**This was found on an anonymous, burned corpse that was reported to be in the streets of Chicago, Illinois - approx. 3:12 in the morning. Although the body was unrecognizable by authorities, the paper was left completely intact.**
I remember that cold, storm-stricken night. I was seated near the door, cursing to myself about the cold and wetness that trickled into the room, yet not having the energy or drive to move myself. People of all expressions and appearances crowded about randomly dispersed tables. Laughing people, people wearing looks of loneliness, others staring off at a distant wall or fixated upon a massive television hovering over the liquor cabinet.
It was at that moment when she walked in. At first, no one payed any heed; the only indication of her arrival marked by a blisteringly chilly wind that whipped past her from the unforgiving outside world. For reasons unknown, my eyes fixated upon her drenched figure. I took in the details of the grime-coated clothing she wore, her blotchy, reddish skin and faded, brown eyes. A tossed, uneven mop of hair spilled from her head and toppled to her sinewy shoulders.
She walked past me with a light limp. I followed her movements to the front of the long table that spanned the center of the room.
“Double Scotch,” her raspy voice called out.
The tall, lank man standing before her nodded silently and turned away to prepare her order. A pool of muddy water began collecting at her feet.
“Never seen you 'round these parts, Missy,” came the voice of Chud, an older, balding man.
He smiled at her with uneven, rotting teeth. I could almost smell his hot, sour breath as I am certain she had.
“Don't come around,” she replied, “And I don't intend on staying.”
At this, I witnessed something in Chud's face morph. Intrigue was filling his black eyes.
“I get it,” he said with volume that made him hard to hear from my seat, “Miss Bad-ass. Don't wanna be disturbed by no one. You look good enough to eat.”
He let out a loud, cackling laugh. Although her back was to me, I could feel her emotion.
“You don't want to be talking to me like that, sir,” she announced with heated tone.
A small glass was placed before her; filled. She took it in her lithe fingers, twirling the liquid slowly in her hand.
Chud suddenly slammed his fist down upon the table, causing glass to rattle. The area quieted quickly.
“I don't care for women who don't know how to behave,” he seethed while watching her intently, “You will not disrespect your elder, understand little girl?”
She titled the glass to her lips, taking the entire contents in one swallow.
“I have seen things that you couldn't begin to comprehend,” she stated, her voice low, “I would recommend that you walk away from me, now.”
Chud's response was immediate. He grabbed at her slimy shirt, tearing it in the process. He picked her from the chair and threw her to the floor with a loud growl.
“Don't you dare take that tone with me, bitch!” he replied, “You will treat a man in a way that-”
The room suddenly rocked back and forth as if it were placed upon a ship. I first thought it was my drink playing tricks upon my brain, but the looks from others within the bar confirmed the strange feeling was not my own. A kind of waviness filled the room, the air growing hot and humid. I first watched Chud, then gazed down to the girl upon the floor. With impossibly fast movement, she rose to her feet. An explosion was suddenly heard to my right, followed by several screams and shouts. I watched the girl reach out, tightening her grip upon Chud's shoulder. With one, fluid movement, she plunged her own arm - now twisted into a mass of sharpened bone – into his large belly. I saw him twitch for a few intense moments, then slacken as she let him drop to the floor. She then stepped past him, causing a trail of bloody footprints as she approached a large hole in the wall that had been created from the noise moments before. She disappeared then, masked by the silvery rain and blowing winds behind the smoldering opening, the rest of the room quickly returning to a normal temperature. I ran from the bar, accompanied by many others. I remember the panic of people, stepping on Chud's bloody, lifeless mass while exiting.
I don't sleep very well anymore.
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