Ethusus - Warrior of Dust

Three

Three

Mr. Jingles stood waiting with a mixture of fear and great anticipation, watching for her next action.

Samantha, finally recovered from eating human food, told him she would need some supplies to start their journey. Mr. Jingles quietly listened as she rattled off the list. He pulled out a notebook along with a pencil and began writing down her commands. When he was done writing, Mr. Jingles looked up with a furrowed brow and asked. "How can I get what you need? I have no money."

Samantha gave him a smug smile and replied, "Don't worry, I will be with you, always. Now go."

Nodding, Mr. Jiggles made his way back through the smelly tunnel, only this time with a little more confidence. Reaching the manhole that he'd come through, he climbed back out into the chaos above. Now, standing outside the opening, he stopped and searched his pockets for a smoke, hoping the sewer water hadn't ruined the pack of cigarettes he'd kept in his front pocket.

Still hungry, he pulled out a candy bar, unwrapped it and took a bite. He couldn't help thinking about how the candy had affected Samantha.

"Who in the world gets sick from eating a Snickers bar?" he mumbled. "Now, that's just weird."

As soon as he had spoken the words, a familiar feeling came over him and he heard Samantha's soft voice in his head saying, "I heard that."

Mr. Jingles jumped, nearly falling off the sidewalk. "Wow! You mean to tell me you heard that, Samantha?"

"Oh, yeah."

"Are you serious? You can actually read my thoughts?"

"I can read more than that, so please, we don't have a lot of time."

"Okay, okay." He forgot all about the candy bar and sprung back into action. Making his way toward the subway station, Mr. Jingles was already aware of the dangers lurking in this town, so he knew to be careful in which direction he walked. He needed a hardware store, and he wouldn't find one in this part of town. Out here, there was only bars and a lot of trouble. He would need to the go to North End where there were more actual businesses, but in order to get there, he would have to take the subway, which can sometimes be a little tricky, depending on the time of day.

Since Samantha could read his mind, Mr. Jingles shrugged off the negative thoughts and began making his way downtown. Like clockwork, he instantly heard the sounds of fire trucks, police cars, and ambulances the closer he got. All ran rampant, trying to put the streets back to order. He moved cautiously through the ongoing mayhem, passing one flashing light after another.

After about half a mile or so, he could see the large high rise that seemed to reach toward the heavens the closer he got. Now approaching the street where he would enter the underground subway, he heard a cry for help in the distance.

It was a woman. She was screaming at the top of her lungs, "Please don't hurt me!"

Upon hearing this, the old man became curious and was anxious to see what was going on.

Mr. Jingles started to reach for his knife, wanting to arm himself for what lay ahead. His grandfather had given him this knife when he was only seven years of age. Although it had truly seen its better days, it was still very effective. Creeping around the side of the building, Mr. Jingles inched closer. And pulled his knife out very slowly, then he heard Samantha's voice in his head.

"You won't need that knife, so put it away"

Reluctantly, Mr. Jingles closed the knife and slid it back into his jean pocket, obeying her command. He then began having a brief conversation with her. "What do you want me to do?"

Samantha uttered, "Well, for starters, I asked you to get me some supplies." She paused, then added, "But I understand." She went on to tell him to not be afraid.

The screams grew more intense now, and he could now hear the woman trying her best to fight back. Turning the corner quickly, Mr. Jingles said with a firm, authority-filled voice, "Hey, what's going on?" He could clearly see what was going on. The man had the woman pinned to the ground trying to rape her.

The woman screamed, "Help me! Please help me!"

Before Mr. Jingles could utter another word, the man jumped to his feet and says, "This is none of his business."

Mr. Jingles became very angry and wanted to strike the man. The assailant moved toward him and said, "Okay, old man, let's see what you got, since you can't seem to mind your own business"

"This is my business" Suddenly, Mr. Jingles started shaking uncontrollably while looking into the rapist's eyes and the man halted his steps. Mr. Jingles eyes turned bright red as he held the man's stare. He could feel Samantha inside him, taking over his body.

Grabbing his head with his hands, the man screamed in agony. Blood began to seep from his eyes, and ears. The woman on the ground started screaming, not understanding what was going on. Jumping up, she ran away in a state of shock.

Mr. Jingles began pleading with Samantha, "Samantha, you don't have to kill him. He's broken the law, but it's not your place to kill him."

Samantha didn't respond, nor did she stop, and the man now lay in a fetal position, screaming uncontrollably. Mr. Jingles could hear his bones popping one by one. The old man's body was still under Samantha's control, but he attempted to reach her a final time.

"Samantha, please stop." His plea was too late, for she had broken every bone in the man's body. The man took a final breath, his contorted body going still.