AN: There is a prequel to this story called Xs and Os. It's not finished--yet--but it does contain good backstory for the sequel, and nothing too major is given away in this story that pertains to the outcome of Xs and Os. I don't intend to use much, if any back story from the prequel because I want this piece to be a standalone. If it gets confusing, please let me know.
"Under no circumstances should you ever quit your day job, Sadi," the young woman growled to herself, slumping down with her back against a brick wall in a dark alleyway behind a dumpster.
It stank back there, bad. She was covered in trash from head to toe, and worst of all she bled heavily from a deep gash on the back of her left leg, just above her knee. And finally, to top off an already wonderful evening, there were cops both in cars and on foot searching every corner of New Orleans for her.
Why?
Cause she was just trying to freakin' help them out!
A bright light suddenly illuminated everything around her, and she flattened herself further against the wall, trying to make herself as small as possible in the shadows behind the dumpster. Her heart pounded frantically in her chest. She held her breath, listening to the distinctive sound of tires rolling by so slowly the sound basely resembled two pieces of Velcro getting pulled apart as the rubber stuck to the hot pavement.
After a moment or two of sitting stock-still, the bright beam of light began to fade away little-by-little, leaving her once again in the comforting cloak of darkness. Sadi sighed, letting her entire body sag. She felt exhausted. Her muscles were dead, and only the dull, aching throb in her leg was kept her from falling asleep where she sat, her head lolling back against the cool brick.
At last she forced herself to get up and hobble toward the street. In spite of the handkerchief she'd wrapped around her wound, it continued to drip freely. Blood trickled down her skin on the inside of her pant leg, tickling almost unbearably as it traveled down her knee and calf before soaking into her low-cut sock. Her shoe felt squishy by the time she managed to drag herself some fifteen blocks back to her apartment complex--as if she'd stepped in a pothole full of water. Until she actually reached her destination, however, she hardly noticed. She'd been too busy watching out for anything wearing a badge, her attention focused on looking ahead, spotting shops and alleyways she could duck into at the first sign of trouble.
Her hands shook as she took out her keys, trying to find the one that would let her into her apartment, while trying to calm her tight breathing. She blinked once, then again, forcing her blurring vision and sluggish brain to function and find the correct key.
The initial wave of cool air that hit her sweat-soaked body when she finally managed to unlock her apartment door felt heavenly. The very first thing she did after shutting the door behind her was walk over to the air conditioner in the living room window, and drop to her knees before it. Sadi braced her small hands against the AC's cool steel frame, letting the steady breeze caress the overheated skin of her face and upper torso, calming her, allowing her to finally unwind.
For several minutes, all she worried about was breathing. Alone and bleeding heavily was no time for a panic attack. Or worse, a panic attack that triggered her asthma. It'd been a long time since anything had gotten to her like that, but the entire night had been too much.
The droplets of sweat soon began to evaporate from her body without being replaced, leaving her feeling dryer and lowering her temperature. She reeked, and her hair stuck unpleasantly to the back of her neck. The first thing she wanted to do was take a shower. Just as soon as she spent one or two more minutes in front of the AC...
She wasn't sure how long she knelt there, but eventually she had to force her eyes open and heave herself to her feet, taking most of her weight on her good leg. Sadi stripped off her clothes as soon as she reached the bathroom, turning on the water and getting in with the blood soaked handkerchief still tied around her leg. She turned temperature of the water up higher and higher as a chill began to slowly set into her bones.
Sadi stood with both forearms braced against the white tile, and her hands folded together. Her left knee bent slightly, as she continued to keep her weight off it. She let her head rest against her wrists as she looked down at the metal handle on the faucet, and then lower, at the river of blood swirling down the drain.
She attempted to smirk wryly, but failed. "I guess this is the part when Norman Bates sneaks in my room and stabs me to death," she whispered tiredly.
She'd almost dozed off on her feet when her arms slipped against the slick surface they rested against, and she nearly fell, only just catching herself by throwing one hand against the adjacent wall to steady herself. In a daze, she stilled, staying in that awkward position for a long moment, feeling disoriented and more than a little nauseous.
It was then that she heard the strange footsteps moving through her apartment, and Sadi's eyes slowly widened with fear.