Prompt: Tree Climbing
It was a cool, autumn night. The kind on which dark, mysterious things were done by dangerous people. Very dangerous people. People like…like, uh… Oh. Like the Killer Supreme.
Yes, Vaurien Scapegrace thought to himself as he stalked the darkened streets of Oregon. That was good. He needed to remember that. And, he decided, he should leave a message with, no, on the body. Something gruesome and grotesque. Then, when the authorities found it, everyone would know about him. They would be in awe of his masterpiece, stare at it in amazement and horror. It would be the talk of the town, mages of all ilk whispering with fear in their voices. Terrified at the prospect of being his next victim.
That being said, he still needed to kill his first. Alright, his last few attempts hadn't worked out but he was really feeling positive about this one.
Sofia Toil, her name was. She was Energy-Thrower. He could have picked a mortal, of course, there were plenty of them around and murdering them would be easy. Too easy. A sorcerer such as himself deserved a mage victim. Besides, the magic community wouldn't care about another mortal biting the dust. So yes, Toil was the one. And he was on his way there now.
She lived alone, just outside the city center. He'd found her address on the internet, using something called google maps. He spared a moment to reflect on the disturbing ease with which one could use it to find people. That was precisely the reason he didn't have a permanent residence. Well, he used to, but you couldn't just look up Roarhaven, now could you? Vaurien wasn't sure. He should find out.
But first Toil. He could feel his heart race in his chest. Tonight was the night. He was really going to do it!
Vaurien was startled out of his thoughts by a high-pitched noise and, clumsily, he ducked into an alleyway. He sucked in some air and held his breath, listening.
Nothing. No one there.
A thought crossed his mind, the silliest notion that perhaps HE has the one who had made the sound. But, no. Surely that could not be. It must have been a rat or something.
Vaurien froze. His gaze dropped to the ground but the alley was poorly lit and he could barely make out his tattered shoes in the shadows. Something rustled behind him and Vaurien squeaked once more before leaping back into the meagre illumination of the lampposts.
He rushed across the road, narrowly missing a taxi. It honked as it passed him. Vaurien didn't stop running.
It was past midnight when he arrived at his destination, sweaty and tired. Toil's house hadn't looked nearly as far on the map. Crouching in the bushes across the street, he surveyed the building. The lights were off, a sure sign his target was asleep. She was probably lying under the covers, nice and cozy in her pajamas. Vaurien scowled and tugged his jacket tighter around him, shivering in the chilly air. He'd warm up soon enough, he was sure. And if not, surely he could make himself a cup of tea after Toil was dead. Oh, but he should probably leave quickly, before the police arrived. Toil's screams of terror would likely wake up the entire neighborhood. Maybe she had a thermos?
He nodded to himself, happy with the solution and arose. Vaurien had barely stepped onto the pavement when a thought occurred to him. How was he supposed to get in? He could break the door down, absolutely, but it would be loud. Shattering a window wouldn't work either. Why didn't he bring a crowbar!
Just as he was about to give up for the night - he could try again tomorrow - did he notice that one of the larger branches of a tree, that stood in the garden of the next house, was very near a window. Hope grew inside him. He got closer and yes, the window was open, just a smidge. His path of entry was clear.
He jumped, reaching for the branch. He missed. He tried again. Once more he came up short and this time his ankle twisted on the uneven ground, sending him sprawling onto the dew filled grass.
Growling in rage he got up and stomped to the base of the tree. The bark was rough and there weren't a lot of places for him to hold onto nor put his feet but with great effort did he manage to climb up. Slowly, he crawled along the large branch and reached for the window and got in.
His foot caught somewhere and he cursed, his face hitting the carpeted floor.
"What the hell!"
Vaurien screamed and scrambled to his feet. A woman in a robe and fuzzy slippers was standing in the room, a glass of water in her hand. Vaurien opened his mouth, already knowing the perfect threat when her features changed from surprise to anger.
"Oh buddy," she grit out, light gathering in her other hand," did you pick the wrong house."
Hello again, folks. I apologize for the lack of updates recently but this one was longer than usual so... hope you guys enjoyed it! As always, thanks for reading, please review or send me a prompt and I'll do my best.