Halflight

A 'Special' Kidnapping

Tony walked into the house, flopping on the couch, reaching for a can of soda that lay on the counter. With a whoosh, it sailed into his hand, and the blue light slowly faded away. He kicked up his feet, and leaned into the sofa, feeling like the soft thing would swallow him. With that thought, he sat upright.

Not getting swallowed today.

"What do you want for dinner?" asked Holly, flinging herself down next to him. Holly didn't know about his Kinetics, and he thought it better not to tell her.

"Ummmm......pizza?" he said unsurely. He really didn't care what he had, he was still thinking about the ride home. Over his shoulder, in the hills across from the highway, he had felt a sense of...well he wasn't sure what it was. That was it. He wasn't sure. He was always sure.

"Okay!" she responded brightly, walking over to the kitchen to begin dinner preparations. She really didn't mind cooking dinner, it helped to let her unwind from work. Chicken blood was a LOT easier to deal with than real blood. In fact, the only reason she became a surgeon was for the salary.

'She's busy.' thought Tony as he tiptoed up the stairs to his room. He didn't have to sneak, he could just say he was doing homework, and she was too busy with dinner to care.

He sat down at his computer, looking at the dimly lit monitor. He moved his mouse, and it sprang to life. He noticed a message in the lower corner of his screen, and clicked it.

'TONY WHERE WERE U, BIG XPLOSION AT SCHOOL-LOTSA QUESTIONS!!!' It had come from Charlotte Grace, one of his few friends.

He replied. 'Went home early, not feeling well, anyone injured?' With that he got up, and decided to take a bath.

He used baths as a time to unwind, and after he came out the smell of pizza and pasta permeated the air. 'My sister could be a five star cook...' he thought, wondering why she was too stubborn to go work at a restaurant somewhere.

I guess restaurants didn't pay enough for sports cars.

He walked back over to his computer, to see a slew of messages from Charlotte. He scanned over them.

'No one hurt...cafeteria blown up...no school...three weeks...' was all he picked out before he closed the window and shut down the computer. He lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. Three weeks, huh? It seemed like an eternity. Sitting at home would be boring, and so he decided to start a list of things to do.

Reaching task 233, Bobsledding, he got bored, and shoved down his pen, flopping over. The clock read 11:30.

He walked down the hall, hoping to find some pizza left. He heard thumping on the walls.

"Mmmmmmm.....Ah....." was the only sound that came from his sister's door. He looked through a window in the hall, seeing her boyfriend's car parked outside. So what's what was going on... She had a soundproof door, so it was surprising that he could hear her through it.

'Ughhhhh.... Didn't need those mental images...' He thought, running down the stairs to go busy himself with some pizza. The problems would melt away with the cheese.

They did.

He was on his way back to his room when he felt the...feeling again. It was a presence, he was sure of it, but he wasn't sure what it wanted. He walked into his room...his dark room. He was sure he had left the lights on. He tried the switch.

Nothing worked.

"Tee Hee Hee... You really should leave your room more heavily guarded, Anthony..." said a singsong voice, which emanated from the distant corner of the room. The lights flashed on, and he was astonoshed to see a man sitting on...air.

He was tall and thin, and wore a black striped suit. He had white gloves, and black-and-white bowling shoes. He reminded Tony of Slenderman in the sixties. On his face he wore one of the masks which showed happy and sad, the halves sawed off so it showed both at the same time.

Behind the mask, he wore a grotesque smile.

"Shall we play a game?" asked the man. He got up from his imaginary seat, and floated over to Tony. His voice became cracked and ululating. "Shall we play a game Anthony? Winner keeps his life! It'll be fun!"

Tony did NOT like this guy's concept of fun. He made his hand into the shape of a gun, like a kid would do in a game. This gun was loaded.

He fired a shot at the man, who narrowly dodged it, slinking back into place. "My my Tony, GUNS ARE AGAINST THE LAW." He shot forward his hand, and black tendrils of smoke crept quickly towards Tony. In as second they constricted him, raising him high above the floor.

He could feel himself going lightheaded. He would NOT be outdone by some freak in a suit. He concentrated, sending a blast straight at the torso of the man. It pierced his chest- a lung maybe, and the man's breathing became ragged.

"I'll get you-" he began, but Tony was already racing out the door. Still in his clothes from school, a blue t-shirt and jeans, he ran down the stairs, grabbing his bike from outside the door.

"It's me he wants, he'll leave Holly out if it." he said quietly, hoping for the first time in his life that he was right.

As he raced down the long, sloping driveway, he realized why it was so hard to detect the man's presence. He was probably so insane he didn't have a clear one.

Seeing the gate around the curve in the driveway, he made a beeline for it, only to be stopped by the masked man emerging from behind the bushes, clutching his chest. All along his suit was blood-splattering from his one wound. He was taking shallow breaths now, and Tony realized if he could outlast him, he would be safe.

He slowed down his breathing, calming down. He was in control.

"So what does a man like you want with a guy like me?" he asked, stalling for time.

"You...die...plan...NOW!" the man screamed, throwing himself at Tony, a dagger in his hand. In a last ditch effort, Tony lashed out, catching the man in his wound, which was opened wider by his foot. He was now literally kicking into the man. He followed it with a thrust, sending the man sprawling across the grass, lying there as the green grass dyed itself red.

He turned away, focusing on getting to the house and calling the police. He slowly trudged back uphill, to his home.

"You won't get rid of me that easily." came a whisper across his shoulder, and he looked back in horror to see the masked man, completely unscathed.

"Now it the fun par-" he started.

Then a knife appeared between his eyes, jutting between them. The man turned cross-eyed, looking at it slowly. His mask cracked, and he slumped to the floor, finally dead.

A man stood behind him, wiping his dagger on his sleeve. He looked pained, as if this was a distraction from something interesting he had planned. He wore a black jacket, and had grey eyes, and brown hair. He had a rugged look, as if he hadn't shaved in a few days, and he was muscular, like he spent a good amount of time at the gym. He regarded Tony with a surprised air.

"Tony Luz?" he asked.

"Ye-" came Tony's reply, cut off by a blinding flash. His head immediately felt lighter, and he didn't feel himself fall, but noticed he was on the ground. 'Wow, I'm gonna fall unconscious.' he thought.

His vision darkened, and he slumped into an involuntary sleep.