The Devil strolled casually, cane tapping gently on the paving stones as he perused his prey at a deceptively slow pace. Moving at a brisk walk that looked subdued, but was quite brisk. It also helped that speed wasn't necessary when you know one's prey is going, allowing him to take the simplest path to the greatest gains. Not to mention, the alleyway was a dead end.

  For a moment, he imagined what it'd be like to see things from his victim's point of view. With an inhale and a cruel smile, he toyed with the idea with his mind's eye. He imagined the alleyways constricting and bending unnaturally to the eyes of the rushing prey, panicked senses screaming to a frantic mind in search of any escape. The dark form giving chase, like the grim specter of death itself trailing behind him, always nipping at his heels. Just a few chilling steps behind. The houses looming in the night like huge tombstones, gas lamps like mourners' candles, casting long melancholic shadows along the procession of cobblestone streets. The tapping sound chasing him signaled the inevitable end.

  Exhilarating...

  But back to reality, the man was clawing at the walls like a mad cat, and urinated himself twice, and was now brandishing a piece of wood as a last resort weapon. Hardly worth the effort, but a frenzy makes for a good challenge. Batting away the rotten club, he did not need to draw his concealed sword within the cane, battering the simple club aside with merely the cane aspect, pinning the frightened creature to the wall as the wood clattered to the ground. The devil gave his craven sparring partner a disappointed sigh, speaking simply to pierce the haze of terror overshadowing his unbalanced mind.

  "Now, Jamie... I see that I've caught you at such a bad time. So I'll be brief." A twist of his cane piercing the man's shoulder drove his point. "You've been slacking, Jamie. My demands were reasonable, but you are being difficult. Pay the due or-" The devil's nose curled at the whimpering release of some foul odor as his victims soiled themselves thrice. "Come now Jamie, show some spine, before you shit it out what's left of it, you cowering little-" snarling in frustration, but interrupted by the hand on his shoulder. Turning, he greeted the figure, "Ah, Officer Crow, I thought you'd left? Curiosity got the better of you?"

  The greasy little man smirked, "No, I just thought I'd spoil your fun. Let him go, Darwin. Jamie Matchwinner is under arrest for violating the court's decree." His smile matched the Devil's as he released his prisoner. "He's a pickpocket." The devil gave a comical reaction to this scandalous accusation. It took less than a second for Jamie to realize that some power had intervened on his behalf, and he was no longer at the mercy of his insidious captor.

  "Far be it from me to bar an officer of the Law, please, sir." Stepping aside, permitting the officer to land a blow of his own and cuff the powerless Jamie. The whimpering man was dragged along by the officer, spitting, cursing, and profusely thanking the fates to have spared him from the demon chasing him. "Oh, thank God and let all his Saints bless you, bless you, Officer I- Ack!" Crow cuffed him once more to shut him up as he dragged him into the street. "Shut up, you shouldn't have run, you little whelp, now I've got to drag you in front of a judge smelling like that."

  He watched the Officer drag off the squirming and grateful prisoner, relishing the irony. He decided to take a moment and conjure a stool to sit on. Devilishly handy skill, he smirked to himself, always at hand for when he needed it. Chasing Jamie had exhausted his human body beyond what he'd expected, but if he'd known Crow was just going to arrest the man anyway, he wouldn't have bothered. Then again, the chase was nice. Good to stretch his legs though, wasn't much of a chase, but it was some good proper fun for him. Darwin's dark wizard persona traveled fast and far, making him wonder if there was anything else Darwin had been holding out on. Perhaps he'd missed something useful, though it was doubtful, Darwin plied his former trade in dangerous novelties and barely charged toy blocks. The pendulum swing on that was less than useful than if he'd just committed to one or the other, a definite lack of purpose.

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  Oh well, he'd rested long enough; he had places to be still. He took out his pocket watch, glanced at the time, shrugged, and stood up. The stool vanished back into the shadows from which he called it. The day was growing late, and he'd barely gotten a fraction of what he'd wanted to get done. Many loose ends to tie up and not enough time to do it with. He'd have to put out word for the court-appointed bondsmen agents to finish the work. Time saved but money spent, a tragic trade-off, but the world seems to demand sacrifice to make any meaningful effort. Progress be damned, you pay the toll regardless. Unless someone knows the side roads, but that is for those with a different point of view. And he is trying to ignore such things, though the impulse remains.

  He followed the road in front of him lazily, keeping a meandering pace as he followed after the beleaguered officer and his captive. It was a pleasant afternoon with no sign of rain on the horizon, besides the thick, greasy smoke clouds of distant factories, he quietly twirled his cane as he walked, careful not to let the concealed blade slip from its sheath and alert the officer to his illicit weapon. He'd have picked something else, but even though he had no other cane to use, he felt no rush in buying another. Perhaps some sentimentality attached itself to him.

  He was so at peace with himself that, somewhere in the shadows behind him, he failed to see them stirring as the creatures of forgotten sin caught the scent of something no one else remembered but them. Stepping from the dark, its lower ranks edging from its safe places in the deep tenebrism, from the void into light, and dared to approach the subject of their cautious attention.

  "Darwin?" came the quiet voice, causing the devil to pause, "Devil Darwin?" came the name from this pathetic creature's lips. The devil in disguise turned to glance at the man and paused. Perhaps a bit too long, as once he saw the small disheveled man's face, his body reacted with horror, though his mind knew not why. The creeping man smiled with rotten gums and blackened teeth before lunging, There was a silent exchange of forces between them as the vagabond hurled himself towards his victim. A hardwood cane struck the assailant's knee, causing him to stumble, the knife slipping from his hand, but not before finding purchase within bleeding flesh.

  The sound of the two bodies hitting the ground made the officer turn to look behind him. "Hey, You!" Crow shouted, releasing his grip on Jamie to chase down the surprise assailant. The vagrant scrambled back and away from the angry officer, chased off screaming, "Shade Doesn't forget Darwin! Shades Never Forget!" as he ran back to the shadows that spawned him. The devil groaned as he sat up, pulling the simple dagger from his gut, tossing it aside to clatter on the stones. Crimson life spilling out of him as he clutched the ugly gash. "Augh, a clean cut, at least." he coughed slightly, his body was shaking with a chill terror, shock was setting in.

  "The hell was that?" Crow appeared at his side, lifting him slightly, but the devil smiled and tried to steady his human nerves as he spoke. "Just an old friend dropping it, I guess." Staggering to his feet, he leaned heavily on a close lamp post. "But I suppose it's a lie to say I was happy to see him. Though I think he'd dispute that," he glibly quipped, holding a handkerchief to the scarlet spot forming over his stomach. "Ah, I appear to be wounded," he finally admitted with a coy chuckle. "I say, Officer, I require assistance." Struggling to stand, he had to lean on Crow before his legs would stabilize beneath him. "A youth spent with blades, you'd think I'd have a stronger constitution for blood or injury?"

  "Shut up, you bloody idiot," Crow replied, "Or I'll let that mongrel finish the job he started," as they dragged each other through the grim battlefield of the city's night-cloaked streets. The sounds of distant animals fighting, human disputes, and the gurgle of rotting sewage passing through the streets.

  "A bloody idiot indeed," the wounded man muttered to himself as they plodded along. Idly wondering on many things as his mind sailed in the foggy sea of pain and blood, consequences, and plans.

  Yes, there were many plans to be had.