Tyranny Part II

“No, sorry, but I can’t.” Well, you almost can’t say no. The offer might be tempting but it is obvious that The Tyrant lives his life in darker hues day after day.

He stepped back and sat down looking astonished at the prospect that someone would decline his offer. I took out my phone and noticing that the screen was cracked, tried to contact my neighbour, Britta Patt.

“I think they changed your route because this place is four miles from the nearest cell tower, but don’t worry, I’ll drop you off at your house,” he said and just sat there gazing at the stars, looking awestruck at their beauty. Later I sat next to him to see what was so marvellous about the stars on this night. After half an hour, a limousine as black as the night sky crept up to us. The Tyrant opened the door for me and within minutes, we were off.

I directed them to a spot that was nine blocks away from my house to keep myself safe from them. While I was walking, I couldn’t help but feel watched, but I just chalked it up to paranoia. When I got into my bed, I fell into a deep slumber. As dawn approached, the smell of delicious smoked salmon made my water. As I woke up properly, I remembered that I live alive. Who was the person cooking in my kitchen? Fearing what may be waiting for me, I grabbed an umbrella and rush downstairs. Did I lock the door? How did they get in? When I reached the bottom of the stairs, I saw him again, but this time he was cooking in my kitchen.

“Morning, Mackenzie. If you would have a seat, breakfast is served. And you know it’s bad luck to open an umbrella in the house. A stranger might just enter the house and hurt you,” The Tyrant said with a grin on his face.

“How do you know where I live and did I not decline your offer?” I asked him. “It is my job to know. It’s what is going to keep you safe. You didn’t honestly think I was going to leave you for dead, did you? Now please have a seat, it would be a travesty to let such good food get to waste.”

He said that with this dazzle in his eye that made me angry because no matter how hard I looked at him, I just couldn’t understand this man.

As we ate, I could not help but look at him wondering if this is what it’s going to be like from now on. Not that I was complaining, he seemed friendly but yesterday was an example of how dangerous it could be to be close to him. I can trust him? Whenever I tried to ask him why he was called The Tyrant, he always tried avoiding answering the question.

He lived with me for a week. A week that was a blur of fun and amusement. We sat for long nights just talking about his antics around the world. His stories were darker than I was accustomed to but still had a humorous twist to them. In the end, I had to go back to work, despite some objections from Ty. I couldn’t live shacked up in that house all the time, I had to get out.

While I was getting ready to go to work, something didn’t feel right. Not the look on The Tyrant’s face, not the air that I breathed. I must be missing something, I thought. I had been walking for eight blocks before I noticed that a blacked out SUV had been tailing me and it felt as if there were hundreds of eyes watching me. I turned back and saw that the vehicle had stopped and a number of men stepped out looking just like the ones who had come before, except these men had tattoos on their necks that were partially obscured by their leather jackets.

I stood there like an idiot staring at them when I heard the roar of a projectile as it hit the people in front of me. The projectile’s impact was so massive that it flung me to the side like I was confetti. I was lucky to have been a semi-safe distance from the crater, which was now filled with dead bodies. I opened my eyes to bear witness as smoke and fire engulfed the sky. The voices of dozens of people cried out for help as they burned alive. Who could have done this? Why would anyone do this?