Punish Me

Chapter 2


Kayden ran down the sidewalk, breathing heavily, his weakened body not used to the physical exertion. He glanced at his watch nervously and slowed to a walk as he saw Elsie standing on the sidewalk ahead, waiting outside her locked school gate.

Kayden stops and watches as two men approach her. One of them grabs her bag, but she clutches tightly onto it. The other man grabs her shoulders and throws her to the ground. She lands with a thud against the concrete and begins to cry silent tears.

As Kayden surveyed the scene, a slow rage crept through him, bringing with it not only an electric sizzle in his limbs brought on by the rush of adrenaline, but also a fire in the depths of his throat.

He was getting used to these little “episodes” by now, but this one was different. For the first time the agonizing pain that usually crippled him was not present. Suddenly his hearing, sight, and even his sense of smell were intensified. He could smell Elsie’s salty tears, hear the frantic beats of her heart, from this distance, far as it was, he could see the panic in her eyes, he could even smell her fear. It had a musky, spicy odor.

As he adjusted to his senses, he saw the men dragging Elsie to a van, and his vision was suddenly tinted with red as his rage over took him. He did not remember taking even one step toward them, but somehow he was almost instantly on top of the men.

He grabbed the first man, sending his head face first through the glass of the small window in the back door of the van. When he released him, the man fell to the ground, unconscious. Kayden then turned on the other man. He heard a dog snarl from somewhere very near by, and thought it sounded vicious.

“Let. Her. Go.”

The man stood staring dumbly at Kayden, his mouth agape.
”NOW!”

The man whimpered and jumped back, letting Elsie go.

“Please…we were just…”

“Kidnapping her? I saw.”

“Please.” The man whimpered again.

Kayden inhaled deeply, the sent of the blood from the other man’s face filled his lungs and made his mouth water.

Kayden wasn’t sure how, but suddently his arm was around the man’s neck, lifting him off of the ground.

“Please,” the man choked, “I have a family…”

“So…does…she…”

Kayden delivered a hard punch to the man’s face with each word. He then raised his fist, covered in the man’s blood, to his mouth, and licked it clean.

Kayden gasped as the fire in his throat subsided momentarily, only to be replaced by a more intense flame. He was like a man in a desert dying of thirst and teased with a single drop of water. He grabbed the man’s hair roughly, yanking his head to the side.

“Please!” the man begged, tears straking down his beaten face.

Kayden smirked and licked the man’s tear, savoring the blood that came with it off the man’s face, with a deep moan. He reared back, preparing to sink his teeth into the man’s neck.

“Kayden, stop!”

The voice fell on his ears, stopping him more effectively than a bucket of ice water to the face. He stopped, dropping the man. His senses returned to normal. He heart, which had been slamming uncomfortably against his rib cage, slowed to a steady rhythm.

He turned and looked at Elsie, who sunk to her knees, sobbing and shaking from shock.

“Please, stop.”

“Elsie?”

“Kayden…”
“Y-you spoke!”

Elsie smiled slightly through her tears.

“I did!”

A whimper from the man on the ground drew Kayden’s attention. Kayden’s throat again erupted with a fiery pain as the wind shifted, bringing with it a fresh wave of that delicious smelling blood. He glued his eyes on the man, hungrily.

“If you value your life,” he said through clenched teeth, “take your friend and go. Find a new line of work.”

“Y-yes.”

“Don’t ever cross my path again.”

“Y-yes.”

The man scurried to his feet, and scrambled about gathering up his friend and throwing him in the back of the van before speeding off.

As the van got further away, the feeling in Kayden’s throat intensified to an excruciating level. He dropped to his knees, his hands flying to his throat.

“Kayden?”

“Stay away from me, Elsie.” The pain was evident in Kayden’s voice.

“Ok.” Came the meek reply.

Kayden began filling his lungs with fresh air, tears forming at the corners of his eyes at the burning pain. After a few minutes the pain subsided to the usual dull ache he had become accustomed to.

He rose slowly to his feet, feeling oddly stronger than he had in a long time. As he approached Elsie, she offered him her thermos of water. He took it, and downed what was in it, knowing full well that it would do nothing to help. He crouched down to zip up Elsie’s jacket, then turned around, motioning for her to get on his back.

“Are you sure? Are you strong enough?”

Kayden gave her a smile.

“Yeah, I feel better than ever!”

Elsie climbed up, and Kayden stood, heading toward home.

“We probably shouldn’t worry mom by telling her or dad what happened.”

“You’re just afraid you’ll be in trouble because you were late.” Elsie teased.

Kayden laughed, “It’s that obvious?”

“Yeah, but I won’t tell.” Elsie assured him.


…Later that night…

Kayden awoke with a start to see Elsie standing next to his bed.

“What is it Els?”

“Can I sleep with you?”

Kayden smiles and lifts his covers for her to climb in.

“Are you having bad dreams?” Kayden asks once she’s settled, “Is that why you always sleep here?”

“Mm mm” Elsie shook her head.

“Then why?”

“Because you have bad dreams, I can hear you tossing and turning and sometimes moaning. But when I’m sleeping with you, you sleep soundly.”

Kayden thinks for a moment. “I suppose that’s true…thank you, Elsie.”

But Elsie had already slipped into a peaceful sleep.