The Pain Thief

Chapter 14

I'M NOT ALONE

Zoe had been feeling nervous all day. It wasn't enough that nothing had happened in the past week, but then the night before she was sure she'd seen something hit Jack. He looked fine though, and she couldn't find anything wrong with him when she checked. 

There was this nagging feeling though and she couldn't shake it. Something bad was about to happen. 

It was Tuesday night. It had been a little more than a week since the party and a day since the incident with Jack. Zoe was laying on her bed, humming a song while doing some homework. It was already dark out, reflecting the coming cold season. 

She was dressed in her black cargo pants, a gray tee, and her black zip-up sweatshirt. She was laying on her stomach, swinging her legs in the air. Jack was having dinner with his family, so he was at home. Zoe was watching the house while Mr. Z was out at one of his various activities. He did more than she did actually. 

She smiled and sat up, stretching. Zoe was about to get something to eat when she felt that power again. It wasn't as strong, but it was there. It was the same thing that had made her faint at the party. 

She swallowed, feeling nervous. She clenched her fists. "I have to do this," she whispered to herself. 

Zoe gulped and ran out of the room, leaving a note for Mr. Z on the kitchen table. He would know where she was going anyway, but she didn't want to worry him when he arrived home. 

She ran out of the house, calling, "Malachi! Reyna!" 

It was dark out, streetlights lit up at every corner. Zoe ran with Malachi and Reyna at her side, taking out her studded hair pieces and putting her hair up in a messy bun, her right bang still hanging over her eye. 

It wasn't long before she arrived at a dark street, a streetlight to her right and in intervals in front of her. Her heart was practically beating out of her chest. This was the center of that power, but there wasn't anything there. 

Zoe's eyes flashed and she raised her head as she heard footsteps. Someone was walking out of the shadows in front of her, their steps echoing in the silent night. 

She heard a chuckle from a male voice. "So if it isn't the Pain Thief. How nice to meet you."

The voice the slick, like oil sliding over water. 

"Pain Thief? What are you talking about?" she said hesitantly. Zoe backed up a little, holding her hands out in a defensive stance.

"Just a nickname," said the man, the hint of a smile in his voice. "That's beside the point though. I assume you're here to fight me."

The man stepped out of the shadows, allowing Zoe to get a look at him. He was tall and slim, wearing a long blue cloak, dark blue pants, and a white shirt. His long, spiky black hair grew over his left eye. His eyes were dark and unfeeling. 

Zoe had the incredible urge to run, but found that she couldn't as he continued talking, "To make things easier," he said, "I'll let you in on a secret."

He paused and smiled menacingly before removing a stone like pure darkness from under his shirt where it had been hanging on a string. "You won't live past this, so you might as well know. This is what we use to control the haze. It absorbs them and gives us their power."

Zoe's eyes widened as he tucked the stone back in his shirt. "Too bad you won't learn anymore little girl. Maybe if you defeat me, you can have it!"

He rushed forward and Zoe just barely had time to throw up a shield. He crashed into it with an incredible amount of force, sending Zoe skidding backwards. Her shield held, but she could feel the force in her arms.