That's how I ended up here... my body bruised, blood painting the ground crimson, vision blurring at the edges. My muscles scream every time I breathe. Dust from the collapsed wall chokes the air, mixing with the metallic scent of blood. The neon lights above flicker through the haze, painting the alley in dim shades of orange.
And then there's him.
The monster.
That ominous, calm aura radiating from his body feels suffocating. Every step he takes toward me echoed like a countdown to my death. My instincts yelling at me to move, to crawl, to run, to do something, but my body refuses to listen. I can only watch as he approaches, coat swaying lightly in the night breeze, his gaze cold enough to freeze blood.
"How disappointing," he said, voice flat but sharp enough to cut through the smoke. "We actually thought you would be a great asset, but you're still green."
He stopped right before me, crouching down. I felt his presence pressing down on me like a mountain. His eyes, gray and lifeless, scanning me as if I'm some failed experiment.
He placed a gloved hand on my blood-soaked shirt. The touch was light, almost gentle, yet it made my heart pound like thunder.
"But you took down the hit men with ease... though" He said to himself.
Hitmen?
"What did he mean by that?... Was he the one who sent those thugs after me?... And that card was it connected to him?"
Questions spiraled through my mind, but I couldn't afford to chase them. My focus was on survival. Every instinct I've trained screams escape, but my body was wrecked. I was cornered, outmatched, and one move away from dying.
"What do I do?"
Then—
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Three gunshots coming from behind tore through the air, deafening in the enclosed alley. The man jerks his head to the side, reacting instantly. His body blurs, dodging left, but not fast enough as one bullet grazed his cheek. A thin line of blood dripping down his face.
He then stopped moving, his expression unchanged but his eyes… his eyes sharpened.
"Now I see why you took you so long, Henry," a familiar voice called out from the darkness beyond the alleyway.
The silhouette steps into the neon light, revealing slim-fitted blue jeans, a pink t-shirt, and a bright blue apron splattered with faint paint stains. Across the front, in rainbow-colored letters, it reads: Mrs. Lina's Home.
My jaw almost drops. Metaphorically of course.
"Mom's not going to be happy if you end up dead" she says, pulling a cigarette from a small silver case and lighting it like she's just stepped out for groceries, not a gunfight.
The man turns to her, still calm. "we'll advice you not to interrupt as we were in the middle of something with Henry here"
"Ugh!... that feels so good" she exhales a cloud of smoke in sudden surprise, eyes sparkling mischievously, "Oh my… you're so handsome. My name is Mariam but you can call me Mary."
Miss Mary.
Mrs. Lina's second daughter, and the last person I expected to see here. She's loud, flirtatious, borderline perverted, and definitely not someone you'd picture wielding a gun. Yet here she is, standing confidently before of a walking nightmare, cigarette in hand like it's nothing.
Fear ran through me, I tried my best to warn but my voice doesn't follow. My throat felt raw, my strength was gone. I wanted to tell her to run, to get away from that monster, but all I can do is watch as I drifted slowly from conciousness.
---------------------------------------------
MISS MARY POV
I glanced over to Henry only to see that he is already on the edge.
"Dammit... what did that little turd get himself into?" I thought to myself, inhaling the smoke from the cigar once more.
The man's expression darkened, with predatory chill in his tone. "Okay Mary, again we'll advise you not interfere."
I felt it, a suffocating pressure... and for some reason got me so turned on. It slams into me like a wave, it was obvious that the Handsome stranger was something else
But... I exhaled another puff of smoke and grinned. "So you like to get rough, huh?... If you insist then bring it."
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
I fire my pistol, flashing the alleyway with each release and echoing through the not so silent night of New York. The Man moved fast. His body was a blur, weaving and dodging the bullets. Not a single shot touches him.
His heels slammed against the pavement as he lunged toward me, closing the gap between us in seconds and ready to strike. But I didn't give him the chance.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Another volley of bullets, and like last time, he weaved and dodged all. In less than three heartbeats, he appeared before me launching a jab for my face, but...
THUD
my thrust kick landed first launching the man backward, but he landed on his feet with his arms raised blocking the attack.
"You're quite strong, Mary." he mutters, dusting himself off as if he just tripped, his expression never changing. "We commend you."
"You're quite the smooth talker, pretty boy... keep it up and I won't stop blushing" I replied, raising my gun and smirking.
BANG! BANG!
Two more shots echo. He tilted his head, avoiding both with unnatural precision. Then in the blink of an eye, he was gone from where he stood, he vanished.
Only to suddenly appear right before me with a kick ready.
I could barely follow his movement. My pupils narrowed as I adjusted my body mid-motion. I raised an arm, trying to block, but...
BOOM!
To my surprise it was a direct knee strike with an impact that sent me flying through a wall, causing debris to rain around. I could feel it, the collision broke a few bones, I laid there for a while in pain, as thought flooded through my mind.
"Maaan!!... that really hurt... I swear when we get back I'm gonna kill that brat"
"Miss… Mary!" a weak sounding voice called out, I looked and saw through the dust that it was Henry.
All thoughts in my mind cleared instantly as I remembered my mission. I was told to bring him back safe.
Mustering my strength, I walked through the dust. I was bruised, bleeding, but still moving. I rolled my shoulder, warming up. "Handsome and strong?… Are you by chance looking for a girlfriend?." I said, cigarette in my mouth smoking and with a wide grin.
The man's expression doesn't change. "Hmmm... we've seen enough." His tone still cold, still calm.
"It seems you haven't even scratched the surface of abilities... Henry Rhodes... we will meet again" The man said ignoring my presence and looking at Henry. In that moment I felt pissed.
"What? Where do you think you're goi-" I couldn't finish. The man gave me a gaze that immediately blocked my air ways, I couldn't breathe. The air immediately shifted, he possessed murderous intent so thick I couldn't move.
Then in an instant he disappeared only to reappear beside me with a hand on my shoulder and his mouth to my ear.
"Know your place... Mary" three simple words and my name, and it left me sweating buckets.
That one act, told me everything. He wasn't fighting seriously the entire time. He was toying with me.
He then walked passed me, into the bustling streets of New York till he was gone. And only after he left did I realize that I was on my knees.
For a split second, the world stops. My pulse spikes. Cigarette half finished on the pavement. Both Henry and I were filled with absolute fear.
I exhaled slowly, tension draining from my body. "You damn Turd," I mutters, lighting another cigarette with trembling fingers. "Can't you make friends with normal people?."
Silence filled the alley which was surprising, knowing Henry he would have shot back at me for that comment. I then turned to him to see just how grave his injuries were but to my surprise he had passed out.
"Huh" I was dumbfounded.
"HEY BRAT!!...STAY WITH ME!!... STAY AWAY FROM THE LIGHT!!"