Generation 4: Chapter 13

 

🛑 This chapter is not suitable for anyone under the age of 18 🛑

It's been about a month since Oliver went to temporarily live with his Uncle and he's come back home to see me only twice. I knew he had promised to visit me a lot more than he has been, but I eventually taught myself to not let it bother me too much and I tried not to hound him about it or be greedy and jealous of his Uncle. With only seeing him twice in the last month, this separation reminded me of when he was swamped with school and I never had a lot of time with him, so I guess you could say that being without him like this, only getting to see him every now and then, wasn't really a foreign feeling to me.. That's not to say I enjoyed it or was okay with tolerating it, because it was different now that we lived together, but it made being lonely easier to deal with since I had been through it before.

My excitement for waking up and looking at my phone was no different this morning, checking my phone for any sign of him and I had a text waiting to be read that he had sent about an hour ago. It took me a moment to open it and read it, wanting it to be him telling me that he was coming to see me, but then again, he texted me a lot in the mornings just to say 'hi' and I hoped that this message was one telling me he was on his way here.

'Hey, good morning.' It read and I smirked.

'Hey. Good morning to yourself.' I sent back, waiting a moment and hearing my phone chime again within a few minutes.

'I miss you.' It simply read and my smirk only grew into a wider smile.

'I miss you more. Are you coming home today?' I asked, sitting on the edge of my seat as I waited for a response.

'No.. Sorry.. Maybe tomorrow?' He replied and my smile was wiped from my lips.

'Oh, okay.. Anything special happening today?'

'My Uncle wants to try fishing, but we'll see if that goes terribly or not. Maybe he'll fall in if he catches something big. I'll get a picture for you.' He replied and I chuckled softly, the smirk briefly returning to my lips, but it was gone again as I replied to him.

'Well, good luck with that.. I look forward to tomorrow. I love you, have a good day today.' I sent back.

'You do the same. I love you, too.' He replied and I set down my phone on the nightstand.

I got up and got ready for the day, taking a shower and getting dressed for work, thinking about Oliver every second I could. I tried to focus again on how we used to date and how I used to go about my day easily without him, thinking about him sufficing my need for him until the next time we saw one another and it worked most days, but today was especially harder when all I could think of was the possibility of seeing him tomorrow. Each time he had come to visit, we only spent roughly an hour together, but we took full advantage of what little time we had and exploring one another's body was no exception, sometimes even cutting the time in half by showering with him instead of him taking one by himself after making love, but.. Dammit. I needed to stop thinking about it, it only made me miss him more and I couldn't wait for the day to end.

I left a little before three and arrived at work on time, getting the bar ready for customers and wiping down the counter as well as all of the tables even though they were cleaned to perfection the night prior.. It really only helped me keep my mind off of Oliver and how anxious I was to see him, though even still, he followed me everywhere I went and I couldn't even look at the stool he always liked to sit in without smiling, nor could I forget that my bar was where we first met, where I had first kissed him.. I sighed heavily, realizing that being here could even be worse than being at the condo.

My bar manager, Gavin, came in a quarter after three and I was cleaning glasses when I noticed him come in, "Hey, sorry I'm late. Traffic was shitty," he told me as he walked in.

"Don't worry about it. It's a weekday, people don't usually show up until about four, anyhow," I brushed off, seeing him smile and I continued to clean glasses.

"How are you today?" He wondered and I shrugged.

"Good, I suppose. And yourself?"

"Pretty good. Your boyfriend still out of town?" He asked next, adjusting his attire as he made small talk.

"Yeah, he should be visiting tomorrow, though."

"I bet you can't wait to see him, huh?" He continued with a smile and I couldn't help but smirk.

"Of course. Seeing him is the highlight of everything," I replied, "Hey, would you mind going to the VIP room and making sure all of the ashtrays are emptied and clean, as well as make sure the tables are wiped down and there's no ash anywhere?" I asked and he nodded.

"Sure thing," he confirmed, watching as he made his way upstairs and I continued washing glasses.

People eventually started coming into the bar around four, like I had predicted, fresh faces as well as the usual customers and I enjoyed my job wholeheartedly. I was always surrounded by decent people and I've grown to have friendships with some of them, making it a lot easier to take my mind off of missing Oliver and it made working a lot easier, too, even when knowing I'd come back to an empty home at the end of the night.

At times when more waitresses would show up and I was able to leave the bar downstairs for a while, I'd go upstairs to the VIP room and greet everyone there personally, making sure my guests that had special privileges felt comfortable and cared for. Some of them would request me to make their drinks personally and I'd recommend to them great cigars to taste and buy, I was quite the salesman and I loved wooing my customers to the point where it would result in more income for Oliver and I, especially when they were swayed to buy the most expensive cigars that could possibly end up paying for a mortgage payment when I counted the registers at the end of the night. Life was easy lately, at least my job was. Being a bartender always came easy for me, but missing Oliver was still something I couldn't, and didn't, want to get used to.

Later in the evening, I eventually came back downstairs to manage the bar and time flew by quicker than I could've prayed for it to. Around eight at night, a half hour before last call and an hour before closing, my attention was caught by a group of three young men coming in and I watched them as they were greeted at the door. Already, I knew they were going to be trouble and they had no idea what kind of higher establishment this was, the three of them wearing less than appropriate attire for my bar and just by how they held themselves, I knew they had been bar hopping before they had come here, almost drunk already, no doubt. 

I watched as my coat check tried to tell them to leave, but it was obvious that she was struggling with this group of booze-filled college frat boys, so I took it upon myself to help her, stepping out from behind the bar and walking over to them.

"Gentleman, you need a jacket or tie in order to be here and denim jeans doesn't cut it. I apologize, but I'll have to ask you to leave until you fit the requirements," I began politely, keeping them from coming into the bar any more and I seemed to have hit a nerve with the main young man of the group. A tall, platinum blonde haired youth with deep blue eyes and a clean cut chin, clearly artificially tanned and the scowl he held when he looked at me told me he didn't like me from the moment he set his eyes on me. 

"What, 'no shirt, no shoes' type of bullshit, but taken up a notch by yuppies in suits and ties? We just came here to have a few drinks, that's all. No harm done, eh?" He contested.

"Please, I ask that you leave and come back with the proper attire, then I would be happy to serve you gentleman. But, until then.." I implied, making it clear that I wanted them to leave.

"So, you're the owner, huh?" The platinum blonde asked and I furrowed my brow towards him.

"Yeah, that's me. Again, gentlemen.. Please, leave and come back with the proper attire," I warned for the last time.

"Or what, grandpa? You gunna kick us all out by yourself?" He insulted, sizing me up as his eyes looked me up and down and I was bored of his insults.

"If it comes to that, then yes," I confirmed confidently, watching as the young man held his grimace towards me for a long moment and I held mine, as well. 

"All right, have it your way, old man. We'll leave," he replied, eventually giving up and stepping backwards towards the front door, "We'll be back though, don't you worry," he pathetically threatened.

"And hopefully wearing the correct attire," I spat back, hoping that they wouldn't come back to this place out of spite, nor were they welcome to. They were bad seeds, I could tell just by looking at them, and although I hated judging people so easily, I knew that if they even did come back, it would still be to cause trouble and I wouldn't allow it.

After they left, my coat check seemed anxious, but happy that I had gotten rid of them.

"Thanks for coming out from the bar.. I got nervous, I didn't know what to do.."

"No worries, I noticed right away they were giving you trouble. It's why I stay at the downstairs bar, for my employee's safety," I reassured her, seeing her smile and I touched her back comfortingly, letting her know that I didn't take nonsense lightly and none of my employees were going to be heckled without me stepping in to stop it.

I continued to try and end the night on a high note, serving the rest of my remaining customers and when it was ten minutes to nine, the place was cleared out and everyone was gone with the exception of a couple remaining waitresses that were cleaning the tables and vacuuming the carpet. I cleaned all of the dirty glasses collected by my girls and dried them as well, the girls finishing their work like they usually did before me and they bid me farewell when they were all done.

"Have a good night, Mr. Yamato," the girls said before leaving and I smiled.

"Goodnight, ladies. Be careful going home," I replied, finally alone as I watched them leave and I continued cleaning glasses in silence.

I loved running my bar. The ambiance, the live music, the soft roar of multiple conversations hanging in the air throughout the night.. I lived for it. Opening my own bar had become my dream, especially in the town that I had always wanted to come back to, and I never even expected to be doing this well. Of course, I knew I could and that I eventually would, but I hadn't imagined that my establishment would be going this well after only eight months, expecting the place to pick up after probably two years instead, but I was happy that I had picked such a great location and that things were going better than I had ever thought they could in this town.. Not to mention how lucky I was to meet the love of my life in the same town, too, which ended up only enhancing the feel of success.

I haven't been thinking about Oliver's story and dissecting it as I once did when he first told me, I had gotten used to him texting me and telling me what he and his Uncle had planned for the day and I grew to not question it as much anymore. I wanted to believe him, so I did. Every time he visited, we didn't talk much about his Uncle since we did enough of that during the days we wouldn't see one another, but we more so just kept the time we spent together only about us and we didn't spend our time together talking all that much, either. We didn't need to, really. I came to the conclusion that we'd spend as much time together intimately as we could and whenever he came home for good, we'd talk our hearts out and I was excited for the day when we could actually spend the entire day together so we could do exactly that.

I had thought I was alone, but Gavin came down from the VIP room, the one I put in charge of the bar upstairs as well as the rest of the place when I wasn't around and I hadn't noticed that he hadn't gone home yet. 

"Oh, I didn't know you were still here. Is everything in order up there?" I asked, watching him descend down the stairs and he stepped up to the bar as I cleaned.

"Yeah, it looks nice. I already cleaned the ashtrays and vacuumed all the ash, wiped down the coffee tables, polished the furniture.. Everything looks great," he replied and I nodded in approval.

"Good, thanks for doing all of that."

"Not a problem," he answered, expecting him to leave, yet he still stood in front of me and I looked to him with a curiously raised brow.

"..Something you need?" I asked and he gave a nervous smile.

"Uh.. Listen, if you ever want to do anything after work, I'd be happy to chill with you. My girlfriend is an excellent cook and I know with your boyfriend gone, it must be pretty lonely at home, right? Why don't you come over for dinner soon, maybe sometime after work? We could even have lunch or something on a Sunday, too," he suggested and I knew what this was, my view going down to the counter top momentarily before looking back up to him.

"I appreciate the offer, but just because I'm alone at home doesn't mean I'm lonely," I lied, even though I wanted my own words to be true.

"I know, I just figured since you hardly ever go out, you're home alone a lot lately and maybe getting out a night or two a week will do some good, make you miss him less.. Just a suggestion," he continued and I nodded.

"Thanks for your concern, but I'll be fine. If he doesn't come over tomorrow, then it'll probably be the day after that. I can last a couple weeks by myself after whenever I see him, so there's no need to worry about me. When we were dating, we barely saw one another, anyhow, so it's nothing new, really.."

"All right.. Well, offer always stands," he replied.

"Thanks. Have a good night, Gavin."

"You, too, sir," he answered and I watched as he left out the front door, following him out from behind the bar and I locked the door after he had gone.

After Gavin left, the bar was silent as I went around the first floor, pushing in all the chairs how I liked them and giving the chairs and tables one more wipe down despite my waitresses doing a good job. I didn't think I had OCD, but I took pride in my bar every night and I wanted it how I saw fit, so I always took another fifteen or so minutes to go throughout the entire place, making sure it was how I liked it before closing for the night. But, when everyone was gone and I was alone again, my mind eventually went back to Oliver and I was actually calm now, surprisingly, instead of eagerly awaiting his potential arrival tomorrow.. Maybe it was because the night was nearly over and when I went home to go to bed, he'd be home in no time. I loved thinking about him, I especially loved thinking about us together, but I tried not to excite myself as I tried to close for the night, not wanting to leave any table unchecked and trying not to distract myself from leaving my bar anything less than pristine. 

The last thing to do was take out all of the trash before I closed, holding five or so garbage bags and tossing them into the dumpster out back by the loading docks where I received my weekly shipment of cigars, alcohol and produce, closing the lid and it sent an echoing clap throughout the empty parking lot after I had thrown everything out.

Before going back inside, I stood out in the parking lot alone, taking in the fresh summer night air and I looked up at the stars as the sky grew darker. It was so beautiful, so serene and I hoped that Oliver was looking at the same sky I was, hoping he was wishing he was with me as much as I wished I was with him and now all I wanted to do was hold him in my arms as we looked to the clear, glimmering sky together, but I knew I'd have to wait to have such a romantic experience and I hoped his Uncle was a strong man that could get through a broken knee faster than anyone else just so I could have Oliver back.

I then froze and my mind went blank, hearing rustling in the bushes on the edge of the parking lot and I looked towards the brush, but it was still too hard to see anything through the dark. 

"Anyone there?" I called out, listening for a moment, but no one replied and I assumed it was just some wild animal, possibly a raccoon waiting to look through the garbage and I continued to make my way towards the stairs to walk up the loading dock and back inside, but before I could, I heard footsteps in the opposite direction of the rustled bushes and I saw three black figures coming out from the shadows through the parking lot from the road and I assumed it was just some kids out late at night cutting through my parking lot.

"Who's there?" I asked sternly, standing my ground as I waited for the figures to come into the light of the loading dock and once they came into view, it was the three troublesome young men from earlier, all dressed in black.. This didn't look good.

"Is this the proper attire now, old man?" The main blonde taunted and I was irritated about them showing up again and with no one to assist me, yet I still held my ground.

"Bar's closed, gentlemen. And still, not the right attire," I replied confidently. 

"You're Isaiah, right?" The blonde questioned, wondering how he knew my name, yet I still didn't waver my stance.

"Who's asking?"

"Thomas Zepeda," he replied and I thought for a moment, knowing that last name from somewhere and it suddenly dawned on me, "Seems like you know who I am now, huh?" He questioned and I realized that this wasn't just for kicking them out of the bar anymore.. This was personal.

"So," I began, "I haven't even met the girl yet and this is how Jody thinks she can get rid of me? Why doesn't she just give up already? Oliver hasn't seen her in months, and now, out of nowhere, she sends her pathetic, drunk brother and his equally pathetic drunk friends to.. Do what, exactly?" I questioned and I heard him chuckle.

"Is that what Fish told you? That they haven't seen one another in months? Funny, because I'm pretty sure they're together right now," he replied and I squinted my eyes towards him with doubt in my mind.

"Why would I ever believe that?" I asked and I watched him shrug.

"Maybe because it's the truth? You know, speaking in generalities, when a person wants to hide something from someone they care about, in fear that the information might hurt them, they tend to lie, do they not? You see it in movies all the time.. The ones closest to you lie and the ones that aren't are usually the ones telling the truth, using the truth to make them hurt, because either way, no matter who it comes from, the truth is gunna hurt, am I right? Why would I be lying?"

"I have no clue. It could very well happen the other way around, as well.. The one wanting to cause the pain is in fact the one lying, so again, why the hell would I ever believe a word you say?" I asked.

"Do I really have to prove it to you? I'd be more than happy to, whad'ya say?" He wondered and my heart began to beat a little quicker as I watched him pull out his phone from his pocket. The three of them didn't make me nervous, but rather the possibility of Thomas telling the truth is what did. 

"Please, leave, gentlemen. The last thing I want is trouble and that's clearly the only reason why you're here," I warned them.

"So, you don't want me to call my sister..? And you aren't even curious to see if he's been telling you the truth?" He continued to pry, but I continued to act uninterested.

"I won't tell you again.. Leave.. Now," I replied and I watched as Thomas put his phone back into his pocket.

"Fine, we'll leave.. After you say you'll dump Fish," he replied and I chuckled, growing tired of his nickname for Oliver as well as his pointless threats.

"No chance," I answered sternly and Thomas didn't seem to like my response. 

Thomas stepped forward more, his friends staying where they were, "Don't you get it? They're having a kid together. Do you really believe that not letting him go to be with the mother of his kid is the best choice?"

"It's not my choice to make, it's Oliver's. If he wants to be with her, which I highly doubt, then he can be, all he has to do is tell me. And, seeing as he hasn't done that yet, I can say again, it's not going to happen," I replied without a single shred of doubt.

"Well, don't say that I didn't warn you. Looks like we'll just have to take you out of the picture, then," he threatened and although I knew from the get-go that they were here to do something to this effect, I didn't think they'd actually go through with it.

"Can't we grow up, children? This is ridiculous."

"You brought this on yourself, man. I need to make my sister happy and if this is what she wants, then it's what she wants," Thomas said with a grin and there wasn't any point in saying anything else. This was happening, I was about to be jumped.. I just hoped that I favored well enough in the end to walk away from it. 

There was a moment where all of us were at a standstill, silence falling around us and all I did was watch and wait. Thomas and his friends all held stupid smirks on their faces, Thomas standing in place in front of me as both of his friends began to circle around me on either side. I wasn't much of a fighter, and that's not to say that I didn't know how to defend myself, though I've never taken on three people at once and the moment they began to come at me from three different angles, I could feel the adrenaline pumping through my veins. 

There wasn't ever a moment of knowing exactly when they would come at me or if they'd come at me one at a time or all at once, my only upper hand in this was that they were drunk and I hoped it would work to my advantage.

Suddenly, the boy to my left came at my first, winding back his fist and ready to hit me, but I stepped back quickly and he missed me by a hair and I applied force to his back, causing him to lose his balance and he fell to his hands and knees roughly.

I barely had time to recover myself before the boy originally on my right passed his falling friend with his fist hurdling at my face, but I grabbed his wrist in time and quickly twisted my arm around, twisting it as hard as I could and he cried out softly from his arm being hyper extended.

But, while I was distracted by the two that I didn't know the names of, after I had showed the second boy a new meaning of pain, I made the mistake of taking my eyes off of Thomas and by the time I had realized it, I felt a fist hitting my face hard and I felt my glasses crack against my temple and fly off towards the ground. I joined my glasses, falling back onto the blacktop and I hadn't imagined that Thomas had the amount of strength that he did, but I was surprisingly dazed after that one hit. 

The first boy that had come at me was back on his feet now and before I could try and stand completely to my feet, he had made his way behind me and he grabbed hold of my arms, pinning them back and I could feel the drunk strength he had when I found it difficult to get free from him. 

"You okay?" Thomas wondered to the boy with the twisted arm and he had regained a little of his composure as he held his elbow in slight pain.

"Yeah.. I'm good. Fuckin' hurts like a bitch, though," he answered, able to tell that he was struggling to hide how much I knew it actually hurt.

"Suck it up, pussy," Thomas replied and his friend didn't say anything back, Thomas then focusing on me again and a new grin formed on his lips.

Thomas then leaned in slightly to my level as his friend continued to hold me strongly in place, "You know what would be better than getting to do this right now? Getting to see Fish's reaction to whatever state we decide to leave you in," he threatened and my brows furrowed in anger, "Some of you here in this state, maybe some of you in the neighboring ones," he continued, not realizing at first what he had meant, through I grit my teeth as even more anger coursed through me and he grinned more when he realized that I understood his threat.

"This is between you and me, isn't it? If you want to fight, why do you need help from your friends? You're pathetic," I hissed, attempting to get out of his friends grip again, but somehow he was still able to hold me so tightly that I couldn't break out of it.

"Man.. You know what's funny, now that I'm looking at you? I can't even count on one hand how many times I've fucked up Fish, and now here you are, his precious boy toy.. It's like I'm getting a present for Christmas in the middle of June," he spoke with the same grin and I hadn't had any idea that Oliver was getting bullied at school.. It made me wonder if that was why, too, he didn't want to come over before we lived together when we first started dating. He must've never wanted me to see him like that.. But, now that I knew Thomas had been doing such things to the person that mattered most to me, I found strength to get passed the pain coursing through my entire face from being hit.

"You're trash, you know that? Pathetic, disgusting trash that feels the need to beat other people up because his own life is far more pitiful than anyone else's and instead of trying to make it better, you make others miserable, too.. Or in this case, try to and fail," I replied and his grin was wiped from his lips.

"Last chance to give this up or you might not be able to walk away after this," Thomas threatened and I tried to jerk myself out of his friends grip one last time, but it was no use.

"Fuck you, just get it over with.. I love him. No one can make me forget that and no one can make me regret it, no matter how much you mess me up.. You should know, too, that this threat doesn't go as far as me leaving Oliver and it being done.. He won't leave me, either. He loves me, he hates Jody and nothing can take me away from him, and nothing can take him away from me.. All this is is an empty threat with no real backbone," I replied confidently, knowing that whatever beating Thomas could give me would never compromise my love for Oliver and I saw in Thomas' eyes that he knew how serious I was.

I watched as his arm extended back and his fist hit my face harder than I thought he could punch yet again, my jaw instantly going weak and I felt blood pouring into my mouth from my lip being split and the inside of my cheek getting cut by my teeth. He pulled back his fist again, this time punching me straight in the nose, then his left fist against my cheek and I was dazed again for a moment, a steady stream of blood escaping my lips and it didn't make me regret anything, it only made me think of Oliver and how blood made him nauseous.

I remembered when I had cut my finger long ago and I caught him from fainting in my kitchen.. Sweet, sweet Oliver, the man who wanted to be a doctor yet couldn't handle blood, a subtle smirk forming on my lips just at the thought of such irony. But, any blood spilled was well worth it if it meant Oliver was untouched and safe. I'd do anything to keep him, I'd take any beating there was.. Anything.

After a few more punches that eventually caused my head to hang, blood continuing to pour from my mouth and I hung on the edge of consciousness, I coughed in a struggled manner, trying not to swallow the blood that gathered over my tongue and tipping my head down to drain it, my eyes then looking up and Thomas looked down at me.

"Had enough yet?" He questioned and I honestly found it funny, chuckling softly.

"You're done already?" I questioned, taunting him more and I saw in his eyes that he was filled with rage at how I was still able to take this pitiful excuse of a beating he gave.

The next beating I got, Thomas lifted his left leg and kicked the right side of my face and I was dazed yet again, then once I felt his foot kick at the side of my torso, I felt as well as heard a soft crack and I cried out quickly in pain, knowing that at least one of my ribs had either cracked or broke and Thomas' friend didn't need to hold me in place any longer.

I dropped to the ground, holding my side in pain and I felt like I could barely breathe, my entire torso refusing to expand from the pain in my side when inhaling and the blood constantly filling my mouth wasn't helping, either.. They weren't actually going to kill me, were they? They couldn't.. No.. They just couldn't.. I couldn't handle not seeing Oliver again, not being able to touch him or hearing him tell me to my face that he loves me.. I couldn't take it. I can't go out like this.

As they talked among themselves on what they wanted to do to me, tuning them out completely as I struggled to stay conscious, there was something else I heard besides them. Rustling from the bushes came into my ears again like before, before these assholes had shown up and my eyes looked right, seeing someone from my peripherals emerge from the brush.

I heard something else, though.. Something distinct.. Something that would scare any bully away and there was no mistaking that sound.. The sound of a wooden bat being tapped against the blacktop. 

As the sound approached, getting closer and closer and the three young men still oblivious, the unforgettable sound of wood cracking against a skull echoed over the empty parking lot and as my view was towards the blacktop, one of Thomas' friends fell limp in front of me like a sack of bricks.

"What the fuc-" I heard the other boy call out, but just as quick as he had tried to yell, he, too, was quickly taken out of the picture and yet another loud, unforgettable crack echoed over the parking lot and I heard his body fall limp behind me.

"Dude! D-Dude, holy shit!" Thomas yelled in horror and I heard his feet scrambling and attempting to run away, but when I looked up, my vision blurred without my glasses as well as my eyes swollen and tearing from my beating, I watched a black figure holding a bat turning towards Thomas attempting to run away.

Winding his arms back over his head as he held the bat, he then launched it forward and let it go, sending it to the back of Thomas' neck and his body fell face first into the blacktop. 

I quickly glanced towards the boy lying in front of me, seeing a pool of blood forming around his head and under his face, hating that I knew right away he was dead and there was nothing to do about it.. Yet.. Whoever this man was, he just saved my life.

I then looked back up when I heard Thomas still struggling, not unconscious like I had thought and I watched as he attempted to crawl backwards and away from the figure approaching him. 

"P-Please! Don't.. Don't come near me! Stay away from me!" Thomas pleaded in desperation, watching as the stranger picked up his bat again and my eyes widened in shock.

"St.. Stop," I struggled to say loud enough through my pain, the stranger not bothering to look back at me.

"I don't think so," the stranger replied to me in a stern, deep voice, almost sounding excited and as much as I was surprised that he had heard me, I was even more baffled that he was now finding some type of joy in doing this to these boys.

"S-Stop!" I tried to call out louder, my ribs killing me as well as my split lip and bleeding cheeks when I exerted the word. Once the word completely fell off my tongue, I watched the stranger twirl the handle of his bat fluidly within the one hand that held it, winding up like a batter to the plate and my heart was racing faster as I knew what was coming next. After the twirl, the stranger gripped the handle tightly and he sent the bat crashing down onto Thomas and horribly, for the third time, I was overcome by the sound of wood cracking a skull.

I winced my eyes shut to the noise, trying my hardest to block it out, but over and over and over I heard it, again and again, and soon, it didn't even sound like there was any skull left to abuse.

When the sound had finally stopped after a moment that seemed to last forever, still continuing to wince my eyes shut, eventually, I opened them once more and looked up with caution. The stranger dressed in black stood over Thomas and I was glad that I couldn't see from this distance what the end result of Thomas' remains looked like. The stranger continued to stand there, watching as he then tilted his head back and he gathered his panting breath while looking up at the star filled sky. 

A few silent moments passed and I then noticed the man turn his head to the left and towards me, but he didn't look directly back at me, "You okay?" He wondered, completely blindsided by the tone of slight worry in his voice and I didn't know what to say back at first, but I eventually responded to his question through my continued pain.

"..Yeah.." I replied and he faced forward towards the sky once more, sighing in relief.

"God, I've been waiting so long for a chance to finally do that," he said softly under his breath, but somehow I heard every word and I couldn't even begin to try and fathom what he meant by it.

"Who.." I coughed, spitting blood on the blacktop as well as my clothes, "Who are you?" I asked the stranger, but he ignored my question.

The stranger dropped his bat, hearing it clatter on the blacktop and he walked back over towards me, a sense of fear flowing through me now as I watched him stop in front of me. Even though he had just saved me from a terrible beating, or even death, I was a little frightened by the man.. He had just killed three people before my eyes.

He bent down slowly and his fingers were gentle as he touched my chin and brought my gaze up to look at him, inspecting what Thomas had done to me and although it was dark and my vision was still a bit blurred, I could only make out subtle details about him now that he was a lot closer to me. I looked up to a man in his mid-to-late forties that had slick, black, pampered hair that was clearly too dark to be natural, prominent emerald eyes hiding behind black framed glasses, both gentle yet intimidating and I didn't even know what do or say but the obvious.

"Tha.. Thank you.." I spoke quietly, both appreciative and rather fearful of the murderer staring back at me and he removed his hand from my chin, bringing both of his hands to my upper arms and he held up my weak frame.

"You'll be okay, I'll get you help. Hang in there, Isaiah," he encouraged and I looked at him in slight confusion.

"H-How.. How do you know my name?" I questioned.

I was beginning to lose consciousness and the stranger seemed to have taken notice, his next words coming out as if they needed to be said and as if I needed to hear them.

"I took care of them, now you take care of my boy," he instructed and I swore that I must've heard him wrong.. But, before I could answer or even question him, I drifted out of consciousness and the night grew darker, soon seeing nothing but black walls closing in around me and it was the last thing I remembered.

 

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Original chapter written and posted on February 3, 2015