Stalker

"Two weeks without pay? That's a killer!" I groan.

"Why did you even get suspended in the first place?" Gabby asks. Currently, I'm walking Gabby home from school. I have a lot of free time on my hands during my two weeks of suspension, so I figured that I'd stay at home during my "vacation." My mom's been forcing me to walk Gabby home from school, so I can protect her from all of the demons around, and whatnot. Though I'm technically not allowed to use my Cursed Ability for these two weeks anyway. The Chairman said he'll know if we use it, whatever that means. Grover, Jamie, and Austin's suspension have ended. Ella and Nick are still in the hospital.

"It's a long story," I sigh. 

Gabby and I continue walking for a couple more minutes, chatting along the way. But as we walk, I have an unsettling feeling for the entire time. I cautiously turn and peer over my shoulder, spotting a guy in a black cloak. He's been following us for a while now. Though my nerves have been acting up lately, after our almost-deaths last week. I've been paranoid ever since I fought King. After my near death experience, you can't blame me for being on edge.

We keep walking, and I keep looking over my shoulder. No matter how far I walk or no matter how many twists and turns I take, the guy in the black cloak keeps following Gabby and I. Is he after me or is he after Gabby? What am I even talking about, of course he's after me?!

"Gabby," I whisper to my little sister. "Don't turn around."

"Huh?! What's wrong?!" Gabby cries as she frantically looks around. I grab Gabby's head and turn it forwards.

"There's a guy behind us, he's been following us for a while now. If he's after me, I don't want you to get wrapped up in any of my troubles," I explain.

"What? Luis, are you sure? Maybe you're just being paranoid?" Gabby panics.

"Don't worry. We'll be fine. Take a left up here and I'll take a right. I'll see you at home," I order.

"And if you don't come home?" Gabby whimpers.

"Well my squadmates will come save me!" I reply, flashing Gabby a reassuring smile.

"Um…okay," Gabby nervously gulps, as we near the next corner.

"Well, I'll see you later! Bye Gabby!" I say louder than usual, making sure that the stalker can hear me, as I wave Gabby away,

"Um…by, Luis," Gabby awkwardly replies, as she takes a left, towards home. I take a right. Just as I assumed, the mystery man takes a right, hot on my heels.

There's a deadend ahead of me. If I turn and walk into the dead end and the stranger follows me, then I know he's following me. But do I take the risk? If I walk into the deadend, I'm cornered. Meh, I'll figure something out. And besides, there's plenty of people around. What's he gonna do? Try to kidnap me in broad daylight? The problem is if my stalker is a Cursed Ability user. I got my license taken away, so I can get arrested for using Cursed Power on the streets.

I near the dead-end up ahead. Alright Luis, here is the moment of truth. Have my nerves finally broken me, or am I in my popular phase, with a stalker and all? I take a deep breath in…then out, and I take a right. Once I turn, I'm faced with a deadend, and sure enough I feel a presence behind me.

Slowly, I turn around, and there he stands, my stalker. It's a boy, he looks to be a little older than me, maybe fifteen or so. He has pitch black hair that covers his right eye, emo style. His remaining eye is a medium red. Red? That's...not a natural eye color, is it? He wears a long black cloak that goes down to his ankles. Underneath his cloak, the stalker wears gray samurai style body armor, gauntlets, boots, and other sorts of padding. My stalker reaches behind him and pulls out a black samurai helmet with a fearsome gray mouth guard and a silver crest at the top. My stalker brushes the hair out of his eyes, revealing a second evil red eye, and puts his helmet on.

A rush of dark gray and black Cursed Power Bursts out of my stalker's body, oozing with his intent to kill. In return, I activate my own Cursed Power Burst to protect me from my stalker's negative emotions all directed towards me. But even still, I can't help but get the chills, as both of our Cursed Power Bursts retract back into our bodies.

And then, my stalker speaks, his voice scarily deep and muffled by his helmet's mouth guard: "Tick tock, Blue Demon. Your last hour strikes."

"Tick tock Blue Demon? Is this some sort of joke?!" I ask. "Listen buddy, I think you've been watching too much anime. And what's with that get up? Are you trying to be a samurai or something? At least I have a sword!" Oh, crap, that's right! My license was suspended so I can't carry my katana around, damnit! "And what was the last part about my last hour striking? I don't know about you, buddy, but I've got a crap ton of hours and fights left in me!"

"Since you are his son, your soul...it will become a worthy addition to my collection, Blue Demon," my stalker growls.

"Huh? What did you call me? Blue what now?!" I cry.

My stalker puts his hand on the ground, and his shadow extends outwards. Dozens upon dozens of chains then begin to spread out of my stalker's shadow, each armed with a sharp, barbed blade and then end, like a scythe. "Shadow Sickles: Chain and Sickles." My stalker's shadow sickles then fly towards me.

"What the Hell?" I cry as I raise my arms up to block, reinforcing them with Cursed Power. But even still, my stalker's shadow blades tear into my skin. "Controlling his shadow…that must be his Cursed Ability…" I mutter to myself. I take a step back, blood leaking from my arms. "Wind Control: Hur-" I begin to say, but I interrupt myself. "Wait, I don't have my katana!"

 My stalker's shadow sickles fly over to me again. I hop onto a trash can and grab onto the fire escape ladder, using it to pull myself up and out of the sickles' reach.

"Wind Control: Hurricane Slash!" I shout as I create a blade of wind in between my hands, slashing it towards my stalker, and sending a powerful gust of shredding wind flying his way.

In order to block, all my stalker has to do is raise his hand, and an army of shadow sickles fly in front of him and come together, forming a chain-made shield to block my attack.

"Despite being shadows, they can become tangible?" I ask myself. It seems that my stalker can turn his shadow into those sickles, but they have a limited range. Maybe long as his shadow? And can he only create sickles? That's the only attack my stalker has shown so far.

My stalker then waves his hand in my direction. "Fly, my chains," he says, and the sickles fly towards me again.

"Air Control!" I shout. I emit some of my Cursed Power into the atmosphere and use my Air Control to predict the movement of my stalker's chains, managing to dodge some of the chains, but not all of them. The chains wrap around my arms and legs, attempting to drag me down. I hold onto the fire escape with all of my might, but it's no use. The chains rip my grip free, and drag me towards the stalker.

Some of my stalker's chains manage to slash me, and just like his Cursed Power Burst; I can feel his intent to kill in his attacks.

"Wind Control: Wind Blade!" I shout as I wrap wind around my arm, attempting to slash through my stalker's sickles, but my wind clangs uselessly against my stalker's sickles, not making so much as a scratch.

My stalker then grabs a hold of my wrist, kicking me one, two, no, three times in the chest before circle-throwing me into some garbage cans. I wipe the trash off of my face, only to see a swarm of Shadow Sickles coming my way. I create a mini tornado around my hands then extend it outwards. "Wind Control: Tornado Shield!" I shout as my tornado begins spinning around my body, deflecting the Shadow Sickles, but more just keep on coming. "There's no end to these things!" I cry as I fire off another Wind Blade, slashing through a few more chains.

"So it seems you have not yet fully awakened, Blue Demon. a true shame. This just means that until you awaken so that I can reap your soul, your life will be Hell," my stalker says. Yup, waaay too much anime.

"Shadow Tickles: Scorpion Stinger," my stalker says, and a chain and sickle slithers up my stalker's arm, wrapping it's way around it, until it was perfectly set on my stalker's arm in a spiral shape, it's blade peaking out like a bladed hand. My stalker runs towards me and fired off three quick barbed jabs which I did. My stalker attempts to land another one of his powerful snap kicks, but I dodged about that as well.

"Wind Control: Wind Blade!" I shout as I slash towards my stalker, but my bladed arm of wind is intercepted by his bladed arm of shadows. We keep up our wind sword vs shadow sword fight for a while. I've had a lot of training with my katana, so I thought I could win this fight. But my wind-cloaked arm is not a good substitute, and my stalker is skilled with blades as well. I'm quickly overpowered as my stalker knocks me away again. He still has yet to kill me or even attempt to land a fatal blow. Why is that?

"Now, Blue Demon, you're coming with me. But don't worry, I won't kill you yet. First, I'll let you mature into your full Blue Demon state. And when the fruit of your soul is right, I shall claim it for my own," my stalker says. And with a swift stab to the guy with a Shadow Sickle, I'm out cold.