DEATH'S HEART

Chapter 11 (Radish Fiction Version)

Aimlessly, Asha followed her steps through the crevices between car bumpers and pedestrians until she safely joined the sidewalk crowd. Even in the cruelty of winter, it had never stopped people from celebrating the evening. The strips of cafes, pubs and restaurants were buzzing with activity. Patrons spilled out of their doors, with some waiting for hours to get in. She could feel the bass of the cluttered music vibrating beneath her heels. The lights and sounds were enough to overwhelm the senses. She looked up. The edifice of glass and steel that towered from behind establishments in front of her landmarked the central business district. It was a relief for her to know that she wasn't far from the city. I'm not so lost after all. Being lost was the least of her concern though. She just wanted to find the source of the intoxicating fragrance, and who the hell was breathing in her ear. Or what? The curiosity pumped fear into her bloodstream. The scent and the voice became stronger. A normal person would run away from it, but she continued to search for it like she was destined to do so.

Her pace slowed down as the crowd got thicker ahead of her until she had to stop. "Ummm...excuse me," she requested. No one was moving. She tried to squeeze herself through, but failed to find an opening where she could even put her leg through. "Please, I need to get past." She stretched her neck to find a way to get around.

"Hey there," someone said to her.

She raised her head to the young man who was gleaming at her. Asha squinted her eyes, while her body stiffened defensively. "Yes?"

"Sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if I could invite you for a drink or coffee."

He was polite. Judging by his appearance, he looked like a decent guy–clean shaven, hair nicely groomed and spiked with gel, excellent choice of clothes that consisted of a clean pair of blue denim pants, white and grey striped, collared shirt, a casual suit jacket and finished off with a pair of black leather shoes. She didn't know why, but his request irritated her. "Sorry, but I'm in a rush," she declined.

She was about to walk around him when he sidestepped to block her path. "Sorry to have just come on to you like this. Just that, I saw you and I thought I'd like to get to know you." He extended his had. "I'm–"

"Apology accepted, but I have to go," she cut him off hurriedly, taking a sidestep around him. She attempted to squeeze through the crowd again; no one would budge. What the hell is going on? She noticed a blue and red light hovering shining on the crowd's faces. Only then was she aware of the sirens coming from police cars. The crowd's attention was drawn towards the intersection–the reason behind the jam. She couldn't see past the sea of heads. Frustrated, she decided that if she can't get through the stubborn bodies, she'd go around them. Not wasting anymore time, she lumbered around and stepped onto the road.

There was a man pacing around the centre of the intersection. He was filthy, in distress and obviously under the influence of alcohol. She wasn't surprised if he was on drugs as well. She grimaced as she could already imagine the stench on him. Cautiously, Asha walked around the frontline of the crowd, and stopped midway. The scent that she was following like a hound dog was still pungent. She wanted to move forward but she remained where she was. Her attention remained fixated on this man.

Two police officers got out of the car. Carefully and slowly, they approached him, but still kept their distance. "Mate," one of them began. "What seems to be the problem?"

Kurt glared at him. "Shut the goddamn lights off!" he screamed, his eyes squinting at the glare of lights beaming at him from all directions. He advanced towards the officer as if he was ready to attack him, then stopped. The officer stepped back with a jerk. Pleased with the cops' reaction, Kurt smiled. "Not so tough in your uniforms, ya fucking cunts!"