Wednesday
The Stranger - IV - An Apprentice
He wandered throughout the night; he wondered if he would get any fulfillment if he was to take a life with just one punch. It didn’t seem feasible but another kill was again becoming apparently necessary.
It was three in the morning, the only people out were prostitutes and the men that needed to use their services. The stranger walked out of the alleyway and down the street. He saw a man in a business suit get out of his vehicle and approach a hooker. His hand gestures and uncomfortable behavior could have signified that this was the first time he had attempted to pay for sex. The stranger clenched his right fist and talked towards the two conversing. The man was facing towards the street, pointing at his minivan parked on the opposite side.
As the stranger passed by he threw a solid punch into the side of the man’s head. He flew a good six feet and scraped his face off of the sidewalk. Blood immediately started to pool around the man’s head.
“What the fuck did you do that for? The son of a bitch was gonna give me five hundred bucks for a blow job!” The prostitute screamed at him. He shot a look at her that immediately ceased her complaining. She turned around and ran as fast as she could in 6’ stilettos.
He had never resorted to killing prostitutes. Somewhere in his mind he realized that the women that were forced to sell their bodies had more than likely just as screwed up of a life as he had had, and it had always been on of those personal rules the stranger would abide by. Although it wasn’t necessarily a conscious decision he also concluded that he would receive little to no gratification if he were to go ahead and take one of their lives.
As he walked back down another alleyway he tried to decipher exactly what it was that would provide him with a continuous sense of fulfillment, but nothing crossed his mind. He had never felt as if he had a simply recreational reason for doing what he did, he felt it a necessity for his survival. If there was not a steady flow of blood exerted by his hands he felt he would not be able to continue on with his own life.
As he walked he sensed another presence, he wandered cautiously, although the possibility of an attack was unlikely it was still very possible. A glass bottle could be heard moving and echoing through they alleyway. The stranger surveyed everything but could not see what his intuition was telling him was there. A few minutes of silence passed and the stranger continued slowly down the alleyway.
A tug on his tattered overcoat sent him into a rage. He spun around, hands like talons about to rip into whoever had approached him, but he stopped short. An immense confusion overcame him as he realized that is was a child, no older than seventeen.
“Before you kill me, I need to ask you something.” The boy said. He stood in front of the stranger, unshaken, eyes full of confidence but also hinting at an immense pain. The stranger said nothing but reverted from his offensive stance. “I saw what you did to that drunk, I saw what you did to that suit, I know I should fear you, I know you could kill me on the spot, but I want to come with you.”
The stranger could barely comprehend why this boy had approached him, let alone the fact that he was offering some sort of union.
“That drunk was my father, he was a no good piece of shit. He killed my mother four years ago and got away with it because he took to the streets and dragged me along with him. I was planning on killing him one of these days, but I never got around to it. I need to thank you for that. I’m finally free of that fuck.”
There was a brief pause. The kid expected the stranger to acknowledge anything he had said, even a nod would have been sufficient, but the stranger just stood there. The child could not tell, but the stranger was in awe. Not even in his sickest dreams did he ever think someone would commend him for what he had done.
A thousand thoughts crossed through the strangers mind as he stared at the boy. They maintained eye contact throughout, neither of them had any intention of breaking the only connection either of them had had in a very long time. He thought of repercussions, he wondered if the boy was sincere in his approach, he expected the boy to attack him, and he waited for it.
This intense silence lasted a few minutes, the stranger could not find words for the boy. “Look, my life ain’t worth living, so if you want to kill me go right ahead, I won’t even fight you, just tear my throat out, because if I can’t come with you I’m just going to go kill myself anyways.” The boy’s eyes were watering, it was a surprisingly emotional moment for him. He did not know whether or not he would be accepted, nor did he know whether or not the stranger was going to murder him on the spot. He just needed a reaction, any reaction from the stranger, even just to signify that his message had been understood.
The stranger decided to go out on a limb, he had never had a companion, he had never had a friend or a follower. It was a new experience that had briefly made him forget his immense cravings. He turned slowly and again began to walk down the alleyway. He could hear footsteps as the boy pursued him at a distance. For the rest of the night the boy followed the stranger, always at a distance, but always present.
He decided to test the boy. He wanted to know if he could truly handle witnessing the life that the stranger was leading. At six in the morning the stranger stopped walking. He came to the end of an alleyway and peered around the corner. There was a man going for a morning jog, running down the sidewalk. The stranger leaned up against the wall and signaled the boy to come over to him. The boy’s face beamed as he was finally acknowledged; he ran over and took place beside the stranger. The stranger pointed his thumb in the direction the jogger was coming from and the boy peered out to see. He confirmed what he saw, then the stranger pointed at the boy. He nodded and understood.
The footsteps grew closer, as the man passed the alley the stranger grabbed him by the throat and pulled him deep into the alleyway. He threw him to the ground and watched. The boy was on top of the man in a second, a knee firmly planted on the man’s chest, the boy punched him a few times and reached into his back pocket. He drew his knife and was about to stab the man in the heart when the stranger grabbed his arm. The boy looked back with confusion, but then dropped the knife and continued to pummel the man. He punched him in the throat, poked his eyes and repeatedly kneed him in the chest. The man was still very much alive and resisting. He saw the boy through the blood running down his face and saw the stranger standing behind him monitoring the situation.
“What the fuck are you doing! Get the fuck off of me! Help! Help!” He cried. The boy persisted but could not finish the job with his bare hands. This disappointed the stranger, but he realized that he could teach this boy many things. He walked over and crouched beside the two, the jogger grabbed at the strangers leg and squeezed. “Call this little shit off!” He yelled. The stranger tapped the boy on the shoulder and he stopped hitting the man. The stranger looked at the boy and the boy looked back, waiting for his next instruction. Without looking, the stranger grabbed the man by the throat and squeezed. A gurgle and a pop and the man could breathe no longer. He began to convulse and the boy’s eyes filled with elation as he witnessed a life dissipate directly underneath him. ¶ 21:28
It was three in the morning, the only people out were prostitutes and the men that needed to use their services. The stranger walked out of the alleyway and down the street. He saw a man in a business suit get out of his vehicle and approach a hooker. His hand gestures and uncomfortable behavior could have signified that this was the first time he had attempted to pay for sex. The stranger clenched his right fist and talked towards the two conversing. The man was facing towards the street, pointing at his minivan parked on the opposite side.
As the stranger passed by he threw a solid punch into the side of the man’s head. He flew a good six feet and scraped his face off of the sidewalk. Blood immediately started to pool around the man’s head.
“What the fuck did you do that for? The son of a bitch was gonna give me five hundred bucks for a blow job!” The prostitute screamed at him. He shot a look at her that immediately ceased her complaining. She turned around and ran as fast as she could in 6’ stilettos.
He had never resorted to killing prostitutes. Somewhere in his mind he realized that the women that were forced to sell their bodies had more than likely just as screwed up of a life as he had had, and it had always been on of those personal rules the stranger would abide by. Although it wasn’t necessarily a conscious decision he also concluded that he would receive little to no gratification if he were to go ahead and take one of their lives.
As he walked back down another alleyway he tried to decipher exactly what it was that would provide him with a continuous sense of fulfillment, but nothing crossed his mind. He had never felt as if he had a simply recreational reason for doing what he did, he felt it a necessity for his survival. If there was not a steady flow of blood exerted by his hands he felt he would not be able to continue on with his own life.
As he walked he sensed another presence, he wandered cautiously, although the possibility of an attack was unlikely it was still very possible. A glass bottle could be heard moving and echoing through they alleyway. The stranger surveyed everything but could not see what his intuition was telling him was there. A few minutes of silence passed and the stranger continued slowly down the alleyway.
A tug on his tattered overcoat sent him into a rage. He spun around, hands like talons about to rip into whoever had approached him, but he stopped short. An immense confusion overcame him as he realized that is was a child, no older than seventeen.
“Before you kill me, I need to ask you something.” The boy said. He stood in front of the stranger, unshaken, eyes full of confidence but also hinting at an immense pain. The stranger said nothing but reverted from his offensive stance. “I saw what you did to that drunk, I saw what you did to that suit, I know I should fear you, I know you could kill me on the spot, but I want to come with you.”
The stranger could barely comprehend why this boy had approached him, let alone the fact that he was offering some sort of union.
“That drunk was my father, he was a no good piece of shit. He killed my mother four years ago and got away with it because he took to the streets and dragged me along with him. I was planning on killing him one of these days, but I never got around to it. I need to thank you for that. I’m finally free of that fuck.”
There was a brief pause. The kid expected the stranger to acknowledge anything he had said, even a nod would have been sufficient, but the stranger just stood there. The child could not tell, but the stranger was in awe. Not even in his sickest dreams did he ever think someone would commend him for what he had done.
A thousand thoughts crossed through the strangers mind as he stared at the boy. They maintained eye contact throughout, neither of them had any intention of breaking the only connection either of them had had in a very long time. He thought of repercussions, he wondered if the boy was sincere in his approach, he expected the boy to attack him, and he waited for it.
This intense silence lasted a few minutes, the stranger could not find words for the boy. “Look, my life ain’t worth living, so if you want to kill me go right ahead, I won’t even fight you, just tear my throat out, because if I can’t come with you I’m just going to go kill myself anyways.” The boy’s eyes were watering, it was a surprisingly emotional moment for him. He did not know whether or not he would be accepted, nor did he know whether or not the stranger was going to murder him on the spot. He just needed a reaction, any reaction from the stranger, even just to signify that his message had been understood.
The stranger decided to go out on a limb, he had never had a companion, he had never had a friend or a follower. It was a new experience that had briefly made him forget his immense cravings. He turned slowly and again began to walk down the alleyway. He could hear footsteps as the boy pursued him at a distance. For the rest of the night the boy followed the stranger, always at a distance, but always present.
He decided to test the boy. He wanted to know if he could truly handle witnessing the life that the stranger was leading. At six in the morning the stranger stopped walking. He came to the end of an alleyway and peered around the corner. There was a man going for a morning jog, running down the sidewalk. The stranger leaned up against the wall and signaled the boy to come over to him. The boy’s face beamed as he was finally acknowledged; he ran over and took place beside the stranger. The stranger pointed his thumb in the direction the jogger was coming from and the boy peered out to see. He confirmed what he saw, then the stranger pointed at the boy. He nodded and understood.
The footsteps grew closer, as the man passed the alley the stranger grabbed him by the throat and pulled him deep into the alleyway. He threw him to the ground and watched. The boy was on top of the man in a second, a knee firmly planted on the man’s chest, the boy punched him a few times and reached into his back pocket. He drew his knife and was about to stab the man in the heart when the stranger grabbed his arm. The boy looked back with confusion, but then dropped the knife and continued to pummel the man. He punched him in the throat, poked his eyes and repeatedly kneed him in the chest. The man was still very much alive and resisting. He saw the boy through the blood running down his face and saw the stranger standing behind him monitoring the situation.
“What the fuck are you doing! Get the fuck off of me! Help! Help!” He cried. The boy persisted but could not finish the job with his bare hands. This disappointed the stranger, but he realized that he could teach this boy many things. He walked over and crouched beside the two, the jogger grabbed at the strangers leg and squeezed. “Call this little shit off!” He yelled. The stranger tapped the boy on the shoulder and he stopped hitting the man. The stranger looked at the boy and the boy looked back, waiting for his next instruction. Without looking, the stranger grabbed the man by the throat and squeezed. A gurgle and a pop and the man could breathe no longer. He began to convulse and the boy’s eyes filled with elation as he witnessed a life dissipate directly underneath him. ¶ 21:28
