Ray of Light

Chapter 2- A messenger

I didn't quite know what to do, to be honest. My voice meekly found its way out my mouth, and I simply said, 'yes?'. His eyes locked onto mine. The intensity of his glare almost stopped my breathing. Noticing I hadn't exhaled for quite some time, I let out a gush of air and took a gulp of more air. Just with that gaze he had frozen me in place and thrown me about inside myself. I felt violated and broken, and I had no idea on why this was so. All he did was look at me.

'So you're Leon?', he asked.

'Yes.'

'You must come'

'Um. Yes. Uh... So wh-'

'Excuse me, lady.' He pushed one of my workmates aside and was making his way over to my direction. My body trembled; not from the cold, but from his power. He had something over me and I wasn't too sure what it was. Where had I seen his face before..? As he approached me, he became clearer. I instantly noticed something I hadn't before; although he wore many layers of thick clothing, he himself was as skinny as a twig. His arms jutted out of his coat and all I could see was well-defined bone. I hadn't expected this at all, and it gave me some confidence.

He was now in front of me, with a hand on my shoulder and staring into my eyes. His face was truly, sadly bony. His cheekbones looked as though they were punching his skin and trying to free themselves; it was a very saddening sight. With such a booming voice like the one he had, and with such a rebellious hairstyle, this kind of anorexic build was what I least expected. I could probably have crushed him if I wanted to, as he had very little muscle. This knowledge forced a sky grin on my face; there was no way I was going to be intimidated by this twig.

'You must come. I need to give you something.' He grabbed my arm with the childish strength he was capable of and dragged me to the door. Well, he wasn't really pulling me as much as I was pushing him. This newfound power planted a wicked plan in my head if he did anything I didn't approve of. I could have him kicking and screaming like a little girl on my whim. I pushed harder on him and he nearly tripped over; it was a pathetic sight.

Once we were outside, he took me to a quiet, isolated corner across the road. I genuinely trusted him, as I knew he wouldn't be risking his life doing something stupid in the state he was in. 'So tell me,' I commanded, 'From where do you know me, and what is your reason for meeting me like this?' His face flickered with weakness for a microsecond as soon as I said this. I had definitely seen the reaction. What was it for? Was he surprised about something I had said? Or just shocked to hear my voice? I shook it off aside and put all my concentration onto him.

'I simply have this to give you. Nothing more. Nothing less. Take it.' He thrust a parcel into my willing arms and breathed a sigh of relief. Had that been physically demanding for him? It seemed so. I studied the small package with curiosity. I could not contain my excitement, and I dipped my finger under the wrap to tear it apart.

'You must not open it here.' His loud voice startled me. Embarrassed, I shoved my hand deep into my pocket and pretended I had barely heard him. 'What was that?'

'You must open it alone. You will have too many questions for me, and I have too few answers for you. It is for the best for both of us. If you'll excuse me, I must depart now.'

And with that, he left me standing there. Standing alone, a fool wielding a package on a cold morning. I was keen to leap into its contents, but I felt that I should perhaps tell Jason about it. I didn't care about the weirdo's orders; Jason was my mate and we never held anything from each other. He had to know.

Little did I know what danger I would be leading my friend into.