"Shadow- Part 1" by Christopher A. Dann

Jennifer Harvey stepped out of the shower and placed her dressing gown over her perfect body. She wrapped her golden, blonde hair in a towel and stepped into her living room. She looked out of her 8^th story window at the skyscrapers of Seattle, silhouetted against the fiery background of the dusk sky. A gust of wind blew in through the window and made Jennifer shiver. She turned and headed toward her bedroom across the warm carpet of her flat. She almost didn’t here the feet of the assassin as he landed on the floor.

She spun round in confusion at the noise to stare into the cold eyes of her killer. She screamed. He smirked. He had a full body jump suit of unnaturally dark black. His hair was the same shade but showed no highlights from the bright light of the room. It was at this point Jennifer realised she had stopped screaming and now stood in petrified silence. She took fairy steps backward as he took fairy steps forward. But fairy was far from the right way to describe his voice. “So…” he in a cold, monotone voice the made Jennifer shiver more than the cold did, “you are the famous Jennifer Harvey.” Jennifer tried to get “yes” out but it died in her throat.

“It’s a shame really,” continued the killer, “that I have to kill you. You could have been so much more than a target.”

“…a target..?” Jennifer managed in almost silence.

He whipped out two long blades faster than Jennifer could see. “Yes.”

“Whose target?...Who wants me dead?”

“I’m just the middle man who gets paid to deal with the target.” He studied the blades. “I got paid over double the normal rates for you. Some one really wants you out of the way. Speaking of which…”

Before Jennifer had a chance to scream the assassin was flying through the air with his blades pointing right at her heart. The power of the Raptor Magnum bullet sent him backward.

The sound of her own screams had covered the sound of the deluxe wooden door being broken down by Shadow’s kick. Jennifer spun round to she a tall, dark figure stood in the doorway, holding two smoking pistols. He was wearing a body length, leather coat, had mirrored shades and…pointed ears?

“You, you…” Jennifer paused.

“Saved your life? Killed a guy? Am an amazing shot?”

“You’re an elf.”

“I just saved your life and you fixate on my ears?”

“I’m sorry. It’s just I’ve never met an elf before.” She glanced at the body of the assassin. “Is he dead?”

“I sincerely hope so.”

“Who are you?”

“Name’s Shadow. I’ve been hired to…”

The sound of armoured foot steps on the stairs cut short their conversation. “Backup.” Shadow muttered. Putting on his most formal voice he said “I’m sorry ma’am but we have to take the other exit.”

“What other exit? The fire escape is on the other side of the hall.” She glanced at the open window. “No!”

“Yes. Hold on.” Grabbing her around the waist he sprinted for the window. He leapt out and threw in a mini-grenade to greet the re-enforcements. It did, and with a satisfying bang as well.

Jennifer landed in the dumpster second. “Ew…” was all she managed, breathless from the fall. She then fainted. Shadow lifted her body over his shoulder and made for his bike. He sat down leant her against his back and held her on with one hand. Shadow felt something strange as he sped through the streets of Seattle. How had the assassin gotten there before him? What was the back-up team doing there? What was he getting into?