Miss Green

Chapter 1

The sky was a deep grey that disguised the sun and cast a shadow over the city of Manhattan. Mr. Aimes sat silently in his office which resided ten stories up in a skyscraper that sat just on the edge of the city. Stacks of files were strewn about his desk in a daunting, chaotic mess. He reached for a small, silver rectangle that lay on its side next to the stack of files and unscrewed the top. Taking in a deep, longing breath, he took a long pull from the flask.

“Damn that’s good,” he said to himself, letting out a genuine sigh of satisfaction.

Mr. Aimes was a private detective, just like his father before him. He fought it long and hard, and had even fled from his home country of London to avoid following in his father’s footsteps. Clearly, the distance had not helped. Here, Mr. Aimes sat, examining his caseload as the sun faded into darkness. His cases were not as exciting as one might think. He did not get to contribute to society by solving murders and stopping armed robberies. No, he contributed to society by helping middle-aged, well-to-do women prove their husband’s infidelity.

As Mr. Aimes gulped his whiskey and stared hopelessly at the files sitting in front of him, he sighed. He needed a holiday. Not only were these cases depressing to him, they were incredibly boring and repetitive. Their stories were always the same;

“Mr. Aimes, my husband has been spending long hours at his office. When he gets home he won’t even look at me. He never seems to have an appetite and leaves early in the morning before I even wake up.”

This story, more often than not, is followed by exasperated sobs. Mr. Aimes then awkwardly pats the women on the back and promises to solve the case. If it were not for the tremendous amounts of money these helpless women threw at him, he would not have even considered taking their cases. But, this is how he makes a living and it requires very little effort.

Tonight, however, was different. Tonight, while Mr. Aimes contemplated taking a holiday, there came a knock at the door. Mr. Aimes let out an irritated sigh. Feeling defeated, he placed his forehead in the palms of his hands and stated;

“Come in.”

A woman entered his office and Mr. Aimes’ jaw dropped to the floor. She stood tall and poise, exuding confidence and brilliance. The mere sight of her would render any man speechless. Her lips were candy apple red, her hair perfectly rolled into curls that stuck to her head. She wore a dark blue flower that clipped to the side of her head and draped a thin, fish net veil over her magnificent eyes. Her modest, gray dress clung tightly to her lean body and fell just below her knee to be met by tall, black-heeled boots.

            The woman entered his office in two, elegant strides.Their eyes met and Mr. Aimes’ heart skipped a beat. The woman standing before him was breathtaking. He removed his spectacles to get a better look.

            “Good evening sir,” the woman spoke eloquently, forcefully extending her hand toward Mr. Aimes. “My name is Eva Green and I require your services.”

            The world was moving in slow motion for Mr. Aimes. He was completely awestruck as he lifted his hand to meet hers. She shook it fiercely.

            “Good evening, ma’am,”  Mr. Aimes managed to say, his voice cracking like an adolescent finally reaching puberty.  

            Miss Green thrust an envelope onto his desk without breaking eye contact. Her face remained stoic as she waited for Mr. Aimes to respond. He cleared his throat.

“Ah-hem, well,” he began. “I, uh, will be taking a short holiday, Miss, uh, Miss Green. But I would be more than happy to take on your case when I return.”

Miss Green had travelled a long way for Mr. Aimes, and she couldn’t wait until after his holiday. She placed her hands on his desk and leaned in close.

            “I urge you to change your mind,” She insisted.

            Mr. Aimes was at a loss for words. This woman was spectacular. Her eyes were dark and her skin was flawless, as though she did not belong to this world. Miss Green narrowed her eyes.

“This cannot wait until after your holiday,” said Miss Green as she moved her hand down her leg.

Unaware of what she was doing, Mr. Aimes could not help but follow Miss Green’s hand as it ran gently down her thigh. When her hand reached her boot, she pulled out a small, silver hand gun. Mr. Aimes jolted back slightly in his seat. Why does this woman have a gun? He thought to himself. Miss Green forcefully raised her gun and placed it gently against Mr. Aimes’ temple.

“Let me say that again,” Miss Green said between gritted teeth. “This cannot wait.”

Mr. Aimes surrendered and agreed to assist Miss Green. She demanded he follow her and before he knew it, they were walking the streets of Manhattan. The sleepless city was quieter than usual and the amount of lights quickly decreased the farther they walked into the depths of the city. Mr. Aimes carried his camera around his neck and walked with his hands buried in his beige trench coat pockets. He was hiding it well, but Mr. Aimes was ridden with fear. Miss Green would not explain where they were going or why she needed his help. She insisted it would be better for him to see for himself. They walked until they reached a part of the city that made Mr. Aimes uneasy. There was a single street lamp attempting to illuminate the night and the buildings were mostly abandoned. The windows on the buildings were smashed in and the smell of sewage was overwhelming.

“Miss Green--” Mr. Aimes started, fear creeping out in his voice.

Miss Green’s hand shot up to cover his mouth. Her eyes pierced his and she gestured for him to be quiet. Mr. Aimes’ head was buzzing with confusion and a paralyzing sense of fear crept down his spine. This was not a nice part of Manhattan. It was gang ridden and unkempt.

“This way,” Miss Green whispered, leading Mr. Aimes down a pitch black alley.

Mr. Aimes gulped loudly, attempting to make Miss Green aware of his cowardice. He was out of his element. It was clear to him now that Miss Green was not another infidelity case. This seemed much more complex and mysterious. Mr. Aimes found himself slightly excited yet also astoundingly terrified. Unlike his father, Mr. Aimes had never solved a real mystery. He can imagine his father would be rolling over in his grave at the mere thought of this. He’d never had much faith in Mr. Aimes to begin with.

“He will be coming soon,” Miss Green said as she shoved Mr. Aimes into the alley. “I need you to photograph him when he shows.”

“Miss Green, what are we doing here?” Mr. Aimes inquired.

“People have been going missing Mr. Aimes,” Miss Green said, her eyes suddenly filled with terror. “It appears in the darkest part of the night and takes them.”

“What does?”

“A creature not of this world,” Miss Green whispered as quietly as she could.

Miss Green had noticed that this man was not who she had hoped. He was not brave like his father. In fact, he was barely even intelligent. She spoke to him in the darkest voice she could muster to humor herself while she watched this man cower in fear. Mr. Aimes cocked his head; Perhaps this woman is actually mad, he thought. At any rate, why would she need his help with this creature? He grabbed Miss Green’s hand and looked her in the eyes.

“Miss Green, surely you do not believe in monsters?” Mr. Aimes spoke in a normal volume.

Miss Green jerked her hand from his and stepped back. Her eyes were wide, and her face had gone pale. Mr. Aimes took a step forward to make amends when he realized her gaze was concentrated over his shoulder. Mr. Aimes felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up and suddenly his heart was racing. He could feel something warm standing close behind him. Mr. Aimes gripped his camera, hoping somehow it would protect him. He slowly turned his head to see what was behind him when he felt it grab him.

Its hand bore through him, ripping his heart from his chest. Mr. Aimes’ eyes widened and his breathing ceased. He stared helplessly at Miss Green who was no longer acting afraid. A smile slowly formed on her face. She stepped in close and removed the veil that was hiding her eyes. They were completely black now, demonic. Her smile grew, revealing teeth that ended in a sharp point like that of a shark. Her tongue slipped out from behind her teeth and was slit in the middle like a snake’s. Mr. Aimes was petrified.

“Tell me Missster Aimsss,” Miss Green hissed. “Do you believe in monssterss?”

Mr. Aimes jerked his head around to see what was behind him. It was a tall, slender figure that towered above him, holding Mr. Aimes’ heart in its hand. It did not have eyes and its fingers extended into a point like knives. Its mouth was crawling with spiders and it let out an ear shattering screech.

Miss Green lunged toward Mr. Aimes, her teeth sinking into his neck. Blood gushed out of him, the pain unimaginable. Mr. Aimes fell to the ground and could see the other dark figure standing over him. It knelt down, its face landing inches from Mr. Aimes’, the spiders breathtakingly close. Mr. Aimes began thrashing, panic consuming his every thought. Miss Green was laughing as her companion pursed its lips and blew in Mr. Aimes’ face, relinquishing a hoard of spiders into his soul. They entered through his mouth and spread throughout his body. Mr. Aimes could feel them crawling through his organs, eating him from the inside out. The pain was excruciating, but his mind had separated from his body. He was watching himself writhe in pain, filled with confusion.

“Welcome to the other side Mr. Aimes.” 

Author's Note

Please let me know if this grabs your attention! I've had writer's block for the past 2 years and am trying to get back in the game. Much obliged :)