Nighthawkers-Pursuit

[stellinas]

In the chill of the dank night, the city breathes heavily, while inwardly the lonely weep, some behind their walls, others behind heartbreak. He's waiting, as he does every night, evaded by sleep and she is here again emblazoned in scarlet. Oh, he wants to speak to her and laugh easily like others do. Yet, he cannot, for each time he believes he can do it, one glance from her sultry eyes and the words dry up in his throat. Banter is alien to him, he can imagine her stifling a yawn at his attempts at witty or even mildly interesting conversation. As she passes, did he see the hint of a smile his way ?
He needs a sign,.
Without one, he cannot move, he needs her to make the first move.

She sashayed past him, a slight rustle of red and the scent of musk fills his being, the air between them caressing him like an electrical current . It warms and rouses his senses from the void in which he swims. Sometimes, he waits there all night until dawn, unable to leave the sight of her, she enthralls him. She is always with a man, he finds that hard to bear, there is a weight in his chest each time he sees her touch their hands , lean into them, or brush her lips against theirs. Then he wants to leave. But he cannot, he has something to prove.
He needs a sign.
A glance or a soft murmur from her crimson lips, only then can he make his move.

Tonight he watches them, same routine, they enter the bar, sit in the same booth, she orders a dirty martini, lights a French cigarette, inhales and releases, he hears her soft breath as she does so. He wants to capture that breath forever. Pausing, just for a second, the guy with her turns and stares straight at him. He has a predatory look, hawk nosed, slant eyed, yet familiar in the eyes. He feels the bile of jealousy rise in his throat. He wants to crush this man, tear him from her, cut off the hands that touch her, peel off his lips that kiss her.
He only needs a sign.
The hint of a smile his way would be enough.

She puts music on the juke box, ''Embraceable You'', every time, the same song. They dance slowly, he watches them, the man tracing her bare back with his fingers as they sway to the music, her arms lying languidly around his neck. The volcano inside him sending spurts of molten lava coursing through his veins. In his mind he could see another red dress, one of betrayal and heartbreak, he hated that colour, yet, it drew him like a moth to a flame, attracted by the vibrant, exciting hue, only for its wings to be burned by the angry flames.

They finish their dance. As they rise to leave, he catches a faint curve of a smile and as she looks his way. They pass him on their way out, that faint vanilla musk fills his nostrils again, imbibing him with her.
A sign.
Downing his drink, he moves to leave, it's late, time to go. He throws down his money on the counter to pay and follows his prey.


Much later, in his shadowy room, quivers up his spine as he can still feel her racing heart, her struggle, her pleading eyes, his power.!
Staring into the mirror, his reflection stares back at him, hawk-nosed, slant eyed, the familiar look gone now until the next time.
He hangs the blood stained ,scarlet dress with all the others in his closet, the faint vanilla musk filling his room.
He lights a cigarette.
He always waits for a sign.

Comments

[roina_arwen]

Ooh, this was very interesting - I like where it went.

[dsrmousey]

Sent shivers down my spine! Thanks for penning. Peace~~~D

[gunwithoutmusic]

Oh, creepy! I honestly thought that this was supernatural at first - my mind went to Gargoyles and it wasn't until the last few paragraphs that the realization hit me. I can't say that I love the subject matter but this was definitely well-done and a good read!

[drippedonpaper]

I did not expect the ending, great job!

I like how you repeat images and colors, which ties it together so well.

It's also very ironic. Women are told that men are attracted to women in red. You just showed that one may not always want the attention.

[adoptedwriter]

Oh wow! Now I have the quivers and shivers!

[erulissedances]

Ooooh, I don't think we've had a serial killer yet this time. Wonderful!

- Erulisse (one L)

[ofearthandstars]

This is delightfully creepy!

[mollywheezy]

Very creepy and excellently written! I did not expect the ending!

[banana_galaxy]

Oh gosh, this is the kind of person that really creeps me out. Also especially with that kind of justification of "a sign."

[troof_therry]

When he was describing the predatory appearance of the person he was looking at, that definitely came across as a projection of his own stalker-ish tendencies the first time it appeared. It's kind of disappointing that she seems to have been killed at the end, like an afterthought to articulate that the protagonist is both creepy and dangerous.

[alycewilson]

So I was right about where this was going! Creepy.