‘So you’ll take the job?” the man’s voice carried clearly through the coffee shop.
“Guess so, you have a deal, don’t forget your payment,” Ni replied.
She was incredibly bored with her timid client. He was stick thin, with large rounded glasses and wiry black hair. He had a thick accent. The man had terrible taste for meeting places. Ni always liked noisy, crowded areas that made it nearly impossible to be overheard. Of course, more sensitive business contracts were dealt in a more . . . discreet fashion.
The man, (Ni couldn’t remember his name) had insisted on meeting in an old cafe, New Where, which was always quiet and had few customers. The place was a dump with a putrid smell that forced Ni to wrinkle her nose.
Ni got to her feet, abandoning the half empty cup of pungent-tasting tea. She pushed her dark hair out of her pale face. The man flinched. Ni held her hand out with an aura of finality.
“I’ll get going, don’t worry, the package is safe with me,” she drawled out. The client slowly reached down beside his chair, long bony fingers grasping the handle of the black metal case. He passed it over the table. Ni grabbed the case impatiently.
“What’s your name again?” Ni asked, inspecting the metal case. It was surprisingly light.
“Conner, Conner Green,” Green gritted his teeth. Ni had asked for his name three times.
“Are you sure you can get the job done?” Green fidgeted. “You doubt me?” Ni asked innocently. Green just grumbled a reply.
Ni dumped change on the table, too lazy to count it out. She walked out, her mind busy planning her route through the city’s underground. The job was a simple one. Deliver the case to a girl called May. Collect the payment. Job done. Ni continued walking down the empty street. Even the homeless left this street alone. Something to do with the local gang war. Ni didn’t care as long as they kept their squabbles to themselves.
The sun began to set in a spectacular rainbow of yellows, oranges and reds. Ni could feel the darkness closing in. Old, crumbling buildings lined the streets in this part of the city. Only the poor and forgotten resided here. Slowing her breathing, Ni focused on sound waves. As they reached her sensitive ears, she filtered out the noise. In the buildings beside her, she could hear murmurs of conversation. Strained breathing and heavy coughing could be heard, with faint heartbeats, suggesting sleep or sickness. It was probably the latter.
Ni heard aged doors creak open and the crunch of feet on broken glass. She could even hear the weak gurgling of dirty water travelling through underground pipes. Sharp eyes scanned the shadows. Mugging was common. Taking a left, Ni sighed, the case swinging by her side. She went right, into a narrow lane. Stopping, she turned around, irritated by her “shadow”. A pair of gold, glowing eyes peered around the corner. Ni gasped. It couldn’t be . . . The owner of the gold squeaked with shock, and turned to bolt.
“Wait! It’s okay, I’m just like you, I’m not gonna hurt you,” Ni spoke, softly. With slow, deliberate movements, Ni took out her coloured contact lenses. Her brilliant golden eyes matched her pursuer. The girl gasped. She was dirty, wearing ragged clothes, her hair in a clump. Ni stared at the girl. The girl stared at Ni. She couldn’t have been older than 16. As their eyes locked, Ni knew, she just had to look after one of the last of her kind. Ni didn’t know much about her golden-eyed brethren. The only thing she did know is that they were rare, so rare that one could say they were almost extinct. Hope flared through her. The girl tentatively took a step towards Ni.
“I’m not alone,” she whispered, softly.
