Prologue
Shadows in the Night
Ernie Bradstaff ran down the sidewalk at top speed, determined to make it to work on time for once. Perhaps even a bit early, if he worked this just right. It was still dark this early in the morning, and the ground was wet from last night's rain. He was trying desperately to run and not slip at the same time. He was only five blocks away.
As he ran past a pitch black alley, he stopped dead in his tracks. His satchel hit the ground as he frowned, staring down the alleyway. He could have sworn he'd heard someone call him… There it was again, very faintly, down at the end of the alley. Ernie glanced up and down the deserted walkway before taking one cautious step towards the alley. His brow furrowed as he took another, his satchel forgotten on the ground.
Up on the third floor of the studio building across the street, an old janitor was doing last minute sweeps before the morning business started up. A piercing scream jolted him out of the monotony, and he dashed to the window to stare down at the darkened street. A young man came stumbling out of the darkened alley and fell to the ground as a shadow of some sort swooped out from behind him. The janitor blinked hard. The shadow hissed, sounding like a hundred steam pipes bursting. With a shriek, it darted up and over the building and disappeared from view. Uncertain as to what to do for the collapsed man on the street, the old janitor hesitated at the window long enough to see a triple-decker bus come barreling out of nowhere towards the unconscious man on the street. His eyes widened as he realized what was about to happen, and, unable to look away, yelped as he heard a sickening crunch…
The authorities were at a loss. Strange things were happening, and there was a severe lack of evidence in regards to the truth. The case of poor Ernie Bradstaff was the fifth in a line of unexplainable tragedies in the London area in the past four months. The only tidbit in this investigation was the eye-witness testimony of an ancient janitor who not only claimed to have seen a demon, but also a bus that appeared just long enough to run over the young man before disappearing with a loud Crack! The level of belief they had in that testimony was staggering… In other words, they were completely stumped.
A/N: This is the prologue to an intended continued story. Updates may take a while due to responsibilities. Also, this story is set in Europe. No, I am not European. There will be discrepancies in the language. Do bear with it, if you would. Several chapters are already completed and more are in the works.