Too much time...
A thick fog hung over the city like a blanket. The full moon above created an ominous glow through the mist. The street lamps were barely able to pierce the thick blanket of mist that clouded the streets. A lone figure, clad in dark clothes and wearing a long dark cloak with its hood pulled low, made its way through the misty streets. The figure would glance back in a nervous manor, as though to see if anyone was following.
As the figure approached a nearby alleyway, it glanced back one, long, last time, then darted down the alley. The figure muffeled a few curses, as the alley was full of suprises. A sudden drop in the ground, masked by water and the damp stone of the alley, caused the figure to lose its balance a number of times, and a squishy lump that cried out as the figure hurried through the alleys, caused a noticeable flinch in the figures shoulders.
A crossroads seemed to materialize frome the fog, and the figure halted. Glanceing down each of the possible pathes, the figure murmured something, incoherent, under its breathe. Hesitantly, the figure headed down the alley to its left, but after a few feet, paused, and glanced back toward the crossroad. Shaking its head and with a determined set of its shoulders, the figure contined down its chosen path. A couple hundred feet found the figure faced with a brick wall. "Damn it, dead-end!" the figure muttered, then hurried back in the direction of the crossroad.
When it arrived, it didn't take a second thought and darted to the left, continuing on in the direction it had originally been heading. A couple hundred yards and the alley branched to the left and opened into a small alcove. Another cloaked figure hoped down from a barrel it had been sitting on and in a deep, male voice said, "You're late." He stood a good foot taller the than the traveler, and had to tilt his head downward when he spoke.
"I was held up at work by inquisitive youths," a female voice came from the shorter figure, "and then I got lost in these damned alleys!" A slight tremble could be heard in her voice. "Do you have it, then?" she asked slowly.
"Yes, I have it." the man said, sounding amused. He stretched out a gloved hand holding a rolled up package wrapped in nondescript, brown paper. A brown string wrapped around it to keep its shape. "Next time you are late, it will cost you."
The woman reached out, an obvious tremble in her hands, and took the package from the man. She looked down at the package, then back at the man and said in a quiet whisper, "Thank you."
The man waved her away, nonchalant, and returned to the barrel where he had been sitting. The woman quickly turned back down the alley and practically ran through the labrynth. She slowed only when she neared the main street from whence she came. Heading back to her car, she pulled the keys from her pocket, and with a trembling hand, unlocked the door. She gently pulled the door open and slid down into the drivers seat. She pulled the door shut with a loud "THUD" and flinched. She then looked down at the bundle she held in her hands.
Looking about nervously, she tore open a part of the brown wrapping revealing several rolled parchments. She leaned her head back and, with a sigh, said "Surveys!". As she leaned back, her hood fell back revealing her face. She quickly caught it and pulled it back over her head and glance around, hoping nobody saw. She put the key into the ignition, started the car and drove off, waiting til she was clear of the area before removing her hooded cloak.
As her tail lights faded in the night fog, another figure stepped from the shadows near where she had been parked. The figure laughed lightly, "So, Jbean81, dark alleys and shady people, is it? Your secret is out!" The figure dissappeared into the darkness again, laughing one of those sinister laughs that soon faded into the foggy lights above.
As the figure approached a nearby alleyway, it glanced back one, long, last time, then darted down the alley. The figure muffeled a few curses, as the alley was full of suprises. A sudden drop in the ground, masked by water and the damp stone of the alley, caused the figure to lose its balance a number of times, and a squishy lump that cried out as the figure hurried through the alleys, caused a noticeable flinch in the figures shoulders.
A crossroads seemed to materialize frome the fog, and the figure halted. Glanceing down each of the possible pathes, the figure murmured something, incoherent, under its breathe. Hesitantly, the figure headed down the alley to its left, but after a few feet, paused, and glanced back toward the crossroad. Shaking its head and with a determined set of its shoulders, the figure contined down its chosen path. A couple hundred feet found the figure faced with a brick wall. "Damn it, dead-end!" the figure muttered, then hurried back in the direction of the crossroad.
When it arrived, it didn't take a second thought and darted to the left, continuing on in the direction it had originally been heading. A couple hundred yards and the alley branched to the left and opened into a small alcove. Another cloaked figure hoped down from a barrel it had been sitting on and in a deep, male voice said, "You're late." He stood a good foot taller the than the traveler, and had to tilt his head downward when he spoke.
"I was held up at work by inquisitive youths," a female voice came from the shorter figure, "and then I got lost in these damned alleys!" A slight tremble could be heard in her voice. "Do you have it, then?" she asked slowly.
"Yes, I have it." the man said, sounding amused. He stretched out a gloved hand holding a rolled up package wrapped in nondescript, brown paper. A brown string wrapped around it to keep its shape. "Next time you are late, it will cost you."
The woman reached out, an obvious tremble in her hands, and took the package from the man. She looked down at the package, then back at the man and said in a quiet whisper, "Thank you."
The man waved her away, nonchalant, and returned to the barrel where he had been sitting. The woman quickly turned back down the alley and practically ran through the labrynth. She slowed only when she neared the main street from whence she came. Heading back to her car, she pulled the keys from her pocket, and with a trembling hand, unlocked the door. She gently pulled the door open and slid down into the drivers seat. She pulled the door shut with a loud "THUD" and flinched. She then looked down at the bundle she held in her hands.
Looking about nervously, she tore open a part of the brown wrapping revealing several rolled parchments. She leaned her head back and, with a sigh, said "Surveys!". As she leaned back, her hood fell back revealing her face. She quickly caught it and pulled it back over her head and glance around, hoping nobody saw. She put the key into the ignition, started the car and drove off, waiting til she was clear of the area before removing her hooded cloak.
As her tail lights faded in the night fog, another figure stepped from the shadows near where she had been parked. The figure laughed lightly, "So, Jbean81, dark alleys and shady people, is it? Your secret is out!" The figure dissappeared into the darkness again, laughing one of those sinister laughs that soon faded into the foggy lights above.