Manners with the Devil

46

G I A V A N N A            A M A T O

The dark, dull street sat before me like a painting, it was so motionless and still. No engines drove past, and no people were strolling along. Just me. Just me walking alone.

Plus, the streetlights were strangely turning dimmer as the dark mist covered the shining glow. So the lack of light then made the path ahead feel even more unwelcoming.

"Great," I mumble, squinting my eyes through the haze.

I'd never strolled along these roads at night, at least when I was sober, regardless, it all supposed strange.

Through to the next road, I managed to determine that I was solely two roads away from Vivvian's apartment. Meaning, I had to travel at least one more mile until I could stop and order an Uber because Lucas' men are around these roads. Somewhere. Observing.

With my hood down, I carried on strolling through the remote streets.

_________________

I'd passed dozens of houses at this point, as I stood against a random brick wall, distanced away from Vivvian's apartment.

It was all the same.

The fog created an obscure covering over my pathway, so I had to open my flashlight on my phone.
All the homes had their curtains shut, plunging out any demeanour mood that trekked the outside world.
The sky commenced to cry out small drops of showers.

It was all abnormal.

But now I comprehended that I had passed where all Lucas' guards must have hidden. They couldn't be this far out.
Therefore, I halted my walk beside a bricked wall and attained my phone inside my pocket. The light flashed up my face, immediately resulting in my eyes being blinded.

"Fucking hell," I mutter, swiping down the brightness, "These phones are fucking stupid."

Then, my fingers clicked on the Uber website.

Hello, my name is Tim and I'm your driver today. I'll be there shortly. Thank you for using this service.

Reading that, I pressed the off button which lay at the side of the device, but before I could think of anything, my heart jumped into my stomach as my eyes quickly caught a glimpse of the time.

"Shit."

My fingers immediately switched it back on, swiping up Lucas' number.

"You will call me every time the clock hits the next hour."  his voice speaks inside my empty head.

Loud beeps create a loud echoey noise out on the streets, but it only lasted shortly, as his voice emerges through to me. "Minutes late," I just manage to hear, putting my phone next to my ear, "What were you doing?"

"Vivvian and I were getting ready for bed."

A grunt is what I hear, "This early?"

"We have plans tomorrow." I lie, moving my posture to my other foot.

"What plans?" he asks.

"Just plans."

Shuffling sounds occur on the other side.

"Hello?"

They continue and I repeat, "Hello? Lucas?"

"Yes?" his voice arises again.

"What's going on? A lot of noises."

"Oh," he begins, "Someone just came into my office with some news."