Fatal Attractions

XIV

My mouth blew out tiny clouds as I zsucked in the frigid air, my lungs burning from the cold. A gust of wind came by and blew light snow off a nearby branch and onto my face, the flakes pricking my skin like hundreds of freezing needles. That's all I could feel, cold. The only thing I felt or sensed was the cold and the sound of my heavy, consistent breaths as I ran along. Yet, the cold was my drive, the cold was the fuel to my fire. As terrible as it was, it drove me, and that's all that matters.

"Are we done yet?" I heard Logan puffing behind me. I sped up, ducking under another snow dusted branch. "Don't leave me! Please!"

I broke out into the clearing and slowed down, checking my watch. I was two minutes behind my normal time because of him.

"Just spend some time with him, maybe bring him on a run." Aubrey had said to me. "You'll warm up to him."

"Aubrey, he knows now. He needs to move out." I had protested after I had complained about his untidiness and the fact he was a terrible housemate.

"Wouldn't it be better if he stayed with us to keep him from telling anyone else? Besides, spending an hour with him would build trust between the two of you." She had won that fight, so now I was out here with the dumb kid trying to make him get some exercise.

"Jesus Christ," He coughed as he entered the clearing, doubling over and spitting burgundy blood into the snow. He propped himself up by putting his hands on his knees, lifting his head slowly to look up at me. "You do this every day?"

"Almost everyday." I replied, stretching my arms over my head.

"But," He had to take a moment in between labored breaths before speaking. "You're barely out of breath. We just ran five miles."

"It's called being in shape," I responded. "Something I feel you never have been."

He rolled his eyes. "I've been in shape."

I cocked an eyebrow at him.

He stood up, scratching his head. "My mom said that I was a perfectly healthy baby."

I laughed. "That's pitiful."

"I can get in shape." He protested. "You wait. Next thing you know, I'll be sprinting through the streets killing bad guys like you do."

"I don't kill them," I corrected. "at least, I don't try to, and I wouldn't count on fighting bad guys just yet, you can barely throw a punch without hurting yourself." I started walking back towards the main road where his car was.

"Hey," He jogged up next to me. "I'm very sensitive after sex."

I stopped and faced him, raising my eyebrows challengingly. "Fine. Hit me." I crossed my arms.

He looked at me like I just asked him to lick his belly button. "I'm not going to hit you."

"Why not?" I spread my arms out, making myself completely vulnerable.

He crossed his arms in reply. "Is this some kind of test?"

"Yes, if you pass you get a lollipop." I rolled my eyes. "Just hit me. What? Are you scared?"

He scoffed, unfolding his arms. "No." He turned away from me and acted like he was walking away when he pivoted on his foot and threw a fist towards my face.

I caught it quickly, twisting his arm like a twizzler, making him whimper. "Dead." Next, I hooked my foot around his knees and kicked them forward, causing him to flop face first into the snow. "Dead." Finally, I flipped him onto his back, pinning his arms down with my knees and gripping his neck firmly, a gasp escaping his throat as his eyes bugged out like two golden bouncy balls. I really wasn't squeezing it that hard, only enough to scare him a little. I leaned down towards him, our faces close enough so I could feel his hot, shallow breaths against my neck. "Very dead." I whispered as I released my hold on him.