I have walked out in rain -- and back in rain.
I have outwalked the furthest city light.
I have looked down the saddest city lane.
I have passed by the watchman on his beat
And dropped my eyes, unwilling to explain.
I have stood still and stopped the sound of feet
When far away an interrupted cry
Came over houses from another street,
But not to call me back or say good-bye;
And further still at an unearthly height,
O luminary clock against the sky
Proclaimed the time was neither wrong nor right.
She recoiled a bit at the first clash of thunder. That was something she still needed to get used to. The whole concept of weather was, for the most part, a new one for her. While she certainly spent several excursions above ground in the constant and never ending battle against the apes when she was younger, for the most part those excursions took part under cover of night, purely as a psychological fear tactic. The thunder and lightning were still new to her, and every time a storm hit, she’d be nervous for the first few minutes until she came to grips with the violent thundering crashes.
She laid there as darkness descended, her eyes closing and her breathing slowing as she drifted closer and closer to sleep. Finally, she thought, finally I have got a moment of respite. I have no idea how long this is going to last, but I will accept it while I…
Her head snapped up.
‘What was that?’ she asked the empty room.
She listened, more carefully this time. And waited.
A few seconds later, she heard it again.
A scream.
Definitely a scream. Female. And not that far from here, by the sound of it.
Vastra jumped up. The logical portions of her mind screamed at her to at least grab a cloak or something to cover her obvious peculiarities, but the instinctual side completely and totally overruled her. She burst down the hall and threw the front doors open. In the darkness it was hard to tell where the sound came from, and she hoped beyond all hope it wasn’t too late.
Then, from the distance, and from her right…
‘Get your hands off me you filthy bugger!’
Vastra took off at a sprint. They were a hundred and fifty yards up the street, at least, and she pushed herself as quickly as she could. Her bare feet splashed against the wet cobblestone road, and as she ran, she tried to devise a plan. She reached for the tsuka she’d normally find at her right side and…
Nothing.
Damn it! She cursed herself. Back at the house.
Seventy five feet now, and closing fast.
There was nothing else for it. She lowered her shoulder, and changed the angle of her run just enough that she’d separate the two, driving the assailant into the brick wall behind him. After that it’d be anyone’s guess what would happen, but at the very least, it’d offer the girl time to escape if she could.
Fifty feet.
Twenty five.
The round of her running drew the assailant’s attention, and he looked up in time to see her fling her body toward them. He pushed the girl away as Vastra lunged at him, the force of impact driving him, as she expected, back hard into the wall. He hit it with a dull thud and slid to the wet ground. Gasping for breath, he struggled to right himself to a standing position.
‘Run, girl…get away from here! I will take care of this…thing!’
The girl barely nodded as Vastra turned to face the mysterious assailant. She walked over to him, still struggling to stand and laughed. The laugh was cold, heartless, inhuman.
‘You made a terrible mistake picking on a defenseless girl, ape.’
‘Ape?’ The man coughed the word out, still struggling for air. He gasped once or twice, and found it easier to speak as he opened his mouth a second time. ‘You should learn some manners, woman…as well as when to keep yer nose out of yer better’s business.’
She opened her mouth to speak and was caught off guard by two rough leather soles connecting with her midsection. She was lifted into the air, the kick sending her almost to the wall on the opposite side of the alley. In mid flight she turned herself to land on her feet, crouching like a beast ready to strike.
‘Impressive,’ the man spoke, his voice rough from too much drink and too little education. He reached down to the ground, picked up his cane, and pilled the head of the cane from the shaft. A narrow, gleaming blade emerged, beads of rain collecting across its surface.
‘Since ye already stopped me from my ‘ppointed prey, p’rhaps ye’d be kind enough to give me yer name so’s I know ‘oo I killed in her stead.’
‘Vastra,’ she spat out, still crouched. ‘Remember it well, because I can assure you it will be the last name you ever hear.’
He laughed.
‘We’ll see ‘bout that, girlie. We’ll see.’
He waved the sword in front of him, and she regarded his movements carefully. He has no idea how to actually use that thing, she thought to herself. That’s a plus. And he’s slow. Big, lumbering, and damned strong, but slow. I can use that to my advantage too. But I will only get one shot at this, so I had better make it count.
She remained crouched, judging the distance between them. She watched as he crept slowly toward her. She noticed despite his swagger that he was being overly cautious, wary of the newcomer who had entered the fray.
He took a step forward.
‘Time to say g’night, Vastra,’ he heckled.
Just one more step, she thought. That’s all I need. Just one more step.
He planted his right foot and raised his blade hand, preparing to swing.
As his arm reached its apex, she lunged. He didn’t have a chance to respond, and she caught him square in the midsection. She felt his body crumple over her, felt his chest collapse slightly as her body, all lean muscle, hit him like a hammer swung by a railroad worker. She heard the metallic clatter as the sword dropped from his hand and he fell backward, hitting the wet ground with a dull thud. His eyes were wide with shock, his mouth moving but making no sound. She could feel the hot fetid breath coming from his mouth as once again the wind was knocked from him. She watched his hands grasping absently for something, anything to use against her.
With a cold, cruel smile on her face, she straddled his chest and looked down on him.
‘I am dreadfully sorry…was I supposed to say good night?’
The man struggled to catch his breath.
‘I am so sorry, sir, but I simply cannot hear you…would you mind speaking up? It’s so hard to hear in this storm, after all.’
He reached up with one hand, and then the other, reached for her neck, tried to find some leverage to push her off or strangle her. Calmly, without any effort, she took one wrist in each hand and pushed them back to the cold, wet stone.
‘I do not think you heard me. Was I supposed to expect something from you after all that bluster, or are you simply filled with hot air and no ability to follow through on your puerile threats?’
He looked up into her face, black in the shadows. A flash of lightning, and he finally saw the face looking down upon him. Her mouth widened in a smile, her teeth gleaming in the lightning’s light. His eyes widened in shock, and he found the breath to whisper a reply.
‘What on earth are you?’
‘I, sir, am the last thing animals like you will see if I ever catch them preying on the innocent.’
She paused for a moment, tilting her head in thought.
‘I believe you told me to say good night. Well…say good night…sir.’
He opened his mouth to scream, but the scream died in his throat as, bereft of any other weapons, Vastra slashed her right hand across it. Her claws dug into the soft exposed flesh, and even in the rain she could smell and almost taste the rich, coppery tang of his blood as it spurted from his arteries. She regarded him coldly as the life slipped from his eyes, still open, yet duller now.
She looked up to the end of the alleyway. The girl was gone.
‘Smart girl,’ Vastra whispered. ‘It is better she not have seen this.’
Her reverie was broken by a noise behind her. She swiftly turned to see a shape, distant and growing more so with each passing second. There was no way she could catch up with it, but she wondered how close the person had been. Were they an accomplice, or just an innocent bystander caught in a most unfortunate set of circumstances? She shook her head…there was no real point in thinking about that. It was beyond her ability to control.
Nonetheless she jumped up and started to follow. It was easy enough for her to scent him…all adrenaline and sweat and fear. Her nostrils flared at the vulgar scent, and she picked up her pace…a brisk walk, then a jog, and finally an all out sprint. A few more yards, and the alleyway would end. There…a streetlight marked the end of the alley and she stopped short. She looked to the left and to the right. The scent faded away, as if it had never been there in the first place. Her lips curled back in a grimace and she stomped one foot against the wet ground.
Lost him, she thought ruefully. This is not good.
She turned and walked to the far head of the alleyway, where the fight had begun, and looked down toward her house. She saw the light from her hallway pouring out into the street. She sighed, knowing there was no way the girl had run that way. It was the faintest of hopes, thinking it were Jenny…three days’ searching had not turned her up, and it was likely the girl was gone.
So much for following your heart, Vastra, she thought cruelly. Perhaps it will be better if I am alone from now on…
Still, there was hope. A faint glimmer, but hope nonetheless. She ran down the street to her house, the open door shifting back and forth with the gusts of wind. The front hall was slick with rain…and little more. Still, she ran from room to room, quietly calling out Jenny’s name everywhere she looked.
With each empty room, that faint glimmer of hope faded until it flickered and died out.