It is not unusual for there to be a murder in Washington Heights, bullets fly. And this isnt the West Coast, nobody does drive bys, the bullets all come with a face and a name. It is unusual for anyone to care, and judging by all of the cops outside of this alley, this is an unusual situation.
Rauls phone rings.
The voice is desperate, panicked, They killed my sister, is all she keeps saying. Raul tries to keep calm, the loudness of his cell phone earns him a stern look from one of the police officers investigating the alley, and Raul marches on down the street towards his car.
Ill meet you in front of Bobst, he tells her, fishing some cash out of his pocket to hand to the parking lot attendant. The whole scene is weird for the attendant, he probably thinks, judging from the money and the trip to NYU, that some sort of drug deal is going on, Raul does not care.
The traffic is hell, only a lunatic would drive in New York. But Raul does.
In front of the building the girl is still clearly hyperventilating, Raul leans over to open the passenger side door as she rushes towards it.
They killed my sister, the girl says, killed her!
Who did?
They said she went rogue, her partner shot her. She was working for Mutant Affairs.
What?
The girl is still breathless, I told her about you.
Oh, Raul thinks, so nobody is safe now. He merges lanes and tries to decide how safe it is to even go back to his apartment. Too risky, he thinks suddenly of the body that everyone seemed to care about in that alley. Better paranoid than sorry and he drives on past the bridge to Washington Heights.
Where are we going? the girl asks.
Someplace safe, Raul says and she has a confused look on her face. But Raul doesnt clarify, just points the car towards Yonkers.
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Inside the Cathedral, quiet at all hours, a place of solemn sanctuary the priest comes up to the two people huddled silently in the back rows, sharing some sort of sandwhich.
He recognizes a face suddenly, someone he knows, a good devout Catholic.
"Go in Peace," the priest says.
"Serve the Lord," replies Raul.