The Night Watch

       “It’s going, going- AND IT’S GONE!”

           “SHIT!”

           Raquel slammed her fist against the desk. The tools and materials shaking on impact. The radio wobbled but stayed standing upright.

           “Damn A’s…”

           “You’re still listening to that? Why don’t you get a TV like a normal person?”

           The woman looked over her shoulder, though she didn’t need to, she knew who was at the door. A co-worker, her boss, an old friend. They leaned against the doorframe, shoving the curtain that separates them out of the way.

           “If I get a TV then I’ll get distracted,” the woman said. She turned back around, the creak in her old computer chair echoing throughout the tiny room.

           “You should learn how to multi-task,” they commented.

           “I like radio better.”

           “You can at least use your phone.”

           “I like the radio.”

           “Alright, whatever.” She could feel their eyeroll. “Anyway, I know you don’t like being rushed but this is the last person for the day. And I really want to go home.”

           Raquel picked up another tool and continued messing with the phone on the table. “How the hell do you mess up a charging port this badly…”

           “Don’t ask me, ask the kid who brought it in.”

           I wasn’t asking but alright.

           “Give me ten more minutes.”

           “We don’t have ten minutes. Work double time or something.”

           “Well jeez, if I had a second arm this would probably be done by now. But if you wanna play that game-”

           “Alright alright, christ. Just hurry up.”

           They turned and left in a huff, letting the curtain fall back to place. With a smug smile, Raquel continued to work on this kids’ poor phone. The radio announcer continuing to update her on the state of the baseball game, her team was losing.

           It wasn’t long until she finished the phone and handed it off to her boss to handle. Despite having only one arm she was quick. She had to learn quick.

In the back, she packed up her stuff. Tools back in their respective places. Materials locked away from any thieving hands. Radio tucked in her duffle bag she shut off the lights and met her business partner in the front of their store.

“Go for a drink?” They asked.

“Nah.”

“Girlfriend up your ass again?” It was so odd how the moment they leave the store they resort to swears.

“Nah. Just tired. You know how it is. Game got me all tired.”

They scoffed. “Yeah. Tired from slamming tables.”

She elbowed him in the ribs. “Goodnight.”

“Night.”

She didn’t wait too long before walking to her favorite alleyway. Her ‘favorite’ as if she rates alley’s… she does. This one was nice, oddly clean for an alley. Granted she had to hop a fence to get into the area, but what she doing isn’t exactly legal anyway.

She plopped down her duffle bag and zipped it open. Carefully taking out the contents and donning her night-time attire. Well, just a long black trench coat, she’s still a little pissed that some kid stole her last one. But hey, what can you do. And, well, there was also her prosthetic. A metal thing, it looked like something out of a Si-Fi film.

Right now, it was nothing, an unworking toy. But once she puts it on-

SHIT

Raquel was never the best with words. Every time she puts that arm on, she can feel hellfire in her veins. Horns, coming out of her skull. Her eye, her damn vision, going red. Yes… this is the power she sold her severed arm for.

“You there?” The radio buzzed.

“Yeah,” she said aloud, “you got lucky I didn’t have a date tonight or I would’ve left you out to try old man.”

“You have no respect for your superior. I worry for your boss.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” She lifted the radio and put it in a specialized pocket on the inside of her coat. “Where am I patrolling tonight?” Please let it be quick-

“The shopping district.”

“Okay, got-”

“The OLD shopping district.”

“But why?” She huffed as she gripped her metal hand onto the side of the building and began to climb.

“They don’t deserve protecting?”

“Nothing is in the old shopping district. There’s a reason why there’s a new one because the old one is a sad sack of shi-”

“You watch your tone. Those are citizens, with livelihoods. They deserve our protection.”

“There’s nothing to take, is what I’m saying. Why would anyone want to bother a place that’s older than you?”

“I’m not THAT old.”

“Could have sworn I saw some grey-”

“Do your job before I make you patrol 7^th street.”

Raquel stopped mid-climb. Hanging off the side of the building, with only her metal arm and boots supporting her. “You wouldn’t.”

“Maybe I would.”

She chuckled and began to climb again. “That lover of yours is bringing out your assertive side. Kinky.”

“Have a safe night.”

“I never do.”

“A man can try.”

His voices faded away as she reached the rooftop. The wind rustling her greasy hair and her trench coat flapped in the breeze. She took a step forward, another, a few, until she was balancing off the edge of the building. She could feel the hellish blood of the ram coursing through her. It’s anger burning in her soul, in her vision. She saw her boss, co-worker, friend’s car drive up the street, clueless as to what she’s doing right now.

“Hord of demon cats spotted.” The radio buzzed to life again, an operator.

“Where?”

“The old shopping district!”

“Well.” She smirked. “I guess this won’t be boring after all.”

“What’s that supposed to-”

But Raquel didn’t hear her. She was already off the building, Going down, down, to the ground. She landed on top of a parked car, placing a human-sized dent in it. She rolled off, groaned, and tapped her boots against the ground twice. She began to hover and slid across the car-infested streets like a skater in an ice rink.