Creatus (They Exist), prequel to the Creatus Series

Chapter 6

Kristina cowered against the damp building, looking to her mother for direction. Even at eight, she could see the wild gleam in the man's eyes.

Pepper spray in hand, her mother pushed her toward the street. "Run, baby!"

A knife glinted in the man's hand as he knocked the pepper spray out of her mother's hand, then waved the blade in front of them. "I just want the jewelry and your money, lady. Don't make me hurt you or the kid."

Her mother took her eyes off him for a fraction of a second. "Run, Kris —" Her mother's words cut off as the man slammed the knife into her mother's chest and then reached for Kristina, but she ran as her mother had instructed.

As she fled, she heard her mother's cries. How could she have left her, especially when it was all her fault? She stopped in the middle of the street. She had to stop him. Her legs felt heavy and sluggish as she ran back down the alley toward the mugger, tears blurring her vision. Kristina watched in horror as the dirty man knelt over her mother, trying to pull off her mother's ring, the one Kristina's grandmother had given to her mother.

"Stop!" Kristina cried.

Out of nowhere, a silhouette of a man landed in between Kristina and the thief. When he stood, a sliver of light from the street revealed that he was dressed in black and much larger than the man who'd attacked them. An anguished scream shredded the air as the new man tore the thug away from her mother, slamming him into the concrete. He knelt down over her mother, checking where the man had forced the knife, but she didn't move. The kind man lifted her to her feet. Her mother gazed up at him. Her mouth opened, but nothing came out. She stumbled forward, and the man directed her toward Kristina.

Seeing the blood drip from her mother's mouth and seep through a rip in her dress, Kristina screamed, "Mommy!"

Her mother's eyes and mouth opened again, but still, she said nothing.

"Go!" the man in black shouted. His voice was deep and strong, his eyes dark as he reeled toward the man on the ground, pulling him up by his hair.

Kristina wrapped her arms around her mother's waist, doing her best to hold her upright. As they staggered away, one lone wail filled the air and then silence. She hoped it was the bad guy, not the one in black. Normally his dark hair and mysteriously deep eyes would scare her, but she'd felt safe when he looked at her, as if he knew her.

Her mother collapsed in her arms. The blood had soaked through her dress, turning it bright red.

She looked back to the alley where the mugger had pushed them off the sidewalk. They'd just been going to get ice cream. "Help me," she pleaded to the man who'd saved her. He was leaning over the bad guy, his fingers touching his neck. "My mother's dying ... "

The man in black looked up at the sound of her cry, but didn't move. "I'm sorry. There's nothing I can do."

She blinked the tears out of her eyes, and he was gone.