The Mistake That Broke Me

Chapter Four: The Unknown Man

Song: E for Extinction by Thousand Foot Krutch

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The night is his disguise.

Under the darkness, he will rise.

Why will he rise?

He will rise because he wears the darkness well.

The velvety shadows loom over his speeding figure as he pushes his motorcycle to drive faster. The city flies past him and the ground becomes a mere blur as he does so, and the sharp wind tugs at his hair and nips at his skin clothed in black leather.

Black leather that matches the shadows that lurk around him.

Black leather that matches his heart and soul.

The shadows seem to grip him and tug against him, pulling him back and dragging him down. He struggles to break free from the darkness, but it is much too strong. It is easier to just give up than fight the demons that torment him.

The sound of his motorcycle rumbles through his ears and the smell of exhaust invades his nose. Smoke billows out from the pipe of his motorcycle, mixing with the other toxins the city produces.

He leaves behind a trail of smoke that lingers in the air for a few moments before dissipating completely.

Everything is silent and dead. Everyone fears the night and what it brings because they can't see the monsters in the dark. They can't see the creatures that take but never give.

Take.

Take.

Take.

That's all humanity does, correct?

Humanity takes lives.

Humanity takes innocence.

Humanity takes the weak and vulnerable and crushes them beneath their cruel feet.

The unknown man knows this all too well. He knows this painfully well.

So, the inhabitants have abandoned the streets and they nestle lovingly in their houses, gathering their children in their beds and promising them that there are no monsters under their beds or in their closets.

But that's where they're wrong.

Only, these monsters may not be actual monsters, like the boogie-man or some hairy creature. These monsters are something much more sinister.

These monsters are known as mankind.

Mankind that takes lives. Mankind that takes innocence. Mankind that takes the weak and vulnerable and crushes them beneath their feet.

So they continue to sleep tucked away in the safety of their homes.

He smirks.

For him, safety is a mere illusion people create for themselves in order to ignore the real danger that constantly lurks in the shadows, waiting to devour their lives and destroy the innocence of the young.

He knows this by experience.

They say ignorance is bliss, but everyone knows what happens to the foolish gazelle who strays too far from its herd.

So, the streets are his tonight, just as they are every night. He is like a predator that only stalks the night and its inhabitants. 

He is like the devil who only makes deals with the vulnerable. He is everything that parents tell their children to stay away from.