Disclaimer: This story is a work of fiction. I do not know the sexual orientation of any of the celebrities who will be appearing in the story.
WARNING: The character does not have a happy life and will not have very many happy events in his life. If this kind of stuff bothers you, I do not recommend reading. Otherwise, enjoy.
The Shadow created by Street and Smith, Walter B. Gibson. Copyright Advance Magazine Publishing Inc.
Author's email address: authorjames2002@yahoo.com
Chapter 2 Who Knows What Evil Lurks in the Hearts of Men
The youth who named himself Shadow trained hard with Jonesy. For a full four months he immersed himself in boxing and street-fighting. Many nights he would practice and train. When he would rest, he would ignore the pain of the bruises, bumps and scrapes, along with the internal pain of his muscles developing.
Finally he was ready to strike out at the evil in the night. Why did he start this, you ask? Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows. He felt as if he were part of it.
The Shadow found a cape to wear, a hat, goggles and a scarf to cover his face. With the help of Jonesy, he purchased them and went out into the night to find the evil that lurked in the hearts of men.
It didn't take him long before he found darkness in action. A couple was walking down the street and a mugger ran passed them grabbing the lady's purse.
"Help!" she called out. "My purse!"
As the thief ran passed the alley, the Shadow put his foot out and tripped him. He stumbled and fell rolling. He quickly got to his feet and turned back. To his surprise, he found someone dressed all in black, with the exception of a red scarf over his face. It startled him at first. Then he laughed.
"Who the hell are you supposed to be, Batman?" the mugger mocked.
"No," the Shadow answered in a deep voice. "I'm the Shadow."
The Shadow threw the first punch and, to his shock, connected. The man stumbled backwards. The look on his face was priceless, pure shock. He reached up and wiped some blood away from his nose.
"You made my nose bleed. You fat prick!"
The mugger swung a fist at the Shadow. The Shadow ducked and "danced" as Jonesy called it. The mugger threw another punch and the Shadow stepped back from the blow. Then he retaliated and punched the guy in the face. He threw a second, third, and then put his whole force into the last and knocked the guy out.
Under his scarf, the Shadow smiled. His first night out was a success in his book. He picked up the purse and turned to see the owner and her beau approach.
"Here's your purse," he said in a deep voice tossing the purse to the woman.
"Thanks," she said.
The Shadow nodded and ran into the alley. He reached the fire escape and climbed up to the roof. He looked down and watched as the police showed up and took the mugger into custody. He smiled and headed out for his next entanglement with darkness.
About an hour later, the Shadow watched as a cab pulled up to a Stop light. Someone opened the driver side door and pointed a gun at the driver.
"Scoot over, buddy," the carjacker said.
The driver scooted over and the carjacker climbed in. The Shadow went into action and jumped onto the awning of the store the taxi stopped in front of. The awning ripped under his weight, but the Shadow didn't intend for the awning to stop him, only to slow him down. He landed on his feet and ran toward the cab, which pulled away. As he neared, he jumped onto the trunk and held tight.
"What the hell was that?" the carjacker said, looking through the back window. When he saw the Shadow he widened his eyes in surprise. He hit the accelerator and attempted to shake the figure off the back.
"You'll kill him!" the cab driver said.
"Shut up!" the carjacker replied.
The Shadow pulled himself up onto the roof. Bullets came out through the roof as the carjacker shot at him. The Shadow held on tight and turned around. Holding onto the taxi's light, he kicked into the air. His feet came down through the windshield and busted the glass.
"Ow," the Shadow muttered feeling the glass cut his legs through his pants. He wasted no time, though, and began kicking forward. His feet impacted the carjacker and forced him to stop.
The carjacker jumped out of the car and the cabbie stopped the car. The Shadow jumped out of the windshield and ran after the carjacker. It didn't take too long before the Shadow was out of breath. He may have been training to fight, but he was still out of shape.
After a few minutes of running, the Shadow stopped to catch his breath. The cab pulled up beside him.
"Thanks," the cab driver said.
"For what?"
"You saved my life."
"But he's still out there."
"Yeah, I know," the cabbie replied. "We can't get 'em all, though."
The Shadow panted trying to catch his breath.
"Are you okay? Is there anything I can do for you?"
The Shadow looked up at the cabbie. He opened the back door and climbed in.
"Go down to the alley and turn left."
"Why? Is that where you live?"
"That's where the carjacker went. I intend to get him."
The cabbie got excited at this "opportunity for adventure."
"The name is Moe, Moe Shrevnitz," the cabbie introduced while laughing.
"The Shadow," was the Shadow's response.
The cab turned into the alley and slowed down.
"What are we looking for?" Moe asked.
"An abandoned building or a broken lock on a door. He couldn't have gotten far, especially on foot."
"Are you sure he's still on foot?"
"He was after your car, wasn't he? He hasn't had time to get another one."
Moe nodded and drove down the alley. Suddenly the carjacker jumped out.
"Down!" the Shadow said noticing the gun.
Moe hit the brakes and lay down on the front seat. Bullets shattered the remaining windshield. The Shadow opened the back door on the passenger side and climbed out. He jumped behind the dumpster and waited for the bullets to stop. Then he stood up and went after the carjacker.
Moe watched as his savior fought the carjacker and tied him up, then he radioed his supervisor about the attempted carjacking and that he needed the police.
"Are you okay?" the dispatcher asked.
"I'm perfectly fine," he radioed.
"They'll be there shortly."
The Shadow headed back to Moe as the cabbie placed his radio transmitter back.
"That was something!"
"Thanks," the Shadow replied.
"You saved my life. I owe you...I owe you my life! What can I do for you? Name it and I will help!"
The Shadow thought for a moment. The answer sat right in front of him. "Whenever I need a ride, drop whatever you are doing and drive for me."
Moe nodded in agreement.
"And don't tell anyone about me. As far as anyone else is concerned, I don't exist. Got it?"
Moe nodded again. "Got it."
"Finish up here and go about your job. I'll be in touch."
Moe nodded again and watched the Shadow disappear into the night.
A short while later, the Shadow found another disturbance going on. There was a man on top of a girl in an apartment. Tears were coming down her face. The Shadow knew by the expression on the man's face what was happening: rape.
The Shadow jumped from the roof of the building across the alley way and just barely grabbed the fire escape rung. After pulling himself up, he climbed up to the level he intended to reach. He peeked through the window and saw the man continuing his domination over the woman.
'He's not aware of me,' the Shadow thought. 'He is focused.'
The Shadow noticed the window was open. He was paying so much attention to what was happening and how he was responding that he hadn't heard the man moaning and expressing his own pleasure. The Shadows ears caught the sound of the woman whimpering and crying from underneath the man. That sound seemed to increase and all other sounds decreased.
His mind went back to a few months ago when he raped his friend while asleep. The guilt and torment of what he did welled up inside him and he acted.
The Shadow dove through the window to the surprise of both rapist and victim. The Shadow stood and looked at the man. "Get...off...her."
The man smiled. "What are you going to do, little boy?"
The man pulled back from the woman to reveal a rather large cock between his legs. The Shadow had a stirring between his legs, but the situation quickly remedied that.
"You like what you see, pansy ass? I'll give you some when I'm done with this whore."
The Shadow reached out and grabbed the man's dick, and squeezed. The man cried out in pain. With his free hand, the Shadow punched the man in the face. The pain, more so than the strike to the face, was enough for the man to fall over. The Shadow grabbed the lamp on the table. Using the electrical wire, he tied the man's hands and feet together. Then he looked at the woman.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
She nodded and wiped a tear.
"Go get some clothes on."
The woman got up and ran to the bathroom.
"What the...fuck...did you do? How...stupid...was that?" the man said.
"I know what you're thinking. You deserve to take whatever anger you have out on her. You've been wronged, you're different, you're the under dog. And that gives you license to hurt others."
"I called the police," the woman said as she came back into the room with a robe on. "Thank you for your help."
"How...did...you know?"
"'Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?' you ask," the Shadow said. "The Shadow knows."
The Shadow dove through the window and rolled to his feet. He ascended the fire escape to the rooftop and headed into the night.
To Be Continued...
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