Is this guy for real right now ?
My mind worked quickly. This wasn’t just some guy wanting to hit on me. His pursuit wasn’t a coincidence, not with the key and everything that had followed. Could he be working with that man from the woods? Perhaps I had witnessed too much, and this was the guy sent to finish the job.
The intelligent thing to do would be to find refuge in a shop or restaurant. It was still early, though, and most of them weren’t open. Besides, what if this guy was dangerous? Would he hurt innocent people to get to me? I couldn’t let that happen. I would just have to lose him, somehow.
Going straight home wasn’t an option. The last thing I wanted was for him to follow me to my house.
His footsteps scuffed on the sidewalk behind me, and I picked up my pace. Taking a sudden left brought me between two buildings, and as soon as I was out of his sight, I ran. When I reached the end of the short alley, I took another left to double back.
Dismay washed over me when I found him still on my trail. I twisted between buildings and crossed the street back and forth a few times. Trying to escape from a stranger with probably ill-intentions was difficult without raising the alarm of those beginning to venture out into the brightening day, but maybe that was a good thing. Maybe someone would notice, and he would stop.
Did I need to call for help?
But if I did, what dangers would I bring to anyone who tried to assist me?
As I continued to try to lose him, it seemed that no matter where I went, he easily kept up. A horrible part of me thought about reaching into my bag and taking out my knife.
Surely the situation was not desperate enough for me to stab the guy?
But what if he was like the other man?
Making a swift decision, I ducked into another alley. I waited. My body tensed as the man’s footsteps clomped closer. He rounded the corner quickly, then stopped. I didn’t waste a second. I grabbed a hold of his shoulders and jabbed my knee sharply upward. He immediately doubled over with a groan, and I shoved him aside.
I ran, no longer caring if anyone found it alarming. Looking over my shoulder, I found that he had finally stopped his pursuit. Still, I couldn’t take any chances. I took a roundabout route back toward the woods. After another cautious search to assure myself the man was truly gone, I stepped onto the trail that would lead me back home.
My hands clutched the strap of my bag. What was I going to do now? Would he keep searching for me? The other man seemed to have known I had possession of the artifact. Would it be so impossible for this man to find his way to my home?
I kept a sharp eye out as I jogged down the trail, glancing frequently behind me to assure myself he wasn’t following. The only sound was the slight sway of the canopy of the trees and the occasional rustling of leaves from squirrels and birds. My cheeks puffed out in a relieved sigh as I neared the end of the trail.
Finally , I seemed to be in the clear.
Or so I thought.
As I lifted my head to check how much farther my home was, the man stepped out from the trees in front of me . I wasn’t thinking as I embraced the tingling in my hand that flared up in response. The warm energy came easily, and I found myself welcoming the power. My feet shifted apart, and I held my hand back slightly.
The man showed no outward shock at my sudden display of power. If anything, it appeared to make him angry. He lunged toward me, his dark eyebrows lowering over golden-brown eyes.
Slowly, never breaking his stare from mine, he reached his hand toward me. “We don’t want to do this so close to civilians, do we?”
My eyes flicked beyond him. I could see my house ahead while voices reached me from behind. People were starting up the trail.
“I don’t have to hurt you.” His voice, deep and rich, was stern. He stepped closer, and I shifted back. “Just give it to me.”
“Give you what?” I snapped, but I already knew what he would say next.
“The key. Give me the key.”
Chapter 9
Blood pounded in my ears. Energy still swirled around my hand as the man stared at me. He was silent, waiting for me to give him something I no longer had. I had to get away from him, but how could I without causing a scene? My newfound magic hummed through me, eager to scatter any caution to the wind.
The man spoke, slow and soft. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
Why did he keep saying that?
“I just want the key,” he continued again.
After my previous encounter with a stranger, I definitely didn’t trust this one. Obviously, he didn’t have anything to do with the man who had already taken the key, otherwise he would know it was already gone. How many others would be after me because of that relic?
Perhaps it would be better to just tell him I didn’t have it, but a stubborn part of me didn’t want to admit that I had lost it. Besides, what would he do if he found out I didn’t have it anymore?
“You can’t have it.” I could hear the neighborhood waking up; the occasional voice carried on the breeze, punctuated by the slam of a car door. “You need to leave. ”
My mind whirred as I tried to figure out how to get away from this man. What would happen if I hit him with the power whispering through me? Would it kill him, shred him apart with the force of it, or make him scream?
I shoved the thought away. I didn’t want to hurt him, I just wanted him gone. If I could somehow get out of his sight long enough to get to my car, I could leave until I figured out what exactly was going on.
“I can’t do that.” The man’s feet drifted apart, knees bending a fraction, and he leaned forward slightly. “I can’t leave.” His eyes flicked to my hand, to the new power there. “That key is dangerous.”
I couldn’t deny that after what it had done to me. Picking up that key had given me some kind of magic, terrible visions, and now people were after me. That thought did something, triggered some sort of instinct to defend deep inside. Just like the energy that came when I had encountered the one who took the key and now this man, my body seemed to react. I shifted, readying myself for a fight.
The man didn’t seem surprised, just as he hadn’t seemed deterred by the swirling energy around my fingers. That made him seem more dangerous to me. Had he seen these things before? Would he be able to tell me about what was happening to me?
His foot inched closer to me, and then the man was running straight at me, faster than his physique suggested was possible.
Before I could really think about what I was doing, I loosed the energy around my fists. He spun, the untethered energy smashing into the walking path. The ground trembled as cracks spider-webbed from the impact. I darted into the trees before he could reach me.
The snap of twigs and shuffle of leaves told me he was in close pursuit. So much for trying to be subtle. I hoped nobody would come to investigate and get into harm’s way .
I pushed my legs harder, swerved left and right between the trees to try to throw him off. I made a slight angle toward my house, hopeful that I could get away from him fast enough to get to my car.
The power that had been coursing through me seemed to have evaporated. I pulled my bag around my hip, reaching into it to try to get to my knife. It was stuck. I gave it a particularly sharp yank, losing my concentration and tripping over a fallen branch in the process. I fell, and the knife flew from my hand. The man would be on me any second. I shoved aside leaves and debris, trying to find my trusty Chaucer.