I lived in a small studio apartment on the 2nd floor. Not a good neighborhood but it could've been worse. I lived in what was known as 'The Kingdom', home to the Ryker brothers. They ran this area, and they ran it well. They were criminals, but they kept their business secret and stayed out of everyone else's. Felix, the oldest, was their leader. They were rumored to be ruthless, but there was no real evidence of their activity. They owned a good 30 blocks, on one side was a supermarket and a club, a few restaurants and shops as well as some apartments and houses sat in the middle, on my side was a bar and grill. Near where I lived was a small area called 'The Haven', it had a few schools and residential buildings -about 2 blocks worth- no gang violence was accepted there, by the Ryker's or their rivals. It was hollowed ground. on the other side of The Haven was 'Voodoo Village'. It sounds wrong, but that's what people called it. Probably because of the animal bone wind chimes at the windows and tribal graffiti on everything. It was run by some Haitian man named 'The Reaper' and his lackey's people called 'Ghosts', they were known by their signature skull tattoos on the right side of their necks. Occasionally you'd hear gun shots through the night, them fighting over turf. Both gangs were dealers, the only question was what. The Ghosts had been caught a few times with known drugs, but the Ryker's had never been caught with anything. There were rumors they dealt in something never heard of, something strange. Rumors... no proof.
My place was small and simple. a bed in one corner opposite the bathroom, simple white sheets and comforter. a plain wooden bedside table was next to it with a Bible on it, it reminded me of home. The center of the room was occupied by a small couch facing a t.v. I rarely used. What little was left was the kitchen with the door outside in it. It was bare. I didn't like decorating or filling it up, it made it feel like I was tied down, like I was pretending it was home.
I was always in between jobs, I was never good at keeping still for too long. Right now I worked at the bar and grill called 'The Dragon's Lair'. I had been there for almost exactly 2 months, 3 weeks, and 5 days.
Everyday was pretty much the same. Everyday up till now.
The day it all started was normal. Get up, get dressed, eat and head out. My normal shift was 8:30pm - 5:30am so I slept during the day. I usually got up around 1pm and spent my free time doing chores or wandering around aimlessly. Today I didn't have a lot to do. I took a long hot shower, then wiped the steam off the mirror and evaluated myself while I brushed my teeth.
I have dark brown hair, pretty healthy since I never do anything with it besides put it up, it reached about 2 inches above my hips, it was straight and thick. Dark brown eyes that are almost black. I'm Caucasian but it's always been obvious I was mixed with something else considering my somewhat sharp and defined features. About 5'2" and fairly well built, not stick thin but not that thick. My friends always said I was like the sweet little girl next door rather than the modelesque pretty that people often think about. I didn't care either way. My looks meant little to me, I figured if you can't change it then why stress about it. I never wore makeup or dresses, I was a tomboy through and through.
Once I finished in the bathroom I ate a bowl of cereal and headed out for a walk. It was December 2nd, so it was cold. I wore a cute little black coat with a little puff to it, my best friend Kirstie bought it for my 24th birthday last week. I almost always wore t-shirts, jeans and biker boots, unless it was summer than my go to was sneakers.
I didn't do much, just walked around mostly. Checked out a few shops for fun, didn't buy anything. It was at a little street corner I saw something new, I'd walked every inch of this area so it must've opened very recently. A little Thai restaurant. Curiosity got me, so I went in, never imagining it would change my life how it did. Everything about it was how you'd expect. Chairs, tables, Thai themed decor, but my blood was on fire. My brain started screaming, my legs were shaking but I was frozen in place. On the wall, facing me, was that symbol I'd come to fear. I hadn't seen it in nearly 10 years, that was when my nightmares stopped.
I use to have this nightmare every night. I was at a murder scene, everything was frozen in place except me and a 10 year old me staring out into the darkness of a bay window in the living room of a lavish home. Nothing ever happened, but the sights were beyond haunting. In that dream this symbol was painted on the walls in blood. A circle with a weird eye in the center, and what looked like hands coming from it grasping onto each other till they reached the edge. Seeing it here in reality made me sick, especially since I thought it was fake. I looked for it for a long time and could never find it.
"Are you ok, miss?" One of the employees asked, but by the time they said the last word I was running out of there. My brain was in a frenzy and I didn't realize I ran home till I crashed through the door. I rushed into the bathroom and locked the door, then crumpled on the ground. I didn't know how long I laid there but I didn't want to move. My phone startled me out of my daze, an alarm telling me it was time for work. I got to my feet, splashed my face with icy water and left.
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