Daywalker: After the Fall

Officer Grey Walker was given the choice of administrative duty or paid leave. He chose to take time off while the disciplinary board investigated the incident at the old City Standard building. After a visit with an old friend, he learned that he had been the victim of an imp's prank and was likely being stalked by the imp.

Grey sat in the corner of the coffee shop reading a copy of the local paper when Lucas Marshall joined him. "You're not supposed to talk to me," Grey cautioned.

"I'm not supposed to talk to you about the incident, but nothing says we can't discuss the weather," Lucas countered.

"It's still a bad idea," Grey shook the newspaper and raised it in front of his face. "Have they interviewed you, yet?"

"That's why I'm here. They already have my statement, so I figured there was no reason to keep avoiding you."

Grey lowered the newspaper. "How's the rookie working out?"

"She's smart. I was worried she couldn't keep up, but she's more than a match at times." Lucas ordered a cup of coffee. "What have you been doing in your time off?"

"Playing cat and mouse with an imp. She keeps showing up everywhere I go. Duncan says that she has attached herself to me. I'm beginning to wonder if she's real or if there is something seriously wrong with me. I managed to get an appointment for a brain scan. It wasn't all that hard to talk the department shrink into ordering it."

"What if they find nothing wrong?"

"What if they find something wrong? I'm too young to die. Seriously, either way, my career is over."

The four-person disciplinary board sat at a long table. Grey sat in a chair opposite wearing his uniform. They had spent the better part of an hour passing papers and chatting among themselves. Finally, the Chief of Police spoke up. "Officer Walker, we have read your report on the incident at the City Standard building. We have also interviewed your partner and other officers present at the scene. The crowd that you spoke of in your report consisted of a few individuals who worked in the building across the street. Every one of them contradicts your account. In light of this, would you like to alter your statement?"

Grey stood up to address the board. "I do not wish to amend my statement. In fact, I have decided to resign as a police officer. There are extenuating circumstances that inhibit my ability to be effective as such." Grey placed his shield and his service weapon on the table before leaving the room.

As Grey walked down the hallway toward the elevator, he spotted his stalker following him when he turned a corner. She had been following him all week, but every time that he turned to confront her, she disappeared. He was beginning to question his sanity. He had devised a plan to draw her out, to force her to come to him. He was counting on her not wanting to lose the object of her affection.

Grey took his time cleaning out his locker, leaving behind those few objects that he carried that were city property. Several of his colleagues took time to pat him on the back, wish him well, and tell him how much he would be missed. He knew that in a week or so, most of those officers would have forgotten him. He was hoping to avoid his former partner. Lucas and he were fierce competitors at the academy but became fast friends after being paired upon completion of field training.

Lucas was worried about Grey, who seemed quieter than normal. He followed Grey to the City Standard building and watched him make his way back to the roof. The building had been prepped for implosion. The windows and doors had been removed and any useful fixtures. The only thing barring entry was a locked chain link fence with barbed wire strung along the top. Lucas watched as Grey tore open a section of the fence before entering the building. He followed Grey up to the roof.

Grey went to the back of the building where an empty parking lot stood between two abandoned buildings. He stood there looking down, waiting for something. Lucas was about to intervene when she appeared, suspended in the air. Suddenly, Grey ran to the edge of the roof and jumped. Lucas sprinted to the roof edge and looked down to see Grey and the woman arrive safely at the bottom. Grey grabbed the woman tightly. "Take us back to the roof," he demanded, "or I will break something." A few seconds later they were back on the rooftop. "Lucas, come meet our mystery woman." He turned to the young woman, "tell me your name."

"Am... Amber...gris," she stammered.

"Ambergris?" Lucas asked, "What kind of parents name a child after whale vomit?"

"Imps," Grey smiled. "Only creatures lonelier than nightwalkers."

Amber struggled against Grey's grip on her arm. "Let me go," she demanded, but her influence failed to get her released. "I'll make your friend walk off the roof." she threatened.

"You do and I'll break your neck," Grey countered.

Amber pouted for a few minutes, then asked politely, "Please, let me go."

"That's better," Grey replied. "But only if you promise to stop following me."

"I can't do that," Amber said, "But I can get you your job back."

"If I'm stuck with you, I'm better off without it." Grey released the imp then turned to Lucas, "You can stop worrying about me. I'll be around. I promise."

Daywalker: Under a Bridge

Beneath the Hill-to-hill bridge, a homeless camp had taken root. Most of the homeless were new arrivals in the city. Among them, about half were Extranormals and few of them trusted law enforcement. Grey Walker drove his SUV down the narrow-paved road that bordered the river until he arrived a few yards short of the overpass. He had come looking for an old friend, hoping to get some information on someone who may very well have cost him his career.

Grey was aware of the dangers of walking into a camp like this. He had left anything of value locked in his SUV. The key dangled around his neck on a chain. As he neared the camp, he tucked the key inside his shirt. Most of these people were honest, but he had been working in law enforcement long enough to guard against those who weren't. At the edge of the bridge's shadow, a large figure stepped forward to block his way. "Move out of my way, troll, or I will move you." The troll's laughter was cut short when Grey kicked him on the side of his head. By the time the troll recovered, Grey was on the other side of him still being trailed by the pickpocket who hadn't had the chance to ply his trade.

As the small pale hand reached into Grey's pocket, Grey grabbed the waif by its wrist. "Lucky for you, I'm on leave or I'd be slapping a pair of cuffs on you." The waif tried to pull itself free, but Grey had a tight grip. "I'm looking for a friend. I heard he was hanging out down here helping people. His name is Duncan. Any idea where I might find him?" The waif pointed up the slope toward the top of the bridge. "Thanks," Grey said as he released the waif and started up the hill.

The shade beneath the bridge grew darker with each step upward. Grey's eyes gradually adjusted allowing him to focus on his old friend. Duncan had changed little over the years, but he was twice as wide as Grey remembered and completely devoid of hair anywhere on his head. Duncan was smiling and busy clearing space for Grey as he approached. Grey sat where he was instructed, on the ogre's knee, and laughed as he bumped his head on the bottom of the bridge. "What brings you here?" Duncan asked being careful not to let his voice boom in the confined space.

"Yesterday, I was attempting to rescue a possible jumper from a building. Just as I grab hold, she pulled us both over the edge. When I landed, she was gone, vanished on the way down. The only person who remembers her is my partner who was on the roof with me at the time. I can't make any sense of it. I was hoping that you could help me."

"That's a lot to unpack, but I think I can help. I just need to ask a few questions. Before the fall, had other people seen this jumper?"

"Yes. She had caused a traffic jam from all the gawkers blocking the street."

"When you grabbed her, did she grab you back?"

Grey paused for a moment. "Yes, she grabbed my wrist before leaning backwards over the ledge. I thought that I had a good footing, but it didn't seem to matter."

"I think your jumper was an imp. They are strong as oxen, can vanish and appear at will, and can sense things about people even after they have left. They can also influence people making them forget things."

"Like being on top of a building all morning?"

"Exactly."

"But my partner wasn't affected."

"Are you sure that's really your partner?"

"I'm not sure I know what you mean..."

"Imps can influence what you see, what you remember, and sometimes how you feel. They are mostly solitary creatures, but once they make contact, especially physical contact, they become attached to the person."

Grey came looking for answers and walked away with more questions. As he pulled away in his SUV, he thought he saw the woman from the ledge looking down at him from the bridge. She was smiling.