It was a stormy night, with a heavy rainfall, the rain drops, felt more like pebbles being thrown at me.
I was walking on the road, carrying a custom made sturdy umbrella, it was not often that such a weather occured, but I have seen a fair share of them in my 20 years.
I could only hope it's not one of those flooding ones, or I'll have to cancel my stay here until later.
"...Left, right, right... So this one here."
Since I was new here, I could only rely on my gps navigation, but not only did my cab got cancelled, I also had to walk all the here on foot.
Though honestly it's only a 20 minute walk from the harbour. But it turns out Father Sky decided to bestow his grace on this Island today.
Not just any grace, but a full on flood-rain. As a result, even my network isn't working properly, I just barely received a message on my phone from my acquaintance who arrived here earlier.
[...Left then go right...
...
P.S. Be careful! I heard... around he...]
After coming across an intersection I quickly check to confirm the instructions on my phone and feel relieved that everything is as it says, or I would have to look for a shelter to pass the night in this awful cold rain.
As I enter the road on the right, I find myself walking on a lane wide enough for two cars.
"ARHH!! HEELP! SOMEONE!"
Right away, I came across a situation.
Up ahead on the balcony of what I counted as 11th floor of the building a women was screaming for help, holding the steel slider-window, with one leg, while gripping the balcony railings as support.
Behind her someone started banging on the collapsable slider. The crashing metallic noise even muffled the women's screams.
I try to think of a way to get her out of that place, if I don't, then I would have to leave this place fast and leave it to the police.
Just then, I heard a muffled echo behind me, to my right.
It was an inclined alley, a girls' muffled screams could be heard coming from up there, it was definitely a dangerous and horrible situation for her to scream, just like the person above.
I look back towards the building to confirm the women's situation again.
Oh she saw me.
"Help!! Please!!"
"Wait a moment, I'll come take a look!"
I said faintly to assure her, but how?
Did she even hear it in this rain?
If not, then I don't have to keep my word right?
This looked like a morbid version of the Trolley problem, I can't even use the classic solution 'Double it and give to next person', basically passing the problem to someone else, since I am the only one on this lane.
But I wasted no time... and ran up the alley, which had a higher chance to be salvaged, maybe the steel slider, will hold the killer for some time.
I had no time to call ***, but I did sent an emergency message to my acquaintance who should be working in the local police station around now.
I convinced myself that since they are both incidents at the same locality, I could leave the dangerous one to the police while going after the one that I could manage without any regrets.
Because of the network, the message was still pending, unaware I reached at the crime scene.
The silhouette of the girl was one of the only things visible in this valley. Besides her, I could also two others, one below her and the other a bit to her right.
The girl's face was covered in blood, with the rain water showering her as if impatient to wash it away, a comically large knife in her hand, was plunged in the corpse below.
The blood-red water, flowing down in steams towards me, along with the weird shaped knife, made me hesitate to go up, as my speed reduced to a half.
Two had been killed in this short time while I came here, it was a dangerous situation, but much more for other than just the girl.
After hesitating for a second, and ready to bolt at the sign, I tried calm her down first
"Are you alri-"
Crash
Thud
A unusual series of sound came from behind me.
As I looked back at the entrance of the alley, I soon saw the earlier women trying to run with one leg, and the other, probably fractured, being dragged forward, then disappearing beyond the alley's view with a splash.
"She jumped...hah"
Now with no excuse or a famous moral dilema to hold on to, I had to decide:
1. Help the women
2. Take the girl to a safe place first.
3. Humbly ask for the knife after explaining the situation, and then run back to help.
I decided to sprint towards the women as fast as I can.
The killer should take some time to reach the ground floor, even with a lift, I could reach to her or atleast be in time, to confront that killer.
Much better than being close to this girl.
I feel uneasy to be alone with someone with a weapon.
At the same time the girl also started following me in the run, it seems she also wants to help, but at the same time I am afraid to ask.
As I am about to warn her about the masked killer, I hesitate.
Was I hoping for advantages in numbers? Or just because she was holding a weapon, so I decided that it would be better to have her there
Or maybe...
Would I ditch them both if things go south if things go south?
I already knew the answers but I still had to see it through, because leaving this situation here, will only make the rest of my night uneasy.
I don't care, I am getting out of this town tommorow asap.
I am close to reaching the women, and and slow down, with my hands up gently to indicate I am here to help
"Huff..huff.. huh?"
Her face isn't visible under her hair, but her amethyst eyes clearly showed a look of disbelief, relief and some other lingering emotion that she might have had for me, when I ran the opposite way.
But all that can be discussed as long as our lives are not in danger, so she immediately gave me a look of approval.
Using my shoulder, she and I run as fast as we can to form some distance before the killer comes down the building.
I pull out my phone to check any new messages of help arriving, and notice something I had missed earlier
[-careful!...]
The girl silently follows us in the back, at this moment as I decide to tell her about the killer-
Stab
Spurt
"ARGHHH!!"
Splash
(at the same time)
Splash
My eyes narrowed and before my mind could catch up, I had went a step ahead, and pulled the lady to my chest.
For a split second her eyes were facing mine, with pain and confusion flashing between them. And then-
Stab
[...stay away from alleys!]
"GARGHH!!
Aghh..AGHH!!"
At that moment, before she could take the knife out, I caught the hand of the culprit.
It was slender and smooth, like a teen's, the moisture on it made the already smooth texture even harder to grip.
"Heh heh he.."
Even with her hand in my grasp, the girl's attitude didn't change as if she were a child that got caught in the middle of a prank.
Her face was one of the most beautiful I had ever seen, though the bangs still covered a part of her forehead, it could not hide the red flush on her pale white cheeks, with water streaming down then giving it her an otherworldly look.
As much as I am admiration of her beauty, in this tense atmosphere, with two potential killers to deal with, I felt like punching that face until my problems reduced back to one.
"Hng..hghgh!!!"
The lady kept trying to get away from my embrace, but I couldn't let her, or it'll give her a chance to get away, with that knife.
From the only visible- ruby coloured eye, you could feel the sheer joy and elation she felt after stabbing and seeing her struggle in pain.
She even twisted her hand quite a few times, I thought it was to get away, but it seems she realized she couldn't with my grip strength, and was just doing it for fun.
"Hah hah Hahaha!"
While she laughed, a dark silhouette exits the building just a block away.
Fuck, he's here
The boogeyman has also entered the scene.
He was not too close or far away from here.
Her laughter died down as she also noticed the newcomer following my gaze.
If it weren't for the backdrop of rain, I would've certainly said it felt like as if time had stopped, but in that stopped time in my mind, she moved, shattering my delusion, and gave me a look that said-
'Hurry up, let go, you don't want to die right?'
Without a weapon, or an ally with one, facing the killer would be a problem, but
I might be the only one left here without a 'negotiation' privilege.
(Killer: weapon, Girl: weapon,
Killer 🤝 Girl)
The killer draws closer slowly, maybe assessing our situation.
Seeing no change in my expression, she tries to get out of my grip voluntarily for the first time.
Does she think so little of my grip? I'm not one to panic and let go because of some distraction.
The lady groans in pain while all this happens.
I just need time to rile her up, as that guy gets closer and swap it away from her at that moment.
She already feels way too riled up for some reason, he's not even crossed half the distance.
While thinking this in a split second I get ready to carry out my plan- when suddenly I feel another grip just below my own-
Crack
"Argh!!"
The women did an elbow slam on the girl's hand that was stretched 180°(she was pulling the knife)
bending it like a half broken stick.
Splash!
The girl had already let go of her grip on the knife, so the women easily found the knife on her and took it out, along with some pieces of flesh.
"Arghmmh!"
Splash
Splash
Splash
While covering her wound with a hand, she gave me a final glare and haggardly looked back on the person closing in.
Though she looks extremely weak, I would not bet on it and try to take the knife.
First, she survived a fall from the 11th fucking floor, then she got stabbed by a 5 inch wide knife, and even had enough strength left to destroy an arm in one strike!
If she uses this knife, I bet she could make it reach down from my head to my pelvis. She is strong.
Splash
Stop
The Killer vs the Victim?
I guess I was just a side character in their story all along.
From the side, I can see the girl has already stabilized from her pain, and even fixed her hand's orientation, though it should still be unsuable.
I am starting to wonder if we are from different time zones, she is just too damn fast!
She gets ready to tackle the women and take the knife by force.
If it were me, then I would get the fuck out of here.
Crack
(same time)
Splash
If it were me, in her situation.
Crashing my umbrella against the ground with my leg, I finally separated one of it's ribs, which springs back to a straight thin rod shape.
Splash
It has a sharp pointy end, and is as long two aluminium bats.
"ar....mgh...ah.."
With a weapon secured, I am ready to take part in the story's climax as more than an extra.
Eh
In that time, the girl seems to have taken the knife from her, and inserted herself as the main cast.
"Holy shit...I knew she was fast, but looking at it in real time..."
In the rain, her movements were so fast it looked like she dodged the raindrops for an entire second.
Bang!(x2)
The killer pulled out a fucking gun-revolver, shot a couple shots, while trying to make some distance, all missed her.
Ban-! Ting!
Slip
The third shot felt like a lucky hit, for both of them.
She was able to block that one with the knife somehow?!
The knife slipped out of her hand, somewhere in the darkness of the road. Nobody has the time to look for it with a gunman as an opp.
After a momentary panic that guy surprisingly ignored her and aimed at his original victim, the women with shaky hands and shot her, it missed.
I would drop the gun, and start throwing hands buddy.
The girl- no bullet girl, as a respect for her achievement, had already closed up by then, locked on his lower body and osaekomi waza' d him to the ground.
I didn't even see when she picked up the gun before I heard the ear numbing shot.
Seriously, doesn't it hurt her hearing? Anyway works for me.
Banking on her number senses, I plunge the steel rib down using all the potential energy that mother Earth(gravity) and Father Sky(rain) bestowed me
But she just moved her neck sideways at the last moment, the rib smashing the wet concrete path.
I had been very careful in my approach, from using the rain as cover and only moving when a shot was to be fired, to mask my splashing, I even ignored the knife, I had reached this close! Just inches away!!
The bullet girl, still on the ground as if too tired and uninterested to get up, aimed the gun(with one bullet) up at me, making my breathe stop.
(These events have been slowed down to 0.25x for the reader's experience)
At point blank range, even in this rain, I felt like could smell the gun powder if I inhaled right now.
A shot was fired.
Even the raindrops couldn't be heard, I guess it felt like as if time had stopped.
Bang!
Hit
"Arghhh!!!
Hahghh!!
Ahhghah!!!..."
It missed.
A familiar screaming could be heard from behind.
Alright it scraped my ear, but I didn't scream, because typically only losers scream in such a situation, and I didn't want to lose to this bitch.
This girl's aim is terrible, I thought I was a goner huff..
"If there's a next time, shoot with your eyes open."
I said as I tighten my grip on her neck.
"Hugg- mghmn-..."
She had conveniently used a grappling lock on this killer, and couldn't move out easily, with two men's weight on her.
Her struggle continued, the rain drenched my back cold, with her life on my grip, my hands felt firm and powerful.
This is my first kill.
Pitter
Pitter
The rain has almost stopped, only a light shower, it would probably end in less than an hour.
I looked around and found myself in the middle of three dead bodies.
How did I even get here?
I checked on the corpse of the really strong lady, you could say the bullet girl hit a bull's eye. Got it?
She hit the eye, and she had the strength..of a bull...
"Hah..."
Next I check on some things that I was curious about before getting out of here.
Like the weird shaped knife, what their possessions look like, and try to find if I could make out a story between the killer and the lady with them.
Also, I wanted to know about the person whose life I ended, for both legal preparation (murder charge) and personal curiousity.
"Hah just a high-schooler huh"
That's what the ID says at least.
As for these two, they are pretty mysterious, I couldn't even find anything on the killer, as for the lady, I guess her apartment might have her credentials.
I'll leave it to the police again. This time for sure.
As I enter the road, I feel like I stepped on something, with the rain cleared, I can see things much more clearly.
It's circular in shape, flat and has some blood stains left, It was probably smeared in blood before being washed in the rain.
Blood? The only one who bled tonight was that lady.
A tracking chip? Man, there are layers to her story, don't tell me it's one of those stories that only starts after an innocent bypasser, me, gets in contact with the mysterious person who later dies in the intro, leaving clues for the innocent guy to eventually investigate her background and ruin his perfectly normal life in the process?
Not me.
Anyway, No More. The police can handle it. The police.
I throw it away without much thought, as it flies towards the killer's corpse and comes in contact-
BOOM!!