Venom [Under Construction]

Three: Marked

The dampness of the mushy autumn leaves that decorated the dirty pavement seeped stale rain water through my jeans and I hated it, but for the life of me I couldn't move.

My nightmare made reality was glaring down at me with eyes as black as midnight, with lone stars in each bottomless pupil that glinted dangerously daring me to make a run for it. There was nothing I would rather do right now, but I knew better than to do something so foolish; he didn't look like someone that I could escape from.

I swallowed hard feeling only hot air go down my throat, my fear making my mouth so dry that I couldn't even produce that horrid bubbly saliva. He towered over me as motionless as a statue; never blinking, never breathing, just glaring. If it wasn't for the intensity of his stare then I would have believed that he was...dead.

Why was he here? Why now? What did he want from me?

I knew I was not sleeping because the world carried on moving as usual; just not near me. Even the birds that usually sat twittering away in the trees and the grubby disease ridden pigeons (I didn't consider them to be birds, more like vermin) were keeping their distance. It was as if he was purposely repelling all walks of life. It was like what I did to the people around me but on a larger scale, and on purpose.

Just as I thought it, he cocked his head to the side sharply and smirked, now effortlessly frozen in a new position,

"Perceptive aren't we?"

I flinched at the sound of his voice. There was something so daunting yet seductive about the way he spoke, as if his every word was meant to lull me into a deep reverie. As quiet as it was, it was throaty and resonant, yet melodic like a thousand drums being hit lightly with drum brushes.

He hadn't said anything remotely flirtatious but my cheeks were flushing and my awed stare was slowly turning into inexplicable admiration. He had been blessed with the kind of devilishly handsome looks that could sway even the most cynical of females and have them catering to his every whim; Exhibit 'A': me.

Finding him attractive should have been the last thing on my mind. I should still be afraid but I could feel my fear etching away against my will. It was as if my body was running on auto-pilot and falling into the most unfamiliar familiar pattern of feeling at home around him telling me that I belonged with him; I could feel it more strongly than I had ever felt anything else in my life and it scared me.

How could I be so attached to someone I had never met...in reality.

"Do you know who I am?" he asked suddenly coming to life, dusting off and readjusting his clothes that were slightly ruffled from our sudden impact. I nodded quickly. He took a step closer and slowly knelt down to my level, never breaking eye contact. My pulse quickened at his closeness.

"Who am I Lyric?"

The scar on my shoulder blade tingled at the sound of my name flowing from his full heart-shaped lips, as if they were moulded specifically to it. My name had never sounded sweeter.

"Darius. You're Darius."

Oh my God I remembered; I never remember!

Darius's glare softened a little and he smiled the most beguiling smile as if he was pleased with me, which made me want to please him forever more so that he would always smile at me like that.

"Good girl," he purred. He leant in a little closer so that the very tip of his cool nose was teasing the burning skin of my flushed cheeks. My heart quickened still as he traced his nose along my jaw line to just below my earlobe, and inhaled deeply. He groaned. I heard the wet sound of his lips pulling back over his teeth as his smile widened. I wanted to pull back so I could see the magnificence of this new, happier smile so that I could see how his beauty was amplified all the more, but something in the back of my mind warned me to stay still. No sudden moves.