A Tragic Hero

Chapter 11

Ryder anxiously sat in his truck, watching as the dash board clock hit 8:15 pm. He had followed Sky with his eyes the whole time as she hurried  across the street, up the metal stairs, then to where she stood right outside her open apartment door. She stayed standing there for a while, talking with someone maybe. He had glanced away and started to fiddle his thumbs, trying his best to stay calm. For some strange reason, he had a nasty gut feeling that something was about to go terribly wrong. And usually, those unknown gut feelings of his were correct.
"God, please keep Sky safe," he prayed silently to himself.
"Don't let this man trouble her. Don't let him hurt her more than she already is. Help her to trust in you."
Finishing his short prayer, he realized that his gas meter read that it was almost empty. He would have to fill up soon if he wanted to make it back to his place. He gazed out ahead and scanned through all the furniture and things that had been tossed outside. He hoped they weren't any of Sky's stuff. He would not be a very happy camper if that was the case. And if this Land Lord dude was the one that had trashed all her stuff, he would be an even worse camper.
He sighed, gritting his teeth as the clock changed once more. Ten minutes she had said. He didn't think he could wait that long.
He glanced back up to where Sky had been standing, just in time to see a muscular arm snatch hold of her and forcefully pull her into her apartment. The door slammed closed behind her. Not a good sign. Not at all.
Without a second thought, Ryder kicked open his car door, leapt  out, and dashed towards the rusted stairs case that led up to Sky's apartment. He took three steps at a time, praying that everything was alright. Praying that he had only imagined what he thought he had just witness, that everything was absolutely fine and his worried mind was just playing tricks on him. But, deep down inside, he knew everything was not alright and that he had just seen someone go for Sky.
He came to a harsh stop, arriving at Sky's apartment room. He leaned forward, pressing his ear onto Sky's now shut door.
"You never wanted me like I wanted you. You never will,"a growling voice barked up, sending adrenalin into Ryder's veins. He gripped the loose knob tightly, and in one swift motion, swung the door wide open.
He surveyed the whole situation in a mili second. The apartment was empty, no furniture or extras, all except for a bull of a man, Peter West he figured, who held Sky around her waist in a steel death grip. The wild man  looked horrid, just like the nasty, perverted man Ryder had imagined him to be. Peter had a stiff hand gripped in Sky's mangled hair, pulling her head back in a very strenuous looking position, just inches from her face. He could care less about her obviously broken arm since, at the moment, it was squashed awkwardly against his chest.
Ryder's spiked blood ran hot. What was this...this animal doing to Sky?! He could imagine. He could imagine and those imaginative pictures that began to flood his mind made him even more enraged.
"What?" The man questioned.
"Who are you?"
Peter's words were audibly slurred. He was drunk then, Ryder presumed.
"Get your hands off her. Now!"
He yelled with as much authority as he could muster.
The fool dropped his hands from Sky in a second, his dropping eyes now wide with surprise. He hobbled a step back away from Sky. She collapsed onto the floor in a trembling heap.
Ryder didn't wait. He was immediately moving, rushing over to her side.
"Are you okay?"
He began to search her, looking for any new injuries Peter may have inflicted on her.
Sky gave him a slow nod.
"I'm...I'm alright. Just...shocked," she whispered.
"Well, well, well. I see the truth now."
Ryder glanced back at Peter then who now chuckled darkly to himself.
"You never wanted something with me cause you have something with this macho man."
The arrogant bull had found his courage once more. Ryder would have to really teach this man a lesson if he tried anything else towards Sky.
"Tell me," Peter mocked bitterly, shifting his gaze from Sky's prone form to him.
"How did you manage to get this slimy woman? Did she simply crawl into your lap? Don't let this...this tramp fool you. She nothing but garbage to toss out and leave to deteriorate."
"Shut up!" Sky screamed, startling both he and Peter. 
"I never had anything with you because you aren't a real man. You never will be!"
Peter's twitchy eyes glazed over. His fists clenched firmly as he took a step forward. Ryder's body became alert, ready for any sudden movements.
"What did you just say to me?" Peter growled lowly.
"You heard exactly what I said,"Sky whimpered painfully, never braking eye contact with her intoxicated tormentor.
Peter roared, then launching towards Sky in a flash for the kill.
Ryder's clamped fist swung out instinctively. No woman would ever get punch around him, especially the quivering woman next to him. His fist connected with Peter's jaw line and the dirty alcoholic tumbled to the floor, strung out. He moaned loudly then closed his eyes. Ryder snorted. It was a pitiful sight.
"T-Thank you," Sky whispered as she started to pick herself off the floor.
Ryder straightened up, dusted himself off, and helped Sky get to her feet. After making sure she was balanced enough to stand, he reached out and took her hand gently in his.
"Come on,"He mumbled,"let's get out of here before he wakes up. If he does and I'm still here, I'll have to really show him how I feel about his little act towards you."
Sky glanced back inside her one more time, then gave him a small nod. She followed closely behind him as they exited her destroyed apartment building and headed down the thin metal staircase without another word.
"Wait," she paused next to him as he opened the door to the passenger's side of his still running truck.
"I wanna see if I can find anything valuable still in good condition."
Sky let go of his hand without waiting for an answer from him and ran towards her scattered belongings. He let her go. He was still hot with anger for Peter, sick to the stomach at his treatment. What if he hadn't been here to save Sky?
He stomped down on the gravel, startling Sky who was half way across the street. No, he didn't need to think about the what ifs. God had allowed him to be here to protect her. He needed to calm down and stay alert.
"Sorry, just...just a little upset."
He closed his door and headed over to where Sky was starting to search for something, anything important, in a large pile of junk.
"It's okay,"Sky smiled sadly at him as he strode over to her side.
"I knew he liked me but...not that much."
She turned away from him, reached down into the bottom of the pile of rubble, and pulled out a torn up album. She gently opened the cover.
A dirty photo of Sky and a tall, white man shone back at him.
"Is...is that Noah?"
Ryder watched her face closely as she continued examining the raggedy photo.
Sky nodded as a tear fell down her face. She hastily wiped it away. He had seen it never the less, and it hurt inside now that she was hurting. Her blurry eyes reached his, sending a jolt of pain deep into his soul.
"Yah, that's Noah,"she sputtered quietly.
"This was taken after a couple of weeks of being married to him. Everything looked so bright back then."
Ryder desperately wanted to pulling her into his arms and never let her go, to tell her everything would be alright. But he wouldn't do that at the moment, not while she was morning over her desist husband. It would be wrong. At least, that's how he felt. But still, he really wanted to just hold her. To assure her that the future still could be bright. That maybe, he could make that future happen for her, if she was willing.
"Sky," he settled for swallowing all his other confessions and emotions down.
" I'm so sorry. So sorry about everything you've been through. There's nothing I could do to change your past. But, the future doesn't have to be bleak. With God's help and guidance, anything is possible. And if you need anything, anything, just remember I'm here for you too."
Sky sniffled, reached out her hand, and placed it on his shoulder.
"Don't be sorry,"she whispered,"Yes, it was tragic, and I miss Noah dearly, and you're right, I can't change my past. But if none of that had ever happened to me, if God hadn't allowed all that to happen, who knows? I probably would have never gotten to meet my son. Maybe I would have never moved here either. Also, I would have never gotten to meet you."
Ryder felt a grin begin to play on his lips. He could tell she was being genuine.
"Anyways, if you're really here to help," she returned his happy smile,"could you maybe go through this stuff with me?"
"Of course."
He thought it harmless to then place his hand on top of her's that still sat on his shoulder. It was so small, but... but so alluring.
A tiny shock wave passed through their touching hands. He lifted his palm and she yanked hers from his sleeve. A small gasp came from Sky as she took a couple of steps away from him. He chuckled inwardly when he caught the bizarre look on Sky's face. What was that all about? Did she possibly have the same weird feeling for him as he had for her? Now that would be something. Just the though alone exhilarated him.
Sky dropped her gaze downward, the hand he had touched now tightened into a fist.
"Let's get started then."
She shuffled back a few feet more, spun around, and began to busy herself in her search for valuables.
So, that's how she would be, not acknowledging anything, though he was sure she felt the attraction. Fine, he would play it her way, no rush.
She glanced over at him from afar. He caught her stare and grinned gently. Her eyebrows quirked up and if he wasn't imagining things, a slight blush displayed on her now timid face. She shot her gaze back to the pile of rubble in front of her. Let the games begin.