The Mysterious Intruder (Part Three)

Age 1991

Dawson stared at Ren in silence. The girl sat on her own bed as she stared back at him.

"What is it?" She finally asked.

Dawson was silent for a few seconds as he thought about what he could say. "It isn't really important," Dawson said finally. "I don't know why but my eyes are just drawn to you..."

Ren stared at the Red Demon for a moment as she thought about what to say. "It is very strange." She said quietly. "But I understand what you mean... Or at least I think I do." She said finally. "I never liked people."

"What?"

"People. I never liked them." Ren stared down at her hands for a few seconds in silence. "My Attribute. Altering the emotions of everyone near me. I try to make sure it is only good emotions that they feel now. But when I was younger it was basically impossible to control. I've seen the worst in people because of this power. I've never told anyone this but when I use it, I am actually absorbing their other emotions. The hate, the sorrow, the fear... Whatever it is they aren't feeling I feel. There was a time when I thought that it would break me. Maybe it has? I honestly can't tell... All I know is that for the first time in a while I seem to suddenly care. You're a weird person Dawson Blight. In a way, I think I'd like to get to know you..."

"I'd like to get to know you a little more as well," Dawson admitted.

"No doubt to discover how I know a Noble."

"...I'll confess. I am interested in how you know such a man." Dawson said finally.

Ren gave the smallest hint of a smile as she turned away from him. "We share a common goal, me and him. Or rather a shared interest... I'm part of another group. One you wouldn't like. This world is-"

A loud shriek echoed throughout the entire hotel causing the two to boot up.

"What was that?"

Meanwhile...

A few minutes earlier...

Hero stayed in a sitting position as he made sure not to move. Now that he was aware of the breathing he could feel the pair of eyes that were on him. It was too dark in the room to see anything, and who knows how long the person could have been standing there for.

Hero took a small breath to steady his nerves...

And he struck!

In a flash, Hero jumped forward punching out with his arm. As his arm came forward one of his pipes jutted out stabbing at the figure. "Gungnir!" Hero announced loudly.

Whoever they were though, they were to fast, as in a single motion they managed to sidestep the spike causing it to impale itself in the wall.

Hero turned bringing his arm out tearing the bone spear through the wall, causing his spike to split it in half as he lashed out at the figure. He brought his arm out and his spike shot out of his arm like an arrow. The figure dodged it as the spike stabbed into the wall behind him, and began to slowly break away into nothingness now that it wasn't a part of his body. Hero pulled himself forward already creating a new bone blade to swing with. It came out of his wrist and was curved and sharp.

"Caliburn!" Hero screamed out slicing the blade arm forward.

Once again the figure was to fast as they ducked the strike. Everything behind them wasn't so lucky as it was split in half from the force of Hero's attack. A beam of light from the halls shined out showing the man in a better light. He was wearing a long black robe that covered his face with darkness. His hands could be seen but something was wrong. They had no skin. Or muscle. They were just a pair of bones.

"Whoa what the hell!" Ken yelled shooting up. Sera also jumped up, but Hero ignored the two girls as he jumped towards the man as another blade began to for out of his leg.\

"My body is in high alert... I've never used my bones like this?" Hero laughed jumping forward.

"So you like using bones huh?" The figure said in a crazed voice.

'That voice...' Hero thought. 'It sounds familiar?'

"Well it just so happens I also like using bones." The man said still in a crazed voice. His hand shot out grabbing onto the blade that was poking out of Hero's arm. "I win."

"What are you-" Hero let out a scream of pain as he dropped to his knees. He stared at the blade that was in his arm as steamrolled off of him. Then...

'Plop'

The blade dropped out of his arm hitting the ground.

"What?" The man said in confusion.

Hero's eyes were wide as he stared down at his elbow where his blade used to be. "What the hell was that! My body instantly reacted and ejected the bone out?"

"What the hell is going on!" Ken said with wide eyes as she stared at Hero, and the other man. Her hand slowly inched towards the floor of her bed where her sword rested.

"I see what happened." The man said finally. "You stopped my infection by removing the bone before I could spread further... "

'He's right... Whenever he touched my bone something happened? If my body didn't react the way it did I feel like I'd be dead...' Hero shook his head as he focused back in on the man. He brought his arm up as he inhaled. It instantly expanded taking up a portion of the room. Spikes fired out of the back of his arm as a wave of oxygen fired out. "Let's see you dodge this one! Big-Arm-Strike!" He shouted out as loud as he could.

"Oh shit!"

There was a massive boom as Hero punched ripping the room in half. The back wall blew up as the figure was thrown out of the room by the punch.

"Didn't dodge that one did you asshole!" Hero shouted jumping after the man, and into the hallway. The robed figure slammed into the ground, and their robe finally ripped... Hero's eyes widened as he stared at the man. "You!"

Slowly Officer Bradley, stood back up...

"Ahh come on! You seemed like such a cool guy!" Hero said throwing his arms up. "Umm... Did you get a hair cut or... Wow you're skinny..."

Officer Bradley stared back at Hero. Only something seemed off about him... His face was broken back out into a grin. Like a massive grin. Like bigger than a face should be. His skin actually looked like it was ripping. His eyes were sunken in and covered with bags. His eyes were red and tears streamed down his face. His hair was messy, and was falling out, and he looked much skinnier than he had a few days ago. Like super skinny. His entire body was purple, and looked bruised. His ribs were poking through his body and the flesh around his hands, and feet were gone. Nothing was on them. Not even muscles. It was just pure white bone.

"P...Preaues-" The man said through gritted teeth and a clemched jaw. He spoke without opening his jaws, his entire face being mostly still save for the fact that his lips moved slowly. Like his mouth was just closed still in that massive smile, but his lips would move in the motions of saying words. "K...Kill me-"

"What!" Hero said with a pale face as he stared at the man. "What did you just say-"

Officer Bradley let out a loud guttural howl, only something was very off about it. It was the sound of two voices screaming. Not one.

"You're-"

"Help-"

"Dead!"

"Me!"

The two voices both came from the same body. One of them was Officer Bradley for sure but the second was different. Whatever it was it was using the man's lips to speak, but it certainly wasn't him.

Hero once again got the cold feeling in his gut and that was when he realized it...

'I smell blood... So much blood. This thing is... This is the cause of the smell in the mansion. How many people has this thing killed-"

Officer Bradley shot forward raising both of his bone hands up as he let out another crazed howl. He was insanely fast, far faster then his body should have been able to handle since Bradley was just a human. Despite that fact though he moved faster than even Hero could follow as he jumped towards the body.

'Shit! My left arm still hasn't recovered from using my Big-Arm-Strike!' Hero thought in panic as the man neared him. 'And with how fast he's moving I don't have time to-'

'Blam!'

There was a loud banging noise, as the sound of flesh on flesh echoed out. Officer Bradley's head was snapped back as he was sent flying. Hero stood in shock as a hand was placed on his shoulder.

"You should be more careful Enforcer..." Okane Genkin said quietly walking in front of Hero. "A second later and I do believe this world would be down an Enforcer. Not that, that would be a bad thing."

"What!" Hero said in shock just now processing everything that happened. 'This man saved me?' He thought still in shock.

Okane walked forward his eyes still on the downed body of the man before him. "What a vile and disgusting creature. Something like this should not exist in this world..." He hissed out. He whipped out a small black credit cars from his pocket as he held it up. "I'll buy strength for a thousand Bells." He stated loudly. His body glowed a bright green as suddenly golden numbers appeared above his head. The numbers read out '1000' in bold letters and just floated there above the man's head.

Officer Bradley made an angry cry as he slowly stood up cracking his body back into place. "That hurt..."

Okane gave a small but simple smirk as he raised his card up once again. "Make it two thousand Bells..."