THE CATASTROPHE MATE

Chapter 4

—Carol—

“Hello, Ms. Carol…”

That voice stilled me to the spot. I felt my heart jump right through my chest.

The voice was his…Cassien.

I swallowed a hard lump down my throat, then I forced my legs to move.

Reluctantly..I turned to face him.

Cassien.

He stood across the room, leaning over a cupboard, a grin on his face.

"We meet again..” he said with a purr. “ A chance to finally finish our chat.”

“Please..please..don’t hurt me..please.:” I stuttered in my words, my heart racing so fast right now.

“Hurt you?” His grin widened. “You must really think I’m a monster..”

He took one step toward me and I took one back.

“Then again..” he continued now, his tone still carrying that edge of danger.

“I am a monster.”

That stilled me, my eyes popping wide open. “No…you’re trying to scare me. I won’t be scared by you.”

I didn’t know where I got the confidence, but it was there, coursing through me.

I picked up a bat on the floor in my room. “You don’t scare me..”

That amused him even more. He took another step toward me , his eyes tracing me.

“I’ve killed people. Hundreds..more perhaps..and yet, I don’t feel the rush to kill you…yet.”

My blood turned cold. Kill me?

He took a couple more steps and he was close to me. The distance was gone.

“Carol…what is it about you?” His eyes locked on mine…then slowly, his hands moved.

He touched my cheeks warmly, the feel of his hand on me felt…soothing in a sick way.

And then we felt it…that rush..that sensation again. It coursed through my body like fire moving under my skin.

He pulled out his hands immediately taking another step back.

“What is this..?!” The shock on his face was clear. “What are you?”

“I should be asking you..you clearly aren’t human!” I shot back.

He stared back now, the shock still there. “They sent you…didn’t they?”

Send me?

What was he saying?

He stepped closer now, his eyes and his expression turning from shock to rage.

“He sent you to kill me? Didn’t he?” He asked again.

“Who?” I asked, tears now bubbling up.

I’ve never seen this expression from him before.

He was angry.

“Answer me now.. did he or did he not send you..?” His tone went cold now.

“Nobody sent me…please…”

The next second, his hand shot out and grabbed me by my throat.

His grip around my neck was tight and firm.

No,no,mo…

his grip was tightening, draining the air from my lungs.

My vision was dimming by the second…

The look in his eyes was nothing I’ve never seen before.

Death. That was what I saw in his eyes.

Was this it for me?

For the first minute, I struggled hopelessly..clawing at me weakly.

But after that, I stopped… it was useless and I knew that.

A faint sound of my wall clock broke the silence, though I sounded like it was from another world…

That sound meant it was 12:00 midnight.

That didn’t matter anymore, did it? Unless maybe someone needed to know the time stamp of my death.

Then…

His grip loosened and he pulled off. I dropped to my knee as a wave of air rushed into my lungs.

I took in a few deep breaths, trying to steady myself and then I looked up at him.

Empty.

He was gone…Again.

I remained there on the floor just breathing in and taking everything in…

What do I do now? I have a psycho visiting me in my house…

Do I go to the cops..? If I do, what will I even tell them?

They wouldn’t believe me if I said anything…they’ll just think I’m crazy.

Okay… I just needed to calm down.. take a few breaths.

That was what I did, and only then did my breathing turn normal again.

The rest of the night as you would expect, sleep didn’t come, not even a little.

I stayed down at my parlor, a coffee mug inky hand just staring out to the behind.

The thought of him.. it refused to leave my head.

The morning sun filtered through the curtains soon enough.

It was merely the thought of work that got me off my couch.

I took a shower, got freshened up and when I walked downstairs, the news was playing on.

…the contents my eyes saw made my blood freeze over.

No…

MASSIVE ATTACKS HIT THE CITY OF MANTTHAN ALL UNDER A NIGHT

*Several deaths, reportedly around twenty, recorded last night.. all the victims had scratch marks and bites

*fire breakouts in three major buildings and officers all under last night as welll…

*also, a few more building collapses which resulted in the deaths of around a dozen more citizens..

All this happened last night… in my city.

But how?

The reporter then added a few details..

“Word reaching me is that, the reported time of all these attacks… oddly coincides at the exact time of 12:00 AM

So is it a coincidence or not?”

12:00 AM…

The reporter continued but her words blurred in my head now..

That time… No way…

That was the exact time that Cassien was in my room.

Could it be? No way…