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.
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