Of Monsters and Men Ch. 01

She could feel her heart pounding and throbbing in her throat. The taste of fear forming in her mouth like the bad aftertaste of a stomach flu. A million beads of sweat broke out all over her body as she tightened her fingers a little harder around her purse strap, and quickened her pace on the sidewalk.

She knew she would encounter trouble with the hoodlums based in the area she recently moved to, but she didn't expect to encounter them so soon. She tried think of herself as a tolerant person, but as soon moved into the Washington Hills neighborhood she discovered all of the horror stories she had heard about the people who live in these neighborhoods were true.

Young men stood on street corners all throughout the day, and didn't leave until midnight. Young black women walked down the street in too-revealing clothes, selling their bodies. There was a liquor store on every corner she turned, and she had homeless men and drug addicts begging her for change every time she ventured out her home. To say she regretted moving into this neighborhood, with people that she feared the most, would be an understatement.

When she heard a loud blaring ring-tone of that annoying T-Mobile melody, her fear eased up, and she dared to give the hideous creature behind her a second glance to be sure he wouldn't cause any harm. Just maybe, whoever that was calling this savage would be her saving grace.

When he first answered the his voice rattled her like a sudden storm. It was deep, dark, loud, inviting and thunderous. It didn't match well with the nice suit he had on. But that didn't matter to her. All that mattered to her at the moment was what he was to her, and deep down, she knew he was nothing but a savage monster that was more than ready to snatch her purse, her belongings, or, worse yet, simply attack her, for the simple fact that she was alone.

The moment the savage's conversation ended, her fear grew once again, and it grew ten fold when she saw him advancing in on her. In a moments notice, she was taken over by flight or fight mode, and she began to run for her life.

~*~*

She ran so far and so fast, in such a short period of time, that they both weren't surprised when exhaustion took over her. But to her that didn't matter, all that mattered was to get to safety. Or to find someone that could rescue her.

She took another glance back at the monster behind her, and was relieved when she didn't see him any longer. She finally let out a breath of joy and relief.

But that soon ended when large footsteps, and a dark shadowy figure, slowly made its way down the same alleyway she had retreated too.

"DAMN IT! Why can't these things just go away?" she said out loud, speaking to no one.

"I already got rid of one, and here comes another one, ready to only do what God knows what to me. Oh goodness, I hate these niggers so much," she said, panting, trying to catch her next breath.

She quickly looked once again at her new would-be attacker, and bolted right out of the alleyway. As she ran for her life once again, she dared to give the animal that threatened her life one more look, and the mere sight of him now frighten her to pieces.

He was tall, maybe around 6'2, or 6'3''. Skin as black as midnight. He had typical black facial features, and he wore a mean mug. A mean mug that showcased what he was thinking, and what he was thinking was to harm her, and as his agitation and anger grew, the uglier he became..His eyes were dark as his soul, and at the last second of her staring, she could have sworn she saw the image of huge bat-like wings and horns sprouting from his head.

She was in hysterics now. She had to get to safety. She had always been frightened of these people, and what they were capable of. But now she knew whatever her next move was, it would be a life or death situation. As she continued to run she felt tears escape her eyes and run down her cheeks. Her heart beat even faster than it did before, and she could feel her body begin to reach exhaustion, as she was consumed with fear.

That was, until she literally ran into her saving grace.

"Woo hoo there ma'am, easy there. What's the rush? Is everything okay?" the stranger asked in a warm calming voice.

She looked up at him with tear-filled frightened eyes, and as she reached out to grab him, she let each word fall from her mouth in a shaky breathless voice.

"The...they... they...there...were... two of them....both were....." she tried explaining herself, but her savior already knew what the deal was.

"Shhh Shhhh... there...there...there. You are safe now. Whoever those animals were they won't hurt you now that I got a hold of you. Just ease yourself into my arms, I am here now." And with those words, she couldn't help but to feel a type of solace and safety.

Not only did his words comfort her, but his warm embrace gave her comfort as well. She looked behind her one last time to see if the animals that were chasing her before were gone, and to her surprised relief they were. But even with that notion, she still didn't feel safe walking home alone especially in the neighborhood she was in.

"Do you need me to take you home?" she heard the man ask.

When she looked up at him for a second time, she got a real good look at him and was mesmerized by his beauty.

His beauty was what angels were described of. His blonde locks flowed with the wind,and his crystal clear blue eyes held nothing but warmth and solitude. It was then she knew for a fact she was in safe hands.

"Oh please do. And thank you so much for coming in time to rescue me."

Without a word, the young handsome young man took off his black blazer, and draped it over her small shivering form.

He looked down at her once more to wipe her tear-stained face, and swiftly guided her to a place where she knew she would find safety,and comfort. Or so she thought....

~*~*~*

Ease and comfort were now the two emotions that overwhelmed her. She no longer had to run for her life, to keep a constant look out over her shoulder, and to fear not knowing what those monsters would do to her.

She finally let out a breath of relief and she let herself sway to the music. As the cool air brushed against her skin, she stole another look at her savior. His skin was smooth and flawless. He had the cheekbones that looked like it could make diamonds out of coal. It all matched perfectly well with his long flowing blonde locks that escaped from his bun and loosely blew across his angelic white face.

She couldn't help but think to herself that she had literally run into the most beautiful man she had ever seen. When he caught her staring at him, redness plagued her cheeks, and she quickly looked away from him as bashfully.

She looked out the passenger side window, and felt shame creep up on her.

"Hey, darling. You are with me now. I know your mind is still reeling from what happen earlier, but I ain't like those animals that chased you into me. So calm down."

"I am not frightened anymore, I was just shaming myself into looking, and admiring such a beautiful man as yourself, and thought about how lucky I am to run into you. You not only handsome, but you are my savior as well. It's just some little-girl fantasy come true I suppose," she said with a little small giggle.

When she heard him snickering too, she turned her eyes back on him. "It sounds foolish doesn't it?"

"No, it doesn't. I just thought I would never be the hero saving a damsel in distress, especially one so pretty as yourself. It's usually the complete opposite...Anyways, how did you end up running into me tonight?"

"Well, I normally wouldn't come out so late at night, especially in a neighborhood like the one I live in. But it was a good friend of mine's birthday, and she coaxed me into having dinner with her. I wanted to decline knowing the cabs stop running after a certain time but she was so persistent. After a few good hours of laughter, good food, and fun, her boyfriend came to pick her up leaving me alone to walk home in a neighborhood I am not to familiar with just yet," she closed her eyes as the horrid thoughts came back to her in a flash.

"I said to myself it was simply just a small walk home. It was really late and the restaurant closed as our dinner came to an end, so I had no other choice."

The man could sense that replaying the thoughts was too much for her. He could sense that she needed comfort, and the knowledge that she was indeed safe, and that it was okay to talk about the traumatic experience. Without hesitation he gently reached out to her and calmly patted her shoulder.

"It's okay, you don't have to explain if you don't want too."

She looked back at him and softly grabbed his hand. "It's okay. I need to do this. As I was saying. the walk itself wasn't so bad until I ran into Xezoria, and her crew walking the normal street I usually walk home on. Normally, it wouldn't take me long to get home, but as soon as I saw her, and her posse coming, I ran the other direction. What would be a fifteen minute walk turn into an hour of pure hell because of her."

As she recanted her tale, she could feel the rage tearing through her. She heard the man take in breath, and started to frown, and before he knew he mumbled something very odd to her that she couldn't make out. It as almost as if he cursed.

"If you don't mind me asking, what she did to you?"

"Nothing really. She's just a hooker, that roams the streets damn near every night. She's harmless until she doesn't make her quota from the johns that pick her up. That's when she and her crew roam the streets starting trouble. Anyways, to avoid her, I simply walked in the opposite direction, and as I was walking a pair of footsteps came up behind me. To my fear and dread, it belonged to one of the most scariest men I have ever seen," she took in a deep breath, and let it out slowly as she tried her damnedest to finish the last sentence.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"Do you think that those people were born bad and evil?"

"What people?" he asked, looking at her oddly.

"You know....black people."

When he quickly looked her way, he could tell she was dead serious with her question. No matter how stupid he thought it was.

"How are they born bad?"

"Well, it seems like no matter what they do, or where they go, they always cause trouble. They ransack, ruin and destroy things. I mean, look at Washington Hills for example. It was a nice well to do neighborhood, with well to do people until they started moving in. Now just look at it, it's a cesspool, and a nightmare because of them."

She adverted her gaze back out the passenger side window.

"It's almost like no matter what, they are prone to do awful demonic things, because maybe—maybe--" she wanted to say what was on her mind so damn bad, but she held back due to fear of being judged as being a crazy person.

"But maybe what?" The man asked.

She looked back at him, and let out a deep breath of dread.

"Please don't think I am crazy when I say this, because I still can't believe what I saw myself to be exactly true,but when I took one last look at the man who was chasing me, I could have sworn he looked like a demon, or some sort of monster."

And with that, she knew she opened a can of worms she did not want to open.

She took another glance at him trying to read the expression on his face, and she was surprised, when he looked neutral.

"Hmm, I have heard weirder things in my lifetime, but I don't think you are crazy, not by a long shot. Have you thought you might have too much to drink?"

"No! I can't drink. I am only eighteen. Plus I have 20/20 vision, so I know what I saw could be real. Even though you, or anyone else, may not believe it, what I saw what was in that man's face, and it looked like pure evil. I am just glad you came in the nick of time to save me like you did. Thank you so much. What is your name by the way?"

"Oh dear, you haven't seen real evil in this world yet. And my name is Adrian. What it yours?"

"Megan."

"What a lovely name you have." He said smiling. " Megan, I must ask. How did one like you ended up in Washington Hills? I mean, anyone that is so fearful to be in that neighborhood, it seems odd that you are living there. And I hope I don't come off as prying."

"Oh you are not prying at all. It's rather simple actually. I moved into this neighborhood because it's closer to the University I am about attend,and with the state government cleaning up the neighborhood, and pushing the lower income people out of the neighborhood,and making it safer for the rest of us of higher caliber to live there. And plus it's the only neighborhood that's affordable for my daddy's budget."

"Hmm, the neighborhood couldn't too safe if you were almost attacked."

"Well it's getting there. Trust me on that. Pretty soon due to better deals, and business, those hoodlums won't be able to stand a chance of living there anymore."

"Well, do you find comfort in the fact that you are with me now? Your protector?"

"Well, yea, kind of. I hardly know you, but after the night I had, you are an angel in disguise."

The mention of him being called an angel threw him off guard, and made him roll his eyes with a smile.

"I don't know about that now, but I used to be a good kid. Anyways, just so you know, we are coming to our destination right now."

She slowly looked away from him,and brought her gaze finally to her surroundings as they pulled up to what looked like an abandon building from the side. As soon as Adrian drove along side of it, though, she saw a group of people walking into the building.

"What is this place?" she asked, befuddled

"It's called Midnight Rose. One of the hottest clubs around town. I hope you don't mind that I brought you here, but this one of the places I could think of that I know that is safe. Come on."

Adrian reached out, and grabbed her hand as he lead the way. He by passed the bouncer checking ID's and walked inside.

Once they were inside the club, the scent of hot heathen-dom plagued her nostrils, she saw bodies gyrating and grinding all over each other, and loud music throbbed throughout her body. Coming to a club would be her last choice for safety, but after dealing with what she had to endure earlier, any place where she was around like-minded people was comforting right about now.

She felt herself glide and weave through the crowd as Adrian led her to a table in the furthest corner of the club.

He looked at her with those bright beautiful blue eyes, and motioned for her to sit.

"Would you like anything to drink?"

"Some water would be fine?" She hoped that he was able to hear her over the loud blaring music, but when he just glared at her she figured it was too loud. Which seemed very odd to her.

Adrian gave her a reassuring smile, and patted her on the shoulder before he left. As she watched him leave, she found herself very uncomfortable, it was hard to relax as the music seem blare louder, and she got the uneasy feeling of being watched.

After a moments of tension passed, with no sight of Adrian, she took one long sigh, and her eyes did a dance of their own trying to find a comfortable place to look.

She sat there for what seemed like for a few seconds until she felt the ever-watching eyes moving close to her, and heard a smooth voice join her in her booth.

"Why hello, my dear. Do you mind if I join you?" said a melodic voice.

Megan looked up quickly with a startled expression. She hadn't heard any movement nearby other than the harsh bodies gyrating against each other and the loud blaring music pounding in her ears. She definitely would have hear him coming.

Before she could refuse him, he made himself comfortable in the seat across from her

"My, what a lovely young woman you are. Care for a drink?" he said, gently grabbing her hand.

The moment that his skin touched hers, she felt an icy cold chill run straight through her body. She quickly jerked her hand back and placed it her lap. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she knew something was not right with this man.

"Sorry, but I came with my boyfriend, and he won't like the fact that a strange man is sitting with me. So you better leave, before he comes back to kick your ass," she said, trying to be intimidating.

"Oh really now?" he gave her a grin, finding humor in her words.

She looked around the club hoping once again hoping to catch sight of Adrian. When she saw that he was nowhere to be found, she looked in his eyes with a stoic expression.

"Yes,really. Now leave me alone."

She had hoped that her tone was strong enough for him to heed her warning and finally leave her alone. But to her dismay, it only made him grin more.

"Oh, you are talking about that tall, blonde, godlike creature named Adrian, right? ..Oh sweetie, how dumb are you?"

The man's laughter made her feel anxious,and uneasy. She prayed to God that Adrian would show up soon and make this man go away, but when she couldn't see him once again, she knew her prayers were in vain.

"Oh, deary, there's no need for you to be praying to GOD for Adrian to show up, when he is the one that guided you into your death trap."

His laughter grew even more evil and more heinous. It made her feel anxious to the point that fear began to take over.

Quickly standing on shaky legs, she hastily tried to make her way to the door, but a strong hand pulled her back by her arm.

A loud ear piercing scream left her lips, and she saw that the man was on top of her in a blink of an eye.

"Somebody help me, please!" she shouted.

But her cries for help fell on deaf ears, as she heard the unmistakeable sounds of giggles surrounding her.

"Scream all you want honey, just know that no one's going to save you. Though I must say I like my food to have some fight in them. Come on, show me what you got?"

She kicked, screamed and even spat on him, but nothing, and literally nothing, she could have done would make him relent, as his cold dead fingers snapped out, and tightly wrapped around her neck.

"Just so you know, I am going easy on you. That pathetic attempt of a fight was quite amusing. And I just love how you instantly take command. Honestly you would make a great pet if you weren't a human. You guys make worthless pets."

Whatever this man was, she knew he wasn't human. She continue to claw, hit and slap the best way she could, but reality set in and she knew fighting against this man would be useless.

As she felt the man ever so slightly tighten his grip around her neck, the feeling of urgency came swiftly. She felt her lungs contracting and restricting as she struggled for air. Her windpipes were contouring, and tears of pain and death by strangulation was near.

She felt herself slowly losing focus on the man that was killing her, and her limbs slowly went limp. Her eyes began to dilate and everything began to fade in the background as she felt herself slipping further and further into her fate, into her last moment here on this earth.

Finally, she felt herself taking that fateful plunge into the death. Then she heard the unmistakable voice of her savior and angel coming to her aid.

"Not yet Levi, not yet," were the last words she heard.

Before she took her last breath, the image of Adrian came into her fading view.

*~vVv~*

The mere thought of death never crossed her mind. Especially since she just turned eighteen. At this age, she never thought her young life would be cut so short. At this age her life had only just began, and yet it was taken from her in one single moment. And for that one single moment when she had spilled into death's grip, she no idea what to expect.

She foolishly thought death itself would be painless, quick and she would go on to wherever she was destined to go. She knew for sure if ever one day she should die it will be in her sleep as an old woman with a huge smile on her face and God would welcome into heaven with open arms. That's what she thought. That's what she wanted. Whatever she was experiencing now, it was far from what she had in mind.