Beyond a Shadow: Episode 5

The parking garage was largely empty when I stole inside on foot. My car was concealed in an alley downtown. This was not Orchard Square. At the Square I had met the Shadowman again and received my instructions. They made my heart sink. But I said nothing, lest I should get another sermon about my "debt" and struggle with my lack of gratitude.

And thus I found myself, once more nervous, though considerably less nervous than the last two times. I made my way carefully along the second floor of the parking garage, until I got to the skywalk. It was a bridge of sorts, a walkway that spanned a busy downtown street and gave access to the parking garage from a large multistory building that was home to the offices of the University of Portland, a college whose primary income was from online courses. It was also the brainchild and masterpiece of millionaire George Thomas Castle, and currently owned by Sarah Castle, his eldest daughter.

I stared down the empty corridor. The walkway was covered but open to the atmosphere via the sides. It was about a hundred feet long. It being so late at night, there was no one around expect (I knew) janitors and security. I waited for a few minutes, until in the building on the far side of the bridge I saw the security guard walk by, stopping for a moment to check the door. Satisfied that it was securely locked, he moved on, and I stole across the bridge, trying to keep low.

One of the things the Shadow had done when I met him was give me a change of clothes. My outfit consisted of everything black, and not just black, but a deep, intense black that made me blend into the darkness. I had my flashlight with me, and my gun, and he had given me boots that made no noise. I don't know how or where he obtained these items in my size, but they fit perfectly.