.. Market Street..
Neon lights that enunciated boards and signs glowed around. The space boomed and thrummed with life. Market Street always does.
People going around, shopping for whatever they need. And on other hand, the other people, the supernaturals, lurking around, having their own time too, their existence unknown to the human.
Despite that it's night time, the bright lights and neons glowing have so much light that it seemed as though it's day. But despite the illumination, the humans couldn't identify the supernatural beings that loomed among them.
Sarai turned into a corner. Trudging through dark alleyways, shadows of stalls and structures, Sarai advanced further into the market.
Trailing behind her was Kylian, on a magic chair.
Sneaking her way through, she stopped by the edge of a building.
The magic chair stopped behind her.
She peeped out from the corner. She could see a closed stall among rows of opened shops, from where she hid. The iron door of the stall was sunk inwards. That's her shop.
Almost a week ago, The Mutilator had sent his men to get her. The men to which she did the honor of bashing with magic. The hollowed door was from them trying to break in.
She doesn't know where Macarba is or where it might be. She doesn't even have any idea of what it might look like. But she thinks an idea of the place might be in one of the ledgers that is locked in a box buried under her shop.
But she feels it's unsafe.
It's been days now since she last came to the shop and she feels somehow uneasy coming around again. The show she and those hind legged creatures had put up that day could have attracted some slitted eyes.
Her eyes flickered around and she scrutinized the surroundings.
Everything was going normal, with the shops neighboring hers bustling as it normally should. But she could see some men in trenchcoats, lurking among the crowds moving around.
One was having some snacks opposite her shop, another was interacting with a grocery store owner while the others were doing something else. But she easily saw through that. They are something.
She breathed as she retracted her body back into the corner.
Of course, she had a feeling that the little magic fight with those hind legged creatures of The Mutilator will attract something. Just that she expected them, whatever they are, to have slackened since it's over a week already.
She exhaled and went the other way. The magic chair followed her.
Her gaze occasionally went to the unconscious body of Kylian's in the chair. His skin now looked like a crust, dry and completely lifeless.
She shook her head and turned a corner.
A young man was there, puffing a blunt and having his time like he's the only one in the world.
Sarai paused. She snapped her fingers and activated a cloaking spell. The magic chair became invisible, along with Kylian's unconscious body.
The young man heard a crunch of shoes and snapped his attention to Sarai.
His eyes were small and slitted, and it was red too. "Hey, who's there?" He inquired.
Sarai stopped again. She scrutinized the man and with precision found that he's a vampire.
The man squinted his eyes and he saw clearly. It's a woman. If a witch could be known easily like the Vampires, he would have known the woman isn't ordinary.
Sarai didn't say a word as she began to walk in the direction of the vampire, her intention being she would just pass.
The man's eyes ran over Sarai's body in the dimly lit alley and a lustful going shone in it.
As Sarai was about to pass by him, she felt a grip on her shoulder. Her eyes flashed up at the towering figure of the vampire.
"Leave. Me. Alone." Sarai's tone showed threat.
The Vampire laughed. 'Definitely, this human lady knows not what he is'.
He chuckled. "I want to have you, tonight."
Sarai grimaced and made to make a move when the vampires eyes suddenly widened.
She paused, confused in what he saw.
Just then the vampire made to turn around but an arrow swooshed out of nowhere and pierced his head.
He dropped dead.
Hunters.
Sarai's eyes widened too and she quickly somersaulted three times and hid behind the wall.
She could hear footthuds from both ends of the alley. She's about to be cornered.
Her eyes flashed up. She saw a little window into a shop. She leapt and grabbed the frame. With a slip, she landed on a staircase, inside the building.
She winced as she got up.
She could see a door down the stairs. Quickly she descended the stairs and held the door knob.
The door creaked as she opened it slightly. Her eyes flashed around the brightly lit interiors of the building, which now appears to be a stall, filled with kitchenware.
She slipped outta the door and into the middle of racks on which various utensils are displayed.
She went all around it. She got to a rack and peeped out. She could see the cashier's counter, and the shop's main door from there.
She retracted her body.
A man rolled a trolley filled with his shoppings by and she composed herself, pretending to check out some frying pans.
The man passed by, and advanced towards the cashier. Completely oblivious of what's going on with her.
She peeped and saw there's nothing out of place then she reared back.
All of the sudden, she frowned. Her head peeped out to look at the cashier again- no, the main door.
Then her eyes widened. About five tall, heavy set men entered the store. The cool smiles they had on their lethal faces completely deceived the lady cashier.
But Sarai knew them easily. They are hunters.
Not now. Time is running out and she knows, if she's delayed any further, Kylian might not survive.
She has to act fast.
She casted a spell and a spark began to appear in mid air. Slowly the spark began to enlarge into a circular ring.
A portal.
It's only a matter of time before she gets out of here.
Meanwhile,
As the men made their way past the cashier, the one at the front circled his right index, signaling to the others and they obliged.
They split up. Two men took the left way while two took the right. Then the leader began to waltz straight the middle, towards Sarai's direction exactly. They are going to corner her.
As he took cautious steps past the displays of utensils, his right hand slipped into his pocket and he pulled out something.
A silver crucifix that glittered under the bright lights of the stall. It released an aura and the man smiled dryly as he pulled out a double barrel.
Sarai felt her powers drain where she is. The portal she's opening disappeared in a burst of sparks. As she thought of what could be happening, she heard a thud behind her and she stilled.
Even though she already knew what it's in her heart, she still didn't want to believe it.
Slowly she turned to behold Kylian's body on the ground. The magic chair is gone. The cloaking spell is cancelled.
"Crucifix," she muttered and her heart rate skyrocketed.
She ducked just in time as a dart flew past her. Her body moved like a rubber and twisted strangely as she placed her two hands on the ground and her feets went into the air, catching some knives on the rack nearby and flung it backwards.
Screams of pain erupted as two men dropped to the ground. The two hunters that went left.
She breathed heavily as she grabbed Kylian's body and began to drag him back to the door that she came in from.
Bang! Bang!!
Two loud gunshots erupted and she ducked.
A bullet grazed her arm and she fell on the ground, grimacing.
Her eyes flashed up. The eyes were like a cornered beast. She breathed desperately as she grabbed a pot and flung to the one man approaching fast from the middle.
The pot struck the man's face in a bull-eye
and he clutched his head, impulsively as he hollered in pain.
Sarai didn't wait at all as she grabbed Kylian's body and turned the door knob, opening it, got to the other side, then she locked the door tightly. She began to ascend the stairs, gritting her teeths against the scream of pain that threatened to rip her throats apart and straining every muscle in her body to just help climb one more step, whilst dragging Kylian's body along.
The door isn't open yet but she knew the hunters aren't gonna back down easily. The banging on the doors says it all.
She scaled all the stairs and got to a door. She pushed the door open and got out onto the roof of the stall, carrying Kylian's weight as she went.
There was no way in sight to get off the roof but she just kept going.
Soon she began to hear heavy footsteps climbing the stairs behind her. But she kept on going.
Her breathing now sounded like a motor engine as she began to find it hard to breathe properly. She's a witch and isn't a werewolf or vampire, whose strength and durability made them more efficient in situations like this.
But she has something too.
As she went, her mind was in chaos. A way out is not even in her mind at all. Her arm bled profusely and her face paled.
But then she remembered.
She's getting out of range of the crucifix's magic blocking effect.
She snapped her fingers and the air fluctuated. She smiled. Then her face turned grim as she turned to the hunters that rushed out of the door.
She casted some words inaudibly and a fierce wind blew towards them, flinging them all away.
She casted another spell as another man rushed out holding out a crossbow. A magic circle appeared.
The man clutched the trigger and an arrow lunged at Sarai. An arrow Sarai could sense was laced with holy water.
The arrow neared her but she waited.
Bang!
The air compressed and the arrow deflected, piercing the chimney.
Sarai's eyes flashed coldly as she casted another spell and a fierce wind brewed.
The wind speed at the man that wields the crossbow but then the wind vanished midway.
Sarai could feel her heartbeat racing. At once she knew what's coming.
She quickly snapped her finger and a portal began to open up.
Just then the man she threw a pot at earlier, their leader, emerged from the door. In his right outstretched hand was the crucifix.
Sarai panicked and quickly casted a spell and a red magic circle appeared.
Bang!
A bang erupted as a fireball lunged out from within it, towards the hunters.
The man with the crucifix almost had a panic attack as he quickly dived away with wide eyes.
Bang!
Flames went up. The door shattered and debris of a portion of the brick frames flew everywhere. Everything ended but dust remained.
Coughs. Coughs in the dust.
It slowly cleared up. The hunters began to get back to their feet. Their faces flashed around.
But Sarai is gone.
"Fuck!" The leader cursed. "She got away."
One of his accomplice walked up to him. He was coughing profusely. He calmed a bit as he asked, "what do we do now, boss?"
"We will find her, she'll still be around here. The crucifix got some of her powers, and would have curbed it all if she hadn't escaped." He looked around, his bald head reflected the dim moon rays as he continued. "The portal won't go too far. She's around here, and we will find her."
"Yes, boss," they all chorused.
.
.
Meanwhile,
Sarai fell on the ground about half a kilometer away from the stall. But she could still see the ceiling from where she stood.
Her face was getting paler and her breathing was unregulated. She grimaced in pain as she glanced at her bleeding arm. But then her gaze went to Kylian's body on the ground beside her. She has to do something.
But she has something already.
She gritted as she lifted her hand. A paper was in it. A sheet of white paper.
It belonged to Kylian. No, it was she, who gave it to him, after she helped him block half of his powers away days ago.
She got it now from Kylian's pocket.
Her eyes glinted as she opened it. It had a drawing in it. A tree, an olive tree. And a crescent moon was above it.
Her eyes slowly went up. A crescent moon reflected in her black eyes. Then she smiled.
Maybe she knew the place after all.
Or maybe she's seen the place before.
**********