinkles to run along the entire length of the carpeting. Most of the apartments lost their doors years ago, so the residents have done the best they can to cover up their doorways. Some use old countertops, some use curtains; then there is Nyeusi, who has no covering over his doorway.Nyeusi walks down the hallway, and into his apartment. There is a switch, for an overhead light, as you walk in, but Nyeusi avoids that switch like the plague. Not only is the bulb about as bright as the ones you find in old root cellars, but his eyes work far better in the dark. He gives his eyes a second to adjust from the light in the hallway to the near pitch black of his apartment before stepping over the vestibule and fully into his apartment.His living room, the first thing you see upon entering is quite barren. An old torn up sofa takes up the bulk of the living room. In front of that is a coffee table, which looks like it belongs in the 1960s, sitting on top of an old piece of carpet. In the corner, his favorite spot: an old lazy boy recliner sitting next to an ash bucket and a small floor lamp. As much as Nyeusi loves the dark, there are times that light is necessary.Nyeusi sets the bag of whiskey and cigarettes down and pulls off his trench-coat, tossing
it onto the couch. Underneath his coat, is his double shoulder holster, which is filled with two 1911 .45 caliber pistols. The shoulder holster covers his back, with space for two Katanas if he ever takes those out for a job. It's been awhile since those sheaths have had anything in them as Katanas tend to leave quite the mess. He strips off the shoulder holster, and lays that over the back of the couch, followed closely by the bulletproof vest he wears underneath everything. Tonight, the vest was only one plate as there is rarely risk when he goes to the bar, but you can never be too careful.Nyeusi stretches his arms and back, a few more creaks being heard from his back. He shakes his head lightly at the creaks, "You are getting old Nyeusi. You shouldn't be creaking like that." He reaches down, grabbing the bag and carrying it into the kitchen.The kitchen is small but clean. While Nyeusi can leave his home a little cluttered, his kitchen is always spotless. An apartment sized refrigerator fills in an indent in the wall, the stove and oven opposite that. Next to the stove is a countertop, with a pretty standard kitchen sink in it. Above the sink is a small shelf, which is where Nyeusi keeps his shot glasses and liquor. He pulls the whiskey bottle out of the bag and sets it up alongside the nearly empty bottle. He picks up the nearly empty bottle, gives it a shake, and sets it back up on the shelf, "You got that bottle just in time. When did you drink all that? Come on Nyeusi, you gotta keep track of these things better." It's true that over the past couple of weeks, Nyeusi has been drinking far more than had in the past. He has always had a penchant for a good strong whiskey, but the bottles are emptying faster than normal. He would generally blame it on a job, but he hasn't had a job in a good month, so he can't blame it on that. No, he is just drinking more, plain and simple. He stands looking at the mostly empty bottle as he tries to recall what caused him to drink that bottle so much faster for a moment, before shrugging. "I just have to limit myself, that's it. Willpower, Nyeusi."He grabs the two packs of cigarettes out of the bag and puts the bag down below the sink in the cupboard that is there. He then opens one of the packs of cigarettes, rips the foil off, and tosses it into the little garbage can that sits by the entryway that leads into the hallway towards the bedroom and bathroom. He grabs a lighter that is sitting on the counter, pulls a cigarette from the pack, lights it, and walks back into the living room.When he reaches the LazyBoy, he takes a drag off his cigarette and flicks the cigarette against the ash bucket. He then walks over to the couch, gathers up his jacket, holster, and vest, and walks down the hallway into his bedroom.If Nyeusi's kitchen is clean, his bedroom is spotless, as well as the room with the most furniture. In the dead center of the room, up against the wall is a king sized bed. On either side of the bed are nightstands, both made of solid oak. Along the opposite wall is a wardrobe, flanked by two armor stands one of which currently has his thicker bulletproof vest hanging on it. In the corner is a small desk with a desk lamp sitting on it, and nothing else. None of his paperwork is kept in the apartment, not even a black book.He tosses the items he is carrying onto the bed and sits down on the bed. He undoes the laces on his boots, pulls them off and sets them up against the wall by the bed. "Finally out of those godforsaken things. Make too much damn noise with them on." He then gets up and opens up the wardrobe. Inside the wardrobe, on stands are another set of 1911s. On the opposite side, there is a bullpup M16, outfitted with a military-grade scope. In the back are
hooks for his jacket, as well as for his holster, which he hangs both up. He then pauses for a moment, and grunts, "Shit, what pocket was that in?". He goes into each pocket of the jacket, finally coming out with a small baggie of white powder that resembles salt. He reaches down, sliding open a false bottom, and drops the baggie into it before closing it back up.He stands in front of the wardrobe for another second, mentally going over everything to make sure he doesn't forget anything, before closing up the wardrobe. He takes another drag off his cigarette and ashes it into an ashtray that sits on the right-side nightstand and heads back out into the kitchen. He contemplates the whiskey, decides it best to lay off that for the night, and instead goes to the fridge and grabs a bottle of water. He opens the bottle, takes a swig, then heads out to the living room and sits down in his LazyBoy. "Alright Nyeusi, so you have taken a job from someone who wants to talk to you...about you. Why does she wish to speak to you to get information that a few phone calls would grant her? More importantly, who gave her the information to find you?" He leans back in the chair, hands on his temples as he thinks these questions through. "Abegail Horn...that was her name. Horn...why does that ring a bell? Dammit, Nyeusi, think...why does Horn ring a bell?" Unfortunately for Nyeusi, the answers will not come to him. He will have to go and investigate his records, but right now he is comfortable in his chair so he will be damned if he goes out there tonight. No, it's not night anymore, or so the first rays of the sun seem to indicate. He takes a drag off his cigarette, before taking another drink of his water."Tomorrow...tomorrow I have to figure all these answers out. I probably won't sleep until I figure them out but...fuck it. I doubt two nights of no sleep will kill me."