Red Serpent - Fiction :: Papers

Red Serpent - Fiction Something stirred in the gloomy shadows that seemed to lurk everywhere in this town. She reached into her jacket and withdrew a small black pistol. It fitted snugly into her hand and with a feeling of safety, she loaded it. With four quick strides she reached the end of the alley where she looked round and returned the pistol to its holster. The wind howled round the corner, almost knocking her to the floor. In the process she stooped low enough for the light from a nearby streetlight to shine onto her bare left shoulder. Etched into the back of it was a tattoo of an elaborate red serpent. After bracing herself for what was to come, she stepped out into the street. Two shots echoed down the alley and struck the attacker flat in the back of the head. She had dark brown hair, parted only a little enough to let the deadly bullet part her from her existence. The victim did not falter and she did not show any pain from the metal projectile that had shattered her fragile existence. Instead she stood lifeless as though hanging in the balance between what her life had been before and what was inevitably to come. Paul Harris was about six foot three with short cut, blonde hair and eyes that his friends informed him could pierce through anyone he interrogated, something that came in handy in his line of work. "They sure make these simulations realistic, don't they?" "They sure do. I still can't believe they're not real myself and I'm supposed to be running the place!" said Willis, the Armourer. "The director wants to see you right away" Harris followed Willis towards the director's office. "See you next week," said Harris before striding off down the corridor. "I'll be waiting," muttered Willis under his breath as he set off back towards the door that he had come from. "Sit down," ordered the Director. The Director's office was expensively, but sparsely furnished. The