“Help,” I whispered. “We need help.”
How dumb was I? I needed to call for help, not sit here talking to thin air! I wasn’t a big fan of the cops, but sometimes you needed bullies with guns to go after other bullies.
I slapped my hands down on my jeans pockets, but they were empty. I looked out the door to see my purse laying on the ground. Damn it, my phone was in there!
The shop had a landline, I could use that!
Before I could stumble to my feet, my savior launched himself at his closest opponent. He moved so fast his outline seemed to blur.
The man screamed for help, struggling under the hooded figure as they both went down to the ground.
My monster grabbed the man’s face, forcing him to be still. When he lowered his face to the gangbanger, I thought he was going to kiss him. He stopped when his face was a few inches away and opened his mouth unnaturally wide. Something bright and sparkling began flowing from the thug to the monster.
Most of the other gang members turned and ran, but one of them stayed. I watched him fumble with his shirt and finally pull out a gun. I opened my mouth to warn the monster, but my scream was drowned out by the roar of the gun firing.
The hooded figure jerked and vanished. The gun that had been in his back fell to the ground with a clink.
The man on the ground was deathly still. I couldn't even tell if he was breathing.
The guy with the gun turned in a circle, swinging the gun around wildly. I ducked a little, scared he was going to fire into the store. I should've been busy blockading the door, but I couldn’t look away.
“I’ll fucking kill you!” the gangbanger screamed.
The monster reappeared in the air above the man’s head, landing heavily. The gun fired again as he rode the gangbangerto the ground. When they hit the pavement, the gun skittered away, and the gangster resorted to swinging his fists.
Blows landed but didn’t seem to affect the monster. Ignoring the punches, he grabbed the man’s face and repeated the process. This time, there were no other young men with guns to save the monster’s victim, they’d all fled.
I watched as the monster drew all the sparkling essence out of the gunman. The stream went from being vibrant and bright to dim. The gunman went deathly still at the same time the essence stopped flowing.
Now that the monster had drawn everything out of the gunman, I thought he might turn on me. Instead, his outline blurred again, and a heavy, white mist engulfed the gunman's body.
When the monster reformed, he was on his hands and knees, the mist disappeared, and there was no body!
The monster stood up and walked casually to the first man he’d taken down. Dropping to one knee, he grabbed the man by the front of the shirt and lifted him a little to bring his face close. The sparkly essence flowed from the man into the monster, but not as much as before.
When it stopped flowing, the hooded figure blurred again, and the mist appeared, then disappeared, leaving the figure but the body was gone, just like the first gunman.
Had he eaten their souls, then absorbed their bodies?
None of this felt real.
That must’ve been why I didn’t move when the monster stood up and turned to face me.
“Run. I should run.”
Why could I say the words but not do the action? Instead of escaping, I stared at the tall figure as he stalked back to the closed door. Not that anything as simple as a glass door would keep me safe, even if I could’ve locked it.
When he got to the door, he sank to his knees and sat back on his heels. Despite all the movement, the hood was still up, hiding his face.
Except for those glowing eyes.
“You’re cold.”
His voice was otherworldly. I couldn’t describe it, except that it was too deep and seemed to echo in the air around us.
As I watched, he pulled off his hoodie, then pressed it through the glass to hand it to me.
I stared at the hand and arm that managed to pass through a solid glass door as if it wasn’t there, but didn’t take the sweatshirt.
