MACHINE

8. The Black Silhouette

I heard a scuffle outside of the charging room. I exited very slowly. All eyes were on me. I made my way for the door, steadily walking through a crowd of men and women that stared ferociously. The seats at the circular bar in the middle were filled with tough types who glared at me, and around wooden tables in the corners were mysterious types who eyed me from under long hoods. Many of the tavern customers put a hand to their hip, likely resting their fingers on a hidden weapon. There was no sign of the disturbance I had heard before.

No one attacked me in the tavern, but I quickly noticed that two cloaked figures were following me as I exited. I noticed that unlike most of the other hooded figures in the tavern, their faces were completely covered under their long hoods, and I caught a glimpse of a symbol printed in silver paint on their masks. I knew the symbol well. It represented a Shadow, an elite division of Deathmonger. What are they doing in an unassuming area of the city such as this? I wondered. They were usually taking down serious crimes against the government, 'unforgivable acts of treason' that would probably go down closer to the heart of the city.

As soon as I left the doors of the tavern, I broke into a run, kicking over a barrel of wood chips next to me. The barrel half-tripped one of the Shadows, but it barely fazed them and they kept running with alarming speed. I swerved into another alleyway, my vision blurred as rain pelted into my glass eyes. I tried to weave through the small paths between buildings, but I was going as fast as I could and they were still gaining on me.

One of them flung something that dug into my ankle with a metallic thunk! I soon found myself falling, slamming face-first against wet concrete. Then, as I sat there thinking I was once again in the hands of the government and their sponsored scientists, I heard something. Two gunshots, and the sound of bodies hitting the ground.

I got up as quickly as I could, about to turn around and face whoever had rescued me. Before I had a chance I felt something metal shove into the back of my neck and I collapsed, immobilised as I slammed into the ground once again. I felt someone lean close to my ear, and a low voice whispered, 'welcome to Dross'.