Seeing Red

        Lightning clapped through the clouds, followed by a roar of thunder as the dark, cloudy sky was momentarily lit by the electric flash. Tord's maroon, Converse sneakers were soaked as they splashed along the puddle-drenched cobblestone. His red hoodie was clinging to his cold, pale skin from the heavy rain that was beating down upon him like bullets from a battlefield. His lungs were burning just as badly as the singed, right sleeve of his hoodie, the tattoo of a dark-green, Oriental Dragon was now exposed on the shining, wet flesh on his thin, frail, right forearm. Tord panted in a frantic attempt to catch his breath as he sprinted through the streets of The Vatican City, only stopping once his body was fully concealed behind one of the main Church's coulombs. He silently prayed that God would keep him from being found until his siblings showed up as he leaned against the large, stone pillar to rest his aching body if only for a moment.

        He hoped that no one had recognized him on the way to his current location. He had the hood of his hoodie pulled over his head to help obscure his face for the journey but he knew that keeping his hood up along with his head down could only keep him unrecognizable for so long. He glanced up briefly at the bat of whom was currently hanging, upside-down from the Church's awning. Tord wondered if this were some sort of omen or a sign of good luck, an angel watching over him perhaps? Nevertheless, he felt somewhat comforted by the winged rodent's presence. At least whatever happened next, he would not be facing it alone.

        Meanwhile, a man with curly, dark-brown hair slowly drove a black, Troll car through The Vatican City. He only kept one hand in the center of the steering-wheel whilst his free-hand loosely clutched a smoking cigar between his index and middle fingers. Seated next to him, in the passenger's seat, was a slightly younger woman with long, blonde, highlighted hair. Both of them were wearing black trench-coats as they scanned their surroundings carefully.

        "There were no survivors...Police are still searching for the culprit who blew up SheezyArt Headquarters; the explosion appears to have been caused by a hand-grenade..." The news reporter's obnoxiously loud voice blared from the speakers of the vehicle's radio until the man reached over to turn it off with minor difficulty due to the lit cigar between his fingers.

        "Is this the right Church?" The man inquired with his thick, Norwegian accent once the car was silent as he pointed to The Vatican's main Church with his still-smoking cigar. The woman cringed slightly in disgust as she fanned the smoke away from her nostrils before glancing out the window for a better look at the old building. 

        "This is where he told us to meet him..." The woman noted in a Norwegian accent that was equally as strong.

        "You don't think something happened to him?" The man was beginning to worry, the concern clear in his tone.

        "There!" The woman suddenly exclaimed upon seeing Tord briefly peek out from behind one of the pillars before ducking back into hiding. The man quickly stopped his vehicle in front of the Church, his tires screeching loudly against the wet cobble-stones from the sudden shift in momentum. Tord peeked back out at the car and upon realizing that he recognized the vehicle that belonged to his older brother: Gary, the Norwegian-boy quickly sprinted over to the car. The moment he dove into the darkness of the back-seat, Gary slammed his gas-pedal all the way to the floor, the back-door swinging shut as he sped away from the Church.

        "Are you alright?" Tord's older sister, Leila asked softly as she gently pulled down the hood of Tord's hoodie. The sympathy that was initially plastered across her countenance deepened upon seeing the tears that were currently cascading down Tord's pale, sunken-in cheeks. If his red, puffy, bloodshot eyes were not already filled with deep sorrow and regret, his tears would have easily blended in with the rain droplets that currently glittered upon his face.