This is my first attempt at writing Noir, so have patience and courtesy:

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I watch from the window, as she approaches from afar. My eyes track her movements, deftly around puddles, as she arrives. Soon enough, she is at the door. "Are you followed?" I ask her instantly, even before she's inside. "Nien." I close the door behind her, after double-checking. "Is it done?" she queries. I point, wordlessly to the dual pair of shotglasses on the countertop. Each is filled with a rot-colored liquid. We move as one, and each take hold of a seperate glass. She squeezes my spare hand, which I accept. We look eachother in the eyes, with a steely glare, before taking the shot.

Colors dissappear; The world is various shades of black, white, and bright red. Unfortunately, it's mostly the first and the latter. Since the Consumption, she has turned sheet white. Her former green dress has turned scarlet. "This is Defense," she offers. I can tell her senses are skewed, akin of my own. "This is our way," I reply, rubbing my eyes, "To pass through."

"Now," she informs me. We leave.

We walk in silence through the rain. Side by side.

Our destination is lit with candles, surrounding the enclosed entrance. A large metal device sillhouttes the doorway. I reconsider for a moment; I consider leaving, taking her to the nearest station, running away. Together. My imagination follows this train of thought to a dead end: You Cannot Run Away.

"We cannot run," she responds, to my unspoken thought. We both inhale deeply, and walk through the device, our steps in-synch.

In a flash (a bright grün flash, in my noir and rot-shaded world), she is gone. I pull a sharp breath, shocked to find my comrade evaporated.

"Did you really think The Solution would work?" asks a figure, hidden in the shadows. From inside the complex, he was lying in wait, firearm loaded with a pair of bullets. "Dummes Huhn!", I curse at the shadowed man, but I also curse at myself. The girl is gone. Forever is lost, my companion.

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-Originally posted June 1st 2006