The Visitor

“Who are you talking to?” A deep voice called out from the shadows.

From within them, a man appeared, dressed in all black and a glorious white trench coat. He was well built and seemed like a man who had lifted heavy things all his life. He walked forward, slowly, one step at a time, as his tailored shirt, fitted tightly around his frame, bulged with every movement he made.

The room was bare and empty, darkness filled all of its corners. A single source of moon light penetrated the room from an opening in the roof, illuminating a small circle in the center of it.

“Are you here to kill me like the rest of them?” A soft voice queried from within the circle. There she sat, radiating in the moonlight. Her slender red lips curved at the edges as she spoke.

“More importantly, what were you talking about just now?” The man inched closer, running his hand through his silky gray hair that hovered above his broad shoulders, moving them out of his line of sight. He wore a skull shaped ring on his left pinky finger and his arm was covered in cuts, bruises and permanent scars.

“It's none of your concern” she responded, staring at the brute with her vibrant crystal green eyes. They shone like shimmering gemstones as they met the moon light. Her prepossessing eyes paired well with her Obsidian black hair that fell all the way to her lower back. The man could make out streaks of white running through her luscious locks which intrigued him further.

“Your whole spiel about Love, don't tell me you were talking about yourself?” He obstinately enforced his ideals, taking a step into the circle illuminating the center of the room. His chunky black combat boots hit the floor with a loud thud as he approached the young woman.

“It won't matter, this is the end is it not?” She whispered as she turned her head and focused her eyes at the darkness in front of her. She wore a single white gown with no sleeves and a round neck. Her collarbones peeked out from the cloth as her slender arms fell into a clasp of her hands in her lap. On one of her wrists was a black bracelet that had a black butterfly perched on top of it as a design. Her pale white complexion paired with her red lips and crystal green eyes gave her the appearance of a fairy.

She sat on the floor with her legs to one side, comfortably. The man now hovered right above her. He appeared to be of a monstrous height and it seemed as if he could easily crush her under a single stomp.

“Why are you so calm?”

The man was flabbergasted but the young woman did not respond. Her head stayed straight and her eyes remained focused. There was no fear. The man wondered what she could be thinking and paused.

Strangely, the man decided to sit down next to the woman and began staring at the void In front of him as well. He crossed his legs and rested his right elbow on his right thigh before placing his chin in his right palm. For the first time since he had arrived, the young woman felt irked by his actions.

“What are you doing?” She asked without looking at him.

“What are you doing?” He replied without looking at her, but she remained silent.

A few moments passed in silence as the two continued to stare at the emptiness. The silence was palpable and soon the sound of the man's heart beat began to fill the room.

For the young woman who had been living in solitude for a decade, the sound of this man's heart beating was too loud for her to bear. Every beat bothered her and it echoed in the room that surrounded her until she could no longer ignore it.

“Please leave me alone..” she sighed, hoping the man would leave.

“I can't do that. I have a mission to complete. But, even for someone like me, this doesn't feel right.” The man responded.

Instinctively, he felt an emotion well up inside of him that he hadn't felt before, causing him to stand up and walk back towards the darkness.

“When someone is about to die, love is meaningless. I've seen those who used their loved ones as shields, and the look in the eyes of those who felt betrayed as I cut their life short. They thought they were loved and look where it got them.”

The man lit a cigarette as he proceeded, causing the light from the burning tobacco to illuminate the darkness in a corner of the room. The young woman was now staring at the man and listening intently, a rare interaction for her in a life of isolation and solitude.

“ I heard you've been here for 10 years and no one has ever been able to kill you. That's why they sent me this time. But I come in here and you're talking about Love. Are you kidding me? Is this your way of trying to win me over and beg for your life? ”

The young woman seemed frustrated by this and exhaled deeply before turning away from the man.

“I care not for who it is. It may not make sense to you but destiny will guide him to me. We were created as a pair, and we arrived here together. Neither of us remember this and I can not seek him out for this reason. So I sit here and wait. Patiently. I am a st-”

“Stone yeah yeah gotcha, I heard you the first time.” The man cut off the young woman as he flicked his cigarette and walked back towards her.

Without warning, he kneeled down and began poking her slender arms, causing the young woman's eyes to pop at the sensation of his touch. He was strong and his beefy fingers prodding her slender arms caused her to move back reflexively, a slither of a blush across her cheeks as her Obsidian black hair, lined with tiny streaks of white like salt and pepper, fell over her left eye.

“You’re pretty squishy for a rock.” the man laughed to himself causing his gray hair to bounce on top of his head. His lively attitude filled the room as the cigarette smoke flew overhead, lingering in the moonlight amidst the calm atmosphere of the solitary space.

“So how do you know it's not me?” The man asked, causing the young woman to regain her composure and sit back in her position comfortably. She looked away from him once more and closed her eyes, clearing her throat before responding.

“My killer? Does it make sense to you?” She asked rhetorically, causing the man to stand up and ponder.

“Stranger things have happened, trust me. But for now, I'm just gonna say that I don't really feel like killing you. You've piqued my curiosity so I'm going to make you mine. What was that about birds and cages you were rambling about earlier? It should work for you right?” A smile appeared upon the man's face betraying his ulterior motives, yet the young lady remained unmoved.

“Do as you like, but do not disrespect me. This is my first and final warning. Whatever happens beyond that is out of my control.”

The man was taken aback by her sudden threat. He had heard of this young woman being immortal, but he never bought the story. An urge rose up within him to test her bluff, but what if it was true? Her confidence made him freeze and he decided not to attack.

“You're really something. Was that fear I just felt?” The man questioned himself as he stared at his hand, slightly quivering

“I don't know if it's my adrenaline or…” he rationalized out loud as the young woman kept staring at the darkness in front of her, expressionless, emotionless.

For the first time since he had arrived, the man focused on her visage. She was beautiful, divine, otherworldly, a dream. To the tainted eyes of the man, she was untouched, pure. The man felt filthy in her presence. The odor of his cigarette laden body was overwhelmed by the fragrance of her aura. He felt ashamed. He felt intoxicated. He was hesitant to approach her.

“Love huh?” he murmured to himself

“At least we should know each other's names. I'm Silver, and you are?”

The man asked, offering his hand to the young woman. She looked over at him and stared into his eyes for a few moments, before clasping his hand softly.

“Vanessa.”