An Encounter

By Alexis Dupoux
I watch the people as they walk under the glowing streetlamps. Lifeless heart pumping, I seek out one unknowing person in particular.  My eyes move to a drunken woman as she stumbles across the street, yelling and throwing her hands this way and that, pausing for a second to vomit up all of the liquor residing in her foul stomach. My stomach churned at the thought of tasting her disgusting flesh. I slid my attention over to the sleeping homeless man on the cold bench, snoring softly under his wool blankets. A small knapsack sat under him, all of his belongings tucked away in the burlap fabric.

     Perfect. 

     I begin to move towards the sleeping man, when all of a sudden a shape catches his eye.

     There, in the darkness, stood a specimen so beautiful even my cold heart warmed at her features. Long, curled hair trailed down the woman's back, shimmering under the moonlight. Cheeks peeked out from her scarf, beautiful scarlet coloring her olive skin. She had the most beautiful eyes, a light hazel color with the smallest amount of gold flecks in the orbs. A beautiful She walked with such grace, her delicate feet barely making an imprint in the newly fallen snow. The beautiful stranger turned around the corner, out of my sights. I immediately moved to follow the girl, not to attack her, but to simply see where she was going to this late in the night. I sat upon a rooftop of an abandoned building, the perfect viewing place. I found her beautiful form walking swiftly down an alley, when a shape slunk in front of her. 

     A man stood in her way, his menacing shadow intermingling with the darkness in the alleyway. He was a fairly large man, bulging arms and thick hands added to his burliness. His hair was disheveled, a scraggly and spotted beard sat near the point where his face and fat neck met. A bulging gut stretched his filthy and torn shirt, stains coloring the once white fabric.

      He was easily the most repulsive man I'd ever seen. I understood why the girl stopped in her tracks, and why her heartbeat sped up. 

     "Good- Good evening." She stammered as she attempted a ind smile. This girl was peculiar. Any normal girl walking alone in a dark alley would have turned and ran, but she was trying to be kind to this dangerous person. Fear was plain on her face, yet she greeted the man with a smile.  Her terror was an expression I immediately despised, I hated the way her body stood, frozen in place. A woman so surreal should never have such a horrid emotion in her features. Who was this man to feel he had the right to put fear in her beautiful face? He was nothing, a waste of a human life. A dark hatred burned in my soul for this man, and I could feel my hands begin to claw into the concrete ledge from where I was perched. 

     "It is now. Where are you headed to gorgeous? Mind if I join you?" He stepped towards her, and she took a step back. I noticed her body start to slightly shake and a burning desire to kill this man overcame me. Visions of him harming her flew into my mind and I stood up, ready to tear him limb from limb, a soft growl coming from my chest.

     "N-no. I'm fine, just walking home is all. T-thank you for the offer though." She tried to turn around and walk back into the light of the sidewalk, but the man ran around her, preventing her from exiting. 

     She stopped in her tracks, wide eyed and afraid. She knew she should have run when she had the chance. 

     "Please. Just let me go home. You can have my money, but please, just let me go." She scrambled to retrieve her crumpled bills from her pocket and held them out for the man. 

     "Sweetheart, I don't want your money." An evil glint came into his eye and he took another step towards the girl. She staggered back and dropped her money on the alley floor, pure fear in her eyes. 

     My head snapped towards her attacker and I clenched my fists. I was seething with anger at this man, and I jumped down from the rooftop, landing in a crouch on the ground in front of the girl. I slowly stood, making sure all of my hatred was showing in my black eyes. I heard the man's heart skip a beat when he looked into them, the sound making me smile. 

     "What the-" My hand flew up to his throat as he started to speak, lifting him up off the ground. Gurgling noises came from his lips, putting  an end to whatever words were about to come out.

     "Well, well, well. If it isn't the scum of the Earth. I saw you corner this poor woman, and I don't think that's right. I'm so sick of guys like you thinking you have some kind of right to women, simply because they're beautiful." His lips began to turn blue and the gurgling noises began to recede. "So why don't you do yourself a favor and get out of here, hmm?"

     I dropped  him to the filthy floor and he started to cough violently. 

     "Pathetic."
     He suddenly gained his composure and stood up. He swayed to his feet a little, but managed to stand straight enough. He took a step towards me and raised his arms to fight me. 

     "Let's go buddy," His voice cracked as he spoke, and I chuckled. "I don't know who you think you are, but I'm about to beat the crap outta you." 

     "Wrong move 'buddy'. I'm telling you right now that you're going to lose this fight, no matter how tough you think you are." I made no move to prepare to fight him. I wasn't wasting my time  on this poor excuse for a man. 

     "That's what you think punk!" He swung at me. I stepped easily to the side and caught his hand mid air. I smiled, my teeth bared and my eyes glowing a bright silver. 

     "Wh-What the heck are you?!" He yelled to me, shock plain on his face.

      Instead of answering, I smiled evilly at him, baring my teeth as I turned his hand violently. A loud crack resounded in the dark alley, his bones breaking brutally. His screams filled the night air, fueling my hatred. I used my other hand to grab his neck once again. I lifted him into the air, bringing his shaking body close to mine as I whispered maliciously in his ear, the last words he would ever hear. 

     "You are weak." I paused dramatically after each word. Adding more weight to the harsh sentences. I wanted him to suffer. "You are pathetic. You. Are. Nothing." A soft sob escaped his lips as I tightened my grip on his throat. He closed his eyes, sure of what was to come.

     I turned his neck sharply to the right, severing the vertebrae and ending his life. I dropped him, his lifeless body slumped to the ground like a rag doll.

     I sighed and shook my head, wiping my palms against my jeans, and turned to the beautiful woman behind me. 

     "You know, most people would say thank you to the man who just saved their life..." I gave her a small smile, letting kindness make it's way into my eyes; black once again with the passing of my rage. I stretched my hand out, expecting her to take it and thank me for my service.

     Instead, she looked down at my hand, then back up at me slowly. A smile made it to her face before she fainted in the night, falling like a delicate snowflake to the snow covered ground beneath her.