Warren sighed deeply as he stood with his back to one of the main paths of Central Park, the sound of steady water hitting the grass and shrubs around his ankles.

‘Ahhh… I almost didn’t make it.’ He though as he finished relieving himself.

Adjusting himself properly he looked around as he check to make sure no one with handcuffs had approached while he was distracted. It had been a while since he choose this park as his hunting grounds, mind drifting back to the last time he was here and the debacle that turned out to be.

Turning Warren began walking the dark dimly paths of the park scanning the bushes and walkways for someone or something that could “lend” him some form of financial profit. Turning the corner Warren noted a shadow under a walkway straight ahead. Smiling he turned his back and checked his fire arm. Confirming it was still loaded he turned back around and began approaching the figure, unfortunately there was nothing there when he turned back around.

“Dammit, this just isn’t a good night for me.” Speaking to his self almost silently, part of him considering heading to a new spot for a peek at better bait.

Emily walked silently through the park. She was enjoying the quiet. Being in the big city was starting to wear her out. It was loud and bright and fast. But the park at this time of the night was wonderful. The lights in this area were dim. People would be avoiding this area for fear of mugging or wild dogs or something. Emily liked the solitude. She might stay here the whole night until the first joggers of the morning.

She was walking the path when she noticed a dark figure near a tree.
She approached him but then realized it was best to leave him to whatever business he was carrying out. Time to walk on.

Several minutes later she noticed him again coming around the corner. Time to hide. She had come across a few muggers since her arrival to the Big City. Handing over money was no big deal to Emily. She had enough to go around. After handing it over they usually left her alone. She was once shot, the boy was nervous and ran off right after. Bullet went right through, easy to patch up.

Emily decided to see what this mugger had to offer. She walked up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder.

Suddenly Warren felt eyes on him his turned to the left to start searching around him, but stopped when a tapping was felt on his shoulder. Gripping the firearm tightly in his right hand Warren continued to turn around to his left, giving him a chance to identify who it was behind him while still concealing his firearm to the side.

‘Whoa.’ he thought to himself as he was confronted by and oddly dressed yet beautiful women. Her skin was pale, and her eyes seemed almost lifeless. He didn’t think to much more into it after all he has seen quite a few weird mutations in since coming to New York. Her attire was what he stared at most of all. She looked a bit like an extra from gone with the wind, although the style did do wonders for her figure as she was narrow at the waist and widened out up top and in the hips region, before the dress blossomed out then fall straight around her legs.

“Well I do declare…” Warren joked with a mocking southern accent as he took a step back putting a little more than arms distance between the two of them, he circled around her like he was studying her attire. “…ain’t you a little late for Halloween?”

The man in front of her jumped a little after the tap on his shoulder. He seemed confused and began to circle her, eyeing her attire. She must admit, she usually didn’t go out in such clothing anymore. But she felt she wasn’t going to be seen this evening as she flitted through the trees of Central Park.

Emily was a little disappointed that her would-be-mugger was of African descent. Was the reason he mugged people because he couldn’t find a job? Could he not find a job because he was black? She wondered this man’s story.

“Ain’t you a little late for Halloween?” She decided to ignore the question. Even through his jacket, Emily could tell this man was quite muscular. His face was tough but had an innocent air to it. Her eyes traced the line of his cheekbone. She glanced away when she realized she was staring. “Um…I’m sorry, what?” She shook her head to clear her mind. “I’m sorry. Where are my manners? My name is Leveau, Emily Leveau.” She extended her hand in greeting.

>>“Um…I’m sorry, what?”<<

Raising an eyebrow Warren looked at the women even more confused, as she shook her head before introducing herself and extending her hand.

>> “I’m sorry. Where are my manners? My name is Leveau, Emily Leveau.”<<

Warren did have a history of being rude and that history would only continue as he looked down at her hand and then back up to her.
“You’ll have to excuse me for not returning the favor; you can call me Warren. I said you’re a little late for Halloween ."

I wasn’t that he didn’t want to but shaking her hand would involve putting his weapon in his non-lead hand lowering his chances of an accurate shot should one be needed, most people didn’t seek out the attention of strange men in a dark park especially women. That alone had him a little uneasy and he’d rather not be caught loafing if something should happen.

“You must be new around here, judging from you accent I mean. Been around here long?
He made small conversation as eyes occasionally looked from the surrounding brush and trees for any hint of an ambush or something.

Emily wasn’t sure what to do. She couldn’t remember the last time someone hadn’t taken her hand when it was offered. Her hand went back to her side. The man in front of her asked if she had been around here long.

“Yes. Well, no actually. Yes, I’ve been around long. No, I haven’t been around here long. Here being the City. Even less here being the Park. It’s my first time.” Emily didn’t know why she was acting so strange. She was usually very eloquent with words. “Accent? Oh, right! I’m from New Orleans. Born and bred.”

“How about you?” She tried to get closer. “Have you been here long?”

This man seemed to be extremely on edge. She wondered what she could do to calm him down. “Is everything ok? You seem tense. You shouldn’t worry, I don’t bite.”

He could tell she was taken back slightly with him not taking her hand. She continued to weird him out as she stumbled through her response.
>>“Yes. Well, no actually. Yes, I’ve been around long. No, I haven’t been around here long. Here being the City. Even less here being the Park. It’s my first time. “Accent? Oh, right! I’m from New Orleans. Born and bred.”<<

>>“How about you?” <<

As she stepped toward him; Warren took another step back. His left arm extending outward, telling her to keep her distance. It was sheer accident that his palm found itself resting on the center of her chest.

>>“Have you been here long?”<<

Within those seconds of making contact with her flesh he noticed she was cold, as a few more seconds passed his eyes widened as he felt something else or rather he didn’t. His eye met with hers, a look of shook on his face.

>>“Is everything ok? You seem tense. You shouldn’t worry, I don’t bite.”<<

“You’re DEAD?!”

Emily was getting annoyed with this young man. First, he didn’t shake her hand. Second, he touched her, not really inappropriately, but still in her bubble. She was slightly amused when he commented on her life situation. “It’s a mutation. I’m not really dead, it just seems like I am. I’m a mutant. Is that a problem?”

The undead girl didn’t really know if she was a mutant or the effect of a voodoo spell. She liked to think that God had given her another chance to be a part of something spectacular after her early demise. But in this day and age when science trumped magic and religion, calling herself a mutant was her best bet in being understood.

“My mutation keeps me from sleeping, so I wander around at night. I assume you wondered why I woman like me was wondering around at this hour.” Emily chuckled softly. “How about you, sir? What brings you out to the cold, isolated parts of the beautiful Central Park?”

>>“It’s a mutation. I’m not really dead, it just seems like I am. I’m a mutant. Is that a problem?”<<

>> “My mutation keeps me from sleeping, so I wander around at night. I assume you wondered why I woman like me was wondering around at this hour.”<<

Warren’s hand slowly slid from her chest, as he listened to her explanation. Not that he was being perverted but she was technically or medically (however you want to explain it) dead. And that would shock anyone. Yet one still had to admire the beauty of such a gift, her soft chuckle pulling him from his thoughts, as he gave her his full attention.

>>“How about you, sir? What brings you out to the cold, isolated parts of the beautiful Central Park?”<<

“Well actually I come out here every once awhile to prey on the innocent people with fine jewelry and thick wallets. Oh and phones can, get make good money from a phone. And you being a mutant is not going to be a problem.”

He would start to circle her again but this time at a slower pace and for a different reason. As he found himself admiring her, I mean it’s not every day you see someone without a pulse walking in the park. Nor talk to them and they actually reply. Extending his right hand out he remembered that he was still gripping his pistol, tucking into the front of his waist band his free hand would extend in the same fashion as hers before.

“I’m Warren Peace, and I’m homo superior too."

“Well actually I come out here every once awhile to prey on the innocent people with fine jewelry and thick wallets. Oh and phones can, get make good money from a phone. And you being a mutant is not going to be a problem.”

Emily had yet to get herself a cell phone. She knew of them, but hadn’t gotten around to buying one. One day, she would go to a store and buy a pre-paid phone. Emily had no identification yet, but she knew people that could help her. You don’t live for this long and not make friends in high places and low. “I have yet to purchase myself a phone, but from what I’ve seen they only cost $50 at Wal-mart.” She was not aware of the internet really or the capabilities of smart-phones, 3G, 4G, or apps. “I did not wear any fine jewelry, but I do have some cash if you need it.”

She wasn’t sure about this circling the man kept doing. It felt like a wolf circling his prey. Emily was starting to feel slightly uncomfortable until the man extended his hand. “I’m Warren Peace, and I’m homo superior too." The undead girl smiled and shook his hand. She had read War and Peace, three times. “Homo superior? I’m not familiar with the term.”

“Fifty dollars at Wal-Mart? What kind of crap are you looking at?” He had failed to think of the fact that she didn’t know much about phones considering how she was dressed. Then another question began to loom on his mind.

“You know what don’t worry I’ll hook you up with a real nice phone. A no I don’t need your money that really just takes the fun out of it. If you don’t my asking, exactly how long have you been in existence?”

Thinking cleverly of an indirect way to ask her age.

“And h- superior is new way of saying homo superior that I just made up. The word mutant is just a word they label us with, while they use it as an insult. I prefer to embrace my superiority.”

“I have been round…” Emily quickly did the math in her head, “almost 188 years. Hmm, my birthday’s coming up.” She smiled and wondered if she should celebrate the day of her birth this year. It had been awhile and she was almost two-hundred years old. That’s no small feat, if she did say so herself.

Homo superior must be a scientific term like homo sapien. She wondered if it was the true term or something made up by those who must face adversity. She had worked with individuals who found themselves better than those in charge. Even though she understood where they were coming from, some of their tactics could be messy and just push negative stereotypes.

Emily wondered if these were just Warren’s beliefs or if he was an activist. No matter what he was; it wouldn’t affect Emily’s opinion of him. To each their own. Wait a second, “You’re a mutant, too? I…I mean an ‘h-superior’…Can I ask…what do you do? I mean, what is you’re…" Power? Gift? Mutation? What’s the politically correct word for this situation?

“One hundred and eighty-eight?” Warren replied astonished, besides the obvious she didn’t look a day over sixty-five. His mind wondered to the various knowledge she must have after being alive for so long. Immediately questions begun to flood his mind, but decided to ask her about that stuff later.

“Ah my gift is speed. I’m faster than anything on the ground.” Warren stated quite proud of himself. He had to admit this was nice, having someone to talk with, as soft as that may make him sound he was quite happy to not be alone.

“You know if you want I can get you a really nice phone, for free?” He smiled that wide charming smile.” Whadda say?” Let me be the first to welcome you to the phone age.” With that he was gone, a breeze and a streak all that he left behind.

Before Emily could respond to Warren, he was gone. He really was fast. Where had he gone? She recalled him saying he was going to get a phone. Emily hoped he wasn’t going to steal a phone. But it would be rude to ask, so she would keep the question to herself.

Emily continued to stand in the silence. No need to sit when you never felt fatigued. Sitting also allowed insects to sneak up on her. She didn’t want some beetle burrowing into her skin unexpectedly. She watched a few animals scurry in the area. Her hair moved in the light breeze. She stood there just waiting and was enjoying her time doing it.

Then there was a breeze and he had returned, his pocket full of various phones, as he reached to hand them to her he noticed his fist was bleeding.
"Damn, cut my hand on that damn window..."
Looking up to her he smiled, partly because he liked smiling at her and alost because, well she was a hottie(yes he knows shes dead, but there are no laws against necrophilia in New York, right?)

"Here take your pick I got into a electronics store down the street."
All were top of the line phones, at least until next month when things upgraded again but for now his should do her just fine.
"So where do you stay, I mean clearly most of your closet friends and relatives have passed. So what do you do with your time?"


Warren was a bit more relaxed now, even settling down on a bench as he awaited her reply. He still had questions he wanted to ask her and since they had one another attention he figured why not now.