Black

XXVI

The darkness loomed ahead of me like an unwanted company. The night sky was dotted
with tiny stars that guided me through the streets.

Looking skyward, I wondered if it was actually true that our gone loved ones always looked down at us, taking care of us and protecting us, or were those phrases just told to those who were grieving for the sole feeling of comfort.

I bit down on my lip and stared at the shadow that trailed us, I had noticed him from the second we left the park, the dark figure that crawled after us, slowly advancing as I walked through the streets of New York.

His movements were ones that belonged to a normal person,  who was just coincidentally walking the same way as we were, but I knew that he wasn't because I knew who he was.

Jaxon's actions had a purpose behind them. The way he didn't even try to hide the fact that he was following us just proved to me that he wanted me to see him, to know that this was not going to be a peaceful night and to show me that he has won this battle.

The second I knew it was him, I wanted to stop and claw the eyes that found us and trailed our movements out then cut the hands that murdered my family off.

And then the weight of the little girl, who was sleeping on my shoulder, awakened me from my thoughts and pulled me into the light again. So, I acted like I didn't see him and walked silently, calmly. I walked like I was confident and had no fear of anything.

But, if I wanted to describe what I felt when I saw him as a human and not as an unbeatable superhero, my insides were a mess.

The pounding of my heart was almost painful from how fast it was beating. Nausea washed over me like a high wave ready to knock me off my feet. The taste of metal that clouded my taste buds, due to the blood that surfaced from biting down on my tongue so hard, made me want to hurl out the contents that didn't exist in my body. Sweat drenched down my skin as I held Zoella closer to me.

Fear was starting to overpower all my senses and I didn't even see his face yet, but I pushed my legs to walk like there was nothing wrong.

I gripped the strap of the bag that I carried tightly, reminding myself what was inside it. It's fine.

My eyes searched for a place to hide away in, my mind already forming a plan to get out of this. When I saw an alley across the street, I didn't hesitate and made my way to it.

I tried to keep the thoughts and questions, the fear and anxiety, at bay.

I can do this. I trained for this. I practiced to face him and to not fear him or anyone else.

His shadow trailed us, just like I wanted, to the alley. It was a narrow alley that opened to the back of different streets.

The casual pace I have kept up for a while was abandoned and turned to a hurried pace. I needed to hide.

Ignoring my coward and fearful heart, I started taking different routes that led me deeper and further from the city, but I wasn't succeeding in losing him, I still felt him right on my heels.

I refused to turn around and glimpse how far he was because I knew that would only water the fear that I was leading my little sister to a death trap with me.