The night dragged on slowly inside the old house. Orion was still sleeping on the bed, his breathing steady. After hours of working, Specter finally stop, he take off his glasses and sat still on the chair, eyes staring at nothing while his head was full of messy thoughts. Noir, like always, didn't allow herself to relax. Eyes watching, ears listening, ready for anything.
The city at night got quieter, almost empty, but suddenly a faint noise echoed from the alley. It's not a car, not the heavy footsteps full of killing intent it was this wobbly, messy sound, like someone stumbling and bumping into the wall. They yap too much.
Noir stood up right away. She gave a quick sign, her voice low and calm.
"Over there. Move."
Specter grabbed Orion and pulled him into the shadowy corner behind the wooden cabinet. They hid in the dark. Noir turned off every light in the house, then chose a spot near the broken window where is no one can notice. Her eyes cut through the darkness. She leaned a bit, hand already touching the dagger on her side.
The noise got louder. Dragging steps, weird chuckles, random mumbling. And then eventually, three drunk guys showed up, wobbling with their shoulders leaning on each other, mumbling nonsense. One of them pointed at the house where Noir's group was hiding and said.
"Eyyy… you… you guys know what…that…that house?" hic
"It's… haunted… boo…"
"Ohhh I'm sooo scared, sooo scared hahaha…"
They burst out laughing, making noise through the whole alley. Noir stayed silent, eyes following their moves. But after a moment, she realized they were just wasted idiots trying to get home. Annoying, but harmless. Lucky for them it wasn't the assassins of VOID otherwise this neighborhood would be doomed.
She loosened her grip on the dagger, leaning back slightly. Their ridiculous laughter echoed and then faded away into the night.
Noir thought.
/Fortunately.../
Specter looked at Noir, eyes still worried. She shook her head.
"Just drunks."
Orion, half asleep, let out an angry curse.
"Damn those idiots…"
"Can't even sleep in peace."
"My heart almost jumped out. But… guess we should get used to it. Any night can go bad." rubs eyes, yawns.
The air settled again. No danger, but the tension hung there like a shadow. Noir sat by the window again, eyes fixed on the dark alley, checking everything twice. Next time, it might not be harmless strangers.
After thinking for a while, Noir made her decision. She'd go out and scout the area by herself. Specter and Orion both disagreed, but she cut them off.
"If we stay locked in here, they'll find us eventually."
"All of you went out in the morning already. Tonight is my turn. And Specter's leg isn't good. Don't worry, I'll be fine."
They know this is a dangerous decision, but she was so steadfast, that why they couldn't do anything to stop her.
The night outside was deep and still. Noir put on a cloak, pulled the hood low over half her face, and slipped out of the old house. The streets that were noisy in the day now only had one or two people wandering around. The streetlights cast long, crooked shadows.
She moved like a ghost, blending into the alleys. Sometimes she was on a rooftop, sometimes hiding behind a pole. While she was pressed against a shop wall, a flashlight beam swept right across her face. Noir's heart froze for a second, hand tightening around her weapon. But the assassin only glanced around and walked off, never noticing her.
This area in the night, they had more patrols, more "hunting dogs" sniffing around every corner. Threats is everywhere so Noir had to be even more careful now.
/They really sent extra people here… tch./ she clicked her tongue.
She took the chance to steal a drunk man's wallet, he was lay on the sidewalk. Just one smooth move, and she had it in her hand, no sound at all. That money would help them last a few more days.
She kept scouting the blocks around their shelter. VOID's patrols weren't as tight here as in other cities some of the guards were basically trash, thrown in just to fill the roster. She smirked.
/I really like how you people use your "resources"./
Then, something made her cold eyes flicker with disgust.
Behind some bushes, a VOID soldier was pressing a young girl against the wall. His disgusting laugh mixed with the girl's weird moans, all of it filthy. Noir felt a chill crawling up her spine.
/What the hell is going right here?!/
She walked past them, picking up a small stone, not even trying to hide her contempt. A mocking line slipped from her lips.
"Amazing. Besides killing, this is what you're good at, f**king idiot."
She threw the stone hard at the man's head.
He jerked up, a bump swelling instantly, his face red with anger. The girl under him was a little suprised. But before they could react, Noir had vanished into the shadows, leaving only his useless shouting behind.
She returned to the house and dropped the money on the table. Specter opened his mouth to ask, but Noir crossed her arms, eyes cold.
"They're still around. Not many. They haven't found us yet. We're safe for now."
Orion stretched, leaning back against the wall.
"Risky… but hey, at least we got money now."
Specter just stayed silent. The dim light hit their tired faces worn out, tense. Noir told them everything she saw, even the disgusting scene with the soldier.
Orion burst out laughing, slapping his leg like it was comedy.
"Damnn… those dogs. Can kill people but can't stop being nasty animals. So pathetic it's… kinda funny." Orion laughing.
"If it were me meeting him, I'd send him crawling back to the org wearing his pants on his head. Not done, I'll film it and then upload it to newspapers, large billboards and print a lot of photos to paste everywhere, hahahaa... "
"So rude." Nori said.
Specter was the opposite. He turned away, hiding his complicated expression. Orion's laughter echoed in the room, but for Specter, it only made his chest feel heavy. He wasn't upset about the story, he was upset because the whole thing somehow made him feel like he was tainting Noir's faint, precious purity too.
***
From a distance, on the organization's side, a huge screen lit up in front of the scientists. A red dot with VOID's mark was slowly moving. One of the scientists ordered his men to send a signal to redirect it. The red dot shifted direction toward the city where Noir was hiding, still far, but closing in.
"Go inside and check everything. Don't leave a spot untouched," a female scientist said.