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inviting the sergeant to try again. His incredibly toned physique could put any of the world’s top fitness models to shame, let alone an amateur who had just booked his first job. In fact, this guy’s body was so perfectly sculpted he looked as if he had walked right off the cover of an elite bodybuilding magazine.
    Sergeant O’Donnell took another shot, but the man flicked the bullet right back at the cop’s forehead, killing him instantly. The man vanished for a split second and was in front of my door before I could blink. I had thought I was home free once I escaped the mutants, but now I was going to be killed by some sword-wielding psycho.
    The man ripped the car door off and threw it behind him like it was a toy. All I could do was stare in terror. Now that we were up close I could see he wasn’t much older than me, maybe in his mid-twenties at most. He had dark blond hair hanging almost to his cheekbones, and matching stubble. His angular features were rugged and masculine, yet his tan complexion was as flawless as if he had been airbrushed.
    He grinned and disappeared once again. I took the opportunity to flee the car. I wasn’t expecting to get far, but it was better than waiting around for him to end it. For some reason I stopped to stare at where the dead bodies were. But there was nothing there except piles of dust mixed with the suits they wore.
    “You’re welcome,” a voice called from above. I hadn’t even noticed him high up on a metal storage unit. His tone was filled with arrogance, and he seemed completely unfazed by all of the carnage he had caused.
    I weighed my options as I looked up at the man, who was crouching like a tiger ready to pounce. I noted several sets of tattoos on him that I hadn’t paid attention to before. They were all Asian characters, like he was part of a Japanese gang or cult, except he was clearly Caucasian. He had three symbols on his left pectoral, several rows lining his right flank, and more down his right forearm. One tattoo in particular stood out: a huge claw mark along his left flank that didn’t seem to fit the theme of the rest.
    I snapped out of my stupor, let adrenaline take over, and turned to run. My goal now was to get back to a main street where there would be people. I was almost off of the docks when I checked over my shoulder to see if he was following, but he was nowhere in sight. There was an alley between two warehouses only a few yards away that looked like it would take me out to the street.
    “What’s wrong? Don’t tell me you’ve never seen a dead body before.” He appeared before me as I turned down the alley. It almost sounded like he was teasing me. I froze in place and just stared at him as he blocked my way. He crossed his arms patiently and leaned against the wall to my left. “Not the talkative type, I guess,” he said, mocking me again. He began advancing toward me with a macho swagger in his walk. It reminded me of a rock star showing off to his audience. I glanced at the weapons hanging at his side and began to back away nervously while keeping my eyes upon him.
    “I know what you’re thinking, but I’m not going to kill you. Just make this easy on yourself and come with me.” My head started swirling from the sound of his words. It felt like something was taking over my mind and making it hard to run away.
    He was around six-two or three, but seemed giant by comparison when we stood toe to toe. The unnatural hypnotic feeling grew as I stood there paralyzed. I could feel him looking down at me while I did my best to avoid direct eye contact. Grabbing my face, he forced me to focus on him and flashed a devilish smirk.
    His deep green eyes squinted intensely as I felt him peering into my soul. My head began to fill with an even stronger, more disarming sensation than before. The inner voice that had been screaming inside, telling me to flee, was silent now. I was drowning in a dangerous sense of complacency as my survival