[Sodium_noir] Coming Home

[Hope Zagorski]

Hope Zagorski
Mortal 
Neon City

Pulling into the driveway for her apartment complex, Hope pushes a button clipped to her visor, and the gate slides open, allowing her into the parking lot.  Hope looks around her surroundings.  Neon City wasn't the best neighbourhood, but it was home.  She just had to be careful, as this was a very vulnerable position to be in.   She'd taken lots of carjacking reports, and the victim almost always related that they were stopped when it took place. The district was a maze of dark corners and blind spots, with broken street lights and  rat holes for potential ambushers to exploit at every junction.

The gate finally opens, and Hope pulls into the (semi)secure lot and parks in her numbered spot, the only one currently vacant at this obscenely late hour.  After parking her car and locking it, Hope heads to the elevator.  Still holding her keys in her hand, she enters the overly simple code on the keypad, the elevator door slides open. Hope punches the button for her floor and rides alone in silence.

As the elevator doors open, Hope moves almost automatically to her door.  She was tired and basically running solely on autopilot. Hope walks into her apartment, and after locking the door, sets her keys on a small table nearby. From the hall, Hope walks into the living room, she sets her purse just past the door.   

Hope rubs her eyes.  Damn, she was tired.  Maybe she should just go to bed.  She walks to her bedroom, shuffling through the dark hallway, not really wanting to turn a light on.  When she gets to her room, she starts to undress down to her underwear in the darkness of the bathroom, tossing her clothes into a nearby hamper.  

She had just barely enough energy left to stagger to the sink and brush her teeth.  Still walking in the dark, she heads to her bedroom, seemingly unaware of the light under the door of her bedroom, not even when she opens it.  

The sight of a man sitting on the edge of her neatly made bed calmly reading a book from the shelf behind her bed took a few seconds to register. Dressed in a simple black suit and wearing black leather gloves, the well groomed intruder hardly bothered to look up at all as she entered the room, but simply waved a small berreta in his free hand as if the thing embarrassed him but he considered it necessary.  Much like a white carnation on some insane blind date.




(partially written by Spikey)

I don't believe in Heaven or Hell, I have friends in both places

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