15
15
The night was dark and unforgiving. Heavy clouds concealed the moon, leaving the narrow alleyway swallowed in shadows. The occasional flicker of a streetlight cast pale, uneven patches of light against the damp pavement. Somewhere in the distance, a dog barked before silence settled over the neighbourhood once more.
Lucien Sinclair stood motionless, his expression unreadable. The only sound was the faint buzz of a dying streetlight overhead and the steady drip of water from a nearby drain.
He glanced down at the beer bottle in his hand before casually tossing it aside.
CRASH!
The bottle struck the concrete, shattering into pieces. Blood splattered across the already stained floor, mingling with the broken glass.
At his feet lay a man, sprawled awkwardly on his back. His head was badly injured, blood pooling beneath it. His chest remained still, and his eyes stared blankly into the darkness above.
Lucien looked at him for a moment.
There was no triumph in his expression. No visible remorse, either. Just an unsettling calm, as though he had finished an unpleasant chore.
He crouched beside the body, checking for a pulse. Nothing.
He waited a few seconds before checking again, just to be certain.
Dead.
Straightening his jacket, Lucien took one last look at the man. Whatever fear, anger, or desperation had brought them to this moment was now irrelevant.
The man wouldn't hurt anyone again.
Lucien turned and walked away, his footsteps gradually disappearing into the quiet night.
Lucien made his way towards the car parked a short distance away. His footsteps echoed faintly against the empty street. He unlocked the doors, pulled open the driver's side door, and slipped inside.
The familiar scent of leather filled the cabin.
He peeled off his bloodstained gloves, one finger at a time, before tossing them onto the passenger seat. A faint smear of blood remained on his wrist. He glanced at it briefly, then reached for the ignition.
The engine rumbled to life, its headlights cutting through the darkness ahead.
Lucien shifted into gear and pulled away from the curb.
He didn't look back.
Not once.
The lifeless body remained where he'd left it, surrounded by broken glass and blood. But Lucien Sinclair was already driving into the night, his attention fixed on the road ahead as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened.
The drive home was uneventful. The streets were mostly empty at this hour, with only the occasional passing car breaking the stillness. Lucien drove with one hand resting on the steering wheel, his other arm propped against the door.
By the time he reached his apartment, the night had grown even quieter.
He parked, got out, and made his way to the entrance. After unlocking the door, he stepped inside and flicked on the light.
A familiar meow greeted him.
"Hey, baby."
A small orange cat appeared from around the corner, her tail held high as she trotted towards him. Lucien's expression softened. He crouched down and held out a hand, allowing her to approach before scratching beneath her chin.
She immediately began purring, rubbing her face against his fingers before circling his legs.
"Missed me?" he murmured.
After giving her a few more scratches, he headed to the kitchen to prepare her food. The little feline followed closely behind, meowing impatiently as though she hadn't eaten in days.
"All right, all right. I'm getting there."
Once her food was served, Lucien watched her settle down to eat before heading to the bathroom.
A long, hot shower washed away the exhaustion of the night. He changed into a comfortable T-shirt and a pair of sweatpants before returning to the kitchen. Opening the refrigerator, he grabbed a bottle of black tea and made his way to the living room.
He practically flopped onto the couch, stretching his legs out in front of him. With the bottle in one hand, he reached for his laptop with the other.
After opening his music app, he scrolled through his playlist and selected Down With the Sickness by Disturbed.
The opening notes filled the apartment.
Lucien took a sip of his tea, settling deeper into the couch as the music picked up. His head began to nod along with the rhythm, his fingers tapping idly against the bottle.
For a moment, he looked like any other man enjoying a quiet night at home.
Then he opened another tab.
Local news.
His eyes moved across the headlines, scanning through the latest reports and incidents in the area. He clicked on an article, leaned forward slightly, and began reading.
The music continued playing in the background.
Lucien Sinclair had a habit of keeping up with the news. You never knew when something interesting might turn up.
As he scrolled through the local news, one particular headline caught his attention. It wasn't the headline itself that made him stop, but the accompanying thumbnail.
An animal abuse video.
Lucien clicked on it.
The footage was difficult to watch. A man was deliberately hurting a defenseless animal, seemingly without the slightest trace of remorse. What made it worse was that he'd actually posted the video on social media, apparently proud of what he'd done.
Lucien watched it once.
Then again.
And a third time.
His jaw tightened. The music continued playing, but he barely heard it anymore. He took a slow, measured breath and turned his attention towards the orange cat sitting beside him.
She looked back at him with her big, curious eyes.
"We should do something about this."
The cat responded with a small meow.
Lucien stared at her for another moment before turning back to his laptop.
He began looking into the man behind the video. Thankfully, the internet was just as furious as he was. The post had attracted plenty of attention, and countless people had been digging into the man's background. There were comments, screenshots, and enough publicly available information to give Lucien a starting point.
He read through everything carefully, committing the relevant details to memory.
Eventually, he closed the tab.
That was enough for tonight.
He pushed the laptop aside, stood up, and stretched his arms above his head. A yawn escaped him as he made his way towards the bedroom.
After switching off the lights, he slipped beneath the covers. The apartment fell quiet, save for the faint hum of the air conditioner.
It wasn't long before he felt a small weight settle beside him.
His orange companion had joined him for the night.
"Hey, baby."
Lucien reached over and gently stroked her back. She curled up comfortably beside him, her purring filling the silence.
He continued petting her until his eyelids grew heavy.
Before long, Lucien Sinclair drifted off to sleep.
Tomorrow was another day.
