Casting a Long Shadow

Casting a Long Shadow

I cast my eyes towards the door as a new person I had never met, entered the club and disappears into the crowd. Or should I say my club? Rapture used to be every person in towns favorite place to hang out during the weekend, but now I dominate it, claim it for my own. Every person in Portland feared me, and that's the way I liked it. Even the police, they are smart enough to know not to mess with me. Well, I can't say they were too smart, of course I found out that they were trying to get in contact with other county police departments, and did I punish those idiots good, I still remember walking into the station, simply looking over at them as they pulled out their guns and the next second they were convulsing on the ground, coughing up their lungs. I could have just cut their heart and killed them quickly, but they needed to suffer. People still come out and enjoyed the club; they just stay out of my way. I would walk down the street and people would run to the other side and try to avoid looking over at me. I had met everyone in this city or so I thought. The music blasted loud behind me and strobe lights poured from the dark room. Zack stood at the door, wearing his usual dark sunglasses and suit, he held a clipboard in his hand, letting people in to the club or turning them away. A line was outside the door that seemed to stretch on for miles. Zack was 30 years old and had dirty blonde hair and was a pretty big guy. I go towards him and he jumps as I tap him from behind on the shoulder.

"What can I do for you Ryland?" he asks as he begins to nervously fumble with the bottom of his jacket.

"Who's the new guy?" I question.

"His name is Jacob, he and his wife and daughters just moved in downtown" Zack explained.

"Is that so?" I asked as I stepped closer.   

"He went over to the bar" Zack said quickly. I nodded and walked off into the dark room; the new guy was sitting at the bar, drinking a beer and watching the game that had just started the second half. I ordered a shot and the bartender passed it to him at once ignoring the other customer he was in mid conversation with.

"You're a little young to be drinking aren't ya boy?" the man questioned. The bartender froze and glanced over at us, probably wishing that the man hadn't opened his mouth.

"I don't know, I think 19 is old enough, what do you think Max?" I asked as I looked over at the bartender.

"Yes, 19 is fine" Max responded.

"Are you kidding? The legal drinking age is...." I grabbed his head before he could finish the sentence and slammed it into the corner of the bar. He fell and gasped as he hit the ground. I jumped up and put my foot on the man's chest and peered down at him.

"This is my town pal, and no one is going to come in here and tell me what I can or can't do" I said.

"Your town, who the hell do you think you are?" the man demanded. I smiled darkly and looked down at the man, my eyes locking with his. He started to shake on the ground and he squeezed his eyes shut as he coughed up blood.

"I'm Ryland Steele, welcome to Portland" I replied as I kept my gaze locked on him he gasped suddenly and blood began to seep out of his chest. He gasped and then the breath left his body as I watched the light go out of his eyes. I walked down the street, pulling my jacket closer to me as a cold breeze blew through the air. As I walk I hear footsteps behind me and before I spin around I feel a sharp pain in my back and I fall to the ground. I awake what seems like an eternity later, everything is dark and something is tied around my eyes. I jump up off the ground and try to run, I am jerked back and its then that I notice there are shackles around my wrists.

"Well Mr. Steele it looks like you've finally landed where you belong" a voice says from the corner of the room.

"Can I go now?" I hear a voice mumble. "Before he...."

"Zack?" I laugh as I shake my head, I hear him go silent and can tell that he is frozen in fear. "I should have known you'd turn me in." He ignores me and speaks to the other man in the room.

"When will he be executed? Now that he knows it's me, I'm done for" he explains.

"That you are" I pipe in as I smile.

"Well, criminals as dangerous as him should be executed as soon as possible" the man answers.

"Oh come on, I'm not that bad" I say as I throw my hands up to look innocent.

"You do realize Mr. Steele that you have killed fifty five people in the last 2 months correct?" the man asked.

"Only fifty five? I'm losing my touch" I quip.

"If I were you I'd wipe that stupid grin of your face, you're in a heap of trouble boy" the man said. I yawn and sit on the stone bench I feel under me, putting my hands behind my head.

"You think this a joke?" the man yells.

"Well, I'm just gonna kill every single person out there when I get out of here, I got nothing to worry about" I answer.

"I've had enough of this" the man said as his temper rose and he begins to unlock the cell I've been placed in.

"What the hell are you doing?" Zack gasps.

"I'm killing him right here and now" the man answered. I stay perfectly still as he comes nearer and the next thing I know I feel a gun against my temple. I take him off guard as I kick his legs out from under him making him fall. I take the chains that hold my wrists and wrap them around the man's neck, he gasps and struggles but I hold on tight, and within seconds I feel him let up and hear him hit the ground. I hear footsteps again but this time they are coming from outside the cell and they are running the other way.

"Zack, stop right there!" I shout. The sound breaks off and I can hear his panicked breathing. "Bring me the keys" I say calmly.

"No way!" Zack says suddenly.

"Let's try this again, bring me the keys and I won't make you bleed to death" I say.

"You can't get me from in there anyways" Zack replies.

"Let's face it Zack, somehow I will get out, even if I have to bite the chains off with my teeth, you know me better than to think I would just let myself rot in here" I state.

"You promise you won't kill me?" Zack asks.

"Cross my heart" I answer. Zack walks in and hands me the keys. I unlock the shackles and rub my wrists. I reach up and untie the blind around my eyes; I then look over at Zack and walk towards him, feeling the power that runs through my veins surge like electricity through my veins. Zack backs up until he against a wall.

"You s....said you wouldn't kill me" Zack says as he begins to tremble.

"I'm not gonna kill ya pal" I state. I look into his eyes and place a hand on his shoulder. He suddenly gasps as a gash appears on his side and blood seeps out. The same thing happens to his other side, and then he falls to the floor, as blood pours from multiple cuts that have formed on his legs.

"Stop!" he shouts. I do not break the gaze and blood spills from his nose and runs down his lips. He holds his head and wraps himself in a ball as he breathing quickens and he starts shaking. I'm not going to stop and he knows it.

"Kill me!" he begs at last.

"I promised I wouldn't remember?" I answer.

"Please!" he screams.

"I don't think so" I respond simply. "I could never kill such a close friend." He doesn't answer but holds his sides and closes his eyes tight as he tries to hold the pain back. I can see sweat building on his forehead and I sigh. "Remember this Zack, I didn't kill you, you killed yourself when you decided to cross me." I then lock eyes with him once more and he inhales sharply as I stab his heart and blood comes out of his mouth, that same light I have seen so many times leaving his eyes.

I continue walking down the street; the wind has picked up and is blowing wildly. I get to my small house and walk inside, closing the rusty door behind me. I look up at the ceiling and notice yet another hole has appeared. The floors creak as I walk down the hall towards my bedroom. I pass the mirror on my wall and can't help but peer at my reflection. My deep copper hair looks lighter as the glow from the moon seeps through one of the holes in the roof and illuminate it. It casts a dark shadow over my face, my chilling blue eyes stare back at me. My shaggy hair looks even messier then before I left this morning from the wind that has tossed it. The moon makes my skin appear pale instead of its usual light golden. Thunder rumbles in the distance and rain begins to fall, I can hear each raindrop as it bounces off the roof. I collapse on my bed and look up at the ceiling; slowly beginning to doze off before my growling stomach wakes me. It's then that I remember that I hadn't eaten dinner while I was out. I walk towards the kitchen and pull out my last package of chicken. I put it in the oven and walk into the living room, sitting on the couch and relaxing as I wait for it to be done. I grab a book from the shelf to pass the time and midway through I fall asleep only to awake to the smell of fire. I run into the kitchen and fill a pot up with water. Before I dump it, I freeze as I gaze into the fire.



"Ryland, what the hell did you do?" my father shouts as soon as the firefighters are gone, and the last flame has been extinguished. He looks at the rubble that is all that remains of the barn.

"The power went out, and the horsies were going crazy, I just went in to calm them....." I explained.

"Oh you went in to calm the horsies? Well now there are no horsies you idiot!" he shouted as he clenched his fists.

"I'm sorry daddy I didn't mean too" I said with tears in my eyes.

"Now there is no feed for the animals and no way to get any money!" he yelled. "You've done it now boy!" he shouts as he grabs my arm and pulls me roughly towards him.

I snap out of the daze and pour water on the now larger fire, it goes out and I take the burnt chicken out of the oven. I grab the pan and throw it as hard as I can against the wall, the chicken goes everywhere and the pan falls to the ground. I slide down the wall and sit on the ground, my mind begins to drift.



"Come on Ryland, just for a while" my sister Cora shouts as she grabs my hand.

"We'll get in trouble, you know daddy doesn't want us in the fields with the horses, we'll get trampled" I answered.

"I just wanna get a closer look at them, they are so big" Cora said excitedly.

"Fine, just a quick look then" I answered. I took my little sister's hand and ran towards the fields, I looked from the fence and Cora jumped to try and see. I noticed and bent down and picked up my six year old sister as I struggled to hold up her weight I was only two years older.

"Wow Ryland, look at them" Cora said excitedly.

"I wish I could, but I'm holding you up" I sighed.

"Oh" she remarked as she jumped down and I stretched my back.

"Come on, I wanna pet one" Cora said excitedly as she crawled under the fence.

"No Cora!" I shouted as he chased after her. Cora ran up to one of them and reached up to stroke its chest. The horse was startled and began to panic; it whinnied wildly and stamped its feet.

"Cora!" I yelled again. But before he could make it to her the horse hit her in the temple, knocking her to the ground. I ran forward and shouted at the horse, driving it away from her. I picked Cora up and ran with her in my arms towards the house.

"Ryland what happened?" dad demanded as soon as I entered.

"We went to see the horses and...." I began.

"Boy what did I tell you!" he yelled.

"I tried to stop her from going in" I explained.

"I'll deal with you later, I'm taking her to the hospital" dad said.

"Can I go?" I asked.

"You better not leave this spot!" he answered as he picked up Cora and slammed the door behind him. I stood in that spot all night, afraid to move. Finally Cora came in, father was carrying her, she was asleep and he walked down the hall and put her in bed. That night, the first chance I got I walked towards Cora's room and sat on the end of her bed.

"Hey Ryland" she said softly. I lifted my head and looked over at her.

"Hey Cora" I responded as I scooted closer to her.

"What happened to your eye?" Cora asked. An image of my dad flashes to my mind, him grabbing me roughly by the collar of my plaid shirt and hauling me off the ground, his eyes filled with raw hatred.

"I'm fine Cora, do you remember what happened?" I questioned.

"We went out to see the horses and then..... That's it" she answered.

I snapped back into reality as a knock at the door grabbed my attention. A girl of about 28 stood before me, she had a gun pointed at me. I put my hands up and back up as she walks towards me.

"Is there a problem sweetheart?" I question.

"You killed my husband" she said angrily.

"I kill lots of people, and if you've been in this town for more than a few days you should know that" I say with a smile.

"You're gonna pay for what you did" she says with her eyes locked on me.

"I can tell you're not the killing type miss, so go ahead and try" I respond. She hesitates and I can see her hands are shaking. I grab the nose of the gun, eyeing her hungrily and I can sense the fear emaciating from her, as she tries to pull it back, I hold on tight with one hand and then snatch the whole gun out of her hand, throwing it hard to the ground, making her jump. She loses her fearless fade and I slam her against the wall.

"You know, I'm getting pretty sick of people pointing guns at me" I say.

"Get away from me!" she yells as she brings her knee up and knocks the wind out of me. She runs out the door and I chase after her. She is only a little ways away. As she is running she falls and I catch up, pulling her roughly off the ground and looking into her terrified eyes. She yells in a panic and I tighten my grip, forcing her to yell in pain. A trickle of blood runs out of her nose and she focuses on my eyes.

"Aren't you going to beg for your life?" I say as I flash a smile.

"I don't beg! Especially to the likes of you!" she snaps.

"You've got some bravery" I say. "That makes you a fool." She suddenly gasps as blood appears seeping through her shirt from her chest; I drop her on the ground and start to turn towards home. The wind picks up again and I sigh as I push myself into one of the local restaurants, I still haven't eaten since I caught the chicken on fire. The place is packed, it's Friday night, and this is lots of people's in the city's favorite places to spend the evening. I can barely get myself inside as there is a line stretching up to the counter to wait and be seated. People usually have to reserve seating and I bet some of these people have been standing around for hours, but one thing's for sure, this is my city and I don't wait in lines. People began to part like the red sea as I made my way forward. The waiter froze and swallowed nervously as I rested my eyes on him. He seemed young, maybe my age or a year or two older. He had dirty blonde hair and light eyes; he wore an expression of cowardice, won that I couldn't stand.

"W....what can I get for your sir?" he asked anxiously.

"Aren't you going to show me to a table or do you expect me to sit on the ground?" I said with an edge in my voice as I grew annoyed with the stupid question.

"Of course, I'm sorry sir" the man said as he cheeks turned red and he avoids my eyes, "It's just that, there are no tables left open, and....." he began. I reached across the counter and pulled him by the collar of his shirt towards me. Everyone's attention in the line is on us now.

"If there are no tables left, then get in there and kick some other waste of space out of here!" I shout.

"Sir.... I can't just...." he starts again. He suddenly grabs his side and pulls his hand away to see blood his eyes fill with fear as he puts his hands on his chest and gasps.

"Feel that pain? Kinda like a sharp pain in your heart perhaps? I am just grazing it, you are aware of what I can do correct?

He nods his head wildly and I smile cruelly at him. "All I need to do is apply a bit more pressure, and pop!"

"Okay, right this way" he said through a gasp. I let go of his shirt and he led me to a table where a man was sitting, right in the middle of eating some lobster.

"Excuse me sir, if you don't mind moving to an outside table" the waiter said politely, as he turned even redder, clearly embarrassed by his current situation. The man who sat on the table wore a dark ensemble; he had serious dark eyes and wore a look of self-assurance on his face.

"It's raining, and I'm not planning on messing up my suit" the man answered without looking up. I looked at him and slammed my hand down on the table, making him take his eyes off his meal and face me.

"I've never seen you in my city before" I said.

"You're city hmm?" the man questioned as he wiped his mouth and set his napkin down. 

"That's right" I answer. "Now tell me stranger, who are you?"

"I'm John, see ya in a few hours" there is a sharp sting in my side and I look down to see a needle go into my arm and for the second time this month, everything goes black.