Defiance: Perfect by Nature

Chapter One: Divided

Book Three

Chapter One: Divided

Eric Douglas pulled his hood over his head and crossed the dark silent street, a single orange streetlight hanging high above him. It was late at night, sometime past one, and there was not a single soul out on the street besides him in that moment; and that’s honestly the way Eric preferred it. On his late night walks he wanted to be alone, and anything that disturbed his peace was an unwelcome diversion he couldn’t abide.

On this night there seemed to be something sinister in the air though, an almost palpable feeling that he breathed in and out. He couldn’t explain the odd feeling growing in the pit of his stomach but he knew not to question it, his gut feelings were heightened beyond what normal people experienced. Something was going to happen tonight; something big.

Eric crossed yet another street, his legs strong and sure as they propelled him towards an alley across from him. Normally he would avoid such a dark and nasty looking alley, but tonight he knew he had to venture into its depths. As he neared the entrance he pulled his ear buds out of his ears and stashed his iPod in his jacket pocket, knowing he would need all his senses for where he was going.

It was amazing how quiet the night was for being in a major metropolis, where close to seventeen million people lived. Eric could hear if someone a mile away dropped their keys on the ground; it was that quiet. It was an almost eerie sort of feeling and Eric had overheard older people talking about just how strange it was. Anyone over twenty years old was used to something entirely different than what the world was now. A place filled with hurt, sorrow, robbery, murder and rape. But those days had long since passed, giving way to a peaceful existence no matter where you lived anymore. Well, that was mostly true at least. You still had the odd crime that happened in the major population centres, but it was rarely anything too terrible. Take that night for example, there was about to be a robbery.

Eric had heard the man before he saw him step out from behind a dumpster, a short thin blade in his hand and a nasty smile on his face showcasing a row of yellow teeth. The stench wafting off the sudden intruder was enough to make you gag, a mix somewhere between alcohol, vomit, and urine. Eric ignored the stench though, and instead focused on his attacker as he stepped forward, flipping the knife dangerously in his hand as if he was trying to intimidate the poor sod who had walked down the wrong alley that night. Eric wasn’t intimidated though. In fact he was enticed.

“Gimme your wallet, phone, and any other shiny things you gots on you!” the man demanded after stopping Eric in the middle of the alley. “Do it now, before I gut you!”

“You’re going to need a bigger knife than that,” Eric said with a devilish smile.

The lack of fear Eric was showing this man was starting to shake his confidence and the knife began to shake in his hand as he took a tentative step forward, trying to keep his tough stature. He wasn’t doing a very good job of it though, and Eric could almost taste the fear that was starting to seep from him, overpowering the strong smell of piss and booze.

“Gimme it now, or I swear I will kill you!” the attacker demanded but was suddenly silenced by a fit of giggles overtaking Eric, who just stood there pointing at the man as he struggled to breathe through his laughter. “What’s so funny, you little puke?”