Hidden Darkness

Chapter 4

      After what had happened, I went back to my house and said that I was gonna turn in for the night. I carefully set up some pillows and other items to form a body-like shape under the covers and then sneak out into the, once again, snowing city. It took me a bit to get to the alley due to the snow, but I made it. I stood in the snow for about ten minutes, expecting Eric to drop down from the buildings above, or lift me up again, or something. I was a bit surprised to see him round the corner like a normal person.
    He stopped at the entrance and gestured with his head to follow and started walking. I caught up to him and walked along side him. "So, where are we going?"
"You'll see," was all he said. I stayed quiet for the rest of the journey, following him. He seemed even more angry than he usually was. We entered a small neighborhood and walked around for a bit until we reached a house at the end of a street. He walked into the yard as I just stood there and watched, unsure if I should follow.
I looked around and saw that no one was around so I followed. "Look into the window. Do you see him?" Eric said without looking at me. I try my best to see through the window since we aren't up close to it. But I see a figure in a doorway. Tall and staring into a part of the room I can't see.
I can just make out that he was only in boxers. I turn back to Eric. "Why are we-," I jump back when I see that Eric's eyes went back to the bright white pupils and black scleras. When I look back, I see the man disappear behind the part of the window I can't see in. "This is the part where you want to step back," Eric said in an extremely scary tone.
I backed up slowly then started walking backwards until I hit the street. The moment my foot hits the icy pavement, Eric's four tendrils shoot out and shoot through the window, shattering the glass and splintering the wood around it. I quickly hide behind the fence that splits each house apart from the other and watch as Eric pulls a body out from the hole in the building. Eric walked around to the side of the house with no windows with the man in his tendril grasp. They disappear behind the building and that's when the noises started.
I ran to the window and peeked in. I could finally see into the whole room. There was a bed in the part of the room I couldn't see. In the bed, still asleep, was a little boy. Somehow not awoken by the recent ruckus.
I start to wonder now. I know what Eric is doing is wrong and horrible, but he isn't just picking people to kill off the street. If he were, he would have chosen any one of the houses at the beginning of the neighborhood. Why only this one? And what was that man doing?
I notice that the sounds have stopped and all I hear is the wind and the crunch of snow from footsteps. Eric walks back to the front of the house next to me. "Do you understand yet?" His anger has passed and replaced with sadness and regret. "What was he planning to do?" I ask, wanting some reassurance to my thought.
"We both know what he was planning to do. You now have your answers." Eric started walking back on the sidewalk and I followed. We walked for a while in silence until I spoke up again. "So all those people. Those men, they were all-,"
"Rapists, pedophiles, and child abusers. I only kill those who have or are getting away with it."
"But why?"
"Because people like them ruin the lives of innocent people." I thought back to his attitude when we left. "You don't enjoy this, do you?" He looked at me for the first time since we left the scene. "Why the hell would I? I'm glad they're dead, but I hate that I have to kill them."
"Then why not stop?"
"I can't allow those monsters to go on and destroy lives."
"I can see that. What I mean is, why kill them? Why not just apprehend them. Keep them alive? Let the police take them. Knock them out or something." Eric sighed and looked down at the snow as we walked. "I can't control myself. I hate them so much, I torture them. I don't know how to calm myself."
"Maybe we can help you with it." Eric looks at me questionably. "What you're doing isn't exactly bad, it's what you do to them that is. The police have no way to know if they were all pedophiles, rapists, and child abusers. Maybe some, yes, but not all. They think you're just killing randomly. I think it would be best to try and control your anger."
"And how do we do that?" Eric says stopping; I stop too. "Training. On top of a vacant building. I can be your coach. We can train you to control your anger and turn you from a murderer into a vigilante." Eric stares at me for five seconds then starts laughing. The laugh caught me by surprise.
It was loud and almost contagious. Definitely not a laugh you would hear from people like Eric. He calmed down and looked at me. "Alright, Emsly. I'll give it a shot. Let's meet on top of the building we were at today. We can train there."
"Nice! But I can't tomorrow. I have a date with Amelia"
"Amelia? The girl from two days ago?"
"yeah, we kind of hit it off."
"That's cool. Anyways, see you thursday." Then Eric's tendrils appeared again but shifted and twisted and combined into the shape of wings. If anything I was dumbfounded. They raised up and with one flap, he was quickly airborne. I watch as his shape disappeared in the dark clouds above