Shadows in the Concrete Jungle Book One: The Grey

Chapter One

The rain had finally stopped. The bus had sat in traffic for two and half hours before shuttling its way to the final destination of Los Angeles. The sky still remained overcast, making everything look dull and grey, but the rain had let up, the storm finally rolling its way east.

Kendra had switched between aimlessly scrolling through useless social media, and dozing off against the window, for the better part of the last 6 hours of the bus ride, which had stopped once at a gas station. But as LA had become visible, with its ever-present smog dampened by the rain, and the tips of skyscrapers disappearing into the clouds, she sat up in her seat, and watched the city lumber ever closer.

It had been a long and boring trip from Ohio into LA. So boring and uneventful that she had read through her file on her laptop half a dozen times. That file had contained everything about the Supernatural Department of Affairs, Los Angeles Division, which she had just transferred to, with her first official day on the job being that night, after she arrived.

Kendra had studied each page in the file on her computer, taking notes in a slim notebook, studying her new partner, Special Agent III Noah Sebastian, and all the work he had done for the SDALA, hunting and slaying demons; the previous partner he had, whom she would be replacing. She had also clicked through the reports coming from the SDALA, familiarizing herself with common people, places, street names; anything that could give her a jump start on learning this new city.

She had been in the middle of reading the file about her new partner when the old lady beside her spoke up.

"Oh honey, please tell me that's who you're going to meet," she had said, making Kendra snap her laptop shut. "You've looked at his picture the entire trip. He's handsome, if a bit unconventional with the neck tattoos."

It took all of her strength to not roll her eyes and tell the lady off for being nosy. "Uh, yes," Kendra said, opening the laptop back up and angling it away from the old lady, who settled back down again, her eyes closed. She didn't even bother to finish her statement, that yes, she would be meeting him, and yes, he was handsome. Her eyes flicked to the picture again. He had a slim face with higher cheekbones but still adorable, slightly chubby cheeks, and a pointed nose. His tattoos reached all the way up his neck, splashes of color staining his skin. His eyes were dark brown, with the slightest of tilt upwards in the corners, and his brown hair cut short around his face, though still long enough to cover his forehead if he would let it.

Kendra looked at the old lady beside her, and wondered briefly who she was meeting, and why old ladies liked to stick their noses in places where they shouldn't be. She supposed she was lucky that the lady didn't look when she was flicking through case notes about demons, as well as the few reports involving witches and werewolves.

But that was a few hours ago, and the endless desert had melted away into a sprawling concrete jungle.

When the bus finally hissed to a stop, Kendra's body was stiff, protesting her movements when she stood and stretched, then sat back down to wait. It was slow moving out of the bus, since she was tucked all the way into the back, so she had sat with her backpack on her lap, watching people meandering about. At last, she hoisted her backpack up onto her back when the old lady beside her piqued up.

"Good luck with your new boyfriend," she said before cutting in front of someone else.

"He's not-" Kendra started, then sighed a nevermind, under her breath as the silver haired woman bobbed up to the front and then out of the bus.

Kendra was last off the bus, making sure she hadn't misplaced anything, then found her two duffle bags alone in the bottom compartments. She dodged between reuniting couples hugging and kissing, families greeting one another, and other folks waiting for one bus or another. She found the public restroom, used it and washed up, leaving after splashing water on her face.