Shadows of the Unseen

I was alone when it all started. The night air was cold, biting through my jacket as I sprinted down a dimly lit street, my breath coming in ragged gasps. I ran as fast as I could, my heart pounding louder than my footsteps. But no matter how hard I pushed myself, I could hear it gaining on me, the sound of something unnatural, something inhuman. I didn't dare look back. Fear gripped me, stronger than any emotion I'd felt in my twenty-three years.

Eventually, it caught up to me.
The memory is a blur, a shadowy figure, glowing eyes, an unearthly roar that made my bones feel like they were vibrating. My legs gave out, and everything went black. When I woke up, I was lying on the ground in an alley, my head pounding and my body aching. For a moment, I thought it had been a dream, some nightmare conjured by an overworked mind. But the faint, lingering smell of sulfur and the scorch marks on the nearby wall told me otherwise.
I'm Detective Damien Tenebris, and I'm supposed to solve cases, not end up as one. I idolize the fictional Sherlock Holmes, the ultimate detective who always found the truth, no matter how obscure or bizarre the case. But unlike him, I've discovered that being a detective isn't as glamorous or rewarding as it seems. It's messy, it's brutal, and sometimes it feels like the only thing you solve is your own patience.
My backstory? It's nothing extraordinary. I grew up alone, far from my parents. They divorced when I was seven, and my father walked out after cheating on my mother. I barely know them now. They've become faint memories, ghosts in the back of my mind. Maybe that's why I'm drawn to solving mysteries because my own life is one I'll never fully piece together.
But enough about that. I tend to sidetrack when I talk. Let me set the record straight I'm young, inexperienced, and, frankly, not all that impressive yet. Fresh out of the academy, I'm the newbie in my department. Nobody trusts me to do much except fetch coffee and observe from the sidelines. Some of the cases I've seen, though… Let's just say they'd give anyone nightmares. Bodies ripped apart like rag dolls, gruesome murders that no amount of training could prepare you for. I'll spare you the graphic details, but let's just say meat's been off my menu for a while now.
"Hey, Tenebris! Snap out of it! We've got a criminal to catch!"
That's my partner, Detective Lola Marquez. A veteran in the field and a bit of a legend in our department, Lola is the kind of detective I aspire to be. She's sharp, meticulous, and fearless. With her long black hair, striking features, and commanding presence, she's the sort of person who makes an impression. People are jealous that I get to work with her, but they don't see what I do—a bossy, overbearing mentor who rarely lets me breathe.
"Coming!" I shouted back, climbing into her car.
Lola drives like she's in a video game, weaving through traffic with a confidence that borders on recklessness. I hate it. Ever since a childhood accident, speeding cars make my stomach twist in knots. As we sped down the street, I clung to the door handle, wishing I were anywhere else.
We stopped to grab supper which is her idea, not mine at a small diner on the corner of a quiet street. I stayed outside, leaning against the car and trying to shake the unease that had been building in me since the strange events of the day. The crackle of my radio jolted me back to reality.
"We've got eyes on the suspect! Hurry, guys! He's got a gun and a hostage at the jewelry store! I may lose sight of him. He's driving a black Toyota Vios heading south. Over."
Lola returned, her expression serious. "Let's move."
As we prepared to leave, something caught my attention, a flicker of movement in a nearby alley. A girl in a gray hoodie darted into the shadows, glancing over her shoulder as a man in strange, old-fashioned clothes chased after her. She looked terrified. My instincts kicked in, and I followed at a distance, signaling to Lola that I'd be a minute.
The girl pulled something from her sleeve a wooden stick. At first, I thought it was a makeshift weapon, but then it… glowed. A flash of light illuminated the alley, and the man chasing her was sent flying into a garbage heap with a force that defied explanation.
I froze, my mind racing to make sense of what I'd just seen. 'Magic? No, it has to be a trick. Maybe an electric shock disguised as a stick?' My thoughts spiraled as I tried to rationalize the impossible.
Before I could react further, the girl appeared beside me, as if she'd teleported. She was grinning a mischievous, almost knowing smile. She muttered something under her breath, words I couldn't understand, and suddenly, a black shadow materialized behind me.
"What the—"
She shoved me, harder than any human should have been able to. I felt the air leave my lungs as I was hurled backward, landing painfully far from where I'd been standing. The last thing I saw before everything went dark was the shadow twisting into a monstrous form, its glowing eyes locked onto me.