Short Stories

The Woman in Blue

San Francisco was home to a lot of strange things. It wasn't a surprise when a tremor occurred through the ground. People passed it off as a minor earthquake, but with the scream of a man echoing through the night, the locals ran out to see what was the fuss.

All they saw was a woman in blue, before her bright light burned through their eyes.

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From one look at the woman, you could tell she was on a mission. You could tell she didn't want to be disturbed, nor talked to.

But the people still stared.

It wasn't because she had the beauty that everyone wished they had; with her long blonde hair glowing in the sun. Nor was it her choice of clothing; A floor-length, ocean blue dress with a silver belt, covered by a travelling charcoal cape with a hood, with no footwear present. It wasn't the weapon that she carried; the silver staff swirling with gemstones and precious metals which twisted its way vertically, like it was strangling a person, to branch out at the top to reveal the biggest diamond ever seen by man. It wasn't even the position that she was in; hunched over on one knee, her face hung low, her features hidden by her beautiful hair. It definitely wasn't the powerful and dangerous aura she was giving off, warding anyone around her to back away.

It was the fact that she had appeared out of nowhere.

The concrete below her feet had cracks all through it, all pointing back to the woman. It looked like something had slammed into it from the sky, creating all the uneven concrete slabs...

Or someone...

"Excuse me?" Someone from the crowd asked. A tourist, who was stupid not to think about the consequences before approaching the crouching beauty. 

The tourist walked forward, their patriotic clothing making them stand out from the crowd. They walked closer to the woman, stepping over the slabs, each one bigger than their torso. As he got closer, his ears started to thud, a deep hum echoing through them. 

"A-Are you alright?" He stuttered. As he got closer, the hum got louder. It whispered to him, warning him.

Don't come closer. Go. Turn around. Leave. Run away. Never come back...

In every language, the hum whispered, warding him away, but the tourist ignored it. The natural curiosity urged him to go to the woman, find out who she was, what she was doing.

"Dude, I wouldn't..." A local shouted to him from the front of the crowd. Again, the tourist ignored him. 

He walked closer, almost in arms reach. Just as they were within one metre, the humming increased. His head started to thud, making him collapse to his knees. People from the crowd shouted if he was alright, but he couldn't hear them. All he could hear was the hum in his ears.

Leave. Don't come back. Go. Run away. Don't come closer. Turn around.

The tourist, still driven by curiosity, reached out to touch the woman. Just as his hand got within nail's length, the humming rose; louder, higher, quicker... 

The people watched on as the man was next to the woman in blue, but nothing could be done to help him, if they didn't want to have the same fate. He clutched his head in pain, blood slowly pouring out of his nose, ears, eyes and mouth. Nothing could save him. 

It wasn't until the woman tilted her head, her blonde hair tumbling over her face, and looked at the tourist when things got insane. As her eyes locked with the tourist, he stopped everything. He stopped twitching, he stopped fighting, and he stopped breathing.

He disintegrated to dust.

The people screamed, but none dared to move closer. A few sprinted away, but a majority of them stayed in shock, staring at the woman in blue. She stood slowly, her charcoal cape billowing around her in the wind. She leant on her staff, the jewels pulsing at the activity. The woman used her free hand to pull her hood over her face, blocking their vision of her beautiful features. 

"Call the police!" A woman shouted. 

"The police?! Are you nuts? Call the fucking Government!" A man shouted back, before he pulled out his phone. 

The woman closed her eyes yet again, and the phone sizzled. The man yelled, dropping his prized possession on the floor. As soon as it made contact with the rippled concrete, it melted. The man's jaw dropped as his expensive phone because an expensive puddle. 

"Everyone just stop!" A girl screamed, and everyone turned to her. She ran to the front of the crater, staring at the woman in blue. "Just stop!" She yelled again. 

The woman tilted her head to the side, watching the innocent one. Underneath the shadows of her hood, they saw a glimpse of a petite smile stretched over her face, sending shivers down everyone's spines. A glow ensued from the shadows, and everyone knew her response clear – she didn't have to talk to them to send this message across.

Whyshould I?