Trust Me, He's a "Keeper."

The Dream

   Where am I? What is this place? Darkness surrounded me and there’s nothing but deathly silence. A cold draft circulated through, making goose bumps rise on the surface of my skin and a chill crawl up my spine. I’m completely alone or so I thought. I don’t see anyone or anything. No light, no sound, no sign of life. I paced back and forth, arms stretched out in front of me. I searched for some sort of surface, but no luck. I was lost. Out of nowhere, I felt something wet drop onto my face. Looking up, I saw blurred outlines of storm clouds and more droplets fell. I dragged my feet through the darkness for any sign of another person or society. Far in the distance, a dim whitish light glowed, illuminating the darkness and reflecting against the moisture on the ground. I pressed toward it with hope of figuring out where I am and if someone could help me. I reached toward the light with numb fingers, desperately trying to grab it. As my fingers closed in on it, the light blew out the way a lightbulb would and harsh laughter rang in my ears.
  “Hey there, babe,” one voice taunted.
  I tried to turn around and walk in the opposite direction, but a rough hand grasped my wrist and twisted my arm, pinning it to my back.
  “Where do you think you’re going?” another voice sneered.
  I could tell these voices were from men much older than I. Tears streamed from my eyes as I felt another hand grab me by the back of my neck and the back of my knees were kicked in to bring me to the ground.
 “Please, let me go!” I cried hysterically.
 “Yeah, sure!”
 My captors threw me to the ground and started to kick me in the sides. I wailed in pain as the five men alternated between kicking my ribcage in, picking me up by the scruff of the neck and shoving me against the back wall of the alleyway. Scarlet blood flowed from my nose and deep gashes on my face. The rain was in torrents now, but it didn’t slow my attackers. I peered through the corner of my eye just in time to catch glimpse of something long and metal in one man’s hands before he swung and I crumpled to the rough concrete with a shattered leg. I screeched in agony and the men just laughed at what they had done. I reached for my wand inside my pocket, discovering it was missing. My breathing’s shallow and painful. I tried to force my tears to stop. My chest heaved as I coughed up more blood.  Fear made my blood run cold when I heard the unsheathing of a dagger and the click of a loaded gun. I swallowed hard as I felt the freezing barrel of the man’s hand pistol press against my skull.
  “Say goodbye, little girl,” he growled.
   I held my breath with my eyes squeezed shut, waiting for what was coming. I listened as the gun clicked once more before he pulls the trigger, allowing my last tears to escape and mix with the rain, dirt and blood.
*****
BANG!
*****
  The sound reverberated through the alley to the empty streets. I opened my eyes and dragged myself around to see what had happened. Four men stood paralyzed in shock, faces drained of color and eyes popping from their sockets. The gunman lied a few feet away with his pistol in hand. He was completely still. Soft footsteps sloshing in the pools of water came from the shadows. My vision’s blurred and I don’t have the strength to see who was coming.
  “Leave her alone.”
  The voice was calm, but stern. I didn’t recognize it at all.
  One of the men redrew his dagger, “This doesn’t concern you, boy.”
 “I believe it does. Now, I suggest leaving before you end up like your buddy there.”
 The man growled, “What did you do to him?”
 “He’s dead. Can’t you thickheads tell?”
  Another man snarled, “We know that! What was that green light?”
 My savior still spoke smoothly, “Doesn’t matter. Leave, now.”
 I listened silently. I could hear the unsheathing of three more knives and heavy footsteps heading in our direction. There’s no way he could take all four down, my consciousness was slipping. Suddenly the footsteps paused and the men broke into roars of laughter.
  “What do you plan to do with that?!” one man sneered, “poke us to death?”
   I tried to force myself to sit up to see what was going on, but I was too weak and collapsed. As my eyes began to close, my rescuer whispered something ending it all with a flash of green and the four men gasping their last breath. Silence broke out once again except for the soggy footsteps of the man who saved my life. I sensed him crouch down next to me, sweeping my drenched hair from my face and turning me to my side.
  “Thank….y-you,” I managed to choke out.
  He didn’t answer to my gratefulness, but he turned me on my back, placed my arm around his neck and wrapped his arms around my legs and torso, picking me up effortlessly. I still couldn’t see in the pitch darkness, but I knew I was safe now. A few minutes later, I heard the sound of a turning doorknob and rain no longer pelted my cheeks. Wooden floor boards creaked as the door clicked shut and I was carried to and placed on a couch. My body ached and I was exhausted. Suddenly, orange light lit up and shined through my eyelids. The sudden heat warmed my frozen body, making me shiver with delight and comfort. Hours passed and I still was holding on to consciousness by a thread. My rescuer had spent the time keeping the fire going, bandaging my wounds and using healing spells for any possible broken bones. For the last hour, he had left me completely alone to recollect myself and rest, but curiosity gnawed at me at who he was. Eventually I couldn’t take it any longer and pried my eyelids open, gasping at the sight. The home’s beautiful and well-kept. It’s so much fancier than my home. I looked to the fireplace and saw my savior for the first time.  A very tall and attractive young man that looked to be about nineteen stood gazing into the golden flames. His black wavy hair and his clothes still seemed a teensy bit damp from the downpour. His eyes are dark, the firelight dancing in them. His jaw was set in serious expression and he stared at the crackling fire. His legs were crossed and his left arm pressed against the mantel. I spent the next few minutes taking it all in, my girlish instincts kicking in as I couldn’t help but check him out. Everything that happened earlier was a distant memory. My breath caught in my throat as he suddenly looked up from the dancing flames and straight into my eyes, making my heart beat faster. I watched as he uncrossed his legs and removed his arm from the mantel, starting towards me. I was still too weak to move, so I could only watch as he approached a step at a time. He soon stood over me, his eyes locked on mine as he crouched down to be level with me.
  “Thank you for saving me,” I croaked.
   He looked at the table next to me and picked up a glass containing water and a straw. He held the glass to me with the straw to my lips. My throat was dry and sore, so I drank. When I finished, he placed the glass back on the table and just looked at me.
   I swallowed hard, “Why won’t you speak?”
  He shrugged and stood up, turning to walk away.
  “Wait, please. May I at least know your name?” I asked.
   He sighed and turned back to face me. I waited impatiently as he sat on the floor in front of me and looked into my eyes.
   A small grin curved his mouth, “My name’s Tom Riddle.”