The Stranger

Who do you think the Stranger is? Why did he come? What is he up to? Respond in the comments.

The Stranger

 

1

His eyes were jet-black. Empty and endless, they reminded me of bottomless pits; two black holes that seemed to suck the life out of anybody that met their gaze.

Which fit the man. He was, after all, a killer.

Charlie Benson. That was the name he gave to the few to which he spoke when he showed up a few months back.

Charlie Benson.

It was his face that I awoke to on that cold morning, those black eyes hovering above me as though they were the eyes of an apparition, a demon, and when the reality burst through my head, when I realized that I was no longer asleep, I saw those eyes flash, as though a fire had been set behind them, only to be extinguished a fraction of a second later.

Startled, I shuffled away, trying to gain some distance between myself and the apparent madman, the madman that had broken into my apartment for reasons not yet clear, for reasons I had already decided I did not want to discover. But at that same moment, the moment my elbows locked and I shifted my body backwards, Charlie Benson wrapped his hands around my leg and pulled, tugging with a speed and strength that seemed impossible for his average build.

Before I knew what had occurred, I found myself on the floor beside my bed, Charlie Benson kneeling down beside me. His finger slowly made his way up to his lips. “Shhh,” he whispered, the traces of a smirk cast aglow on his face in the dim light.

“But I�"“

He cut me off with the wave of his hand, his eyes flashing briefly once more. But then the smirk reappeared. “Shhh,” he repeated. “If you’re quiet you can hear them coming.”

I was quiet because his words and body language demanded nothing but obedience, but as my mind raced as to who this man was, to why he was here in my apartment, I could hear the sound of several sets of boots out in the hallway, the floor creaking beneath them.

He was right. They were coming.

Reviews

[Zyle Christian William ..]

Wow! What happens next!? Charlie Benson is a creep! The narrator is in trouble! I like how you cultivate a sense of urgency that keeps you reading, you give us just enough information to move forward! I like it!

[Coyote Poetry]

A very good story. I liked the way you used description. Making the situation come alive to the vision of the reader. I liked how you set-up the ending. You left a open ending and made me wish to read more. Thank you for sharing the excellent short story.
Coyote