Unexpected Delays

Izzy arrives for a lazy day back from college, but nobody's plans are working perfectly...not even his.

- - - - - Izzy's POV - - - - -

Finally, I'm home. Thank god this day was almost over. Climbing the last flight of stairs, I reached my apartment door and turned down the handle, leaning lightly against the wood. Not open? I guess everyone's out then, all the better. I searched my pocket for the key and twisted it into the lock, swinging the door open onto my apartment shrouded in darkness. For some reason, there was something about night time that was almost, frightening.

The apartment was very simple; a main room with a living and dining area, a small overcrowded kitchen, and three bedrooms leading from the right. The lounge was, average, to be honest, nothing spectacular, just home. Okay, so you wouldn't expect an apartment to have this many rooms, but since I live with my mother and the two most annoying brothers in the world, I think you can understand where I'm coming from.

Shrugging off my coat and backpack, I tossed them lazily onto the sofa and lumbered towards the kitchen for a snack. Through the darkness, I heard shuffling and a crash of cutlery. I froze in fear. Leaning cautiously over, I steadied my shaking hand and flicked the light switch in the kitchen, gasping as a shadow neared the doorway.

My heart skipped a beat as I called out in a croaky voice,
"Wh-- who's there?"

I listened carefully, just enough so to hear a low menacing snarl. When it rounded the doorway, I yelped briefly. A dog, I think. Or maybe not. It was much larger than the typical mutt, with long tangled fur and the scent of something dead. Figuring it had lost it's way and somehow landed up trapped in here, I knelt down and leant over to check for a name tag.

"Hey there, little fella. How did you get in here?"

I recoiled in horror as the dog snapped at me, slicing my hand clean open, crimson blood pouring from the wound. The shock of the attack caused me to panic. I was never very good in this sort of situation. I leapt to my feet and darted into my bedroom, flicking the catch shut on the door before retreating to the fortress of my bed. I know it is a little ironic, but I always kept a mini first aid kit in my bedside cabinet, mainly for if I ever decided to run away. I scrounged around in the darkness until I found a bandage and wrapped my hand up the best I could, (which was admittedly not very well considering I couldn't see a thing and my hands were shaking violently). I laid on my bed with my music blasting through the headphones of my IPod, waiting for long enough for the animal to leave.

Eventually, I tired of waiting and decided to see what was happening behind the door. Slowly releasing the catch, I pulled the door slightly ajar and peeked into the lounge, the light from the kitchen helping me to see. The dog was lulling around the apartment mindlessly, heading for the door. I wondered how the creature expected to get out since the door was locked and there were no visible holes to squeeze through. My eyes widened and I rubbed them vigorously, not believing what I had just seen. I returned to the gap to check if it had really happened. Oh my god! That--that thing just tore a hole in the door and stepped casually through. I stood in awe. Relieved to have the apartment to myself once again, I sighed contently and reached for the handle, pulling the door towards me slightly.

I froze again, hearing floorboards in the next room creaking. Silencing my breath, I listened carefully, just enough to hear a voice murmur,
"Right, that's sorted. Now, where is she?"

Gasping a little too loudly, I backed behind my bedroom door and slammed it quickly shut, locking it firmly and applying various items of furniture as extra protection. 'Why me?' I asked myself. I was sick to death of all of this hassle! Why couldn't something be simple and easy for once in my life? Trying to assess the situation, I leant against the bottom bedpost and slid to the ground.

Ah, so you're in there I see. Playing games, are we?

Whoa, was that in my head? It wasn't me, though. A slow mysterious sounding voice whispered to me from the other side of the door,
"Come on out of there, child."
Scrambling to my feet, I stood in the centre of the room facing the door, working out what to do, what to say, if anything. Eventually, I managed to speak, although not entirely sure of what I was saying.
"I - I warn you. I have a gun and I'm not afraid to use it!"
A chill rushed up my spine as a gentle flutter of wind brushed my skin. Perhaps I should have realised I had already locked the clear balcony doors before the all too familiar voice spoke once again, this time from behind me.

"--some gun."

Before I could react, the figure wrapped his arms around me, crushing my own arms against my body. I grimaced in agony but, before I could scream for help, he lifted one of his arms to cover my mouth with his hand. (Okay, so I don't have any proof that it was a 'he', but a woman that strong with a voice like that? Somebody call the asylum!) As I struggled, my muffled cries drowned out by the television from next door, the man whispered in my ear,
"Calm down, child. Do not cause trouble for me or--OW!"

I didn’t give him a chance to finish, biting his hand with all of my might, distracting him for a few moments, which was all I needed... I elbowed him in the stomach and pulled away from his grip, jolting forwards and screaming at the top of my voice,
"Help! Anybody?!"

I beamed triumphantly as the sound of the television died down and I could hear the neighbours banging on the door, calling,
"Hey! Hello? Are you alright in there? Hey!"

Looking to my bedroom door, I spotted the man stepping towards me from the corner of my eye. Upon seeing this, I replied by taking a larger step back, banging lightly into the wall. Trying to scare the man away (as if it would have had any effect!) I yelled,
"Stay back, or I'll--"

I fell silent as the man paused, staring at me with an amused expression spreading across his face.
"Or you'll what? Shoot me?!"
Upon making the apparently humorous remark, the man sniggered ignorantly. Nobody and I mean nobody laughed at me and got away with it. I was going to break this pretty boy into pieces before letting his snide comments pass by me unnoticed.

Summoning all of my courage, I leapt at the man, my arms outstretched towards his neck. I thought that I was going to make it, that is, until the man caught hold of my arms (without any apparent effort on his part) and swung me around onto my bed. Grabbing my bed sheet at either side and wrapping it tightly over me, the man pinned me down with one hand and covered my mouth with the other once again, this time showing more caution with how he positioned his hand. Leaning over my body, the man drew his face close to mine as I protested this invasion of my 'personal bubble'. Staring into my eyes, the man whispered menacingly,
"Now you listen and heed well. Don't mess with me. You're coming with me whether you like it or not and since you are but a human child, I will have no problems in taking you by force if necessary. So, what will it be? The easy way or the hard way?"
As he removed his hand from my mouth, I searched desperately for an escape, and then I found it.

I chuckled slightly, confusing the man.
"I pick... neither!"
With the final word, I released my leg from the tangled sheets and kicked him where it hurts. Hard. Instantly, the man's grip loosened and he recoiled in pain, slumping against the wall several metres from the bed.

Seizing the opportunity, I leapt from the bed and darted towards the door, tearing teh furniture aside and releasing the catch with trembling fingers. Hastily, I escaped into the lounge and charged for the front door, my only means of escape. Suddenly, he was in front of me, gripping my wrist roughly; it felt just about ready to snap. Just as tears started to form in my eyes, I screamed in agony and tore my arm from the strangers grasp, retreating into the kitchen, where the light had strangely just extinguished.

He was playing with me, messing me around before kidnapping me; it was torture. Feeling my way along the kitchen floor, my fingers found a cool handle and I spun around just in time, brandishing the knife threateningly towards the stranger's heart as he approached the doorway. If that didn't get him running, nothing would. I steadied my raspy breaths and narrowed my eyes at the towering silhouette as a sinister chuckle escaped his lips.

"You do know that's a spoon, don't you, child?"

Gasping as I felt the rounded rim of a dessert spoon, I cursed under my breath and slapped my hand over the light switch; if he could see, I needed to improve my chances as much as possible too. As if by some stroke of luck, the stranger recoiled and shielded his eyes as the light blinded him, his hands scouring the wall to kill the light once again.

Using this brief lapse to my advantage, I barged past the shady figure and dived behind the floor length aqua curtains. I shied into the corner. Echoing footsteps unnerved me until I spotted his sleek black shoes peeking under the curtain by my feet; my heart stopped. He dressed well for a kidnapper, not that it would make a difference really. Quickly, I slipped away from the window and raced around the dining table. He pursued me instantly.

In an attempt to slow the stranger's advances, I tipped the dining chairs as I passed, wincing as they smashed with a sickening crunch. Weaving clumsily around the sofa, I charged purposefully to the front door. Suddenly, the door was almost ripped from it's hinged and I was thrown back by a gust of wind. I landed roughly in the stranger's arms and gulped as the dog stood before me once again, anger burning in it's bloodstained, pale eyes. I screamed hoarsely as my throat dried out.

"Go to your room and don't move. Now!"

Startled by the urgency in the man's voice, I twisted from his fairly loose grip and bolted into my bedroom, relocking the door and pushing the furniture back into place, followed by another set of drawers. That should hold this time!

"You shall not pass, scum. She is mine!"

I heard a sickening crunch of bone and a sharp yelp, followed by a deadly silence; I had to escape, and fast.

The flutter of chilled wind rushed up my spine again and I twisted around to spot him directly in front of me. Before he could react, I kicked him once again where it hurt and turned to run for the balcony, pausing momentarily to spot the stranger back on his feet and edging towards me. Impossible!

Through clenched teeth, he managed to croak, "Why you--!?" and dropped onto one knee to allow himself to recover. I smirked at his weakness and turned, unlocking the balcony door and stepping towards the rail.

I gasped,
"No! Where's my rope?!"

I spun around, hoping to still have time to unblock the door and leave in a more civilised fashion. No such luck. By this point, the man was on his feet, staring at me with anger burning in his eyes. If the eyes were the window to the soul as my teachers were often telling me, his soul must have been on fire! Unsure of what to do, I decided on the possibly suicidal approach. Edging slowly backwards towards the railing, I yelled,
"Stay back or I'll jump. I mean it! I--"
I blinked, or at least I must have. When I opened my eyes again, the man had disappeared. Had I been hallucinating? I must have, thank god! I stepped forwards to return to the warmth of my bedroom when strong arms wrapped around me, holding me close. I screamed in shock and spotted the man through the window in the door.
"I--I mean it!"
I struggled frantically as he dragged me up onto the balcony ledge.

"I know you meant it," the man whispered menacingly in my ear.
"Lets go, then."
Horror held me silent as the man stepped casually over the edge of the balcony, falling ever quicker to the ground below. I closed my eyes firmly, preparing for a crash landing, when instead, the man landed lightly on the pavement below, my feet dangling inches above the ground. Before I had realised we had started moving, the man had set off sprinting at an incredible speed, the wind battering my defenceless face as the man gripped me tighter under one arm. I opened my eyes momentarily to see only flickering lights and blurred surroundings.

I knew I had no chance of escaping at that point, but I knew I had to do something, at least. So I yelled up to him,
"Who are you? Where are you taking me? PUT ME DOWN!"
I didn't realise I could be so assertive, until the man stopped. I opened my eyes and looked up at the man to find him smiling at me. Now that there was more light, I stared up at a beautiful young man, with perfect features and a heart wrenching smile. My heart skipped a beat, and it wasn't because I had just looked down. The man had me dangled over a cliff edge, a sheer drop to the sea below.

"Do you really want me to put you down?" the man sniggered in an innocent voice, loosening his grip slightly.

The idea of falling slowly to my death. Now that was something I couldn't handle, so I lost my nerve. I struggled frantically and screamed like my life depended on it, begging with the man as I clung onto him desperately,
"NO! Keep hold, keep hold. Please--!"
To my annoyance, the man laughed at me as he lifted me back into a comfortable position under his arm and spoke gently as I glared at him.
"Very well then. Keep quiet and stop wriggling so much, or I just might drop you."

I knew I had no choice, so I simply pouted for a while, hoping for it to have some effect. Eventually, I decided to question him again,
"So, who are you? Why won't you tell me?" Again, no answer. The ignorant man simply dropped me to the ground, murmuring, "We're here".
I yelped in pain and cursed at him under my breath, knowing any obvious retaliation would have gave away how much I wanted to escape. Suddenly, my expression changed completely to that of sheer horror. Staring past the man, I gasped quietly and yelled,
"What is that thing?!"
Shocked and worried, the man spun on the spot, his eyes darting around in the darkness for the slightest hint of movement.

A smile spread across my face as I whispered, "Sucker!" and leapt to my feet, running as fast as my legs would carry me into the forest, the direction I was hoping we had just came from. As I continued sprinting through the maze of trees, I distracted myself from the noises around me, ranting aloud,
"What a creep! I'm glad to be away from him. Now, all I have to do is find the way out of this forest and then it's home free. Ohh! Why wasn't I born a homing pigeon?!" Pausing, I heard a twig snap behind me and panicked, running ever quicker.

"Very well then. Keep quiet and stop wriggling, or I just might drop you."
I couldn't get rid of those words echoing in my mind, my head began to spin and a throbbing headache emerged. I slowed slightly, losing all sense of direction, and continued to slow, regardless of the approaching footsteps behind me. I stopped suddenly as the footsteps began to circle me, the sound echoing from every side. I spun on the spot trying to find out where the sound was coming from. Soon, a silhouette stood tall in front of me and, before I could realise what I had laid my eyes on, the man had lunged at me, pulling me to the ground on top of him. Gripping me firmly, he spun over and pressed my arms against the ground. I couldn't believe it... He was sat on me! The idiot, who did he think he was!? I'm guessing he knew this would have aggravated me, as he taunted.

"...and where exactly do you suppose you're going?"

I struggled frantically under his weight. While I laid there, the first reply that entered my mind was, 'Anywhere you aren't!' but I thought the better of it and decided to stick with,
"Get off of me, freak! Whatch'a think you're doing?!"
At this point, I knew I sounded desperate and scared which, well, which I was to be honest. Yet again, he did not reply and just stared at me blankly, holding a calm voice as he spoke,
"You haven't answered my question."

I was so frustrated, I hated his guts. All I wanted was to tear his eyes out. Anger built within me as I rolled my eyes and moaned,
"Urgh! Can this day get any worse? First that vicious dog and now you. Why can't you just leave me alone?!"

By this point, I was screaming at him. A small smirk crept across his face. Oh, that's it! I glared at him in disgust and spat in his face. His eyes met mine, narrowed and dark. I knew I had pushed him just a little too far.
Oh dear...

"Uuargh!"
I yelped as he lifted me off the ground by my arms as he stood up, my feet dangling far from the floor. I struggled, hoping (for once) to be dropped to the ground. He must have been strong. He pulled my hand over to the other and grasped both of my arms firmly by the wrists in one of his hands. My eyes widened in horror. Dangling me against the trunk of a rotting tree, he slowly and calmly wiped his face with the back of his hand and turned back to face me.

I was too scared to look at him and turned my face away desperately. The man smirked and chuckled to himself, grabbing my chin roughly in his free hand and turning my face back to his, forcing me to look directly into his mysterious eyes. He was so close to me I could feel his breath on my neck and shivered.
He spoke in such a low and sinister voice, I could feel tears welling up in my eyes.

"Foolish child. Did you think I would have been able to let you remain where you were after what you have faced? We of my race might have been discovered, so--"

Wait, what did he just say? Him of his race? What the hell was he on about?! I cut him off,
"Whoa, wait. Who's we? What might be discovered? Tell m--!"
I couldn't finish before his hand was covering my mouth once again. Did he never learn? That does not stop someone from talking, it begs to be bitten! Although, on this occasion, I was a little too petrified to do anything.

"You talk too much, it annoys me", this arrogant stranger stated bluntly, "For now, at least, sleep."

Who did he think he was, ordering me around like he owned me. Ooh, he made me so angry, I could have just-- Oh wait, I could just! I snapped my teeth viciously at his hand, surprised at how quickly he managed to draw it away from my reach. I growled at him in the angriest voice I could muster, "I don't wanna sleep!"

I thrashed my legs at him viciously, in hope of catching him perfectly again. The man leaned casually closer to me, using his own legs to immobilise mine.

At first, he merely stared at me again (what was with him?) but a hint of sadness soon showed in his eyes as he sighed,
"Very well."

As he released my arms and stepped back, I dropped to the ground, my arms aching as they fell to my sides. Before I could overcome the shock, the man had wrapped both arms around me and pulled me up into a tight embrace. I moaned in agony and struggled with what little energy I had left. Leaning forward so as to tower over me further, the man lifted his hands to the back of my head, his arms dragging me closer to his body. Talk about invading the personal bubble!

As unusual warmth spread down my spine, I placed both hands against his slim yet muscular body and pushed away from him with every ounce of my strength. He didn't even budge...

Author's Note

I started writing this when I was 16, so I've done a lot of growing up since then. Just about to start remastering it so any feedback will be gratefully received!