This story is dedicated to VillainEdward for being a good friend, good listener, and one heck of a roleplayer.
Circular drops coated the concrete one by one; fat ones, thin ones, small ones, but only enough for those walking by to look up from their thoughts, tut at the Heavens, and grumble about inaccurate weather reports before rushing off, eager to get to their destinations dry. Their success rate plummeted as the darker clouds swarmed over and gave out a nasty growl. The weather, one slow walker noted, had been like this for the last two days - ever since... It arrived. It, he decided, was the ideal name for the creature because, quite frankly, he had no idea what it was and he wasn't so sure he even wanted to know.
A splatter hit the lens of his glasses, causing him to flinch and then frown. He lowered his head and tugged up his coat collar to keep the back of his neck dry. It had appeared from nowhere, he remembered. It just came out of the blue one night when Alfred was closing his bedroom curtains. He had seen It standing in his garden, staring up at the house, and had given him... Well, It hadn't done anything. It had just been a blurry winged shadow and strange glowing blue eyes that appeared almost familiar. Just by picturing them, he shivered. After stumbling back into bed, he had prayed it would be a one time thing but the young American realised he had had only his first scare from It that night.
The other encounters were equally terrifying. Alfred had been at work in the White House when he saw It again standing in the corridor briefly. And again when he stepped out of the shower and spotted It gazing back in the mirror but, when he had turned around, there had been nothing behind him. And just this morning... Tony began to speak of another lurking around. The alien didn't sound too concerned but Alfred knew from watching movies with him that Tony didn't understand the horrors that lurked in the dark on Earth. Horrors that could steal your very life force...
"Get a grip..." he whispered, his voice drowned out by the sound of the traffic and endless chatter passers-by. "You've seen too many scary movies. That's it. You watched one too many and now seeing hallucinations... Oh god, I'm turning into Britain! I'm freaking seeing shit! I'm going to grow huge eyebrows next!" he wailed in despair, causing many to give him a strange look before walking on to put greater distance between them. Unaware of this, he stopped in the middle of the path and inhaled a deep breath of the polluted city air.
There was a swish of wings and Alfred jumped and shrunk back. Shielding his glasses from the rain, Alfred peered over at the source of the sound. A pigeon was resting upon a street sign as it bobbed its head around. Laughing from his scare, Alfred watched it take flight again. It soared in front of the skyscrapers and over the cars and pass an alley where a shadowy figure was lurking.
Fuck.
Alfred held his breath. Though his vision became blurred by the raindrops, Alfred could make out those glowing blue eyes. There was no doubt who it was. From across the street, Alfred stood transfixed on the shadow as It began to take a stronger and clearer shape of a muscular form with thick black hair. It was wearing torn jeans and... a black version of Alfred's favourite old bomber jacket completed with the fur collar and engraved images.
Goosebumps pricked his skin and his mouth went dry. Alfred's body froze completely as he found himself staring at... himself. Only, it couldn't be him. He looked highly similar but... Th-there was no way. R-right?
The figure smiled just as a bus shot through their path of vision. When the vehicle passed, the clone was gone.
Alfred stared. Maybe it was a fun house mirror standing there that someone set up as a joke? He cautiously made his way across the road and gazed down the alleyway. No mirror in sight and those eyes were peering at him from the other end. Alfred's hand gripped upon the jagged brick edge of the wall. Those eyes continued to stare at him for a few moments then vanished around the corner.
Just what was It? A vampire? A ghost? A shape-shifter? A creature hell-bent on taking his soul and devouring his body like in those gory films he constantly watched?
No… He was being foolish. There was no way it was anything other than a jerk trying to mess with his head: a jerk that's trying to lead him into a wild goose chase. He narrowed his eyes and placed his hand into the inside of his coat. He pulled out his pistol and took off the safety. This asshole was going to learn that hard way what happened when people messed around with the United States of America.
Alfred will get his questions answered even if he had to pound It to the pavement with his brute strength till blood ran down into the sewers below.
With that in mind, he bolted down the alleyway.
The cloned dark creature was not in sight but Alfred kept a look out for any sign of those eyes. It would not be escaping him. He'd spend the whole night out here if he had to even if it meant getting a helicopter to gun down every fucking part of this city until It is found.
"Where are you?!" he demanded, his voice echoing off the alley walls. "Come out, you chicken! I'll take you on with my eyes closed and one arm tied behind my back!"
The eyes appeared a short distance away, surrounded by the darkness. Alfred aimed his gun and shot once. Screams issued out immediately and people dashed away from the scene. The bullet went straight through the middle of the eyes and hit the street sign behind them. A taunting smile appeared beneath them. Alfred gritted his teeth and went to fire again but they vanished.
"Stop fucking around, coward!" Alfred screamed out into the night. He sprinted down the road, frightening people to moving aside with his gun still held up in the air. Rain was splattering his face and the thunderous roars matched the traffic zooming pass. He was forced to whip off his glasses to continue on without the smears on the lenses. He had no physically need for them anyway.
His boots splashed the puddles forming in potholes. Several cars honked at him as he dashed between them, barely avoiding a collision or two with the drivers' angry shouts following him. He didn't slow down once. It sensed that and was speeding up its movements too. Alfred barely caught glimpse of the piercing blue gaze watching him before they vanished again.
The creature was definitely toying with him. Alfred could feel the rage burning inside. No one messed with him and lived to tell the tale! From a distance he could hear the sound of sirens. They were moving closer but his legs stubbornly kept him moving on after It. Fuck the police! He'll talk to them later – not that anyone would believe him but his Government would get him out of trouble. If they could catch him first.
He must have ran through the entire city and back by the time he could finally stumble to a halt. Crowds had thinned out greatly, making it easily to spot the shadow looming around, for the news of gun-wielding maniac had spread faster than his legs could run. His chest heaved. His lips were damp from his panting and his damp clothing stuck to his frozen stiff body. But not even the weather could compete against the spine-chilling fear he felt when his eyes fell onto the creature.
There It stood; just across the road. Its hands were tucked snug into the pockets of the bomber jacket it wore. Though his clone appeared solid, the rain fell straight through without a single splatter. Its gaze was locked directly onto Alfred; either uncaring for or not noticing the pistol aimed straight at its head. But its smile... that smile... that cocky, arrogant, dark smile on its face pissed Alfred off the most. Could it sense the tension and fear radiating off Alfred?
"What are you?" Alfred hissed. Raindrops were seeping down his coat and trickled along his back. His hair was plastered to his head, the cowlick no longer noticeable. He looked like a drowned rat but the expression on his face... There was a bold and intimidating aura surrounding him, making the stunned audience step back and hold their breath. No one dared to play hero and approach this maniac who was screaming at thin air.
The creature's unnatural glowing eyes were only matched by the neon green man flashing in the traffic lights. It did not answer. It didn't even move. It remained standing there with that frightening smile.
Alfred took two steps forward and fired a warning shot by Its feet. There was a scream somewhere in the crowd but still, It did not move. Alfred grinded his teeth together and aimed back for its head. "I asked you a question," he said darkly, "Who or what are you? What are you doing here in my land? Answer! Or I'll blow your fucking brains out!"
Its hand rose from a pocket. Two fingers were pressed against its palm while the other two stuck out to mime a gun. Its lips parted and Alfred barely heard the word "bang" before a deafening sound of a horn screamed into his ear.
The gun was thrown several feet into the air and landed somewhere amongst the crowd who placed their hands over their mouths and stared in nauseating horror at the sight before them.
Blood was smeared across the tarmac until the raindrops washed it away into the drains. The remaining trail led to a twisted body: broken and crushed from the heavy wheels. The damp blonde hair was lined with lumpy black matter seeping from the deep crack in the skull. The clothing was torn, revealing the tyre tread across the bare skin. It was barely recognisable for the screaming lunatic that was standing there only a few seconds ago.
Silence fell across the street. Then people began to register what happened. Scared sobs broke out in the crowd. Someone was yelling out on their phone for the emergency services whilst another was shouting for the number plate from the truck. It was a man with an umbrella who finally dared to approach but he had barely taken a couple of steps forward when the body began to rise. One arm pushed up only to break under the pressure and fall back down with a sickening crunch.
Alfred could feel nothing but burning pain. His mind couldn't even register anything that had happened. But he knew the feeling... It was familiar to all like him. Death was closing in on him and he begged it came quicker than it was. Tears pricked the corners of his eyes but the rain washed them away. He couldn't move... not even his fingers would obey his command. Each desperate breath made his chest rattle and his ribs crack and twist into his organs. The air was slowly leaving his lungs completely.
He tried to open his eyes. Lights danced around his vision; red, green, yellow, and... blue. Two orbs of blue were centred in the middle of his sight. Alfred blinked but they remained locked onto him. Two fingers were pointing down at him, blocking the sight of a large looming smirk.
"Bang."