The White Shadow

D.O.B:
(born at the beginning of time as we know it) (maybe also the day created the idea)
Birthplace:
Abandoned in the forests of Mayair and raised by The Gathering
Real name:
Unknown, given the name Umbra
Traits:
Silent, deadly, rash, skilled, self-taught
Skills:
Trap setter, archer, keen eye, hunter, ominous wind
Weapons:
Dual blades (trinity and deception) bow (renamed Arzal) cloak of Caligo
Background:
Abandoned in the forests of Mayair and an outcast amongst The Gathering, Umbra
sets out alone, unknowingly a trained Hashashin, looking to find out who he
is. His discovery leads him to devote his life to The Mission, his mission, to
rid the wrongdoing of his families past starting with those who dwell within the forests
of Mayair. Once again changing his name, Umbra titles himself The White Shadow
and sets off on his Mission.




And so it began

Im just an ordinary person. I have an ordinary job. Probably an extraordinary
imagination like most people Ive come across.
During the day I work in a building, at a desk, on a computer like countless others. I
like to break up the day drawing, and coming up with ideas for superheroes.
One day I decided why stop there.
Working inside, answering phones, sending emails and letters pays the bills.
However, what it doesnt do is reward you.
The office environment is, at times, well quite often when you think about it, unfair.
The lesser of us do the hard work while others take the credit. This leads you to
think where is this ever going to lead and is there some way I can make a difference
to the world? Then it struck me. I can and thus the White Shadow was born.
The White Shadow is me after hours if you like. Im the typical normal person in the
day then hero at night. Hero, its such an empowering word for something that
takes little effort.
I am an enthusiast at heart. Yes I like comic heroes and yes its a slightly odd idea
but what is an idea if its not to be explored?
When the day is done I finalise my normal person routine of eating and settling
down to watch the television, its when the early hours hit that I start my next shift.
A hero doesnt have to wear a costume, unless they want to be noticed. Mine is
simple yet elaborate. I am of a small build, small height and generally not what you
would call superhuman. My costume as the name would suggest is predominantly
white. It is of a cloak design for warmth and because its easier to get out at night.
The back of it flows like a cape which I had previously used, but found that it caused
too many issues. I have a hood, it helps keep up the disguise and again proves
warmth. I can also aid in blending. Under my cloak is a hauberk, also known as
chainmail. This provides me a bit of protection which has proved useful many times.
As I said Im of a small build so you might think how this guy is going out every night
and not being laughed at. I have failed to mention my good friends Trinity, Deception
and Arzal. Trinity and deception are my swords, Katana like blades that are swift,
light and elegant. Arzal is my bow. Ash, black, neat and light. I know what youre
thinking, names? Names are given to weapons which have shown to be deadly over
the years. Mine are named as they are personal to me. People name their cars I
name my weapons. Anyway, trinity is aptly named simple because it means 3, a
reference to someone else I admire that uses that numbers and also a play on
words. When I am out, I am free, free from myself. Deception is named because I
feel I am deceived during the day and so others should feel the same at night. Arzal,
my bow, is a tribute to a comic hero of mine.


My typical night is on the whole quiet. At times there are no calls for me to even be
out and really at times I think is it worth it. I remind myself that this is my escapism
from the day Ive faced and are yet to face. You can be sure of the same sort of
crowd on a night out. The drunks, the arguments and in this place the drugs. There
are houses scattered riddled with rats housing sellers and users. Im not sure of their
histories and mostly I dont care.
They terrorize others. They steal from people. Along with the alcoholics they believe
they are superhuman and beyond the law at times. I am neither superhuman or of
the law, I am a vigilante. These people I cant trust. They cause most of the trouble
and most of the causes of crime come back to them.
These people are allowed to run free because there is no other place for them. With
the prisons filling the overflow is dumped in these area so that the desirable
locations are left desirable. Typical.
Therefore, I maintain them. I deal with the issues they cause and help those who are
confronted by these people.
I like to maintain a distance where I can which Arzal allows me to. I am not a cold
killer, I have arrows but only a few of them could kill. Most of them are blunt with
stubs at the end used to cause more bruising and a more satisfactory hit compared
to killing a man that would make me something less than I am. I do have smoke
ones too which are effective when dispersal or confusing is key. A small gang can
easily be spooked when they cant see in front of themselves. Of course I also have
ordinary smoke bombs of a similar compound but Im not fan of having to get that
close to use them although it does give me an edge.
Trinity and Deception are there when hand to hand is the only option. There is only
so much you can do from a distance and when your enemy is attacking or threating
an individual whilst using bats and wood. This is when a more forward approach is
needed. Quite often it doesnt take long before they run away or see that they are
under armed, this is key. The addition of the hauberk gives that added confidence
you need when going into a battle against people you cant judge at face value. As I
said most disperse and the situation is sorted whereas some fight back and feel
cornered these people are unpredictable and not really the situations I like.
As a normal person I have never received any training just doing what comes
naturally, this is potentially why Im not always confident dealing with those who are
a little on the edge.

So how did I become who I am? Well it all started with an ordinary day at work. The
day was a Friday and it was early in March. It was dull and cold, just another typical
day, except as you're about to find out, it wasn't.
My tea had gone cold and I was thirsty for another. Fridays are always busy and
today was no exception so another tea was justified.
Whilst it was brewing I glanced out the window at the skate park across the road as I
often do when a black van pulled into the car park. Although I felt it was a bit odd to
see an unmarked black van I thought little of it as we were always getting deliveries
of stationary and other goods. I finished making my tea and returned to my desk.
Great, more emails..... I thought people were meant to wind down on a Friday?!
Settling down to respond I heard an almighty bang as if something was dropped from
above, slightly startled and if I must admit a bit on edge, I rolled my chair back to see
what had caused the noise.
Before I could lift out of my seat I saw them, the Bandits as I shall refer to them all
dressed in a clich black outfit. I look back now and think fools, 3 people all dressed
in the same colour..... if they were to get away a call for a group of 3 males all
wearing black would have them arrested in minutes.
Anyway it wasn't the outfits that drew my attention; it was the grey smoke that was
still exiting from one of the Bandits guns. I've never liked guns, I always saw them as
the cowards way out, still at this moment I felt a little cowardly I mean it's not every
Friday you see 3 gunmen in your office!!
They made their way down the corridor of filing cabinets. A thought crossed my mind
as to why are they even here, we hold no money were a public service. They passed
my desk and I caught a glimpse of a chin that was protruding below the mask,
recently shaven but still quite gruff looking. A slight shudder came over me, what
were we all in for? and who were they after.
As they passed my desk they continued to where the more important people sat.
They might have some valuables on them but nothing that would warrant 3 masked
gunmen.
However, it was then I noticed the bearded elderly chap I'd seen earlier in the day in
passing sitting at the top. His name wasn't known to me but I could tell from his
visitors badge he was likely here for a meeting. Maybe he was the man of wealth
these Bandits were looking for..... my hunch was right.
This man was an investor looking to build some properties in the area. Although as
you might expect he wasn't likely to carry large sums of cash on him he would still be
a valuable asset to a would be thief.
It soon dawned on the visitor he was the target.
Reading the situation quickly I assumed that this man was going to be taken as a
hostage, I was half right.
Guns pointed, the Bandits ordered the man to move into the meeting room at the
back. Mind you this wasn't before hitting the man with the butt of one of their guns
which they seem to have found great satisfaction.....scum.
The door was closed and we could see nothing. 1 of the Bandits went in with the
visitor whilst the other 2 remained.
They slowly began herding the other members of staff who were understandably
frightened into a corner of the room.
They made their way slowly back down the corridor of filing cabinets heading
towards my desk.
At the point of first hearing the men shouting to people I work I took it upon myself to
hide under the desk. This was not cowardice you understand, I had a plan.
In my draw I keep a number of things among them was my multi tool which was
handy for going out on site. Also to the right of where I sit is a small black bag which
holds all the necessary equipment for when I go out. From this bag I took some
plastic cable ties which I hid up my sleeve and held in place with a rubber band I'd
been pinging earlier.
There I was under my desk with mere child's toys compared to what the Bandits has
brought with them.
I had always wanted to be a hero, who doesn't and up until this point I never
considered the possibility of being one, those were just silly thoughts brought on by
reading the comics I'd often buy.
Not to say they are a bad influence but some of the comics I'd read did help me to
decide what I was about to do, it was time to fight back.

I was spurred on not by these aforementioned comics but by a young female. For it
was at the moment that the Bandits appeared around the corner threatening this
young female with their guns. This girl was the other half of me, this girl was my
girlfriend.

They say working with your partner is a bad thing which I can agree and disagree on
but more on that later. I will say though we are rarely in the office together anyway as
we were both always out on site most of the time. She is the firms photographer and
I'm a technician.

Anyway I diverge, the Bandits had hit a nerve at this stage and that didn't sit too well.
I was stuck though. I had hidden and so I had the element of surprise but these were
gunmen how could I even up the odds.

As I saw my girlfriend be pushed by one of the men I thought I had to do something,
so I did. One of the gunmen was just saying to the other "I think that's all of 'em"
chuckling as he did so, although that didn't last long.
It was at this point I sprung up whilst pushing over a bookcase as intended to knock
the men off balance. Surprised at my own strength, likely fused by my anger, I had
manage to push them both so hard that the fell into a bookcase on the opposite side
of the narrow corridor of cabinets. The guns they were carrying now lay on the floor,
as did they groaning and holding their heads. It was at this point I took the cable ties
I had stowed away up my arm. My intention was to effectively tie them up although
this was still going to be a struggle, they were disarmed not unconscious although
one looked more sorry for himself than the other.
I'd never been in a fight until now and I realised quickly, perhaps I should've thought
this through a bit better. It was too late and my now my jaw was aching. I had been
hit clean in the face and I could feel the warm metallic taste of blood rolling off my lip.
I am as mentioned a small person of a small build, these were bigger guys, not big,
just more substantial than myself. I knew I was not going to win this fight without
some clever thinking.
In the office are things you'd normally expect to find, paper, hole punches, books etc
and it was the later that caught my eye. A nice hard bound book lay invitingly on the
shelf so I seized an opportunity and threw it at my attacker, it missed but fortunately
had caught his accomplice how had been trying to get back on his feet, gladly it had
rendered him even less of a threat. The other attacker had moved to search amongst
the mess to look for his gun.
Hurriedly I bound the hands of the guy i'd hit so that I only had one threat (for now) to
deal with. I needed to find a gun before my attacker did. We both routed amongst the
paper that was laying on the floor thanks to my thinking with the shelf earlier. We had
both suffered blows to the head so it was anyones game as to who would find a gun
first. Luck was on my side and I caught a glimpse of it, quickly making my move I
gathered a gun from the mess and pointed it at my attacker. As I said I hate guns so
I would never use one to kill or even wound another, well with the bullet at least. I
decided as a bit of payback for the attack on the visitor I too used the butt of the gun
on the attacker and this time his nose was broke and he fell forward moaning. I
quickly rushed over and bound his hands too. One left.

I made my way along the familiar corridor of cabinets which almost felt alien to me
given what had transpired so far today.
I made my way to the other staff who had been huddled to the corner. In my hand I
had 2 of the gunmen's masks which I passed to 2 of my colleagues, trusted friends
of mine to wear and informed them of my plan.
I sent them to gag the other men in case they woke and tried to alert their fellow
conspirator. Upon doing this they returned to me and we instigated the next part of
my plan. I asked one of my now masked friends to call out to the guy in the room to
say that they were having some trouble. The door flung open. You could see
something bad had transpired by the blood on his hands. I heard a faint voice for
help in the room but I couldn't act now and blow the plan, unfortunately the visitor
would have to wait. Although I knew it wouldn't be for very long. Upon the final man
walking towards who he deemed were his fellow gunmen, I used the same technique
i'd used earlier and hit the assailant on the back of the head, not as hard as perhaps
he'd been dishing out but hard enough to make him kneel, and fall to the side. With
the remaining ties I had up my sleeve I tied up this last gunmen,

The visitor was bleeding very heavily but was alive which was one thing I guess. I
pitied him for this should never happen to anyone. With everyone now free the
services were called and help would soon arrive, although the visitor it seemed was
fading fast. We did what we could between us and cleaned him up with what first aid
we had.
Upon arrival the paramedics put him on a bed. He was still breathing but was
slipping into a coma.

This was no other Friday and the obvious praises were thrown my way but it was not
for praise that I did it for. I did it to protect others I care about and the girl I love. I
also did because deep down I wanted to and I knew that what I'd achieved would
stay with me forever. It had given me the confidence in myself and although the
comics I read were a good and bad influence I can't help but think how would the
situation have been without the little bit of knowledge I'd picked up from the tales of
men in costumes.........

There you have it. A few of the details about the rest of that day haven't been
included as there's only so many times you can say what you did to the various TV
reporters and news stations that had appeared. All I wanted to do that night was go
home with the girlfriend as though it was another normal Friday and relax and enjoy
the weekend together.

After settling down to the TV, we both agreed it had been a long day and so we
called it a night. I lay in bed as I usually do playing with my girlfriends hair putting
her to sleep wondering..... wondering was this a one off? Could I do it again? I had
felt the buzz that came with being a hero and I knew I wanted to protect others. Even
in the streets below I could hear the usual noise of the Friday nighters, all drunk and
rowdy, and I thought maybe there is a call to be someone who'd read about in my
comics. I started to drift into a slip thinking.... all I need... is a name.......?


************************************************************************************************

It was the weekend and I had a lot of time to think. As I strolled around town as we
often did on a Saturday I couldnt help but people watch and think of other peoples
lives and routines. Did they have any higher ambitions or ludicrous ones like me or
am I just alone. I convinced myself it was just me and thought no more of it that
morning.
Saturday afternoon is usually made up of playing with the stuff wed got that
morning. I had brought yet another sketch book and a small art set. I have fits and
starts of drawing and my ability seems to differ accordingly. I usually have a great
image on my head I cant convey on paper so I get frustrated and pack it all away. I
guess you could call it artists block. Usually I would draw game characters or comic
heroes and some would turn out ok. After my eventful day yesterday it was a nice
change of pace to sit and draw but this time I drew a more glorified version of me. I
decided that I should draw myself how I would like to be seen if I was one of these
caped heroes I so longed to be.
I thought theres no harm in this and its probably a better way of channelling my
energy rather than going out fighting crime.. laughing at even the thought of
this I set pencil to paper and started to draw
As per usual things didnt go quite to plan. The basics were there but I couldnt get it
to look right so I put it all aside and left it there for a while. It was a work in progress I
tried to convince myself.
I thought the best thing to do was to listen to some music for a bit and try and relax. I
put one earphone in whilst the other half as I often refer to her was playing on the
computer. She was playing one her usual fantasy games which featured an array of
characters. It was the usual deal. Magic and dark magic, elves and men and
wizards. Its a well followed genre of gaming so Ive found.
So well followed that people dress as the people they like and meet up at shows.
Many people go to extreme lengths to look at exact to the character theyre trying to
portray as they can. I often wonder if, by costumes alone, any of these people want
to aspire to being these people and that I wasnt alone. I think Im write in assuming
that in some cases but everyone wants to be someone their not dont they. Its
escapism really.
As I watched her playing I couldnt help notice the character that had now appeared
on screen. It was a cloaked figure, a female character all dressed in white. Against
the darkness of everything around her the brilliant white stood out. I didnt know who
she was or what role she would play in the game but to me that didnt matter. I saw
now that I was looking at drawing myself all wrong. I was too focused on the
conventional superhero, big muscles and an unnatural proportioned body. The
female on screen was of fair build, non-muscular, a fairly normal appearance apart
from her ash black hair. I gathered quickly from her ears she was likely to be an elf
too. However, it was not her facial features that stood out but how normal she
looked. She was dressed to suit the style of the game yet I felt there was a
moderness about it all. What if my character was the opposite? What if the person I
created was for the here and now but using the old style of clothing I felt was cool.
Upon seeing the image on screen I picked up my pencil and pad again and took a
quick photo for reference. Again I began to draw but this time it turned out to be
better than my earlier work in progress.

It takes a lot of time to do things right but strangely my new drawing took just under
an hour to do. Granted it wasnt highly detailed but I had the basics.
The image I had drawn was draped in a white tunic like a long cloak crossed with a
cape, very much like a medieval assassin really. It had a hood attached which is
definitely handy when you dont want to be recognised. On top of the cloak flowing
from the shoulders was not a cape as such more of a bit of shoulder detailing again
white but with a black lining. On the front was a waistcoat like front with a small belt
for carrying little knives and attaching smoke bombs. The waistcoat was again white
with black piping. The trousers were drawn to look like skinny jeans, something I
wear as often as I can, these were black in colour. Running up the calf of these
trousers were my black boots. Nice and tough yet comfortable too. The final
additions were two shoulder straps with loops to hold my swords as well as the
quiver I had drawn on my back. This was more of a blue in colour siding towards
navy blue.
Looking around the room I realised that I had effectively incorporated the things I
saw laying around the room. The thought crossed my mind about my earlier thought
of being a local vigilante, but these were just thoughts werent they?
I began to get a niggling thought and decided how would the image Id drawn look in
on me. Grabbing the various items from my room I got dressed.
Ultimately I didnt have the tunic cloak so had to make do with the shoes and jeans
whilst settling for a one of my work waistcoats. I did have a cloak from a Halloween
costume which I threw on to get an idea for the look.
It didnt look too bad but it didnt need to look good, it was only something I decided
to do to pass the time, it wasnt like I was actually going to go out dressed as the
image in my drawing that would be silly.
Packing away my costume I returned to watching my girlfriend on the computer and
settled down for the night.
I had a troubled sleep though. I had dreams about the day our office got attacked
and how things couldve been different. I couldve been hurt or others could have
suffered a lot worse. The uncomfortable thoughts troubled me so I woke up with a
jump. I was quite warm so went down to get a glass of water. Upon returning I sat on
the bed trying to settle my head and try to tell myself they were just dreams and the
attack had been handled by me. My eyes looked around the room in weariness and I
caught a glimpse of my costume. Remembering how I felt when we were attacked I
felt the situation had brought out an instinct to protect that hasnt surfaced
previously. In my sleepiness I contemplated actually going out in my costume as I
couldnt sleep anyway and well whats the worst that could happen? Thinking back
to my dreams it was clear I was being unrealistic. I couldve been hurt before and
only looking for danger was a bad idea. I tried to settle back down and again began
to dream. This time I was replaced from my office gear to my suited hero and I
looked a lot more confident. I was scared in myself about the life of a vigilante, so
much risk and danger but after the situation in the office I felt compelled to fight this
fear and protect others I had done that day. I reasoned that facing this fear was only
possible by actually going out so the next night thats what I planned to do. If it didnt
work out I could put it to bed and move on.

It was a normal working day the next morning when I woke and I was tired from the
night of unrest Id had. Slower than usual I go myself ready for work and made my
way there.
It was a long day, or felt like it. The system we were using was very slow and in any
case my mind was elsewhere to the night ahead. I had a bit of nervousness kicking
in and pondered whether it was just an overactive imagination before bed that was
responsible for my plans for the rest of the day. I thought this was to be expected but
my tiredness made me consider putting It off for another night. I also had the issue of
how to sneak out the house and then realised that it was my girlfriends mates
birthday so shed be out for a little while so I had a few hours window in which to go
out. It was settled, I was going out tonight.
Finishing my day I made my way home and acted as normal. I offered a lift to my
girlfriend and had packed the stuff I needed for the night ahead. Id used my black
work bag and when questioned I said it was so I didnt forget to pack it in the
morning which seemed to work. All I had packed was the tunic as I was already
dressed in the white skinny jeans and high boots I was planning to wear. I didnt
have any weapons on me. This was my first night and I only had a few hours. I
thought about some weaponry but decided against it. I also left the chainmail at
home as I was really scoping out the need for a vigilante rather than actually being
one tonight.
Upon dropping my girlfriend off I found a little alleyway and quickly got dressed
obviously not wanting to be seen.
I decided being near to the club where my girlfriend had gone for a drink I would just
stay around here. The car was out of site and I could get to it quickly when the call
came to pick her up.
I looked around for somewhere to watch from and was glad tonight that I hadnt
opted for chainmail. Im not one for heights but Id found a fire escape ladder which I
managed to climb. The ladder was attached to the side of the club so I could also
keep a watch on the girlfriend. Making my way up and fighting the dizziness I was
suffering from my slight vertigo I felt the adrenaline rush associated to what I was
doing. I made it to the roof which was mainly flat apart from the fancy glass dome on
the roof. Upon looking in I saw a plush room, clearly an office with a deep red leather
chair and a dark oak desk. On the desk was the latest computer which was white
and to the left of that was paperwork. I began to think thats almost as bad as my
desk.
Suddenly a beam of light entered the room. The door had been opened. Leaning
back slightly as to not cast a shadow I continued to watch the room. It was at that
moment in walked three people I knew too well and another that I assumed was their
boss, it was the attackers from the office!
Not knowing what to make of the situation I continued to peer into the room. I knew
from their body language they were talking or to put it more to the point, they were
arguing. The only noise I could hear was a slight mumble which wasnt enough to
pick out what they were saying. I decided that after encountering these men before
they were likely up to no good.
I quickly searched for a way to listen in to what they were saying. Searching the
dome for some form of opening, I by chance stumbled across a pane that would
open. It had not been open for some time and I thought it was locked but upon
pulling on it I heard it creak and give way. Awkwardly Id used too much force and
stumbled back and had cursed my inexperience when I saw the pane had lifted and
slammed shut. They mustve heard that I thought and considered my options. Do I
dare go back to the dome or would they maybe send someone up! I found an air
vent to hide behind and waited for a few minutes.
After a short time I thought I can either try again or make towards the ladder either
way I would have to pass the pane. I plucked up a little courage and decided to try
again. Upon approaching the pane I noticed that the room was now empty and that
there would be no conversation to listen to. However, I did notice the pile of papers
had been disturbed and that there was now a map on the desk with what appeared
to be circular markings, I immediately thought the worst. Could these be targets?
Falling into the room my shadow was cast across the walls. Checking around for no
signs of being disturbed I walked towards the desk and gazed over the map.
The map was familiar to me but was distinctly different to how it normally looks. On
the desk was a little lamp that I flicked on to see the map more clearly. What I was
looking at was a copy of the underground map of London along with the station
names but with a few odd names. I didnt know the underground map that well but I
could tell that what was written wasnt right.
I know I didnt have time to study the map and I knew that obviously I couldnt take It
so I took out my phone and took a couple of pictures. I was intrigues as to what
these names were and what they meant. Were they targets? Conspirators? High end
people or just people whose status wouldnt be known to most? The only way I could
work it out was at home.
Finishing off taking the pictures I decided that there was a very slight flaw in my
plan.. I couldnt get out! I hadnt judged the drop from ceiling to floor and how I
would get out of the room. But I would have to worry about that later as now I could
hear footsteps on what sounded like metal steps heading towards me. Looking
around the room now for a place to hide all I could see was a table against the wall
with paper across it, a bin, a printer, a hat stand and the desk. The only place I could
fit was the desk but I knew this was risky. What if the person outside the door wanted
to stay in the room, how could I wait? I was on a schedule. I cursed my stupidity at
even entering the room. At the last minute I decided under the table was too obvious
and I would need to get out sooner rather than later.
I opted for the gap between the printer and the table. It was in quite a dark corner of
the room and was the best option I had.
Light filled the room and a shadowy figure filled the doorway. Hunching down slightly
I was sure that Id been noticed but it appeared I was ok. The figure closed the door
behind him and sat down in the chair tucked away behind the desk. Thankful I was
not under the desk I could see the figure from my corner of the room. I could tell from
here his expression and a slight dread came over me. The desk light was still
on! What if this man remembers that all was dark when he left the room?. I sat there
for a minute looking around for an escape route and something to arm myself with
should I need to.
To my surprise it appeared he hadnt noticed and when he opened the top drawer to
pull out a liquor bottle it struck me he was a little too worse for wear to notice
anyone.
As he sat in his chair he reached into the drawer again and this time pulled out a
picture. The glare from the light meant I couldnt see who the picture was. I would
assume family but this was just a hunch. He now had his head in his hands and only
now could I tell he was actually upset. What could this mean? Who was this figure? I
assumed it was the guy Id seen earlier having reached for the photo. Pondering for
a moment I didnt see what happened next but I didnt need to, I heard it!
BANG! There was a flash and my ears were ringing. The figure in the chair was
dead.
Suicidebut why? Realising now that I couldnt have been the only one to have
heard this and not wanting to be found in the same room as a guy that was now
dead, it was imperative that I got out and quickly!
I knew that I would have to make it out using the roof, there was no way I could just
walk straight out the door.
Panicking now I began to move the table to the small window Id entered. I also
staked the chair on top of the table. Grabbing hold of the hat stand to prize open the
window I managed to make an escape route. However this was no mean feat. I knew
there was still a gap to reach so climbing back down I grabbed what I could and piled
it on the chair. Now nearer the wood around the window I reached out to grab the
edge. Feeling with my fingertips I couldnt get out. Everything was now moving under
my feet and so I had one choice to jump up and get out.
Outside I could hear sirens approaching and lights beginning to hit the buildings
surrounding the club. Still hanging onto the ledge I thrust myself up and made my
way through the skylight. Below me was a mess of paper, a chair, a hat stand and
quite a lot of blood.
Laying on the rooftop to catch my breath I knew I couldnt hang around long. In the
brief few seconds I realised that I now look like the killer! Or at best an accomplice to
the killing. I mean it was quite obvious 2 people were in the room at the time of the
death and it would be clear that someone had escaped. Overcome I felt nauseated
and unsteady but I knew I had to get away fast!
My car wasnt far away but I knew I would have to cut through a couple of alleyways
to get there. As I made my way down towards the ground the panic stuck me again
and I stumbled. Landing heavily on the ground I hurt my ankle and knee.
Now hobbling to my car I could see the police cars and ambulances pulling up
outside the club. I think Ive gotten away with it for now.
It was some time before I got the word from my girlfriend that she was ready to go
home but eventually I found myself travelling back home with a load of what ifs on
my mind but also what was the map about and should I approach someone about it?
Knowing if I did that I would be investigated as to why I was there. How else could I
figure out what had happened and was it my place to??
Getting to sleep that night I was tossing and turning quite a bit and all I could keep
playing over in my head was how and more importantly why the guy had taken his
own life.
If I liked it or not, I had to get to the bottom of it if only for my own sanity. I really need
some help I thought to myself.
************************************************************************************************
FB
MAP
Clubs and bars?


I decided at work the next day to see if I could do any digging to understand any of
what happened the previous night. After a short while I had read up a bit about the
club and the owner and also the news story in the local press.
The story told it pretty much as it was, a suicide, but there wasnt an explanation as
to why. After seeing the state the poor guy was in there was a lot more going on that
wasnt reported.
I eventually came to the conclusion I wasnt getting anywhere and carried on the rest
of my day as per normal.
When I got back from work I decided that if I was going to continue to delve deeper I
would probably have to go out to do some research. Before doing this though I
decided to create an online profile of my other self as a basis to see what other
issues and crimes were about. This wasnt a basis to go and sort these issues, I
knew I wasnt ready for that and there was no way that I was going out looking for
more trouble, this was more an information collection and analysis. Im only one
person and I was going to need some help.

To create a profile I had to toy with many other aliases. As a comic fan it was hard
for me to think of something that wasnt already in use! I decided that seeing as my
costume was predominantly white and at the time of the incident I was party to I was
hidden in the shadows, there was only one choice. The White Shadow.
The profiles were created and the pages were now live all I needed was some input
from the public.
Waiting. Im not very good with waiting. Im impatient. I decided to fill the time I
would do a few drawings and upload a few pictures. By this point Id got a few
followers but no posts so I decided to have a look at my kit.
That night. The night of the suicide. Id been wearing white and apart from the
obvious fatality, the night had gone well. I therefore decided that I was going to take
a look at my costume.
I pulled out my white trousers and laid them on the bed. Looking around I found a
white hoody that I thought could be useful and overlaid it over the trousers. No, it
doesnt look right I thought.
Thinking, I had a look in a box of remnants I had. In my other spare time, well my
previous spare time, I would sew my own costume and attend various events as
various incarnations of comic and film characters. In this box was a white cape that
Id cut up before, badly. It was of no use but It had sparked an idea. Rather than a
cape I would have a tunic like shirt. I decided to make a note to pop out to source
some fabric. I thought I need some form of insignia on my outfit so I made another
note.
Thinking back I hadnt encountered any issues but I was going to need some
protection. Rooting around again I found the chainmail Id used previously. As was
the case with chainmail it wasnt going to be easy to wear. Remembering I had a
gambeson I dug this out and laid this with the small mountain appearing on the bed.
Now, I thought to myself, I have body protection albeit the torso area. What I didnt
have though was facial protection. I had relied on my brownie black hair but I
realised this wasnt going to much to stop me being recognised. My only thought
was a mask.
Most of the heros Id read about wore masks, others didnt need to, but I felt a mask
would be essential. The problem here is I dont like masks. I dont suffer from
claustrophobia but a mask is very restrictive on your breathing.
After doing some research I figured a full face mask was the only way to go. I had a
look at hockey masks which seemed useful and I found a slightly angular one which
would do nicely. It was a full face mask, in white. Although my costume was white I
didnt think this would look good enough so I settled on another colour, grey. Happy
with my online buy It was time to go out and get my white fabric.

Walking around town with a slight limp from my recent 'night out' got me a couple of
looks but not as many as I got venturing, as a 24 year old, into a fabric shop! Okay
I'm not the only one my age using these as I've said, many others 'dress up' as I do.
The term widely used is Cosplay, admittedly I don't like this term, it sounds a little too
cool for me. Anyway, back in the fabric shop, it's how you'd expect it. Cloth, buttons,
threads etc lining the shelves and stands. Already knowing my around the shop
having been here before I quickly sourced the fabric I needed and began to make my
purchase.
Whilst paying I noticed an advert in the window, it was a missing poster. A young girl,
probably a late teen, had gone missing. Not knowing her face I didn't really take
much notice but something sank in and I asked the girl behind the till for a possible
copy. Upon asking, the girl behind the till began to choke slightly in her voice and her
face had changed from the cheerier self that had served me a few minutes before. It
turned out that she had a pile of these leaflets and was handing them out with every
purchase for the girl in the picture was her sister.

Apologising and offering consolation I took the leaflet and put it in my bag now
feeling guilty. Having younger siblings myself, a brother and a sister, I could
sypathise with the girls idea of handing out leaflets. Most I could see didn't find it
their issue so just scrunched up the leaflet and put it in their bags without a second
glance... inconsiderate I thought doing this in front of the poor girl.
I asked the girl, who had now stopped crying and was drying her eyes with a tissue,
the name of her sister and when and where she'd gone missing. Her name was
Jessica or Jess as she liked to shorten it, She had shoulder length brown to black
hair that had slight ringlets. Quite small and from what I could work out a little bit
wayward. She'd last been spotted in town at a club..... the same club as the
shooting. I tried to show no reaction but I was then asked by the girl if I knew the
place. I answered by reputation and hoped that was a good enough response, it
wasn't, My response was a little forward I think so I explained that like most bars and
clubs they attract a 'crowd', she seemed to understand.

Rounding the conversation off I said that I would let her know if I saw her sister.
Walking out the shop I felt a little odd. Effectively I'd got a 'mission' or it felt like I had.
Nobody knew who I was and I wasn't getting updated with any crime reports as far
as I knew, so this felt like something I would have to look into.
********************************************************************************

Having now got home I put away my fabric ready for another day, I was to pre-
occupied with the piece of paper I had in my hand, the leaflet from the shop.

As a course of action and to utilise the the various forms of social media I'd signed
up to I decided to scan the leaflet and upload it to my page in the hope somebody
might know who she was. Looking at my list of small followers it wasn't going to be
likely I'd get anywhere but it was worth a try.

Seeing there wasn't much I could do I decided to settle down for a bit and watch the
tv with my girlfriend.

We are very open and honest with each other and i had thought about when was the
time to tell her about what 's been going on? And how much was I going to tell her? I
decided at this stage that what's happened had happened and I didn't really have
anything to share with her so I kept it to myself. I did tell her about the leaflet I'd got
and said how I was chatting to the girl in the shop and that something about her was
familiar. After a short time it became clear why I knew her, she was one of my
girlfriends friends. She wasn't a best friend or anything but a friend still. The news
upset my girlfriend a little as she mentioned the girl was having a hard time lately in a
relationship. She had spoken to her but it was over a week ago and the girl had only
just gone missing but maybe there was a connection.

My girlfriend loaded up a social page of the missing girl and I read a few of her posts.
It was obvious something was going on and that she was looking for a bit of
escapism. It also became that the club I'd mentioned she'd been spotted at featured
quite frequently on her page and that the last few days she had been there daily.

Switching off the computer I felt compelled to do something. I knew where I would
start my search but what I was lacking was the disguise.

It was then something hit me......... was this disappearance and the shooting
connected? It was a possibility but I thought the odds were against..... weren't
they?....

Settling back down to watch the tele I was in quite deep thought, so much so I closed
my eyes and let myself drift for a few minutes thinking whether I could really make a
difference or if I was just being stupid.

Having not decided and feeling tired I showered albeit gingerly as my leg was
starting to bruise, I told my girlfriend I'd caught the edge on a table which stupidly I
did without realising. This was a good cover story as she'd heard me cursing from
upstairs that i'd done it.

Now ready for bed I flicked on my phone one last time before bed to see what the
world was up to. I'd got more followers, mainly marketting people but a few humans
too and a couple of them had shared my picture so at least that was a good thing. I
decided to follow these few back, there was one I was keen to follow back. When I
follow someone I try and read into what type of person they are by the snippet of info
on their page. In the case of one of these followers they worked at..... yes you
guessed it.... the club. Perfect!! I could potentially spy on the club through this
person. What I also thought though was I again taking the wrong course of action
and getting involved where I perhaps shouldn't be. I'd posted this picture with the
intention that someone might know the girl. This person who had followed me might
only have seen this girl and wasn't really willing to give me any info based on his
circumstances. I followed them back and decided to drop them a quick message just
thanking them for following and if they could perhaps spread the word. I also asked
that as they were local did they know the girl in the picture I'd put up and could they
provide any information. If they could I would pass this onto the girl in the shop I
thought, it was helping her as i told myself I would and it would also give me time to
think about what I was doing. Being a hero was a foolish idea, everyone would
agree. Maybe i'd watched and read too much fiction and I thought I was different. I
told myself that this was probably right and that The White Shadow was just a whim.

Not too sure on my state of mind and if I was happy with myself I put down the
phone, curled up with my girlfriend and dropped off to sleep.

It wasn't long however before I heard a noise. I'd got a response.

"I know who you are, meet me by the club this Friday night at 1AM. Come alone"

....................... many questions entered my head at this point as you might
expect................ whether I chose to accept it or not I was going to have to be The
White Shadow for at least one night. I wasn't going to take a chance on turning up as
per my normal self. What if this person was telling the truth and had spotted me that
night. It wasn't exactly well executed.

This time turning off my phone I entered a restless sleep
**********************************************************************************************
The next morning I woke with a startle. The alarm was ringing and my head was
hurting, it hadnt been the best of nights.
Still thinking about the message whilst making tea I ended up burning my hand when
the kettle hit the worktop. It wasnt going to be my day. Sitting down to eat breakfast I
contemplated my situation. If this person had seen me then I had to confront them to
protect myself.
My head began to hurt more and the tea which would usually clear my head wasnt
working.
Other thoughts entered my head such as how was I going to meet this person. It
would be silly of me to do so as me I had to think of something else, I had to become
the White Shadow even if it was just for a night. This meant I had to put together my
costume.
It was now a Tuesday which meant I had a few evening to work on it. Not knowing if
it was enough time or not I decided to take the day off in order to get a head start.
Once Id said bye to my girlfriend I dug out all my fabric that Id brought in order to
make my costume. This made me think back to helping the girl in the shop but there
was no time for that now I had myself to worry about.
Laying out the fabric my hand was still sore from the earlier burn Id suffered but I
progressed nonetheless. It was many hours of cutting, trimming and tacking the
pieces together before I had anything to work with. I had a short break and had
another tea, this time being more careful, and settled down at the computer to drink
the tea and check to see if I had any updates.
Silentia_Mortis, the name of the sender of the messaged Id receive last night. I
looked at their profile but it had no posts, no followers and they werent following
anyone so the profile was solely for me. This lead me to think about who this person
might be and how was it they knew me? Also did they have something to hide? More
importantly were they an enemy and had they been the reason that the man in the
chair had taken his own life?
The profile picture didnt give anything away in fact it was just black. The only
information I had was the name which I searched the internet for. My results showed
only what the words loosely related to. Silence and Death. Cheery I thought and
threatening. Not getting anywhere I decided to finish my tea and close the computer
turning back to my costume making.