Escape

         The man took a long drag from his cigarette. He lets the smoke dance around his mouth before carefully allowing it to escape his mouth. Reaching into his trenchcoat he pulled out a piece of paper and unfolded it. From the office of Detective Briar was typed neatly on the top, under it was various scribbles and challenging-to-read handwriting. Detective Briar removed the cigarette from his mouth flicking it away.

         "Alright let's see here," he said to himself trying to read his handwriting. "Scully's Tavern" He mumbled looking up from his paper. The sign above him was badly lit. The letters S and N were broken leaving only the remaining to indicate the bar's existence. He made his way in the sound of drunken babbling and various less than pleasant noises could be heard as well. He wondered why this client couldn't just meet him at his office. Making his way over to a booth in the corner he leaned back trying to relax. He found it difficult thought. The booth was worn with stains and felt like it was missing cushioning. "This guy better pays as well as he says," he said pulling out another cigarette and placing it in his mouth. He knew that they were not good for him but it helped to keep the edge off. In his line of work, he found himself needing one more often. He knew some people who would crack jokes as a way to help with the stress but he was never one to joke. He looked up at the clock watching as the hands indicated it to be 8:37 pm. His client was late. "Great, another prank call" He groaned getting ready to stand but turning towards the door as he heard the bell ring. A person in an extra large hoodie carefully made their way in. They began to examine the room and started to walk towards Detective Briar. Detective Briar returned to his seat and the person in the hoodie sat across from him. "You are late," Detective Briar said removing a crumpled piece of paper from his trench coat. He smoothed it out on the table and pulled out a pen.

         "I apologize for my tardiness," The person in the hoodie said in a calm tone. They made sure to keep their head facing down. "Here is the money as requested" Reaching into the pocket of the hoodie the person placed an envelope on the table and passed it over to Detective Briar.

         "It's okay if I count it right?" Detective Briar said opening the envelope. The person only nodded slightly and Detective Briar began to carefully count the money.

         "It will all be there, and maybe a bit extra. I have heard you are very good at your job" The person said in a slow tone, their voice growing raspy near the end.

         "People have said that before yes, that being said it helps when I have enough information. On the phone you were very vague, Tell me more about what my job is" Detective Briar said as he started to put the money away. He tried his best to get a good look at the person sitting across the table from him. But no matter what angle he couldn't get a good look at the person's face.

         "There is not much to say. You will be looking for a girl. She is my--" the stranger pauses but does not move at all. Not even a breath was drawn. "My wife. It has been about two days since I saw her last" The person's voice was low and each word was slow and carefully pronounced.

         "And have you gone to the police yet?" Detective Briar raised his eyebrow.

         "I have not, there is a bit of an--issue with going to the police about this," The person said

         "What sort of issue? Was there an altercation with her? Where you at fault?" Detective Briar asked curiously. He had dealt with this before. Husband and wife get into a fight. The husband strikes the wife and she leaves. Can't go to the police so they go to me. Lucky for the wife, I'm not one to rat out someone trying to escape a shit situation. Easy enough to make up some story to the husband so the wife can get away for good.

         "No--no, nothing of that sort. She isn't exactly legal, and her English isn't the best. That's why I'm so concerned about her." The person said in a calm tone, his shoulders moving slightly while talking. He might have been gesturing his hands under the table but Detective Briar wasn't able to tell.

         "I see, Well where would be the best place to look for her then? I would hope that you would know that much" Detective Briar asked. He had been hired for similar situations like this before. He would still make sure to ask the woman if she was okay. He had a few contacts he could get in touch with if there was a language barrier, and with the amount, this guy was paying the woman would be able to quickly start a new life if it came to that.

         "Well she didn't get out much, should spend most of her free time at work. Maybe check the surrounding area?" The person said in an almost curious tone.

         "And where is it she worked?" Detective Briar Asked

         "Well, she worked at the UVA Research Facility." The person said.

         "Alright, I'll start there. Have a picture of her?" Detective Briar asked slowly getting up from his chair.

         "Not exactly. I didn't take many pictures of the two of us. And the pictures I do have are not very public friendly" The person said in a slow tone.

         "Don't say anymore, I'll look based on the description you gave me over the phone" Detective Briar rolled his eyes. Another sicko how fun, he thought to himself. "I'll let you know if I find anything" As Detective Briar turned back towards the table is saw that the person he was talking to was gone. As he began to look around he could hear the sound of the bell ring once again and he could see a figure exiting the bar. He sighed as he made his way out the door as well finally lighting the cigarette in his mouth. He pulled out his notepad and flipped through it. "Let's see, Female five foot one, bald, pale skin, red eyes," He said aloud reading from the notepad. "At least she won't be difficult to find" He sighed making his way towards the Research Facility. It wasn't very far. Not many things were that difficult to get to in this city. Everything was squeezed together and forced to fit. Only took a fifteen-minute drive before he reached the outside of the Facility. That was the easy part. If he was lucky though he could maybe ask some questions to the people working there. At least that's what he hoped. As he drove up towards the gate he turned to see a guard sitting inside a booth reading what appeared to be a copy of Self Assertion for Dummies. Detective Briar knocked on the window catching the guard's attention

         The guard slowly put his book down, adjusting himself in his seat. He opened the window and cleared his throat. "How can I help you tonight sir," The guard said loudly.

         " Ya, I'm Detective Briar, and I'm wondering if maybe I could go inside and ask a few questions." The detective said

         "Afraid I can't do that, The place has been on lockdown, can't allow any unauthorized personnel inside," The guard said making sure his voice could be heard by anyone in the vicinity

         Detective Briar sighed. "Okay well, maybe I could ask you a few questions. I'm looking for a woman who works here. About five foot 1, bald, with red eyes and pale skin." The detective asked.

         "Can't say I've seen anyone that looked like that. Would you happen to have a name by chance? I can at least see if they came in today" The guard said reaching over to his computer.

         Detective Briar got ready to speak before pausing awkwardly. He quickly started pulling out papers and notepads trying to search for a name. Had he forgotten to ask for a name? He quickly pulled out his phone attempting to call the strange client only to hear the dial tone. "Fuck" Detective Briar mumbled to himself. "I don't seem to have the name at the moment."

         "Then there is nothing I can do. Sorry," The guard said shrugging and getting ready to close the window.

         Detective Briar sighed as he backed away from the gate and into an empty parking lot. "Lovely, now I have to do this the hard way" He got out of his car and began walking down the street to see if any of the shops were even open at this time. Looking at his watch he saw the time was 9:40 pm. "Great" He sighed. Most places close at 9 p.m. He had to keep looking though, the longer he waited the more difficult it would be to get any clues on this woman. A light in the distance gave him hope though. Going towards it, the sign of a laundromat illuminated the night. The 24/7 sign under it was just the icing on the cake. Stepping inside he saw a heavyset woman folding her seats and a slim man sitting in the corner. His clothes were tattered, and his odor was that of a person who had not bathed in a week. Detective Briar walked over to the woman first making sure to approach her slowly and to keep his distance first. "Hello, miss? Would you be okay answering a few questions of mine?" Detective Briar said in a friendly tone. But not overly friendly. Just enough so that she knew he wasn't a threat but not enough to make it seem like he was trying to hit on her.

         The woman turned her head but didn't stop folding her sheets. "That depends on what you are asking," She said in a tired tone. A hint of attitude could be heard.

         "Well I'm a detective and I'm searching for someone right now" He reached into his trench coat. He pulled out a business card and carefully handed it to the woman. She accepted it and looked over the card."

         "Alright, I don't see much harm in that then. What did you want to know?" The woman said calmly, her posture loosening.

         "Have you seen a woman about five foot one, bald, with red eyes and pale skin?" Detective Briar asked.

         "Red eyes? Bald? Sir, are you sure you are looking for a woman?" She asked curiously.

         " I know it sounds strange but that was the description I was given," Detective Briar said softly.

         "Sorry but I haven't seen or heard anyone that looks like that," The woman said trying not to snicker at the strangeness of the person.

         "Oh I have, I have!" A person shouted from behind Detective Briar and the heavyset woman.

         Detective Briar turned his head to see the man in the corner. His eyes open wide and bloodshot. He could see his body shaking slightly. "That's alright I--" Detective Briar could feel someone tap his shoulder. He turned back to see the heavyset woman standing in front of him.

         "I know Percy may seem a bit--not well. But he does see everything that happens around here. Just give him a chance" The woman said softly. Detective Briar nodded and made his way over to Percy.

         "So Percy, you said you said a woman that fits that description," Detective Briar asked looking down at Percy.

         "I saw a person who looks like that. They were walking on all fours down the street the other day. They sounded mad! Like they had foam coming out of their mouth and blood on their knuckles" Percy said blinking quickly. He started to scratch his arm. Pulling up the sleeve Detective Briar could see the scabs and scratch marks along Percy's arm

         "Did you happen to see which way they went?" Detective Briar asked curiously. He knew that Percy probably was exaggerating what he saw, but at this point, he was willing to take any lead he could get."

         Percy clapped his hands cheering a bit. "The bridge. The bridge. The bridge" He chanted.

         "Thank you for your help Percy," Detective Briar said reaching into his pocket and handing him a twenty. Percy kept clapping his hands and cheering as Detective Briar made his way out the door and towards the bridge.

         The bridge wasn't anything special. It was the underpass of the highway. Stretched about a mile and usually housed addicts and the homeless. It was within walking distance and the night was still young, so Detective Briar took the time to stretch his legs and light another cigarette. The lights helped with the coming darkness but as he reached the entrance to the underpass of the bridge he couldn't see into it. The city had decided lightning wasn't cost-effective. The cars traveling under it would help solve that problem. It didn't. Detective Briar pulled out a flashlight and made his way under the bridge. The sidewalk was wide and the road was narrow. How there were not more accidents here he did not know. As he went deeper into the underpass the smell finally hit his nose. He gagged placing a finger on his nose. Looking down at the ground Detective Briar saw various bones, and bags filled with trash. "Probably chicken bones" He coughed stepping over them. He turned back quickly. "Is anyone there?" Detective Briar said to himself, his voice echoing. He could have sworn he heard shuffling behind him. Detective Briar began to hasten his movement. The sound of his shoes pattered along the concrete as he fast-walked turned into a run when he realized the heavy breathing wasn't his own. And so he ran. And ran. And ran. What felt like hours. How wasn't he tired? How could this tunnel be so long? Detective Briar could feel the heat of another person beside him. Or was the feeling coming from behind him? He turned back only to feel himself fall towards the ground. A loud slam echoed and Detective Briar groaned as he tried to get up. He could feel something wet underneath his hand. He quickly patted around looking for his flashlight. "Where is it where is it," He said in a scared tone. "Found you! He cheered grabbing the flashlight and turning it on down at where his hand had touched. His eyes widened. A corpse lay before him, its chest wide open. What looked to be its heart smashed between crushed ribs. "Oh god," Detective Briar gagged placing his hand towards his mouth but quickly stopped realizing where it had been. He looked around flashing his light in every direction when a figure in the distance caught his eye. The figure before him was short. Had no visible hair on its head and had glowing red eyes. "Hello, miss?"

         "Hello?" A soft feminine voice echoed.

         "I'm here to find you, Come on this place isn't safe," Detective Briar said quickly.

         "Isn't safe" the feminine voice repeated.

         "That's right it isn't safe, Come on please" Detective Briar begged walking closer to the figure but no matter how far he walked the figure never got closer.

         "Come please" the feminine voice stated.

         "I'm here to take you home," Detective Briar said

         "I am home," the feminine voice said.

         As Detective Briar walked forward the figure vanished. He saw no movement. The figure was just gone. He paused looking around with his flashlight. His heart stopped as the figure appeared in front of him. The red eyes look directly into his. He could feel a warm sensation on his chest. It slowly began to move into his body and the sensation wrapped itself around his heart. Detective Briar let out one last gasp as the warmth escaped his body.

         The sound of static filled the air and a muffled voice could be heard. "CTV9 News today, authorities are telling people to stay indoors past sunset. We repeat stay indoors past sunset. The UVA Research Facility has stated that----------and recommends that people take the proper precautions in this dire situation. Keep your eyes open for a--------and if you see them too--------they are----------and if you see two red--in the night to please call the proper authorities or to call this number which will direct you to the proper department of the UVA Research Facility. Thank you and please stay safe.