A run in and a call

"Hey! Hey! Are you okay? " Someone asked.

"Who are you talking to? " Another whispered.

"There is a man in the garbage! "

The man peered down at the leaning stranger pushed against the foul-smelling rubbish bin in the dirty, dingy alleyway. There was blood on his clothing and his face concealed from time.

As the man's friend pulled out his phone to call an ambulance the mysterious person pulled his head up dizzily, gawking up at the men staring down at him from above. His yellowed shirt wrinkled, harnessing a rancid aroma.

"Holden, do you have your phone on ya? "

Both reversed in shock watching his bloodshot eyes widen. Standing up they gaze down to realize both hands were blanketed in crimson all the way down to his fingertips, carrying an object to his side.

His ill-fitting jeans crumpled nearly falling off his hip. Holden quickly went for his phone.

"A-Are you okay?!" The man questioned.

"Miles, don't patronize him!"

He mumbled unheard words under his breath. Emotions conflicted them both trying to seek help by knocking Holden even more by the shoulder nervously.

"What was that?" Holden questioned

The other asked curiously. A sense of danger loomed around his aura, but none the less they pursued a need to help him. The unfamiliar person was still not moving while his mouth continued the same motions over and over.

Gaping at the man with the phone, he swiftly clutched him by the collar, thrusting the knife at his throat.

"Look, we just wanted to help you," Miles shouted.

His friend stuck his arms up in the air. The stranger moved his arm to the man's side, nearly brushing his hip to feel his victim's body tremble.

"Do I I need help? "He asked.

"The blood isn't yours is it? " Miles inquired.

Cocking his head to his side he looked happy as a grin curled on his dirty lips. He thrust the blade in on his person to slash at Miles, stabbing him in the chest and quickly pulling out to slam it swiftly into Holden.

"So you are the one! You are the one!" You are the one!" He yelled over and over.

He dodged by pushing his arm out to a defensive stance and knocking his injured friend away in an attempt to be freed by the madman doing everything he could to smash his hands by dropping the knife only to clutch tightly to his fingers.

"The one?" Holden thought.

"You will see! You will see!" He giggled.

The two caught each others' kick high in the air. The man knew he couldn't waste much time on the relentless killer as his friend lay bleeding out on the concrete below him.

A day later Holden is at home resting peacefully not thinking about what had happened the other day and the man he saw.

"WAKE UP!" A voice shouted

A voice called instantly bringing the kid back to reality, sitting up straight in his bed. Combing his hands through his brunette locks, he laid back down staring up at the ceiling.

"Holden!"

"Leave me alone!" Holden shouted.

Bbbbrrrtttttttttt! Bbbbrrrrrrrrrttttttt!

The phone on his desktop kept vibrating, smashing into the computer case, causing him to get up to find an anonymous number he had never seen before. His sister picked the phone up to gawk at it curiously.

"Paris! Put it down!" He argued.

"But shouldn't you answer it?" She questioned.

"I don't even know the number!"

The ringing stopped as they both peaked downwards. It rung and rung and rung and then nothing. It stopped when Holden checked there was a string of ten- to- twenty numbers left unanswered.

"Anyways, your friends are here idiot!"

She stuck her tongue out, immediately leaving the room. Holden looked out the window to notice a small bird gathering small pieces of wood, piling them around with care getting ready for her next life in the thick, entangled branches of the tree next to his room.

He went into the living room to see if his friends were there to find no one, not even his mother or father. He was confused and bewildered. Not understanding what was happening, he heard a long yawn behind him.

"Holden, why are you up?" Paris asked.

Paris was half awake, pulling a tie around her collar confused. Holden looked as though he had seen a ghost from the looks of his sibling, being out in the open getting dressed for her nightly job.

"Oh…Paris, you didn't come to my room?"

"Why would I do that?" She questioned.

Pausing he realized Paris was quite logical to begin with and not bratty. This was a different side of her he had never seen before observing her walk away.

"You've got a point,"

Turning back to his room, he noticed the same phone as earlier quivering on his table top. He was unsure once again whose number it was, but it kept going one after another without tiring leaving a string of unanswered calls.

"Hello?" Holden answered.

"H-Hello?"

The voice shuddered. Hard breathing could be heard coming from the speakers nearly bursting his ear drums.

"Who are you? Why are you calling me?!"

"Wait for the package…"

The honk of a horn could be heard outside the doorway to find USPS had come and swiftly gone leaving a small package on the steps. Stunned he didn't look away while the user hung up on him promptly after.

Nearly dropping his phone he pocketed it to receive the package. Sitting on the coffee table top at first he only eyeballed it thinking something was wrong address leaving it there while he opened a fresh bag full of filters.

Popping one in the coffee maker he opened a new bag of grounds to place inside clicking the plastic top on and pushing the latch down starting the machine.

"Am I dreaming?"

He said out loud to himself. Nothing felt right to him how a weird mysterious package just comes straight to him and an odd phone call and he is expected to just accept these circumstances in front of him.

Holden doesn't know what else to do other than feel suspicion arise from the small box. What if is something dangerous he thought?

"What if…"