The noise of the shutter closing echoed in the empty alley and the silence that remained was palpable. The camera caught by its strap on the jutting pole stopped swinging and all was still. The pool of blood on the ground beside the body continued to grow acting as a last testament to the life that was now slowly being extinguished. The women’s slim hand still gripped the cable release but her finger no longer compressed the button that remotely allowed the lens to operate. The only sound in the alley was the sound of muffled footsteps as they disappeared back into the busy Christmas streets.
* * *
Lucy couldn’t believe that she had been that lucky. Things like that never happened to her. An almost brand new Nikon for a couple of dollars was the sort of thing that a struggling amateur photographer dreamed of. Even on Ebay it was unusual to find a bargain that good. She would still need to buy a case but that was just within her budget. She had been trying to make the jump from enthusiastic amateur to modest professional for a few months but the lack of a good camera had been holding her back. Clients took confidence from the slick black case of an expensive camera and the long lenses that were favoured by paparazzi the world over.
When the camera arrived it was in almost perfect condition. The only flaw that she could find was that the window that showed whether or not a film was loaded was blackened. This was probably the reason that the previous owner had left a roll in the camera. She had little use for someone else’s photos so she discarded it onto the small table in her apartment that served as both dining table and business office and promptly forgot all about it.
A few days later when developing film in her small cramped bathroom she was surprised to find photos that she couldn’t remember taking. Blurred images of a face and hand superimposed over those of a young girl laying on a dark surface. The double exposure served to make the photos difficult to decipher. Sitting on the edge of the lime green vanity, a left over from the seventies, she tried to make sense of the images. She lost interest in the puzzle however when the soft chirp of the phone demanded her attention.
Yep, she was definitely on a roll, her luck had obviously changed for the better. First the buy of the century and now some guaranteed paid work. A small company was looking for an unknown photographer to shoot some images of their shoes for an urban catalogue. Set in an inner city alley highlighted by the vivid neon of the city lights it promised to be both challenging and financially rewarding. They seemed however unable to explain how her name had come up but they were definite that she had come highly recommended.
The alley was almost surreal; cut off from the bustle of the busy street outside it had an air of desolation. She had expected to find a crew of models and hangers on but on her arrival she was greeted by a very short and oddly creepy little man who told her that the shoot had been cut back due to budget cuts and that they were hoping that she could just shoot the shoes without any models. Still hoping for a healthy commission there was little she could do but agree. And it seemed legit with boxes of shoes open on the bitumen.
With the company’s demand that the shots included the neon lights of the busy city there was only one way that she could compose the shots. If she hung her camera from the pole that ran the length of the alley and used her remote cable to trigger the shutter. Gritting her teeth and thanking god for her six brothers that had taught her to climb she clambered up on the pile of old boxes that had been discarded against one wall.
Once her camera was in position she climbed back down to arrange the shoes to their best advantage. It was then that she turned her back on the odd man. The blow when it came was so sudden that she struggled to make sense of what had happened. As he leaned over the top of her and started to undo her pants she realised almost in a dream that this scene was familiar. Fighting for her life as her very essence drained from her she realised that the only thing that she could do was try and protect others from the same fate. She reached out and with the last of her strength picked up the remote cable attached to her camera and pushed in the button.
* * *
The noise of the shutter closing echoed in the empty alley and the silence that remained was palpable. The camera caught by its strap on the jutting pole stopped swinging and all was still. The pool of blood on the ground beside the body continued to grow acting as a last testament to the life that was now slowly being extinguished. The women’s slim hand still gripped the cable release but her finger no longer compressed the button that remotely allowed the lens to operate. The only sound in the alley was the sound of muffled footsteps as they disappeared back into the busy Christmas streets.