Chapter Text
Charleston, South Carolina
Kaija
Crack.
The sickening sound of bones crunching against her balled fist plowed across her opponent’s cheekbone had her grimacing. The feeling of it was a tad similar as she reared back and did a spin to bring her booted foot across the female’s side. This was done in quick succession as she brought one last blow downward while the girl had toppled over and then collapsed to the ground. Kaija maneuvered backwards as the other woman, who was lying on the cement tried to push herself back up but fell again, and it was followed by a man yelling “TKO” from the sideline.
“Winner tonight for the 3rd week in a row – Kaija.” He bellowed.
Kaija heard a thunderous applause echoing the large warehouse as she spit the blood from her mouth onto the ground and wiped it with the back of her bandaged hand. As she turned, an onsite medic rushed forward and went to the other woman as people from her group helped her up. There was no point in looking back at the damage she had dealt as she would be heading home to ask her roommate to bandage her up. Afterall, she still had a full day’s work tomorrow.
“Slick job K.” She heard the bookie call out as he came forward. He shoved off other people as he sauntered to her as she exited the ring. “The girl might have to go to the hospital.”
Kaija let out a humorless laugh. “Doubtful – she'd have to make up some bullshit about getting mugged.”
“True.” He nodded, reaching into his side bag and pulling out a small band of singles for her cut. “Just enough, luckily the boss ain't here but you made me win big tonight. So, I added a little more there.”
“Appreciate you.” Kaija slid the folded band into her pocket as she walked over towards where her stuff was being held.
After greeting a few more people and exchanging short dialogue, Kaija excused herself to the run-down bathroom where she could clean up and change. She dug out her key from the inner pocket of her jeans and pushed through when it clicked open. Inhaling deeply, Kaija grimaced when her own ribcage sent a wave of pain washing through her body – she touched it gingerly and didn't think it was broken. It will definitely be sore tomorrow for work.
Kaija approached the mirror and ignored the tired woman staring back at her – the failure of a sister, woman and person she used to be. Pushing that depressing train of thought aside, she made quick work by scrubbing all accessible parts of her body. After stripping the bloody jeans and black tank top, she changed into a black T-shirt and fitted distressed jeans, followed by her converse and her leather jacket. At least she would look a little less inconspicuous.
After getting cleaned up, she leaned in on the sink and studied the woman staring back at her in the reflection. White, blonde hair was styled and braided into a mohawk along the top of her head with pieces of black which had been dyed for dramatic effect. Her once cherub face had been replaced with sharper cheekbones and double nose piercings, septum and gauged ears. Although the things that had not changed was the eye color, bow-shaped lips and slim nose which made her more dramatic appearance seem otherworldly.
Kaija scoffed, she knew why her body had undergone a dramatic change over the last five years, she wanted it to. There was nothing left of her old life she wanted to look upon in the mirror every day, that haunted her in her sleep instead. Broken fragments of that night still flashed through her like an unwanted nightmare, and she was too fucking old to be having those. They told her it had been a gas explosion that ripped through the town, causing everyone within its city limits to be in the blast zone. Then why wasn’t she dead?
There was nobody left. And whatever investigations were done were under lock and key.
For a long few moments, she exercised her mind to quiet down, return to the stability she sought so frantically now. Except, during her fight, she couldn’t help but feel like someone had been watching her. Of course, people had been watching her – she had been fighting again. There would be no figuring it out if she kept lagging around when it was already one am, and she needed to be at work in 6 hours. Kaija grabbed her backpack with her stuff and hightailed it out of the warehouse before anything else could slow her down.
The night outside of the warehouse district was cooler than she expected as she walked through the twisting alleys towards the main road. Shoving her hands into her pockets, she walked a bit faster as she turned another alley and stopped at the entrance. Her mark wasn’t exactly burning into her flesh, but she could feel a tingling sensation course through her as she watched the darkness ahead of her. Her hands remained slow moving as she untucked them and reached into her holster around her shoulders and gripped the gun she had purchased.
The other hand reached into the other side as she pulled out a long-sharpened knife used in close combat fighting. She clicked the hammer back softly as she stepped back from the alleyway, something wasn't right. Kaija didn't know if it had been the mark pulsing on her ribcage or her sixth sense screaming at her to turn around and hurry back the other way. Something scampered across the ground as she took aim only to see two rats run out from the darkness.
Kaija let out a long-annoyed sigh. But did not immediately put her weapons away as she stayed unmoving for another second – and then she heard the very faint clicking behind her. An involuntary sharp shiver traveled down her spine as she listened to it echo off the walls of the building. The slow tilt of her head and her focus landed on the being behind her, and she whirled around lightning fast, bringing the knife upwards to jam into the abdomen of her prey. Except, her prey was the predator – and she remembered him from all those years ago.
When she whirled around, there was nothing but a dark alleyway surrounding her with large dumpsters, stacked boxes and debris scattered across the ground. The wind picked up, whistling down the way as it pushed her hair from her shoulder and flitted back. Kaija let out a long breath, hand still clutched around the knife she held in her hand. She was NOT going crazy – no, she knew there was someone else here. The faint clicking was buried deep within her mind, and when she had heard it again, a sharp shiver traveled down her spine. HE had to be here.
If there was one thing she learned over the last five years, it was not to stay around in a place that was dangerous. Kaija tightened the strap down on her shoulder and started forward again, keeping her pace quick as she found the entrance out of the alley. There was that unyielding feeling she was being followed as she tucked the knife into the sheath and stowed the gun in her belt underneath her coat. When the blast of horns sounded from the cars, and the flashing lights of the street signs hit her, she felt a little better. This was the district where clubs dominated the space – and despite it being a late hour there were still many patrons around.
People milled about outside, talking and laughing together in small groups near the entrances of each club or bar. Kaija tucked her hands into her jacket pockets, turned down the direction of her apartment complex and passed through the thick clouds of cigarette smoke. God, she hated that smell. Nobody paid her attention as she walked, she was invisible to them. That was just fine by her, she didn’t want anything to do with drunk people except in this situation where their mere presence gave her some comfort. If there were more people around, the less chances of that alien getting to her.
The walk didn’t take more than another five minutes past the bar scene when her apartment complex came into view. The paved road had turned into cobblestone, giving way to the historic district – not exactly a place she could afford to live. Except, she rented part of the complex from an elderly couple who no longer lived in the area but still rented out their property. It had once been a large house made into two smaller complexes, one of which was rented out – and for the last five years to her.
Kaija slipped her keys out of her jean pocket, looped her finger through the keyring holder and inserted the key. Pushing the door open she watched as the darkness spilled from her apartment and onto the front step. She stepped through the door and stepped aside as she closed it behind her and slipped her bag off her shoulder to the floor. It wasn’t until she looked up again that she saw the glowing red eyes — the ones from her nightmare.
He was in her apartment…