The Man in the Alley

[...posted by Ted H]

Busy much?
We need to fire up a facebook group or somethin...

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It was so cold, Mick could actually feel his lungs burning. He didn’t have long to ponder the impossibility of that idea before he saw two people walking down the alley, a man and a woman. “Show time,” he said as he pulled his gun and appeared from behind a dumpster. He stood before the couple and casually aimed.

“You know the drill,” he said “Wallet, jewels, anything valuable. And spare me the pleading and small talk, I’ve heard it all before and I still want your shit.” The woman started whimpering and the man tensed up like he was about to try something. “Don’t,” Mick said preemptively “Cuz then I will shoot. And then out of spite I’ll rape your little girlfriend.”

“Stephen,” the woman pleaded as she removed a diamond ring and placed it in her purse, then dropped it to the ground. The man fished out his wallet and tossed it down as well. “Now get the fuck out of her before I change my mind about the rape,” Mick said as the two took off running. He then gathered the items and walked back over to the alleyway where he and his friends agreed to meet at.

Tony and Ricky were already there, going through the items they had robbed people of. “Will you marry me?” Mick asked Tony with a smile as he held up the diamond ring. “Real funny,” Tony said as he grabbed the ring and looked at it. “This shit real?” Mick walked over to a box and sat on it. “Should be,” he said “People I took it from looked loaded. Can’t see why the ring would be fake.”

“I dunno,” Ricky broke in “Lotta people walking around today trying to look richer then ‘ey are. Wouldn’t surprise me to buy some Cracka Jacks and find that very ring.” Tony shrugged “Looks real to me.” Mick nodded. “What do any of ‘yas know?” Ricky said “I know a guy. I’ll have em look at it tomorrow.”

“Never mind that, we got company,” Tony said as a figure walked down the alley towards them. All three instinctively put their hands on their weapons, but kept them concealed. “You lost?” Tony asked. The figure shook his head. He wore a dark grey trench coat and had shaggy dark hair that concealed his eyes. He kept his head low with both arms hanging at his sides. He didn’t seem dangerous, but no one was taking any chances“Lookin for someone?” Ricky called out. The figure smiled as he extended his arm and pointed right at Mick.

Mick’s blood ran cold. Something about this man was off, but he didn’t know what. He immediately aimed his gun at the man anyway, Ricky and Tony followed suit. “Get out of here, buddy, before we make you regret it,” Tony said. The man ignored him and kept walking, ignoring the guns and all the while making a path for Mick. “Didn’t you hear me? Get the fuck out of here!” The man continued to ignore Tony.

Mick couldn’t take it anymore. “Waste him!” he shouted and all three fired into the man’s chest. He immediately fell over and didn’t move. Tony sighed and laughed “Well that was fucked up, wasn’t it?” he asked. “Something wasn’t right,” Mick said as he lowered his gun, but kept it in his hand. “You’re telling me. That guy gave me the creeps,” Tony said as he walked towards the man’s body.

“We gotta split!” Ricky called “Cops probably heard us! I ain’t goin back to jail.” Ricky started walking away. “Would you just relax for a minute?” Tony yelled as he started checking the man’s pockets. “Screw you!” I’m getting the car, ‘ll bring it around. Wait here for me,” Ricky yelled and left.

“What did he want with me?” Mick asked. “Haven’t the slightest clue, Mick. This schmuck don’t even got ID. Check this out though,” Tony said as he pulled a large curved knife from the man. “Wonder what kind of damage you can do with this?” he asked, then went to get up as the man grabbed his wrist and pulled him down.

“Would you like to find out?” he asked as he took back his knife and punched Tony in the nose, causing him to fly off and onto the ground. In the blink of an eye, the man was up and pulling Tony into the air by his collar. “What?……Who are you?” he screamed as the man plunged his knife into Tony’s stomach. “Something far too powerful to trifle with,” the man said. Tony kept coughing up blood and convulsing as the man pulled the knife strait up through Tony’s chest and head, through every bone and organ as easily as if there was nothing at all obstructing the knifes path.

The man dropped Tony’s remains and stared down at Mick, who couldn’t bring himself to run. He weakly raised his gun again. “We both know that wont do anything,” the man said with a smile. Mick tried anyway, but the bullet flew wide, embedding into the brick wall behind. Before Mick could try again, the man extended his hands forward and Mick felt an invisible force knock him backwards and into a wall.

He was then pulled from the wall and suspended in the air by that same force, arms and legs outstretched as far as they could go. “What do you want with me?” he screamed, unable to move. The man smiled again. Mick didn’t believe in God, but he was willing to give it a try if a miracle could save him now. Instead he got Ricky, which was just as good at the moment. The man turned his head when he heard tire squeals and saw a sedan barrel its way down the alley. There wasn’t much room or time to get out of the way, but the man made no effort to escape.

The car smashed into the man, but the man didn’t budge. The car wrecked into him like he were a brick wall and it actually bounced backwards afterwards. Ricky made no sign of life from the drivers seat of the totaled vehicle. “What the fuck are you?” Mick stammered out as the man lightly dusted himself off, but was otherwise unharmed.

Mick had remained suspended and helpless in the air as the man had ignored his question and was ready to pick up where he left off. “Now then,” he said “This is going to hurt like hell, but only for a moment…Then it gets a lot worse.”

The police never did hear the gunshots from before, but everyone within ten blocks heard Mick’s final, agonizing screams.