Date - 04th December 2019
Character Name - Near
Location - Promise City, NY
District - Christmas Market, Bay District
Time - 1950 (0750 PM)
['This is LIVE with PCN at 8, the hunt for the elusive Wedding - Ring Slayer continues with the killer claiming their seventh victim, Everlyn Silva just early this morning! With few leads Detective Hardy, the Promise City PD's head detective, leads the charge heading the investigation. There's unconfirmed reports that this city's own vigilante, a supposed copy cat of Vault City's Star-Patriot, is also hot on the heels of this mysterious, evasive serial killer. Back to the studio!']
The report was played throughout Promise Cities reeling billboards. The city's residents were induced with fear, dampening the holiday season; the news reported the death of the seventh victim, Everlyn Silva. But both Near and the Detective knew she wasn't dead yet the most important time finding a kidnapped person was 72 hrs and it had only been 16 hrs. Near kneeled on one of the many ledges of the sharp tall buildings looking down on the bustling Christmas market.
The temperature was still sub zero with routine weather warnings, snow continued to fall, even the giant Santa inflatable dominating the view across the Bay was covered from base to tip. The vigilante leapt from the ledge swiftly and without effort caught a ledge from the building below. Within one of the windows a family prepared for the holidays laying out their Christmas tree, Near passed by as if he wasn't there. His boots crunching the snow beneath his feet which lined the ledge. His blue cape brushed the surface, he then jumped to the building opposite where on the ground, along the sidewalk, criminals huddled around the apartment building's entrance.
'Got the gun?'
'First thing, got the money?'
'Fineeee thought you'd have a little more Christmas spirit.'
'It's Christmas in like what? Twenty-one days? Stop that crap already.'
'Let's hurry up and close this deal.'
The group of four stood with their hands in their deep pockets and hoods over their heads. The cold was piercing.
'What if HE appears?'
'We kill 'im'
'Yeah sure. Let's hurry up and get inside.' The group of men piled into the building, treading snow into the foyer. Stomping into the building with speed. They ascended the metal stairs in no time, passing each apartment's wooden door. The apartment building smelt of damp, it was pungent, stomach churning. Some of the hooded men coughed, spluttering saliva. The windows were mostly boarded up or broken, unreliable for the freezing wintery conditions.
"You can't kill the shadow Mike."
"He ain't a shadow Brent. He's a person, flesh and blood like you and me. He has blood so we can kill him. I'm not scared. He's nothing." The thug barked confidently, unlucky for him the shadow being, Near, had entered the building with them via a vent above.
The vigilante followed the group closely, keeping a distance. The metal vent was wet and slippery; each movement caused it to creek and sway.
['Hey Ed, shall we jump them?'] The voice that haunted his head asked, it being Nearen the fallen angel.
'Not yet.'
['oh come on, they wont suspect a thing']
'Not the right time.'
['boring.'] The battle thirsty angel pouted.
The vigilante crawled from the vent, he hung by its ledge, using his upper body strength to hang effortlessly silently landing behind the group who convened behind one of the many wooden doors.
'Remember the deal we kill the family, we get paid. Easy.'
'Trick or Treat..'
'That's Halloween dummy!'
'Oh yeah my bad…'
The thugs pounded on the door, each of them taking a turn to kick the door with intense force, each leaving dents and cracks.
'Hey bitch! Rico sends his regards! Get your bitch ass out here!' There were screams beyond the door from multiple women and children. A timid voice responded from behind the door.
'Rico? OH GOD NO! PLEASE! I HAD NO CHOICE! THEY MADE ME SNITCH!'
'OPEN UP BITCH!'
'Hey Brent go and find a back entrance.'
'Sure.'
As ordered the large gruff thug stomped to the window nearby, the criminal used his brute strength to lift the already rickety broken window, he immediately climbed out of the window onto the buildings outside emergency staircase and he was greeted almost spontaneously by the cold wintery air which pricked his skin as well as the comforting smell of turkey from a nearby family gathering. A breeze blew into him.
'God damn it's cold out here!' He shivered, almost slipping on the building's emergency metallic staircase. With every step he neared his target the back entrance into the home. He chuckled as he neared closer and closer… then WHAM.
His cotton balaclava covered face was now bloodied.
Then again WHAM. WHAM. His face poured blood. A shadowy figure repeatedly punched him seemingly from nowhere. The thug couldn't stand straight, his vision was blurry, eventually one final strike would knock him out, sending him into the metal handrail. Near would then tie the hulking thug to the handrail by his blue sleeve with a knot.
'Hey Brent, did you find a way in?' a voice called. The criminal peered out of the window, only for Near to pull him out of the window, and slam him into the metal flooring.
'No he didn't.' Near said calmly.
['ooo bet you felt cool.'] The Angels voice teased.
'Shut up.'
['You should hurry Eddie, the apartment door is open']
Like that Near leapt into the apartments corridor window the same one the hulking thug climbed through. Spitefully Near slammed the window shut, stopping any chance of the criminals re entering through the broken window. The vigilante reached into his belt and pulled his gel gun out. It was like a water pistol with the miniature sphere container on top which contained the gel. He sprayed it around the seal of the door, with a sizzle and pop, within moments it solidified from both the extreme cold outside and the fast solidifying agents that made up the chemical compound. The aroma was very acidic and so Near couldn't remain near there long.
Near ran towards the remaining two thugs who stood outside the apartment door, they were dressed in warm clothing, fur hood, balaclava, puffy jacket and all. They held blunt knives, poorly maintained.
'We'll let the boss kill the bitch, then we'll go, Brent and Mac should be back so-'
*WHAMMM*
There was a kick to his jaw. His body was thrown into the apartment plaster wall, leaving a dent and cracks across the wider foundation.
'What the hell?'
The other thug was stunned seeing his companion hit so viciously.
'W-what the HELL!'
*WHAM WHAM WHAM SMACK*
Near struck the thug in the chest twice, the neck and face after winding up for a fight ending strike to the jaw.
*BLOOD CURDLING SCREAMMMMMMMM*
A scream rippled throughout the apartment. The vigilante now knew time was the essence, with his blue cape rippling he stormed through the front door, booting one of the thugs who slowly sat up after the humiliating beat down.
"Get back down." Near growled quietly, again knocking out the thug, who slumped back unconscious. He continued into the decrepit apartment, he climbed onto the wooden beams holding up the roof, they creaked but he didn't hesitate, he then entered the already open vent where ice had formed a thin wall. He now had an easy path to the family.
'Y'know bitch… Rico is pissed… he's hurt, Diana… REALLY hurt ... ..so hurt he said we kill you and the kids he'd give us anything we wanted… sure killing kids ain't our thing but he won't know if we let them run away. But you? YOUR fair game.'
The thug gestured with his knife, pulling his black balaclava down past his face. His hairy chin pricked by the wintery cold air.
'Please… Gus… please we're family…' the woman pleaded hiding her kids behind her in a wooden closet, she stood terrified but defiant alongside her cousins.
'No Diana, we WERE, not anymore… Anyway, we have a job to do to earn our Christmas bonus. Micky, go and tell the rest of the boys would ya? It's time to leave.'
'Sure boss.'
As the thug ran off to the apartment's entrance, inevitably finding the bloodied broken bodies of his friends, Near slowly and silently climbed down from the rooftop beams, lowering himself using his upper body strength.
'Y'know i've always wondered what you girls look like naked, why don't ya strip? Might as well make this interesting…'
And so they did, at knifepoint, the three women stripped slowly deliberately much to the thugs annoyance.
*SMACK*
Now Near was behind him, and with a sudden strike to the side of the head. He fell to the wooden ground like a sack of potatoes. Dropping the knife much to the relief of the onlooking Hispanic women.
'There's another!' one of the women warned.
'I know.' Near answered, pulling a thin metallic rope, then there was a manly scream and crash, before the home invader was dragged across the wooden floor towards the vigilante.
*WHAM*
There was a boot to the face, Near had taken out all the thugs. The mothers could breathe a sigh of relief.
'Cover yourself ladies.' Near ordered calmly, throwing their clothes back to them. They smiled thankfully, still covering their chests.
'Thank you god for sending us one of your angels…' one of them muttered, still uncovered, doing the holy trinity and kissing her small metal cross.
The small closet door creaked open and five small kids appeared, two boys and three girls ages 6 to 15. One of the moms hugged the children close.
'Its ok. God saved us. One of his angels heard our pleas.'
One of the boys, a 15 year old, was enamoured by the vigilantes presence as he stood powerfully in the ice cold breeze, his blue wet cape fluttering calmly in the night breeze. Near turned to face the doorway behind him, as one of the thugs stumbled to his feet aiming a pistol clumsily. He knew his Kevlar vest could take the shot, or leather reinforced cape mesh. But the family behind him? He needed to be careful.
'YOU FREAK! NOT NOT SO POWERFUL NOW ARE WE?!'
'HE'S GOT A GUN!' One of the matriarchs screamed, hugging the children closer. They also screamed and winced believing if they closed their eyes hard enough the coming bullet wouldn't hit them.
'Clearly he can't use it properly.' Near muttered pulling the cable harder, tripping the criminal suddenly. The vigilante stomped over to the thug, snatching the pistol out of his hand, breaking his arm with his immense strength, he disassembled the pistol. Dropping the pistols pieces casually.
'Angel…. Can I ask you something..?' One of the girls asked approaching the angel, their mother watching calmly behind, convinced the Angel was there protecting them and would not do them harm.
'Go on.'
'Do…you really serve God?...'
'Not anymore kid.' Near answered walking away, towards the entrance.
'Well, I think you're cool…stay safe hero…'
Near walked away silent, he tied up the thugs in one big pile, using the metallic rope tightly.
'Hey kids, protect your mamas. They're special.'
The vigilante stomped away, not out of anger but purpose as he tied the thugs to each other using a metal cable, and just in time, the police had arrived and the sirens heralded their arrival. The police swarmed the area, SWAT were now inside the building. Near scanned the rooftops outside the apartment using his hoods built in HUD and sonar, none were waiting for him on the roof, sloppy, he thought.
'Gotta go.'
He would vanish just as fast as he appeared in front of the family, they held one another close as the police questioned them, and as they did, the young girl before couldn't help but stare out of the frozen window into the iced over city wondering just who would rescue them? Who would care so much? Why? These questions only made her more curious.
Later on that night…
Near checked his phone, it was almost five in the morning. He scoffed. He was exhausted, like any other night.
'Guess I can go to bed, ready for work.'
Hope you enjoyed Chapter Two!