The Odds (Chapter 3)

Who is that naked stranger?

When Jack began to move toward the door, my anxiety meter was out of control. I had a really, really bad feeling about this. Usually my bad feelings proved correct and I didn’t even want to know what one so strong beheld. “Jack, stop!”

He twisted around to face me, indecision written all over his face. “That guy might be hurt.”

“Or a crazy serial killer.” My tone was serious.

“What are the odds?” His special grin flashed and I almost backed down….almost.

“I don’t know, but I was taught to run the opposite way from naked strangers. I’m guessing two in every three naked men in front yards that are possibly bleeding are crazy psychos.” Ha, I’d used logic, what would he do now?”

“Well, I was told that strangers are just friends you haven’t met,” and with that he put his hand on the doorknob to go outside, shrugging off my warning.

Stop him. This isn’t right, something’s wrong. I wanted to ask that stupid little voice in my head what was right about this situation, but I refrained. “Jack, please.” My whisper is filled with desperation. “At least wait until I put Emma down.”

Jack’s gaze found mine and I guess he saw the genuine fear that I was feeling. I didn’t know why this was freaking me out so bad, but there had to be something that would go wrong. It felt like stopping him or letting him confront the guy would lead to something dangerous.

He relaxed his grip on the handle. “Fine.”

I lay down Emma on my bed, kissing her forehead. She’s the only one in my family I’d probably do anything for. When I came back out into the hall, Jack was peering out of the window again. “I don’t think he’s hurt, injured people can’t stand still for that long.”

“Well, then what’s the red stuff?” My confusion is overwhelming and I don’t like it.

“Let’s find out, shall we?” I take his hand and we step outside.

The guy doesn’t notice us until Jack calls out. “Hey! Are you okay?”

The stranger turns to fully face us and I see that what I thought was blood is ink. He has lines in thick red ink slicing across his body. His eyes are a strange silver color, a kind I’ve never even heard of. Everything seems okay until I ask loudly, “Sir, are you alright?”

That’s when he bears his long, yellow teeth and lets out a hiss/growl sort of sound. He charges forward and I close my eyes. In less than five seconds I am charging right toward him. I don’t know where this coming from, but when he strikes and misses, I flawlessly retaliate. My kicks and blocks are graceful, like something out of a kung-fu or action movie.

He’s pinned to the ground, with me straddling his back so he can’t get up. Then he flips me around so I’m the helpless one. When he’s just about to hit me with something, he  suddenly flies off of me. I dazedly sit up and register Jack punching the man hard in the face. When he’s basically incapacitated, Jack moves over to me, helping me up. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”

“No, I…” I can’t really talk. My confusion has doubled and so has my surprise. Where did all those funky moves come from? I move over to the stranger, up in his face. “Who are you?”

“Nateri,” he hisses, trying to move.

“Nateri? Where the f**k are you from? Why are you here?” Jack is right behind me, glaring at the stranger.

“Master sent her best. You won’t live long. You will never defeat her,” he is growling and trying to snap at my face, but something is holding him down. “She is the most powerful of all! You will all die!”

“What the hell are you talking about?” I knew that this would end up bad. Here I was with a crazy guy basically threatening to kill me.

“Master seeks to dominate. All the lesser will be eliminated, leaving only the great!” He talked with a reverence and for some reason I thought of Hitler. Hadn’t he convinced all of the Germans that what he was doing was for the greater good?

“Shut the f**k up! You’re never going to even touch her or anyone else, you psycho!” He snarled. “I’m calling the cops.”

Jack pulled out his cell phone and began to dial 9-1-1. He took his foot off of Nateri’s chest and turned away, hurriedly speaking. Nateri beckoned me closer and I couldn’t help myself from leaning closer.

“There will be more. You can’t stop what’s already in motion. Eventually Master will get you…both of you.” He flattened himself against the ground and laughed darkly. “It’s all part of the plan.”

And then the f****r just disappeared. Well, no that’s not correct. The grass kind of absorbed him and then he was gone. Jack turned back to me with wide eyes, the phone still to his ear.

“What are the f*****g odds?” I growled at him, glaring at the empty space that the crazy killer Nateri no longer occupied.

Author's Note

Sorry this chapter is kind of messy I didn't really know how to start this whole thing off

Reviews

[Jordan's Back]

Hmmmmm interesting.

[Sophie]

"And then the f****r just disappeared." LOL! idk why, but I thought that was hilarious :P I'm hooked now :)