Phoenix Shadow
Chapter 2
I storm out of the diner I had been working at over the last several years, both furious and a bit panicked. How the heck was I going to pay rent this month? How was I going to afford my food? Gods above, I've really screwed myself over this time.
My thoughts are broken as I pass the green-eyed man from before. I had nearly forgotten him in the lecture I got from my boss that ended in my current unemployment. I turn, staring at the man as he walks off. Against everything in my mind and body saying not to, I begin to follow the strange, shadowless man. Now and then he would look back and I would hide so he wouldn't see me.
After maybe ten minutes of this little game he takes a turn into an alley I happen to know is a dead end. Steeling myself for the encounter ahead I follow him with a firm look.
But he wasn't there.
I turned into the alleyway to find no one in it. I was stunned, to say the least. I mean, I wasn't that far behind him... was I? -- No, I wasn't.
I look around the dark, empty alley in puzzlement. "What the hell?" I say softly, scratching the back of my head.
The second my hand touched the back of my head someone grabbed my arm, pinning it painfully behind my back. I bite back a cry of pain, only to have it cut off when my attacker wrapped his large arm around my neck.
"You're a piss poor hunter," he purrs into my ear, sending my mind reeling with even more questions. But, my eyes go to the ground. I see my shadow... but not his!
"W-Where the hell is your shadow?" I manage to choke out as he tightens his grip on my neck.
This question seems to catch him off guard as his grip loosens for a second. Out of nowhere, he begins laughing. "You're not a hunter, are you?" he asks.
I shake my head. "I don't even play Duck Hunt!" I say in a desperate voice, not sure what that had to do with anything, but if it got me out of this in one piece, I'd say it!
The man laughs more and I chance a glance at him. It was the man I was tailing! How the hell did he get behind me?
He was just as handsome as I remembered. Those deep green eyes filled with laughter and mirth as he shakes his head. I wasn't sure if he was laughing at his own foolishness or mine. I shake my head to clear it, setting my face into an angry look. "Who the hell are you?" I demand furiously. "Why don't you have a shadow?"
These questions seem to change his mood from amused to dangerous very quickly. Before I can blink, he is right in front of my face. His breath was warm and strong. It almost smelled like he'd been eating something with mint and chocolate, as he bends down a bit to look me right in the eyes. A strange power washed over me. My own power tried to fight it off.
"If you aren't a hunter, why were you following me?" he asks in a warning tone. My heart rate spikes as I take a stumbling step away from him. I was suddenly aware of just how much danger I was in. This guy was huge! I had no chance against him if he chose to beat me up or worse. "I-I ... I mean," my mind races as I struggle to find a way to answer his very fair question without sounding totally insane.
I guess he didn't like my hesitance, 'cause the next second, his large hand was wrapped around my throat. I couldn't feel the ground under my feet anymore. I struggle for breath and fight against his grip as he slams me into the wall behind me.
A yelp escapes my lips as my head connects with the wall and makes my vision blur and my head spin. My head falls to my chest only for the man to use his free hand to grab my hair and force me to look him in the eyes. "I asked you a question!" he says angrily.
I feel that strange power wash over my mind again. His eyes are glowing a deep magenta as they seem to search my face for something. Suddenly, his eyes widen and he smirks. "Well well, that's interesting," he says, his voice morphing from a snarl back to a purr as he lets me drop back to the ground again.