Mac Jenkins stood over the cowering man with his knife raised, the point ready to be plunged into his victim's heart. A lamp from above them shown light down onto the pair, the light bouncing off the dagger.
"What, no last words?" he whispered sadistically, a brutal, fiendish smile cracking his stony facade.
"P-Please don't kill me," the man under him begged with a quivering lip.
"And why would I listen to you?" Mac asked, stooping closer to his victim.
"I have a family!" the man exclaimed, his voice cracking. "They need me!"
"And I care, why?"
"Please just be reasonable," the man whispered. His eyes widened, widened and he continued begging. I smiled to myself. He was pathetic—not even an attempt at a saving gesture. Just sniveling and begging. It almost made me not want to help him.
Almost.
"Drop the knife," I commanded, making myself visible again. The man turned around, and a cold breeze blew through the alleyway.
"What makes you think you'll have any sort of power over me?" Mac asked arrogantly, but I didn't fall for the veneer. I could still see the broiling fear in those dilated eyes.
"I don't think you'll listen to me. I know you will," I answered, leaning against the brick wall. Magic pulsed through my relaxed body, just waiting to be used.
"You're a teenage boy with no defenses, and I am a grown man with a knife. If I were you, I'd run," Mac said, raising his knife to throw it.
"I wouldn't do that," I warned, posing for a fight.
Not taking my warning, he threw the knife directly at me. It was a beautiful and perfectly aimed throw, that would have hit me directly in the heart had I been normal. But I wasn't.
About halfway through the knife's path, it froze, turned, and then went hurtling right back at Mac.
With the sickening sound of a blade hitting flesh, the knife pierced into Mac's heart ending his life forever.
"I warned you," I whispered as I walked over to retrieve his knife.
"Who are you? Are you going to hurt me?" The other man's voice was frantic, and bounced off the walls of the alleyway.
"I'm not going to hurt you," I said, pulling the knife out of the now lifeless body of Mac Jenkins. "What's your name?"
"How'd you pull off that little trick with the knife?" the man asked, gaining some of his courage back.
"That's my little secret," I answered, flipping the knife in the air and catching it.
"Leave me alone," the man exclaimed. "I'll call the cops on you!"
"Oh, the cops! So scary," I mocked.
"Just tell me who you are, and why that man was after you," I ordered. He knit his eyebrows, opened his mouth, and then closed it.
"Is there a problem?" I questioned in an assertive tone. The only way to get people like this to talk was to come across as witty, confident, and forceful.
"My name is Grey, and I have no idea why Mac was after me," he answered. I listened to his words, and then chose mine carefully.
"You know his name. How?"
"Doesn't everyone know his name?" Grey asked with a confused tone. After a moment of silence, a triumphant smile formed on Grey's face. "You didn't know who he was, did you?"
"Obviously I did," I said, confused by the question.
"You're not from here are you?" he persisted, standing himself up. A bit of blood fell from a gash in his cheek, but besides that, he looked unharmed. He took a step forward out of the dim light.
All I could make out of his face was his bright blue eyes. The rest of it was hidden by the dark.
"Do you want me to kill you too?" I asked, annoyed at his questioning.
"You wouldn't," he answered. I could make out a faint grin in the dark.
"You just watched me kill one man, and he wasn't annoying me," I shot back. "Besides, when did you get so cocky? Just moments ago you were lying on the ground under that man quivering and begging for your life. I'm the one who saved you. You don't seem to be in the position to make witty remarks."
"You're right. You did save me, and I am forever in debt to you. Thank you doesn't even suffice for what you've done for me."
"That's more like it." I smiled. "And it's no problem."
I had my mouth open to say more, but the sky above us broke, rain pouring out of the clouds.
"We need to get somewhere dry," I said, my black jacket already dripping from the outside and I could feel the water seeping through the fabric onto my white shirt.
"This way," Grey muttered, pulling me out of the alleyway and to the right. He pointed to a flickering light in the distance. "That's an old pub. It's pretty run down. There shouldn't be many people there."
I nodded, and picked up my pace. We had almost reached the door when I heard the sirens.
"Grey?"
"Yes," he said. Since we were under an awning and flooded with light, I could finally see his face fully. He was older than he sounded and moved. He had short hair that was graying, and a small beard that was fluffy and white. Etched into his face were wrinkles that seemed to have come from a long life of worry and hard work.
"Did you call the police?" I dreaded the answer, but knew I needed to hear it.
"Yes."
"Why would you do that?" I exclaimed burying my head in my hands. No matter how hard I was trying to keep my anger contained, it got a little bit of glory. "That's the stupidest thing you could have done!"
"I did it before you came, while he was threatening me with a knife. So actually, it was pretty smart," he answered, showing no reaction to my rage.
"And Mac just decided he'd let you make a call?" I questioned, not believe one word of his story.
"No! He thought he heard a sound which was most likely you, so he went to check it out. Since I was in an alley, I had no where to go, and he didn't leave the alley, so I just made the call quickly. He's a sloppy murderer." The words sunk into me, but I knew I didn't have time.
"If the police ask, Mac Jenkins died on his own accord. Understood? You are not to tell anyone about me," I whispered frantically, grabbing the old man's shoulders. Despite my frenzied state, I still couldn't believe how sloppy Mac was at killing.
"I didn't catch your name," he said, ignoring my statement.
"That's because I never said it." Once again, I tried to keep the annoyance and anger out of my voice, but couldn't complete the task.
"I'll agree to what you said if you just tell me your name."
"It's Ryder!" I exclaimed in exasperation. The sirens were so close that I could see the lights, so I knew I didn't have time to negotiate.
"Run, kid!" Grey exclaimed.
And I did. I ran for my life.
As my combat boots made loud thuds each time they made impact with the ground, my heart sped up, and my breaths shortened.
Shouts from the police rose up behind me, but I knew the drill: don't look back. I could hear their footsteps approaching towards me, going faster than I was, but I knew I only needed a little bit of time more for my body to restore.
"Stop running!" A masculine voice called out from behind me. I did not stop running. The command only sped me up.
As I was running, I could feel my focus returning, and a small presence of magic. Just a few more seconds.
"Stop or we'll shoot!"
"Run!" Grey's voice now added to the chorus of shouts, encouraging me. I heard some of the officers scolding him, but I didn't care; he seemed to understand me, and he was rooting for me. That was all I needed to run that last stretch.
After continuing on for a couple more steps, I could feel magic pulsing through me, and I knew it was time to leave.
I imagined myself disappearing from this place, and appearing back in my room, and raised my right hand. A small red tendril of light swirled out of my hand, and the next thing I knew, I was standing in my room chilled to the bone.
I let out a long breath, and leaned against the wall to steady my heartbeat. I made it; it was a close call, but I made it.
Once my heart rate slowed, I sighed and peeled off my clothes before hopping into my warm and comfortable bed.
If I wanted to keep doing what I was doing, I had a long and tiring journey ahead.
~+ Uncontrollable +~
So here's the first chapter! Don't fear... the chapters will get more exciting, and longer! I hope you enjoyed this, and I hope you decide to read on!
I'd also like to remind everyone that this is a NaNo novel, so I am aware that it is in need of an edit. If you see anything that needs to be fixed, please let me know.