The Neon Falls

The patrol car roared off in pursuit. Raiko, sitting in the back, watched the city pass by like a blur of light and shadow. Her mind was working fast, analyzing the situation with a coolness that didn't fit her age. (17 years old... In fact, it may be that if)

"Ok, there were two wounded, one seriously but with a high chance of survival. In total there were three shots.... So what I'll do is simple: I'll shoot each one twice as much. If they die, that would be good; if not, well... they were lucky."

The patrol car was getting closer with every second, thanks to the constant information coming in over the radio. Raiko averted her gaze for a moment and noticed a small mirror on the back of the pickup truck. At the sight of her reflection he paused, he had never been someone normal. Her eyes, which should be black, brown or even gray... were red. Intense, deep, like glowing embers in the dark. His mind transported him to a memory buried in his past:

A young Raiko was holding an airsoft gun. In front of him, a pile of cans of which, he manages to knock down a few.

"Good, Raiko! You're doing excellent!" said Osme, with a proud smile.

But Raiko did not share his enthusiasm. Her voice was a broken whisper, full of uncertainty:

"Why am I doing this, why are my eyes different from others, what should I really do...?"

Osme was silent for a moment, surprised by the question, though he knew it would come sooner or later. His answer was firm, but charged with empathy.

"Raiko, you are certainly doing this for your one goal, which I am helping you achieve. That goal is tied to the reason you are different."

"What is my goal?" asked Raiko, emptiness evident in her words.

"You have to put an end to those who bring fear and darkness into the lives of others. Your differences, being unique, will allow you to bring about that change that many, including me, long for. By the way, your unique difference is not only the color of your eyes, it is also..."

The memory faded abruptly as Raiko sensed the change in the van's speed. They had caught up with the suspicious car.

The driver of the patrol car, along with the other policemen, were discussing how to stop the vehicle. Before they could decide, Raiko took action. Without warning, he jumped onto the hood and, with an impulse, landed on the roof of the fleeing car.

"What the hell is he doing!" shouted one of the policemen, watching as the car and the young man who climbed onto the roof went to the right.

This took the driver by surprise, who tried to turn around and follow the car, but reacted too late. The pickup truck hit a traffic light at the corner and ended up crashing into a parked car. Raiko turns around and realizes that the crash wasn't that serious and that the police will be fine.

Inside the getaway car, the criminals felt a loud bang on the roof.

"I think there's someone upstairs," said one of them, with obvious concern.

"That's impossible. How could someone be up there at this speed?" replied the other, just before a shot went through the roof and hit his leg.

"Ahhh!" he cried out in pain as his partner pulled out a gun and began firing upwards.

Raiko, dodging the shots, felt a bullet graze her left cheek. A prickling heat ran across her skin. Looking down, he noticed a low-intensity reddish reflection in the car. It was his own light, the glow of his hair and eyes, that made him unique.

With a nimble leap, he landed on the hood of the car, right in front of the windshield. The criminals looked at him, frozen in shock. Not only was there someone on the hood, but that someone had black hair but a lock of it had a phosphorescent red gradient, like a vivid neon light.

Before they could react, Raiko leaned over and shot one of the front tires. The tire exploded, and the driver lost control. The car swerved sharply to the right, careening up the sidewalk and crashing into poles, trees and bushes until it came to a stop against a concrete pole, the chase in the shadows was over.

Raiko jumped out of the vehicle seconds before impact, landing gracefully.

"Well, I didn't have to do much in the end" he muttered as he walked towards the wrecked car.

As he was about to leave, a noise caught her attention. As he turned around, he saw someone get out of the vehicle. A guy hooded just like him, with a mask covering his face.

What took his breath away was not the gun pointed at him, nor the fact that this person seemed unharmed. It was the eyes.

They were deep blue in color, a faint blue light emanating from their hood.

For a moment, Raiko felt like he was looking at himself through a distorted mirror.

"You're... like me?" he murmured, his voice heavy with disbelief.