Walking the Streets(Sofia)

[greyshadow04dna]

Moloch had had a long last few days, he had been kind of fading in and out of the past recently, or at least that's how it seemed in his head. He moved forward down the street, it had been a nice day but the sun was starting to recede into darkness and the moon could be spotted in the sky. He began to dream of the past, when he was much younger and well, not a demon. A wife, a kid, a true life....now it was so far gone that nothing was real to him anymore.

He began to skip down the middle of the road humming a tune. He kept his eyes peeled for other demons and such. It was coming that time of day and he had had a peaceful last few and usually that led to their onslaughts. Most of them wanting to be honored with the name Moloch and a lot of them knowing nothing of what he had buried in him. His tranquil nature and childish humor had led them to a sense of courage about their skills.

He felt none, no bumps tonight, he moved forward still skipping and humming.

[Deleted]

A little bell rang as Sofia opened the door of the coffee shop and stepped out. The door closed behind her and she started walking down the street. She had a paper cup of coffee in one hand, her camera in the bag on the opposite shoulder.

Sofia took a tentative sip of the coffee and winced. Too hot, it stung her upper lip slightly, not enough to burn. Her long hair was pulled back in a sleek up-do and she was wearing tan khaki pants over a pair of sneakers. The casual white button-down top was open to reveal the plain white tank top underneath. She'd been photographing a run-down apartment building that had been condemned. Once she got back to her hotel she'd upload them to her computer and contact her client.

She only recently began to understand why people wanted photos of places like this, and - more importantly - why they were the most interested in the photographs that she would consider damaged. They wanted images of strange orbs of light, streaks of color in front of the lens, anything she would consider a bad photograph these people paid her for.

She'd never thought that maybe these things were more than tricks of the light or reflections. But this client had come right out and asked her for spirit photos. He hadn't beat around the bush at all about it the way others had. It had shocked her, for she hadn't realized that was what they were. But, she took the job. She needed the money.

Sofia's rental car was parked at the other end of the street. She'd decided to take a walk since it was a nice day. She slowed her pace when she heard humming. Her brows knit in a puzzled expression, she looked around and saw a little boy across the street, skipping. She turned, looking up and down the street, but she didn't see anyone else who may have been accompanying him. He looked very young, even from this distance, perhaps no older than five years.

Sofia frowned slightly. Who would let a little boy wander around alone as night was beginning to fall? Not wanting to frighten him, she decided not to approach him, but she matched her pace with his to keep an eye on him.

[greyshadow04dna]

Moloch slowly stepped out of the shadows of his mind and was now under the assumption he was being followed. Not a demon, not a creature, could be a hunter. He could feel his blood boiling at the thought of hunter bothering him right now. Hands in pockets he began to rummage for a small blade he had been keeping with him. His shoulders straightened and he loosened his mind, readying himself for what might be coming. His sense became more precise with every step, feeling all that lay within, around, and beyond him. His powers were only useful to him when going into defensive positioning. But he had trained himself well for such an occurrence without having to actually kill the hunter.

Something was different though, he let go the knife. She wasn't a hunter, he had picked up on her careful concern. He decided to give way to the situation just to make sure. He tripped himself and fell to the ground hard, skinning one knee a bit and shredding that area of his pants as well. He gave out a cry of distress and awaited his (assailant).

[Deleted]

Sofia kept her pace steady with the boy, lagging just a few feet behind across the way so he wouldn't see her and get nervous. He seemed content and didn't appeart to be lost, nor did he appear to have a clear destination. He looked sure and confident, almost like an adult would look, taking a walk to clear his head. Something about this demeanor in the child made her uneasy, but she couldn't quite place why.

The child tripped suddenly, falling to his knees and crying out. Sofia stopped walkng abruptly and gasped. She glanced quickly up and down the street to make sure there were no cars coming before jogging across the street. Her camera bag bounced, knocking against her side as she moved. The coffee sloshed around in the cup, some of it dripping out of the section of the lid peeled away for sipping access. It stung a bit as it spilled on her hand, but she paid it no attention. It wouldn't burn.

"Oh, my," she said, slightly out of breath as she kneeled down beside the boy. "Are you alright? That was quite the tumble."

She smiled warmly down at him, setting her coffee down on the sidewalk and shaking the cooling liquid from her hand.

[greyshadow04dna]

Moloch gazed up at her, she was beautiful. His wives flashed before his eyes before melding with hers and settling back into reality. He blinked a few times and knew she was real. Something then twisted his stomach, he felt wrong. The demon within was rejecting the feelings, it loathed them and it fought with him for control over them.

Then finally pushing out the nerve to speak, "Yea, but i think I am ok." His knee shown through his pants and it was skinned and bleeding a bit. He didn't care though, she actually cared, you could feel it. In recent years he had realized most of society, despite its amenities, had become selfish in nature. This didn't bother him except for the fact that it made its, even down, to the children as well. A generation of demons on earth without any deals needing made, truly it was a site to see.

Focusing back on the woman, his eyes welled up on command. He wanted more comfort, it was intoxicating.

[Deleted]

The boy looked stunned as he sat looking up at her. She was smiling, but her brows were knit with concern. Sofia had no children, but looking after her younger brother for years had brought out the maternal instinct in her.

"Yea, but I think I am okay."

The boy looked down at his knee, which he'd skinned. When he looked back up at her his eyes were filled with tears. Sofia gently pushed the boy's hair from his face.

"Falling is no fun at all, is it?" she said. "Especially when you get hurt and you're by yourself."

Sofia looked around, but still didn't see any sign of anyone accompanying this boy. Where were his parents? His friends? His baby-sitter, even?

"Where are your parents?" she asked.

Sofia wiped a few tears from his face as she looked down at him. Something struck her as odd about this boy and this situation, but she couldn't quite place it. Perhaps she simply wasn't used to seeing a boy on his own this way.