It was a female, probably a prostitute by the way she was dressed. Yet the way she moved was less like a hooker and more like, well, an athlete.  She walked past the porch area and turned around. I couldn't catch her appearance, her face was in total darkness, but the look was intense as she scanned the area. With haste she gave up and continued walking.

I let out my breath and took a few seconds to let the adrenaline subside before leaving the hiding spot. The church was very near now. Just across the road, past a row of cramped looking terraces and there it was. By now, the clouds had descended shrouding the highest tower with impenetrable thickness.

Perfect

The kunai sliced through the air and landed on a gargoyle. I pulled myself up and though it took a few exhausting minutes, that undertone of adrenaline propelled me forwards. My senses tingled with static that had now washed over me, being so close to my prize.

I was lucky this church seemed to favour abundant amounts of gargoyles for I managed to scale to the very peak before taking a short breath, massaging my numb fingertips and entering the belfry. 

A few bats fluttered around as I entered. I descended down the steps, thinking about the words as I did. Church...Gone. But it didn't make sense.

If I were a criminal, hiding a key, where would I put it? I stepped through the ajar door, entering the room at the left side of the altar. directly opposite was the confessional. Nothing could be more ironic.

After checking if anyone was around, I rushed across the front of the church and into the confessional. I checked both sides of the room but there was nothing there. I left, annoyance filling me. Nothing grated on me more than losing a target item.

"Looking for this honey?" A female sat on the ledge of a shattered stained-glass window. She appeared slim and slender, wrapped in tight fabric. She wore a mask that covered from her nose up to her hairline, but revealing the long dark hair that blew in curls from the wind. But in her hand, she span a USB and smiled with her full red lips. I clenched my fists. "Aw, feel bad about being bested by a woman?" Her smile grew wider and she leant down provocatively, "At least I know you wont tell you friends about me," she winked then and slipped from her perch. I made to run after her.

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Author guidance for This story

Letter from the Author

Only at the heights of human civilisation could one ever hope to perceive such a downfall as I have witnessed. They say that the insane are useless abominations in these days, yet to me, they are a wonderful reflection of how society has come to be. I can ascertain more truth from these "nutjobs" than I could from any other human. Their lies are much easier to discern than an "ordinairy human" if you know how to discover them.

Edward Gabriel

Preface to Kleptomaniac

someone with an irrational urge to steal in the absence of an economic motive.
When observing these particular patients, it is essential that you discover the patterns of when they are lying. I often find that kleptomaniacs delude themselves with false truths to subconsciously protect their moral ideals unless psychopathy and other such mental illnesses prevail. This patient I find the most intriguing.

updated Dec 14 '11 by Nosirrah