Fused

Chapter 11: To Fear or not to fear...

"One ought to be afraid of nothing other then things possessed of power to do us harm, but things innoucuous need not be feared."
― Dante Alighieri, Inferno

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I lifted my head just in time to see the coming impact and in reflex threw up my hands to buffer it. He responded by grasping onto to my wrists. His long fingers wrapped around them and he held me in place while he looked me over like a vulture eyeing recently dead flesh.  He used all his senses to assess me.  His nose flicked, his ears pricked, his eyes pierced. Immediately I was overcome with a cold feeling despite the heat that seemed to be pouring off him.  I could see how Revenants evoked vampire mythology.  Was Abel going to drink my blood?

Normally I would apologize for bumping into someone, but his touch, which seared my skin where his fingers made contact, had rendered me mute. The air around us condensed and vibrated like a buzzing electric field and flooded me with dread that left me paralyzed in place. I was like a rabbit on a dark night paused on the highway waiting for the on coming big rig to cream me.

It felt as if the oxygen had been evaporated right out of the room and I was left gasping for breath. I was caught in a web and sucked into some portal that was in this space inside Jose's but not in Jose's. Everything and everyone around me seemed to go dim and silent and fade into the background while Abel took the forefront. It was just me and him.

His exceptional height towered over me and despite his lean physique, well defined muscles were easily visible through his tight black t-shirt. The scent of damp earth and moss and cedar rolled off him and perfectly complimented his darkness but was contrasted by the heat that emanated from him. It made me think he should be rosy cheeked and moist with sweat but instead his skin was pasty, almost transparent looking. A thick sweep of black hair was slicked back from his face that was neither old nor young in appearance and to my surprise, classically handsome.  The small picture in my mother's locket did him no justice. He had a strong jawline and straight nose that would give him the profile of a statuesque Greek God...that is, if he weren't so creepy.  I stood there, his hands still scorching my wrists, transfixed by his deep-set obsidian eyes that sparked with recognition.  I knew who he was, and he clearly knew who I was. 

My eyes stayed locked on his entrapping gaze with an avidity I wanted desperately to disengage from but couldn't. After what seemed like hours, but was certainly only seconds, his thrall wore off some, he released his grip and I was finally able to take a step back. 

"You're in danger," he said. His voice was brusque, strained, as if he hadn't spoken in years.  I couldn't really process what he was saying.  I knew I was in danger.  Danger was standing right in front of me.

"I'm here to warn you. You are in danger. I need you to listen. You're not safe." Something changed in his demeanor...or how I was perceiving him had changed...and he seemed very intent on giving me this message. He leaned his face down towards me, his eyes sharpened, but not in a dangerous way,  rather in a way that emphasized how he wanted me to understand him.  His face was so close to mine now I could see the faint trace of smile lines in his cheeks as he cast a quick suspicious glance around the room before settling his sight back on me.  There was a sincerity about him which caught me off guard. An inoccuousness that I didn't expect. He took a step forward into the already small space between us, as if he needed to be even closer to get his message across.  I let him.  Then I became aware of the tactile energy that encompassed  him and sent the hairs on my arms into full attention jarring me back into reality. I took a step back and the room returned to focus. The hustle and bustle of Jose's clambered around us as people ordered food and searched for seating.