Free Prey by Paulie Celt

Prey
    By Paulie
Celt
    Smashwords
Edition
    Copyright 2011
Paulie Celt
    Discover other titles by Paulie Celt on Smashwords at: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/PaulieCelt
     
    The sky loomed
above, pregnant with full, grey clouds, their wet contents already
spilling onto the area below and its sparse population. A steady
stream of rain glistened through the air, the countless droplets
glittering in the unrelenting glare of the street-lights.
    Susan Blakeston
stood under a cracked porch which jutted out from a deserted
building on the corner. Her fingers shivered, turning a darker
shade of blue by the second, as they hugged the remains of a
cigarette. She sucked on the filter with great gusto, as if trying
to inhale the heat from the fiery tip, itself, into her lungs. Her
eyes darted through the rainfall, attracted by what little movement
they found, pausing every now and then to watch the bellowing mist
of her exhalations rise and dissipate into the cold February
night.
    A small red car
rounded the corner, slowing as it did so, before straightening out
and gaining back its speed. It drove off, a spray of water
catapulting from the back wheels with a low, liquid hiss.
    Susan reached up a hand and rolled back the sleeve of her coat
to reveal the darkened readout of her digital watch. She pressed a
button on the side of the timepiece and sighed as it illuminated.
20:37. Thirty seven minutes and
nothing. She turned her body to face down
the length of the road and her teeth gripped the back of her bottom
lip, as she took in the empty street. I'll
give it until nine, and try somewhere else. She leaned her bodyweight back and forth, filling the air with
the clickety-click of her high-heeled shoes, and pulled her arms
inward to retain what little warmth her body still
contained.
    A chorus of
voices erupted from a few streets away.
    She froze to
the spot, cigarette clenched between her taut lips.
    A man shouted
unrecognisable words, and other unknown people laughed in
appreciation. They faded within a few seconds and left behind
nothing but the slushing and sloshing of rain assaulting the
ground.
    She withdrew
the cigarette from her lips and flicked the ash off the end, before
easing it back to her tongue for the last lungful of carcinogens.
Her eyes jolted to the corner of the street on the other side of
the road. She swallowed, and the action turned into a gulp.
    A tall, well
built man, dressed in a black Puffa jacket, its hood hiding most of
his features, and dark, bulk-some trousers, strode over the
pavement.
    Susan finished
the cigarette, tossed the butt to the ground and with the toe of
her shoe she trampled it into an obscene mush on the concrete. The
faint scent of damp tobacco tickled her nostrils and they
twitched.
    The approaching
stranger paused at the edge of the road, looking in both directions
before crossing over in a diagonal line. Heading toward Susan.
    She coughed and
cleared her throat. Both her hands pulled up toward her hair and
her fingers combed through the long, chestnut tresses. She lapped
her tongue around the roof of her mouth. Her chest pounded and an
uncomfortable flutter surged through her veins.
    He slowed his
pace and made eye contact. His lips shot an introductory smile.
    Susan opened
her mouth to talk. The words caught in her throat and she retreated
into another cough. She lowered her gaze and caught the shake of
her hands. They rushed to the safety of her coat pockets and
clenched into fists, as if to ward off the weakness. She looked up,
refusing to blink. “Can I help you, love?” She widened her
shoulders and stood tall.
    “ I hope so.” He halted a few feet in front of her and his eyes
roamed the surroundings.
    With a long,
deep breath to abate the pounding behind her ribs, Susan spoke in a
steady tone. “What is it you're after?”
    “ What's on offer?” His eyes roamed again.
    “ Are you a cop?” Her voice croaked a little towards the end of
the question, and she forced her chest