Cole’s long coat drifted in the wind as he ran, he tracked the sound of gunfire and shouting to a nearby dilapidated building. This part of the city was sparsely populated and poorly kept, it was almost as if all of the workers and settlers had moved on without even taking their belongings. Furniture and unused food littered the ground mixed with jagged beams of wood and twisted metal. His black and white brogues were hardly the best shoes to go climbing over tall piles of junk, he stumbled a few times as he headed towards the entrance of the building. The loud brawls of the cops had stopped suddenly and he wondered if they had been killed, but then he thought they couldn’t have been because he hadn’t heard gunfire beforehand. He was nearing the narrow doorway and was stopped short when he heard loud and fast gunfire, two screams, a strange sound and then silence.

he didn’t even have his gun

He gulped thickly and could feel his heartbeat accelerate through his chest. He lifted up his hands and looked at them, they were sweating. At that point in time Cole was not entirely sure he wanted to go inside but he knew he had to; he knew it was his duty to protect the citizens from whomever, or whatever was in there.

He straightened his collar and stepped through the doorway. The inside of the building was vast, it’s ceiling seemed to be at least fifty feet high, the building must once have been a flourmill before it was decommissioned and abandoned. His footsteps made loud, ominous echoes as he walked slowly through the building, he didn’t even have his gun, perhaps he had dropped it on the sidewalk… what was he going to do when he found the assailant? Something would come to him, something always did. One thing he was glad about was that the backup for the other two cops couldn’t be far away, he felt a warm sense of relief when he heard the sirens in the distance, this gave him the confidence to go on. He continued.

Cole narrowed his eyes as he looked at the assailant; how does he know my name?

Turning a corner he walked into another large, open-spaced room, he felt a need to tell the assailant to come out of their hiding place.

“It will be easier if you just surrender yourself now!” shouted Cole as he looked around, his voice filled the entire factory.

A figure of medium build in a black, tight-fitting, pin-stripe suit came from behind a pillar, stood in the middle of the room and stared at Cole.

“You’re completely right Cole, I’m sorry to have to do this to you.”

Cole narrowed his eyes as he looked at the assailant; how does he know my name? He was about to ask, but then he thought he should ask the even more pressing question.

“Do what to me?” he asked as he watched the assailant.

The assailant didn’t speak; he pulled a strange device from his blazer pocket, aimed it towards Cole and fired…