There was
something different about this place.
On the surface, it
was a regular bar – a swathe of well dressed young adults gathering
for cocktails after work on a Friday evening. The good looking ones
eyed each other off while the lesser attractive downed their drinks
and talked loudly to compensate for their not-so-fortunate looks.
But there was a
presence here – Clara could feel it the moment she walked through
the smokey door and headed casually for the bar. The Nagi left a
feeling in the air, a feeling that Clara was accustomed to sensing.
She closed her
eyes and held her breath, the sounds of the bar dulling slightly as
she let her sixth sense reach out.
Three Nagi had
been here only hours before, their presence still lingering within
the closed-in walls of the underground establishment.
Opening her eyes,
Clara saw that one of the bartenders was staring at her with eyes
narrowed.
Did he guess she
was a hunter? Smiling euphorically as if she had simply been
relishing the smell of this sweaty cesspit, Clara approached the bar
and greeted the bartender.
“This is such a
lovely bar!” she babbled cheerfully. “A friend told me about it
last week and I just had to come and check it out. I hear you have a
specialty whiskey cocktail that I must try?”
The bartender gave
her the once over with his eyes but then she saw his expression clear
as he decided she was just a regular newcomer.
“The best
whiskey cocktail in town coming up,” he said in a slow drawl before
turning away to begin preparing it.
Not a hard
guess, Clara thought to herself,
her eyes drifting across the rows upon rows of specialized whiskey
lining the wall behind the counter.
While her miscellaneous drink was being prepared Clara looked
carefully around the bar. A few men nearby were eyeing
her – they always did when she wore her skin-tight leggings and
combat boots. She had long given up trying to dress not to attract
attention – this was the best outfit to wear when you might need to
run, jump and chase someone at the drop of a pin.
Her eyes roamed to the wooden floor – Nagi always left telltale
signs of their passing on the floor. Sure enough, she detected traces
of saltwater that had seeped into the wood, mixed in with the myriad
of typical spilled liquids one would expect in this night-spot. No
matter how hard they tried to dry themselves, the Nagi always left
traces of saltwater. It oozed out of their pores and their
well-concealed gills to trickle on the ground as they passed.
“Here you go, that's thirty-eight love,” the bartender drew her
attention. Clara cringed, both by the use of the word 'love' and also
by the hefty price for a drink she didn't want and wasn't planning on
drinking.
She paid her money, smiled sweetly again, and then began making her
way through the crowded bar, following the lingering trail of the
Nagi as it led her towards the table at the back.
The table was occupied by four co-workers enjoying themselves so
Clara leant on the wall next to it,
pretending to sip her drink. She closed her eyes and let the visions
come.
Three of the
Nagi sat at the table, talking quietly among themselves and drinking
beers. Though they resembled normal humans to most people, Clara
could instantly identify them from the strange aura that surrounded
them.
The bartender
walked over, the same bartender that had just served Clara, and the
Nagi beckoned him over.
“Thank you
again for helping us, Gregory. Your help to our people will be
remembered in the coming years.”
Clara opened her eyes and glanced over towards the bartender. He was
serving others now and not looking at her, but she made a mental note
of his face. Any who aided the Nagi were to be brought in and
interrogated – she would report him when she got back tonight.
“You're a hunter, aren't you?” said a quiet voice next to her.
Clara turned sharply, her free hand flying to the knife at her belt.
A scrawny youth, probably not more than 19 years, was looking at her
excitedly, nerdy glasses and curly, tousled hair slightly concealing
his face.
“Why would you think that?” Clara asked calmly, her hand slowly
loosening her knife as she lounged casually against the wall.
“I knew the second you walked in. You're after the Nagi that were
here earlier, aren't you?” he said even more quietly.
Clara felt alarm bells instantly. Most people did not know much about
the Nagi, that strange race of people who had walked out of the ocean
ten years ago, and simply melted into society. People knew even less
about the rumoured hunters that now tracked
them down one by one. So how did this nerdy looking boy know what she
was?
“I don't know what you think you know boy,” she began, but he cut
her off.
“Listen, you can ignore me just as everyone at NT7 has been doing,
or you can let me help you. I was here earlier when that Nagi and his
friends were here, and I overheard where they were planning to go. If
you want my help I can help you.” he finished determinedly.
Clara raised an eyebrow. Not bad, she thought, although he
only identified one of them as being Nagi instead of all three.
Clara relaxed her hand on her knife and smiled.
“Why do you think I am interested and why is it that you seem to
know so much?”
“Don't patronise me,” the boy narrowed
his eyes, his voice raising an octave. “I know things, lots
of things, but those bastards at NT7 won't even give me the time of
day to listen. I know what is coming, what is going to happen.
And I want to help.”
Clara eyed the boy again. Could it be possible that he possessed a
sixth sense? He obviously didn't have the hunter sense, yet there was
something else about him and her instincts told her that she should
take him with her.
“Very well then, you can join me for now.” Clara said as she
began making her way out of the bar. The boy's face lit up as if he
had just been handed a pile of money, and he followed her eagerly out
of the bar.
It seems you've
got yourself a new companion,
Clara thought to herself sardonically as they entered the dark
street. Let's hope this one will be more useful than the
last.
great post Sarah,very interesting read. Wish there was a part two to this story...
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