Rift

This is a short little bit that I figured I'd throw on here simply for content if nothing else. It's a little idea I had when I asked myself "If I could make up a super-hero, what would it be like?" And Rift is who I came up with, the piece really doesn't do much to introduce you to the character, nor takes place in the actual timeline I hope to place him in later on, since my ideas of him have changed since writing this, but there are some things in principle that are the same, and if nothing else, was the writing any good? It's REALLY rough, so be gentle.

Series: Rift

Segment: Random, not associated

Stage: Rough

Times Through: 1

Rays of moonlight pierced the low cloud cover over New York City. The silver lances were lost as they fell amongst the brilliant city lights. The light, noise, and shadows blended into dizzying ambience; making the dark figure flitting amongst the rooftops go completely unnoticed.

The figure paused on the roof corner of a dilapidated office building in an older part of the city. The light from below seemed to fold and wrap about the figure, never actually touching it, leaving it barely discernible as a wavy haze. It remained still; waiting.

A man clad in a dark trench coat below broke from the sparsely trafficked sidewalk and headed down an alleyway between the decaying office building and the next. The alley was poorly lit and filthy, but the man paid no heed, he moved with purpose down its dank corridor.

The dark figure above moved as the man entered the alley. Almost in anticipation, it stayed perfectly parallel to his movements on the rooftop. The air momentarily rippled and distorted with its passing before reverting to normality.

The alley came to a four-way split and the man turned right, following the edge of the office building, oblivious to the dark lurker above. The space behind the building was wide and filled with trash and broken furniture as well as a few dumpsters. The man in the trench coat stopped in the middle of the space. After a moment a he began to hum to himself, a strange, almost dismal melody.

The humming stopped and several figures stepped from the shadows around him. He half-grinned as they phased into view. Even in the poor light, their bodies were shrouded in total blackness for a few moments before it passed from them; slowly, unnaturally.

Shadowmen.