The rain beat down on the streets as Detective Jameson sat at his desk, sipping a cup of stale coffee and staring out into the darkness. It was a night like any other in this dingy, rundown city, but something about it seemed different tonight. Maybe it was the way the neon lights of the street's various establishments flickered and danced in the downpour, casting eerie shadows on the wet pavement. Or maybe it was just Jameson's own personal demons that made this night feel so ominous. He had been a detective for over a decade now, but lately he had started to question whether or not it was all worth it.

The usual chatter of the precinct filled the air, but Jameson tuned it out as he worked on his latest case file. A wealthy businessman had been found dead in his high-rise office building, and all evidence pointed to a seemingly impossible crime: suicide by hanging from a nonexistent balcony.

Jameson was just about ready to call it quits for the night when a knock came at his door. It was one of the precinct's rookies, a kid named Brown who looked like he had barely passed puberty.
"Sorry to bother you, Detective," Brown said nervously, "but we just got a call from dispatch about a disturbance down at the old Mayfield place."
Jameson raised an eyebrow, interested despite himself. The Mayfield place was an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town that had been left to rot years ago. It was a notorious hotbed for illegal activity and a frequent stop for the city's vice squad. But this sounded like something different.
"What kind of disturbance?" Jameson asked, his curiosity piqued.
"I'm not sure," Brown replied, looking at his notes. "The caller was pretty hysterical, but from what I could gather there was some sort of... machine in the building."
Jameson exchanged a look with Brown that said they both knew this wasn't going to be an ordinary night.
"Let's go," he said gruffly, already feeling his weariness slipping away as adrenaline began pumping through his veins.
He took one last drag on his cigar and followed the rookie out into the stormy night. Maybe tonight wouldn't be so ordinary after all.

Edit
Pub: 02 Oct 2023 01:33 UTC
Views: 11