The Unknown

The Dark Phantom

**trigger warning* from here on out, there will be some abused depicted*

There was a greater vengeance that needed to be done than that of her family’s death. She had the deaths of 9 other people who needed to be avenged and she was going to do it.

They had failed to break her and instead had inspired. The anger that they'd created in her drove her to defeat them and she wouldn't stop until she had.

But first, she had to know her enemy.

At last they arrived at a small private airport and she was dragged out of the car. She was small but that meant it would make it harder to keep track of her and she knew it, but she complied to follow into a waiting plane. Jordan’s curiosity wanted to see who was behind all of this and why.

The plane was gutted on the inside so that it looked more like a cargo plane than it's original private luxury ride.

There was a group of rough looking men who looked like they were wanna-be foreign militia. A chill ran down Jordan's spine as she watched the way that these creeps watched her.

One of them noticed her and tried to pull her away from her current guards while catcalling but she kicked him in the knee and left his pride more hurt than anything because everyone began to laugh at him. He turned and began to fight with his peers while they continued to escort Jordan to the front of the plane by the pilot.

When they got there, she was shoved to the ground. Her guards walked off and left her unattended. Everyone seemed to forget she was there which was really helpful for her. Because they didn’t remember her, she was able to watch them and take note of everyone and everything and it helped her plan where she could put the pieces in order to not only escape but to get revenge. 

Within half an hour, the plane was in the air and gliding through the clouds without a soul realizing what was going on above them. Jordan watched the soldiers with their horse play and foul language. Eventually, one by one, they began to fall asleep. 

A couple people would sleep talk on occasion, while others would snore loudly. The gentle rumble of the plane went on in the background. Jordan could hear the pilots talking quietly attempting to avoid her hearing them. She tried to hear what they were saying but they were talking too softly for her to fully hear their words. 

Jordan let her thoughts zone out for a while. They took her back to her uncle’s back yard right before she got the call about her parents.

She remembered the rain, and the humidity. She could almost smell the grass and dirt with the rain. She could hear the crickets chirping and the young frogs croaking and screeching as they made their ways through the grass. 

She let herself remember the warmth and happiness that she had felt. The sense of adventure she had, yet still having the assurance of her family being there for her: the freedom, yet protection: the chaos, yet the stability. For once, her memories were filled with good times. 

She snapped out of it when someone shouted for her from the back of the long plane. Jordan looked up in expectation and curiosity as to who it was.

Those two dark, familiar eyes from the gas station were staring at her as if trying to pierce deep into her soul. 

“Why do you look so surprised to see me? You should have known that I would be here.” stated the person.

She held her breathe to avoid saying something that would get her killed. She glared at him without speaking a single word. He wasn’t worth her effort to speak. 

This dark person smirked evilly and sat down in front of her. She pulled her look of hatred away and refused to look at him.

"Hey, don't you dare look away from me!" He scowled but Jordan still refused.

"I SAID LOOK AT ME!" He screamed at her raising his hand to slap her.

Seeing it was coming she had opened her mouth so that when his hand hit her face, she could clamp down on his hand. 

He shrieked in pain and ripped his hand from her teeth. A stronger look of anger began to fill his entire body.

"You little b***h!" He shrieked at her. She chuckled at his response.

He slowly stood up glaring at her. When he was fulling standing, he braced and drew back his foot before kicking her with all his might in her stomach.

Jordan collapsed to the floor in a fit for air. She gasped, "is that the best you've got"

Trying to catch her breath still, she watched as he straightened up to look down at her. He watched until she’d caught her breath. "b***h" he said then he kicked her again in the stomach starting the fit over again.

Jordan just closed her eyes while gasping for air and could only think of how sweet the revenge was going to be. 

When she regained her composure, her enemy had disappeared. He was like a phantom.

She could predict what he would do, but never where he’d come from or where he’d disappear to after the job was done. This frustrated her greatly but she knew that she could manipulate him easily. 

She suddenly felt the plane begin to descend and felt it rattle as it landed. Anticipation pulsed through her veins. Her guards reappeared and forced her up making her stand.

Jordan felt a twinge of pain in her rib after the encounter she'd just endured. Holding her side and attempting not to let her guard know of her injury she allowed them as they to start leading her out from the plane.

That familiar feeling of humidity hit her and she smelled the fresh rain on the pavement.

Jordan took a nice long deep breath in, savoring the smell. It reminded her of the night she and Matthew had slept by the pond. It gave her a sense of calm and strength.

Her guards shoved her into a car. She wished she could have stood outside for just a second longer. Everything inside her wanted her to run but she knew that wouldn’t do any good.

Jordan intently watched her guards. She studied them. For what purpose? She didn't know but she did anyway in case the information she would gather could come in handy in the future.

Hours seemed to pass and she wished someone would at least turn on a radio but she dared not ask. Instead they all rode in uncomfortable silence.

Finally the car pulled into a parking lot where a small group was waiting. As her guards pulled her out of the car, she scanned her surroundings until her eyes rested on the mysterious being that was her biggest known enemy at the moment. 

His piercing eyes were locked on her as he continued talking to the group, obviously charming the members. He had always had a way with words that charmed anyone who only knew his surface. Jordan glared at him with anger that she had never before felt. 

Her guards dragged her over and placed her directly in front of him.

"You still seem surprised to see me." He said mockingly. She spit on his shoe causing him to slap her.

"The only thing that I need to know is what you want? Whether you tell me or not, I will find out." She snarled at him.

"Oh you will, now?" He mocked causing his audience to laugh. He grabbed her arm and drug her into a nearby building that appeared abandoned leaving the crowd outside.

He led her into a room that looked much like an old abandoned prison cell which contained a single desk and two chairs. There was moss and mold growing on the walls giving them a green tint. It looked like the classic bad guy interrogation and torture room.

He sat her down on one chair and began tying her to it while on of the guards held her down.

"So, you really don't know why I am here?" He finally asked taking a seat in the other chair. She simply glared at him. "Well, I guess I'll have to explain it then." He said as he began to explain. 

"You remember our little friendship we had that ended with your carelessness causing me to be hospitalized for insanity? What did you do to help me during all of that, even though it was your fault? Warn me. That is all you did. And you forgot me within months. How do I know all this? Well, I have gained some pretty remarkable connections partially because of my family and partially because of my charm, don't you think? I have a whole terrorist group on my side. And I had them watching you closer than you ever suspected. That's the remarkable thing about satellites and internet. 

Shortly after you forgot me, I was sent to a mental institution for life. I'm sure you recall when I attempted to describe to you just how miserable they are. Those places will make you lose your mind, if you have any of it left." At this point, he stood up again and began pacing the room and circling her like she was his prey.

"The only thing that kept me alive was the thought of being able to see you again and then have my revenge on you." He said placing his hand on her chin and softly sweeping his hand along her cheek.

"Well, with the help of my little friends, I was able to escape and I went on a search to find you. It was not easy to track you down, especially once you became aware that someone was looking for you. But, at last, here you are." 

Jordan cringed at hearing the story. She had not forgotten him. She had changed her mind on him. She realized that he was dangerous and that she should avoid him at all costs. She realized he wasn't the charmer that he was so good at pretending to be.

He had always been mentally unstable and had been in and out of mental institutions his entire life. At first she had pitied him, and they had a wild summer fling, until he started getting possessive of her.

She started noticing him following her everywhere she went. She would catch him sitting outside her window, watching her every move.

Well, Jordan was still only 16 at the time and didn't know how to tell him to back off without him getting upset enough to hurt her. So, Jordan did the only thing she could think of to do.

She told her mom.

Her mom had completely freaked out and called the police, instantly making Jordan regret her decision. She knew if the police got involved they'd send him back to a hospital and she still cared about him enough to not wish that on him.

She was able to send him a quick text warning him to run but then her mom confiscated her phone to show the police their conversations to give them an idea of how to find him.

It had been the hardest thing she had even had to deal with but she learned to live life and move on, trusting that some how he'd be okay.

But here he was. He was obviously not okay and was so much worse than she could have ever imagined him becoming.

Now she knew what had truly happened to her family. It was no accident. It had been staged to appear as one. They had been murdered and now she knew by who. She wanted revenge more than anything else in this world.

He slowly made his way back to the desk and opened a drawer pulling out a sledge hammer. He began to stand up and make his way around the desk towards Jordan. She knew what was coming next but she held her gaze on him.

How could this be what he had become?

She wasn't shocked in the least, she had just hoped for better for him.

As she watched him come closer to her with each step, she glared harder and harder at him. He would not break her. 

Jordan watched in anger as he raised the hammer towards her head. It felt like everything was in slow motion as the hammer slowly lowered. She expected to feel pain but felt nothing, just darkness.

Everything had gone black.