It was a cold, wet night. The streets were empty. It had been raining for a while now. Puddles formed along the cobblestone sidewalks.
In that silence, the sound of shoes rushing along echoed.
"Get him."
"Shit, shit." Adam cursed. His breath was shaking. "What the hell did I get into?"
He glanced at the item he held in his arm. A wooden totem with strange carvings.
His investigation had led him to a terrifying discovery.
The world was more than it seemed.
He had tracked his way to a secret organization. One that dealt in things far beyond human understanding. The more he learned about them, the more he knew they were not to be messed with.
But yet, here he was. With a stolen item. His curiosity had gotten the best of him. He wanted to know more and now...
Bang!
The sound of gunshots rippled through the silent streets.
Adam winced. His breath was forced out of him by the impact of the bullet. His leg slowly faded off, his mind flooded with memories of his life.
Was this what it meant to have your life flash before your eyes?
He crashed to the ground. Wincing in pain, every breath agony as he choked in a pool of his own blood.
"Help." In that moment of desperation, he saw himself doing what he had never done.
The world slowly faded. The voices in the distance muffled.
This was the end or so he thought.
—————
"Ahhhh!"
Adam woke up screaming. His hands tightly gripping the sheets. His teeth grinding against each other. Drenched in sweat. His throat ached, dry.
He reached to his side for a glass of anything.
But nothing.
This was the beginning of it all.
That day began a cycle of deaths and rebirths.
—————
Now, in his present body. Adam hopped off the bed.
He throws a few punches and kicks before letting out a faint smile.
"This will do." He says, stepping into the bathroom once again.
Thirty minutes passed and he was out of the room. Dressed in a white tee and blue jeans. The most casual he had ever dressed.
"Well I guess the new guy isn't much of a dresser." He says.
He rushed down the stairs of the apartment and into the street.
An unusual day in Greystone.
The sun was out, the streets glimmered with hope. Smiles on the faces of passersby.
Adam raised a brow at the surreal scene. It was nothing out of the ordinary anywhere else, but not in Greystone. A city known for its gloomy nature, the constant rain and its ability to kill people's dreams.
Something smelt rotten.
He walked to the curb.
"Hey." He called out as he waved a taxi to a stop.
"Where to sir?"
"Sir?" Adam thought.
Something was definitely wrong.
"27th Westrow." He said, stepping into the cab.
As the taxi drove by streets and alleys, Adam watched closely. The once littered and shitty city of Greystone was now cleaned up. The alleyways had been cleared and it actually looked safe.
"What the hell happened?" He thought to himself.
"We are here sir…" the driver called out. "27th Westrow."
Adam paid the driver and stepped out of the taxi. He turned, a smile tugging at his face.
Finally a familiar sight. Old and timeless just like him.
"Lucky bloody Charms." He muttered.
His frequent bar and where it all began for him. He stepped in, triggering the bell.
"Leave. We aren't open yet." Harry's voice boomed from the kitchen.
"You sure? It'll only be a minute?" Adam replied, a grin on his face.
"Are you deaf mate?" Harry said, bursting out the kitchen door. "We are fucking closed."
"Leave before i..."
"Put a fucking bullet through you." Adam interrupts and completes his threat.
"The fuck?" Harry muttered. He squinted his eyes in surprise.
"Is that you mate?" He asked.
"What do you think old timer?"
"Adam! You fucking shifter." He said with a huge grin. "Back from the dead yet again."
"As you can see." Adam joked. "Wish you had this right? Maybe you could get a younger hot body."
Harry raised a brow to the joke. "What? You lost your elegance with that fucking body?"
Both men laughed.
"Your usual right?"
"Yes sir." Adam said, mocking the formality of the taxi driver.
Harry poured him a cold glass of scotch and placed it on the table before heading back to the kitchen . He took a sip, the cold liquid mildly stinging his throat. The slight burn a familiar feeling.
"Ahhhh…..I needed that." He sighed.
He scanned the bar, noticing the draft. It was gloomy as always. This was the environment he was used to.
"Hey Harry?" He called out.
"Yh mate?"
"What the hell happened out there?"
What'd you mean mate?
"I mean Greystone has changed. It's now cleaner."
"Ain't that a good thing?"
"Yh it is but something doesn't feel right you know?"
Harry came out of the kitchen, a confused look on his face. He seemed to find no issue in this new Greystone.
"The world doesn't have to be all bad kid." He said.
His words pierced like a knife. Adam wondered if maybe he was worried about nothing. It's just change. Maybe things were turning for the better.
But his instincts screamed at him. They had never been wrong. He reached into his coat, pulling out his wallet.
"How much was that again?" He asked.
"Come on now Adam. I already told you your money's no good here. Not after what you did for me." Harry replied.
Adam smiled ever so slightly. Nodding in acknowledgment. He greeted Harry goodbye and stepped out and into the streets.
He took a deep breath, taking in the sweet smelling air.
"That's new." He thought to himself.
He adjusted his clothes and put on his game face. He was finally used to this body. It was about time he returned back to his goal.
His raised his hand, flagging down another taxi.
"Where to sir?"
"To Westbrook."