This shithole of a city devours you whether you like it or not—a black hole sucking in everything until there is nothing left but emptiness. Bright minds eventually turn into empty shells fighting for a chance to just survive. Some show promise of becoming something powerful, and others just simply limp along like a stray dog. She liked to think she showed promise in her past life. Perhaps she was one of the few who could linger on in the shadows, leaving a trail of destruction before she met her final end. But who knows, all she could remember was waking up in a wedding dress at the darkest pit in the ocean. Looks like marriage was total bullshit, after all.

Tonight wasn’t about her, though. She may have been working, but the focus didn’t fall upon her scene. It was about another cockroach that somehow managed to make his way into the politics of New York. He had gained money and power as well a complete erratic fear of everyone, epecially his wife. Funny thing was, he had a good reason to be scared of her. She was Aria’s current employer.

Her camera snapped as her crystal blue eyes peered through the glass pane. It acted as a screen playing out a show between the decrepit man and the poor girl he took to be his mistress. He was leaving her, rambling on that his wife would find out, and take all of his wealth he worked so hard to get. The movements he made were rushed, jittery in a very unusual way. Meanwhile, his mistress was no better. The urgency in her voice was clear as she pleaded for him not to leave. She didn’t care about him, of course. He was just a means to help her keep out of the street gutters. In a way it almost made the Demon feel bad…mainly because she was her student. She was a promising young girl with a fairly intelligent mind was now nothing more than a common whore begging for her stipend.

After a few minutes her student managed to seduce her way into his arms. It was a simple embrace, but good enough evidence for her to walk away with. The camera clicked a few more times before Aria gently placed it back in her bag. There was nothing left for her to watch in her mind, but her vibrant eyes still stayed locked on the window. Up above the sky began to crack, letting loose a gradual downpour that started to tap raindrops against the pane. Inside the fighting grew worse. He began apologizing over and over again like a paranoid rat injected with caffeine. His hands went to his coat pockets, while hers reached out to comfort him. It was only when his shaking hand pulled out a loaded pistol did she stop dead in her tracks.

Aria told herself that it wasn’t her problem and that she needed to leave. She got her evidence, there was nothing left for her here, yet her body wouldn’t move. Instead, it acted on her own until a loud ‘Bang’ disrupted her thoughts. For a moment everything grew silent save for the gentle patter of rain.

A sigh escaped the woman’s lips as her cold gaze slowly lifted to look past the coal-black weapon that smoked contently in her still hand. Shards of glass replaced her screen, showing a frightened young girl staring at the motionless body laid before her bare feet. For a moment their eyes locked while a loud thumping was heard outside her door. Was this girl her once? A pathetic creature just a few chapters behind in the grand tale of life. Definitely not. Suddenly, the door to the room swung open to allow a decent hoard of men to bustle through. It only took them a second to register what had happened, and of course they noticed her. Fuck.

The gun barked again in her hand, resulting in one headshot and a minute’s head start. It would have been no problem taking them all down right there, yet it seemed senseless with the girl nearby. So instead, Aria rushed down the fire escape with a pack of hounds behind her. Each step rattled under her sharp heels until they jumped to solid pavement. From there she began her sprint through a back ally labyrinth. Every now and then her body would twist, dodging bullets as they whizzed by. Luckily they all seemed to be shitty shots, or was it that they just couldn’t keep up? That must have been so, for Aria came to the end much faster than they did. Now, the only thing that surrounded them were looming brick walls.

Her chest rose, breathing in the thick steam that drifted off the asphalt. Behind her she could hear one of the thugs order her to turn around. A smart man would have shot her already, but none really seemed to exist in this city. Just her and a bunch of vermin she crushed under the heel of her boot. A slow grin crept across her lips the moment he shouted the order again. At first she merely looked over her shoulder, eying the group with a chilled glare. Then the demon’s lithe body turned around to face them as the shadows began to quiver around her. From the wet ground the darkness rose like tar, bubbling up towards her open hand. Only when it touched her fingers did it solidify into what looked to be a cane equipped with a long blade protruding from the end. Most would have run away at this point, but these men did not. They kept their guns steady and pointed directly at her head.

This was going to be an interesting night.