A Few Strangers

Glass shattering, people screaming, buildings collapsing, dogs barking, lightening striking, I turn to look for my mom, rushing downstairs into the kitchen to find a half dead body by the sink, eyes struggling to open and legs wobbling, I stare at her with shocked eyes, trying not to believe the reality before me. She mutters something I quickly catch, before her eyes close and body slumps forward.

"It's all your fault."

I wake up with a scream that could wake the dead, panting and sweating, my head ached badly as I remembered the nightmare that had been haunting me for the past few days. It's been three years now, my whole family died on that very day, leaving me as an orphan.

Although, I became lonely on that day, I acquired a new superpower, the power of lightening. Nobody knows about me or my superpower and I've found joy in using humans for experiments.

Getting out of bed, I quickly freshen up before leaving for the day's work, hoping to find something new. Walking down the road to the city from my desolated hideout of abandoned old buildings, I start to ponder on my mom's last words. How was it all my fault? I clearly remembered my dad telling me to never go to his underground base to which I easily complied, I'd always tried to be the perfect son for them but they died never telling me how I failed. Forget them! I don't care anymore!

As I enter the city, I start stalking a man, maybe 30-35 with jet black hair, a slightly chubby face and ocean green eyes. He seemed not to mind as I followed him into the city until he went into a skyscraper. After waiting for about six hours, he comes out to continue our journey. My legs start aching because I'd been walking for quite a long while. To my relief, he finally gets into a scarcely populated area, I was ready to make my move when he spoke.

'I know you've been following me for quite a long time. What do you want?' He turns around with much enthusiasm in his eyes and, a freaking gun!

For the first time in my life, someone had actually caught me before I made a move, quite surprising! Then, it happened, sharp pain, a deafening sound, and finally, darkness.

I don't know how long has passed, an hour? Or maybe a day, all I'm sure of is that I woke up in a well-furnished room with expensive decors; an NFT viewing flat screen, raw paintings by Da Vinci himself, animal skin rugs and much more, obviously to cloud my judgement.

Still deep in thought, I didn't know when someone entered the room until I saw a quite alluring woman in front of me with large cantaloupes and a beaming smile, obviously trying to cloud my judgement, again.

'Master Fredric would like to meet you in the dining room in ten minutes, you should freshen up before then', and with that, she was gone!

'Master Fredric', 'Dining hall', just who was this freak that liked to feast on children? I quickly freshened up, using the high class supplies in the bathroom before putting on a white V-neck shirt, a pair of black jeans and white sneakers, adoring my sexy look in the mirror when the lady came in again. 'You seem to have a problem with knocking doors'. I turn around to face her with a stern look.

'If I may remind you dearest sir, you are a common guest', she had that emotionless look on her face when answering me. 'Then if that's how you treat your guests then, shouldn't you be fired by now?'

She muttered something under her breath, 'This little imp lacks some common manners eh? Just wait until I teach you a lesson'

'Sorry kind sir, it was wrong of me to treat you with disrespect, I promise to act more hospitable from now on.' This old hag thinks she's smart eh? Just wait until I'm done with the meal, I'll treat you a lesson before I go.

She led me out of the room which was surprisingly at the end of a long corridor with a red rug in the middle. There were many doors by the sides, making me think about how many children were kept in there to be eaten by a psychopath. To ease my tension, I started humming a song, only to hear the sound of the monster in the dining room in front of me.

'I can't wait until I see him, he looks capable', me? Capable? Just what meal was he planning for me to be in?

When we entered the room, I was highly disappointed, expecting a lavishly decorated dining hall with lots of space and maybe a chandelier to give it extra lighting, It was a small space with rotting wooden windows, a dim light bulb in the middle and an old ugly dining table which looked like it was squeezed into the dining room. Out of the six chairs there, only three were occupied, leaving a space in between each person for me to sit, the gunman at one head of the table, a guy who looked like a university graduate, with blonde hair, a slim nose, sky blue eyes and a slender face then, an old man who looked young but old enough to have grandkids. He had grey hair, grey eyes and a surprisingly smooth, wrinkle-free face.

'You can sit down now young man, I don't suppose that you would want to stand throughout the meeting would you?' The gunman said.

Now, I realized, despite having experience in the art of killing, I have never gotten myself to learn self defense mechanisms. I chose to sit at the other head of the table because, it's closer to the door and, farther away from the cannibals.

After taking my seat with care, I asked them what they wanted. 'Why the rush little boy? Have some fun.' The old man sounded like a booming speaker, his voice as deep and loud as thunder, I almost fell from my chair hearing his voice which gained me worried and surprised looks I guessed this was Fredric.

'I want to get straight to business. Just say what you want and let me know what I'm here for' I tried to put on a stern face as I spoke but, my racing heartbeat said otherwise.

Fredric stood up from his chair, whispered something to the gunman then, left. I was curious to know what he said since my sensitive ears surprisingly couldn't pick it up, so I asked.

'Well, aren't you curious? To be honest, I expected a cool guy like you not to care honestly, I'm disappointed.'

I was getting irritated, 'what does this megalomaniac want!'

'A megalomaniac you say? So, that's what you think of me?'

I said that out loud? Just what hole have I jumped into? I stood up from my chair, walked towards him before he could roast me for what I'd just said, took a deep breath then, punched him, hearing a crack on his nose before he fell. Groaning and swearing, spitting out swear words like rotten food.

My eyes spat wide open, my mind was racing, I did the only thing that came to my mind and ran out of the dining room.