Marked for Darkness

The night air was cool, tinged with the scent of impending rain. The streets were still teeming with city life as Harlow stepped out onto the sidewalk and began heading back toward her hotel.

The further she got from the pub, the thicker the air around her got. Slowly the street thinned until she turned onto the side street before the hotel.

Silence fell. Heavy, and eerie. Harlow looked around. Not a single person on either side of the street hurried by. No cars turned in her direction.

It was utterly still.

The black, starless canvas above drew her gaze, just as a bright star shot across the depthless sky. Harlow made a sound of awe. Shooting stars were not commonly seen in cities with so much light pollution. Her lips pulled into a wide smile. It seemed as though the universe had given her an extra special birthday present.

Despite the oddity of being alone on the street, Harlow found herself stopping to make a wish.

I wish for happiness and adventure this year. I wish for love and passion.

She wasn’t quite so naive to believe such wishes would come true overnight, but a pang of longing in her heart made her eyes glisten.

Perhaps it was being alone in a big city, having just met a handsome but strange man that she found herself so desiring an end to her sexless existence.

Whatever the reason, she hoped that this wish would come true as soon as possible.

A bright flash of green lit up the end of the street, causing Harlow to shield her eyes. Something heavy hit the pavement—two somethings—followed by the unmistakable snarls of an animal.