Chapter 89 Not human
Clio
As the door of the ominous vehicle threatened to seal my fate, a primal surge of panic and defiance coursed through me. The metallic taste of fear lingered on my tongue, and my heart pounded with a feral rhythm,
That's when a guttural growl echoed through the desolate streets.
When the car door was closing, I shot my head back to look at the man who pushed me in. The door was halfway closed when something flashed by. A whirlwind of action erupted as an unexpected force intervened.
!?!?
I wasn't sure if I saw right but a figure, shrouded in shadows, materialized with a sudden fury.
And it didn't just pass by, it took the guy by the door with him. It happened so fast, it could be missed easily.
A scream echoed in the night.
!!!
The yelling caught me off guard. I was frozen still in the seat but I could see the other guy looking at someone in horror. It was like he couldn't believe his eyes at first, but right the next second he yelled, "You bastard!!" An angry expression replaced his baffled one and he ran forward, "Who the hell are you!!"
???
What the hell just happened? Who came? Is someone fighting them? But there was no sign of anyone else here.
I glanced around the car.
There was no one to keep me here so I kicked the door open. "Hey!" The driver yelled, "Don't you dare," He tried to grab me from the front but I dodged him.
I have to get out!
I didn't waste any time and stepped outside. The driver didn't waste any time either and opened his side-door to get out and get to me but as soon as I stepped outside to look what was happening, my mouth hung open and I froze.
There was a man fighting with the kidnappers with his bare hands. And it wasn't a random person. It was someone I knew all too well.
Matthew?
I looked at him in awe as he easily fought the men in black.
Where did he come from?
The first assailant lunged forward, Mattthew sidestepped, allowing the attacker's momentum to carry him past. In a seamless motion he pivoted and delivered a swift, controlled strike to the back of the assailant's head. The movement was fast but there was something odd I didn't catch.
A wild groan of pain escaped his lips.
The driver that was making his way to me stopped and turned to look at his companions who were getting their asses handed to them. He paused and turned to them, taking a step in their direction to help them.
The thud echoed through the dimly lit alley, setting the tone for the ensuing struggle. The second assailant, undeterred by his partner's fate, launched a series of rapid punches but the boss evaded them so easily like it was nothing to him. He dodged them with a blend of evasive footwork and calculated blocks, making it look like he was against a child.
It felt like Matthew was an overpowered boss.
I got a little too focused on him and the reality of my situation only came back to me when the driver dude came over and grabbed my hair from the back, yanking my head back
"AH!" I let out a yell which alerted Matthew, "Let me go!" I resisted, trying to move away. I tried to punch the driver dude but he caught my wrist.
Shit
Didn't he stop to go and help his friends or something? Why did he come my way again?
From the corner of my eye I tried to look at Matthew again. In a sudden burst of offense, he struck the other dude with movement that was a blur. A well-placed knee to the midsection doubled one assailant over, and a swift elbow strike, followed by a straight chop to his neck sent him to the ground.
He then looked at us.
!!!
His gaze was sharp. His dark black eyes looked merciless and I didn't really notice up until that point but there was blood on the tips of his fingers
??
I frowned.
No, those weren't fingers... They were claws!!
Claws... And... Blood...?
My heart beat doubled up, "Don't come any closer!!" The driver holding my hair yelled at Matthew while I tried to reach for my head. He was yanking my root and it hurt like hell.
Matthew began to walk towards us anyway and that's when it happened.
I only noticed it when I saw the glint of metal that appeared next to my face.
A gun. The dude who was pulling my hair pulled a gun out and pointed it at Matthew.
"Stay away," He threatened my boss, "Or I'll shoot." There was no hesitation in his voice.
Matthew didn't stop though and the driver dude took no chances. He placed his hand on the trigger and I saw it from the corner of my eyes
NO!!!
My heart skipped a beat
He's going to shoot him!! I was sure he was and he didn't fail my expectations. He pressed the trigger
"NO!!" I yelled and lunged to the side. Not that it was going to do much since my movement was restricted but I managed to deter his aim.
A loud bang echoed in the empty street. It echoed and rang in my ears causing my ear to go deaf for a moment. A sting went through my brain, like the last chord of sound before the sounds slowly started coming back to me again. But, what worried me at the moment was that Matthew stopped moving.
I shot my head in his direction.
He got shot?!?!?
I looked at him with wide eyes, my hair still in the kidnappers hand, but I didn't see an injury.
My pupils shaked but a weird sense of relief washed over.
Whew... He was safe. The bullet didn't even graze him.
"You bitch!!" The driver yanked my hair back, causing my head to go down backward, my body going in a curved form, causing me pain. But that wasn't it, he smashed the grip of the gun on my head, taking his anger out on me.
My head spun, the pain came back wilder and it felt like someone just split my skull open. Tears immediately welled up in my eyes and an awful cry escaped my lips.
I closed my eyes in response and so I couldn't see what happened exactly but I might not have caught it even if my eyes were open.
Matthew's movements were relentless. He disarmed the assailant with a disarmingly swift twist, sending the weapon clattering to the pavement. With a measured blend of offense and defense, he neutralized the threat on me and before I knew it, I was free.
I stumbled a few steps away, my hands on my head and my body trying to balance itself and handle the pain.
"Wait," I heard the driver dude beg, "No-" But before he could say anything further I heard a scream, followed by absolute silence.
???
The last thing I heard was the driver crashing to the ground, defeated and disoriented which was followed by a moment of unsettling silence settled over the scene.
Something wasn't right.
I tried to straighten up, then I opened my eyes and the first person I saw was Matthew. Well, he was the only person left standing other than myself.
I paused.
The unearthly pain in my head subsiding for a moment as I noticed something odd. The boss had his breath steady despite the exertion, standing amid the fallen bodies.
The night, momentarily disrupted by the chaotic disturbance, settled into an uneasy calm as I stared at the non-human.
I stared at his face.
At the blood on his face that he casually wiped with the back of his hand as if it didn't even matter to him.
I gulped, my heart drumming in my chest as my head slowly turned and went down to look at the driver on the pavement.
....
Then my heart dropped when I saw the blood seeping out of his skull.
Only one line went through my damaged head.
'He killed him'
My head moved back towards the road, at the other two men. They were lying there dead still.
'He killed all of them'
Fear, like an uninvited guest, crept into the recesses of my mind
Matthew extended his hand towards me, "Come," He spoke rather softly, "Let's go," His voice calm which looked eerie compared to what he had done and how the proof of it was still fresh on his fingers.
I couldn't imagine it right but I could guess that he didn't punch them, he clawed their bodies.
And thinking that made a shudder go down my spine.
Looking at him scared me and before I even knew it, I took a step back out of fear. The ease with which he dismantled the threat, the clinical efficiency of his actions, raised questions. Questions that I did and did not have the answer to.
He could probably do it because he wasn't human.
But why would he go ahead and kill them? So easily? Without remorse? With so much calm?
"Clio?" He called my name, making me flinch.
At that moment, as he extended a hand to ensure my safety, I couldn't shake the lingering unease that had taken root. The fear, not of him, but of the unpredictable facets he embodied, lingered like a specter in the dimly lit alley, casting a subtle pall over the tenuous balance between safety and the shadows.
"Sir," I met his eyes, "You are part of the mafia, aren't you?"