The Fall Of Dent

Hi guys,

Sorry about the lack of stories recently. I could make excuses, but writing is something that I’ve had to put to the back for a while. Hopefully not for much longer though!

To that end, here’s an older piece that I wrote about two years ago. It’s a little rough round the edges still, but I implore you to give it a read and let me know what you think.

It was a set of stories I called, “One Swift Blow”. Set just after the first world war in an alternate universe of Earth. The stories took place on a bustling, new-york escque island known as “Trinity Island.” Where a tale of secrecy, corruption and murder is about to be woven.

A word of warning, it’s a lengthy read…

As always, I appreciate any thoughts on the piece.

Cheers,

Jevan Thompson

Two men on the door, one in the window.

Cadaverous had clocked them from the street. He had a newspaper out in front of him, and his hat was pulled down, covering his eyes.

He could see people walking all around, coming and going, but those were the only three not moving. The two by the door were most definitely carrying, the confidence in their stance and the way they moved their bodies betrayed the fact they had something concealed in their jackets.

The one in the window was in the building opposite. He’d watched it for some time, only one person was coming out from the balcony to smoke. Every so often, the curtains would part and his face would gaze lazily around.

It’ll have to be the one in the window first.

He entered the building through the back door, it was only a simple lock, which he picked easily. He crept up the wooden stairs, making sure he didn’t make a sound.

He didn’t meet any of the other people living in the apartments, but they wouldn’t see him if he didn’t want to be seen. When he reached the door to the apartment, he paused for a moment. His right hand reached into the sleeve of his suit jacket on his left arm and palmed the knife that was hidden there.

He took a deep breath in, and used one of his two talents.

His Sight.

His world burst into vibrant colours, making him gasp in euphoria. After a few moments of composing himself, he could focus on the world again. The dull, drab interior of the apartments suddenly became a masterful canvas with hundreds of different colours and features.

The browns were actually a mix of thousands of shades, the stains and marks on the walls were actually a plethora of minute details and features.

He gazed at the door, or rather through the door. His Sight didn’t let him see completely through, she could only see the outlines of people. He saw a grey outline through the door, a shape of a man who looked like he was searching for something.

He must be looking through the cupboards, got to be the kitchens.

He made a mental note of the man’s whereabouts, then ended the Sight. Instantly the world settled into drab, dreary colours, it took him a few moments to readjust then he kicked the door.

The flimsy apartment door flew open, some small chips of wood blasting off from the impact. He headed straight towards the room on the right, knowing exactly where his target was. He rounded the corner, but the man had turned to face him, a gun in his right hand.

In the kitchen, must of had his gun on the table to have it that quick.

The man might be able to fire before Cadaverous could reach him. The bullet wouldn’t hit him, the man would still die, but the men on the street might hear the shot. That was unacceptable.

He used his second talent, a Blink.

Most people were born without a talent, they were just ordinary folk, living ordinary lives, doing ordinary things. Some, were born with knacks, small strange abilities, not as powerful as a talent though. Cadaverous once knew a knacked man who could open any door he came across, regardless of whether or not it was locked. He knew another that could make ink appear or disappear on paper.

Talents however, were another thing entirely. Much more powerful than a knacked, and a lot more rare. To have one talent was rare indeed, to have two, was unheard of.

Cadaverous appeared next to the man in an instant. It was impossible, he’d moved about eight feet in the blink of an eye, disappearing and reappearing. It was impossible, but it happened anyway.

He stabbed the man through the neck, feeling a crunch as the knife cracked the bones in his spine. Cadaverous’ other hand grabbed the man’s pistol and wrenched it away. The man crumpled to the floor, choking and gurgling.

Cadaverous walked over to the window, and peered out, making sure to stay hidden. The two men on the doorstep of the building opposite were none the wiser, still stood on guard talking.

The man stopped making noises a few moments later.

Cadaverous walked over and retrieved his blade, wiping the blood off on the man’s coat. He searched the man and checked through his belongings. He found twelve .38 cartridges for his revolver, a small knife, a wallet containing the man’s identification and sixty dollars, a packet of cigarettes and a box of matches.

He checked over his identification.

Mr Donehay. Another to add to the book. From the ground from which we came, to the earth we shall return.

He bowed his head for a moment, then stood up and sheathed his hidden blade.

He exited the house and walked back onto the street, moving closer to the two men on the door. He was only about twenty meters away, they were directly opposite him over the road.

He cast his gaze around, looking at the various balconies and rooftops, trying to find one which was close enough for what he had in mind. After a few seconds, he saw the perfect apartment balcony. He Blinked over to it, keeping very quiet as he walked on the metal grating.

He tossed a dime over to the men, the coin clattering to the floor near them. The tinkling of the coin drew their attention, they both glanced over in mild interest of the noise.

After a second or two, they both resumed their normal talking, ignoring the coin. Cadaverous threw another coin, and another, and another. Eventually, one of the men’s interest was piqued, he slowly walked over, looking all around for the source of the noise.

That was when Cadaverous struck.

First, he hurled another coin past the guard who was still on the door. The noise made the guard look over, just for a fraction of a second. That was all Cadaverous needed. He Blinked over to the wandering guard, plunging his knife into his eye. He whirled around and blinked back up to the balcony, out of site. The guard twitched and writhed, his body struggling to comprehend what was happening.

After a few moments, his death throes subsided. Cadaverous bowed his head solemnly, then pulled the knife out of the man’s face.

The other guard was looking around, confused and unsure of his comrades whereabouts. He was beginning to get anxious, Cadaverous could see his hand reaching under his coat.

He Blinked again, once again appearing next to the helpless man. His blade sank into his throat and he once again Blinked up to the balcony.

Just like that, in about ten seconds, both the men were dead.

He found some identification and said a silent prayer for the two of them, his head bowed over the two corpses. Like earlier, he wiped his knife off on their clothes and returned it to his hidden sheathe.

He Blinked over to the front door and paused for a moment to get his breathe back. Such a rapid series of Blinking was tiring. He took a deep breath and used his Sight.

After the initial burst of pleasure and focus, he concentrated on the door and what was beyond it. Two greyish figures, quite far apart.

A hotel lobby. Might be able to get them both before they can shoot.

He ended his Sight and gathered his wits. Drawing both of the blades that were concealed in his sleeves, he readied himself.

Then he kicked the door in.

Both of the men turned to look at the door, jumping in fright with the sudden disturbance. He Blinked over to the first man, planting a knife in him like the three earlier. He went down just as easy as the earlier men, killing,  was as simple for Cadaverous as breathing.

He left the knife him and Blinked over to the other guard who was drawing his pistol. He grabbed the man’s arm to stop him fully drawing it, and plunged the knife into-

The blade was still in the other man.

Damn.

The man grunted in surprise and punched Cadaverous in the face, making him stumble backwards, blood running from his nose. He still held the man’s arm, but the man had nearly fully drawn the pistol. Cadaverous looked up to the ceiling and Blinked.

Both of the men appeared about twelve feet in the air, and for a fraction of a second before gravity had reached them and plucked them for the air, they hung still. The man’s face just just twisting to confusion, whereas Cadaverous was gritting his teeth in preparation of the fall. Then, gravity inevitably struck and sent them falling towards the floor.

The guard let out startled a high pitched yelp as he fell, his legs flailing as his body began to tilt backwards. Cadaverous however, had already started to prepare for the fall. His body already twisting, spinning himself around to land on his feet, falling as gracefully as a wildcat.

They both hit the floor, the guard slamming into ground in a heap, groaning in pain. Cadaverous landed on the balls of his feet spreading his hands out in front of him, wincing at the impact on his wrists and legs. He quickly rose to his feet, pushing the pain to one side and lunged over to the prone guard. In just a few seconds, the guard had a knife buried in his chest. Cadaverous stabbed again, and again, finally planting the knife in the man’s heart.

With a shuddering breath, the man relaxed into death. Cadaverous was panting, his own blood on his face, the other man’s blood on his hands and shirt.

This is getting messy.

He thought to himself. He looked at his pocket watch, the time slipping away from him, but he still had enough time to honour the dead. He ran over quickly and checked their ID’s, saying his prayer for the fallen.

Just as he stood up, he heard the lift bell ring out.

The lift doors opened to reveal two men talking. They looked bored, the sort of monotony that comes with guarding someone, spending all day everyday babysitting. One was putting a cigarette to his lips, the other was yawning. They stepped out of the list and looked up, frozen in disbelief at the sight that greeted them. Two dead guards, blood pooling around them and a slim suited man standing tall in the middle of the hall. His shirt had blood on it, his hands had blood on it and blood leaked from his nose. Cadaverous stood frozen, the two men in the lift also stood frozen.

For a few moments, everyone stood still. It was as if time itself had stopped.

Then all hell broke loose.

Several things all happened at the same time very quickly. The two men both drew pistols, and aimed them at Cadaverous. Cadaverous Blinked over to one of the lifeless men and ripped the pistol from his holster. He leapt behind one of the pillars just as the two guards fired. A bullet smashed into the floor where he had just been stood, sending fragments of the floor spraying into the air. Another round burst into the pillar he stood behind, making him flinch.

He looked over to the pillar opposite him and Blinked. Bullets continued to thud into the pillar that he was just stood behind, blowing off more chunks of marble.

“He’s Talented! Keep your eyes on him!” One shouted to the other.

“I’ll warn the others!” The other one shouted back.

Cadaverous readied his pistol and turned out from behind the pillar. He caught the two guards completely off guard, as they were still firing at the wrong pillar. There was a split second before they realised what was going on.

A split second was all it took.

He squeezed the trigger six times, sending six bullets into the men in the lift. They collapsed to the floor groaning and gasping. Cadaverous kept the pistol aimed at the lift, expecting the men to stand up and start fighting again. They didn’t.

Cadaverous could hear the faint sounds of footsteps above, there were a definitely a few people moving around. He lowered the pistol and tucked the handgun in the back of his trousers, looking towards the lift. He stepped over the two bodies, one of them still groaning softly. Cadaverous sighed softly, unable to spare any more time to respect the dead and dying.

I’m sorry, I’ll remember you both.

He pushed the button, sending the lift up to the top floor of the hotel, then darted out into the lobby. The lift doors closed and a quiet hum informed him that it was going up. He waited a few more moments before drawing another one of his hidden blades and prying the doors open with it.

He gazed upwards, looking through the lift shaft. He spotted a small group of piping that was opposite the first floor, the metal looked old, but sturdy. He Blinked up onto the ledge, waiting a few moments to recover his breath. The rapid use of his powers had left him feeling drained.

I need to finish this.

He looked around, searching the walls intently with his eyes. A few seconds later, he found his prize. A large power cable running up the side of the brickwork. He threw one of his blades into the cable, the steel easily cutting through the soft rubber shielding. Sparks burst out, sending the building plummeting into darkness.

He took a breath in and used his Sight, shuddering in ecstasy at the familar burst to his senses. He looked all around him, looking for the familiar grey silhouettes of men on the floor of the building. The entire floor was empty, save for two shapes, one in the closest room to the lift, the other down the hallway, with a gun raised towards the lift.

Cadaverous carefully stepped one foot onto the lip of of the doors, and slowly prized it open with his last blade. It was painstakingly slow work, ensuring that he made no sound. The darkness he had created was his greatest ally, the man down the corridor still clueless of his whereabouts. He crept slowly through the now open doors, keeping low and slow, like a Panther. He slowly drew his pistol and aimed it at the silhouette, then fired once.

The bullet tore through the shape’s head, then continued into the window at the end of the hall, shattering it with an almighty crash. The shape dropped to the ground like a puppet whose strings had been cut, collapsing into a lifeless heap.

That left one more shape.

He was stood near the edge of his room raising a cigarette to his lips, probably by the window. Cadaverous strode over to the room, a blade in one hand and a pistol in the other. He tried the doorknob, only to find that the door wasn’t locked. It swung open easily, revealing a lavish, but small room. Everything was clean and tidy, the floors had been swept and mopped, the countertops had been wiped and de-cluttered and the mirrors and artwork on the walls had been dusted.

Cadaverous ended his Sight, not needing it any longer. He walked into the lounge, where the man was stood facing the window smoking a cigarette calmly. The man glanced over to Cadaverous, and continued smoking.

“I knew you’d come. I saw it.” The man said, still facing the window. Cadaverous stood silently, his arms down by his side.

A few moments passed.

“Will you make it quick?” Cadaverous nodded solemnly.

The man took one final pull of the cigarette, then stubbed it out in an ashtray on the table. He turned to face Cadaverous, exhaling smoke.

“You’ve started somethin’ terrible. A lot of people are gonna die you know? Arthur ain’t gonna stop ‘till everyone is dead.”

Cadaverous strode over and slit his throat.