The Stranger


I met the man in a dark alley in a far corner of the city. It was just the type of place you didn't want to meet anyone, let alone a stranger. I really had no reason to be where I was, but the phone call I received was so convincing, how could I have kept from it ? The man I talked to seemed well meaning and stressed the urgency of our meeting. As i said before, this man was a perfect stranger to me. I knew nothing of him at all, including his name. The entire trip to meet the stranger, the thought of "why ?" kept running in circles in my already troubled mind. Why did he call me ? Why am I complying with his wishes ? Why am I meeting him ? The thoughts were of really little consequence. The task was at hand, and I just figured it was sheer curiosity that was driving me to the meeting. The moment I stopped the car, I noticed him standing in the smoke and shadows. As he had promised, there was not another soul around. None that I could see, anyhow. I left the car, not thinking enough to take the keys. Too many other thoughts were plaguing me at this point in time. The meeting, inparticularly, my job, or lack thereof, my wife, who had left me days before, and my overall life situation. The latter is what was a deciding factor in going to meet the stranger. The driving force behind the decision. I guess I needed a run from the normal, a little diversity in an already shitty world. The walk towards my visitor seemed to last an eternity. It seemed that for every step I took, two or 3 steps were added to the walking distance. The creature I saw before me was a monster of a man. He towered at least a foot over my head, and was as wide as a Buick. I couldn't see hardly any of his facial features. The only light that seeped into the alley was what little flooded from the street and the light that was radiating from the tip of the stranger's cigarette. In what light we had and the smoke, his face looked almost skull-like. Not exactly the image I wanted to have of this monster dressed in colors of the night. I couldn't tell from where it was coming, but smoke surrounded him like a cloak. I asked him to what our meeting was in reference to. No reply. I asked again, and still the stranger said nothing. The tension was almost unbearable. I felt it wrong to yell at this point, although I was about ready to. I asked him once again, with a little force in my voice. But all to no avail. The silence was suddenly shattered by the sound of screeching tires, crushing metal, and splintered glass hitting the pavement. The sudden shock wave almost made my heart stop. I caught my breath and turned to see my car destroyed, hit from either end. I turned to the stranger.
" ARE YOU HAPPY NOW, YOU SORRY SON OF A BITCH ?!? "
The whole night had turned from exciting to miserable in a matter of 3 seconds. I went to inspect my mangled car. It wasn't much, especially now, but it was my only ride anywhere. I walked from the mess that used to be 3 cars, not even thinking to search for survivors. I wanted to, but this odd force took hold, and I couldn't bring myself to it. I faced the stranger, who, oddly enough, never said i word during any of this. I apologized for losing it moments earlier. But still I wanted to know why we were where we were. So, I asked him again. Not a single word did he speak, but instead he pointed towards the wreckage at the mouth of the alley. I turned, wanting to see what was so important to him. I was nowhere near prepared for what I saw next. Out of the wreckage climbed, or should I say streamed through, the bodies of, what I guessed as, the occupants of the vehicles. The bodies seemed whole, except for the fact they had no feet. Smoke drifted and swirled about the bottom of the approaching spectres. Needless to say, I was spooked out of my mind. I turned back once again to the stranger, only to find myself looking down the barrel of a gun. The last thing I saw were the stranger's eyes, which sparkled like blood red rubies. The last thing I heard was the deafening blast of the .35 putting a round in my forehead. The last thing I realized was that I knew who the stranger was. I just never understood why he was visiting me.
The stranger's name was Death.


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