"The Man Called X: Lady of the River" Prologue (SNEAK PEEK)

It was Friday night, and Downtown Detroit was as lively as ever. As the setting sun transitioned the sky into a state of twilight, thousands of people were present and anxiously awaiting the city’s nightlife to punch in its timecard. From the many casinos, its fine dining and its dance clubs of many music genres and preferences, everyone within the city took advantage of everything it had to offer, including those who simply wanted a casual stroll along the Detroit International Riverfront.

Situated along the edge of the Detroit River, the Riverfront was one of Detroit’s most popular tourist attractions, that is, until X made himself known among the people of the city. Yet despite his presence among the citizens of Detroit, the Riverfront and its Riverwalk – the secured pathway that runs along the river – continues to attract many individuals to its path, either to gaze at the skyline of the Canadian city of Windsor on the other side, or to view the many ships that sail the calm waters that separates the two; sometimes both.

However, this Friday night proved to be rather different along the path of the Riverwalk.

On the corner of Beaubien and Atwater – one block away from the city’s Riverwalk – a young couple walked hand-in-hand toward the city’s famous downtown tourist attraction. Smiles were on their faces from that of laughter and enjoying the company of one another. Whatever could be said with words were instead said with gestures and intimacy, as the two prepared to spend an entertaining and romantic night together.

They crossed the street and reached the Riverwalk to gaze at Windsor on the other side of the city’s watery boundary line. The two stood underneath the light of a lamp post to take in such a sight. The man brought his female lover closer and she affectionately obliged, resting her cheek upon his chest in a tender and loving embrace. She wrapped her arms around his waist and looked up at him, completely smitten by his charm. The man looked at his woman once he felt her eyes reach his skin, smiling at her tenderly. He bent his head down and the two lovers embraced in a kiss before returning their attention to the view of the Detroit River before them.

Then suddenly, a wet hand firmly grasped a bar of the Riverwalk barrier from the other side.

The couple jumped back from the sudden surprise it brought them. The sudden display of the hand was soon joined by a second one, just as the first began to pull itself upward. Soon, a head began to rise from the depths of the river, followed by a body as it continued its climb to the surface. The couple continued to watch in shock, unable to fathom what was happening before their very eyes. Soon, the being was completely land-side and stood underneath the same lamp post the couple once did.

The entity in question was a woman; black in ethnicity with a slim yet curvy figure. She had curly natural black hair as long as her shoulders, and even more so due to whatever water weight gained by its absorption of the river. She had large brown eyes that wandered around her immediate surroundings suspiciously, and full lips that complimented the slim frame of her face.

As the woman stood underneath the light, she did so with her back bent and her arms relaxed, as if she no longer had the strength to move them. Every bit of her dripped with what the couple thought to be a constant flowing source of water, due to the fact that her body never dried since she pulled herself out of the river. However, despite the fact that she came from the Detroit River, that was not the only fact about the woman that attracted the the attention of the other individuals among the Riverwalk as they arrived.

It was the fact that she was completely naked.

“Where did she come from?” one onlooker asked.

“What happened to her?” said another.

“Somebody call the police!” yelled a third.

The couple looked at each other before the man turned his attention back to the wet and naked young lady before them. With his left hand around his lover’s waist, he raised a friendly right hand toward her. She twitched her head upon noticing the gesture, and slowly turned her head toward him.

“It’s okay,” he said. “You’re safe now; We won’t hurt you…”

He saw the woman’s already large eyes begin to widen, before he turned to see if any of the other bystanders beat him to the punch as far as alerting the police. He received his answer at the sight of at least three squadron cars pull up at the corner of Beaubien and Atwater. Six officers quickly made their way down to the three’s location, each at a loss of words. One of the officers approached the woman as another escorted the couple away.

“Ma’am,” the officer said, “I’m with the Detroit Police Department. You’re safe. We’re here to help you.”

The wet woman looked at the officer, now with a worried look on her face. “M-My baby,” she uttered. “Wh-Where’s my baby…?”

The officer hesitated, then realized that the others were holding the perimeter while he was the only one left to deal with her. He turned back toward her and took a nervous swallow.

“…We’ll find your baby, ma’am,” he assured. “Just… Just come with us, okay?”

After a moment’s passing, the woman’s eyes narrowed as she stared the officers way. Then she straightened her posture and looked at him in a rather haughty and undermining glare. The sudden change in the wet woman’s attitude confused the officer, and he took another step forward.

“…Ma’am?”

The sudden blue flash of her large brown eyes startled him.

Then, in the midst of his surprise, the officer began to choke. He grabbed at his throat out of instinct, only to start belching water by the bucketfuls. Soon after a few moments struggling to breathe, every edifice of his body began to leak water just like the woman under the lamp post, until he fell dead to the ground. She began walking forward and passed every police officer within the area. Once she did, they too dropped dead after vomiting up an impossible amount of water. Shocked eyes stared and traffic stopped abruptly as she walked down the streets of downtown Detroit just as casually as its inhabitants, wearing nothing but a smirk on her face.