The air boiled with rage around the massive killer. He swung down his arms with enough force to crack the earth around him, smashing the kitchen table to splinters. Sweat streamed down his golem-like arms. He had the look of a rampaging rhino and enough destructive power to match one. “The Takeos are nothing, I could have killed your dad myself kid!” A low primal growl hums from his cavernous throat. “I guess I’ll settle for killing his prodigal son.” The killer lunged for me.

***

The phone dial tone rang out for a few seconds as I sat there in bliss. The phone line connected and before my mom could greet me I started shouting. “Hi, mom I just wanted to let you know I saw Nogu today!” I giggled in excitement.

“Oh Ichi, that’s great! Isn’t that the boy you have a crush on? Takeo’s kid?” The phone line went silent for a moment and my cheeks flushed with embarrassment. I let out an involuntary squeak and my mom laughed. “Honey, I know you are excited but I must go. I'm in a meeting. Okay?”

My voice cracked as I spoke. “Okay mom, have a good meeting.” I quickly hung up the phone and stood in shock. “Ah, am I really that obvious? How could she know?” I stuck my hands up to my temples and felt an anxious heartbeat filling my head. It played the rhythm of a drum beating in tandem with my emotions. It was a frantic and jubilous feeling that danced around my thoughts.

A white slip in my front yard caught my eye. “What’s that?” I slipped on my shoes and walked out the door. The air now smelled of rain like a spring storm was approaching. As I approached the paper I noticed it was an envelope with Nogu’s name on it. “Oh my god! It’s his enrollment paperwork I bet!” I picked it up and brushed it off. The brushing motion ripped the envelope a little. “Oh no, I damaged it! If Nogu doesn’t have this he will have to fill it out again!” I slit open the envelope with my fingernail.

The top of the first paper showed Nogu’s street address. I shook my head in disgust for myself. “I’m so weird for looking at this! He might think I’m weird as well I can’t return it now!” I clutched the edge of it. “No, he needs it! His address is fairly close so I’ll bring it to him!” I went back inside and snatched up my umbrella.

***

In a flash, I grabbed my mother and jumped through my glass sliding door to avoid his pounce. Shards of glass sliced through the air and my right arm. Blood began to gush out of the wound. My mom screamed at the site of the blood.

“Hush it, woman! If anyone comes to help I’ll kill them too! No cop would make it here in time anyway!” He grinned ear to ear and swung down at me. I posed with my knees bent and fists clenched in my family’s earth style defense technique. My bent arms absorbed the impact of his destructive power. The impact of the blow rattled my bones to the marrow sending warning signals to my brain to leave as soon as possible.

The killer grunted at the resistance and drove his weight further into my defense. My knees began to ache under the weight of both of us. The killer let up for a moment in reaction to my steadfast block. In the moment of relief I drove my head into his chest and knocked the wind out of him. This made my minor concussion ever worse.

His massive body stumbled back picking up massive clumps of dirt with his feet. “You dumb bastard, you broke my rib.” I smiled wryly as my vision blurred and doubled. He took notice of my dazed expression and a devilish grin befalled his face. He charged forward and uppercutted my jaw. My vision blacked out and I felt my body lift into the air. For a moment I lost my will to fight. ‘What's the point of doing any of this?’

As soon as my body hit the ground he picked me up by my shaggy hair. I could see a blurred image of his form in front of me. He pinned my head against the fence. “I could kill you right now, but first i think I’ll kill momma takeo first.” I faintly grasped his arm as he turned away. “NO! Leave her alone!” My speech was slightly slurred.

He swiveled around and threw a right hook which knocked me to the ground in a heap. My mom sobbed quietly a few feet from me. I could see a stone in the palm of her hand and a glint of resolve in her eyes. ‘Mom, don’t please.’ I couldn’t make myself speak. She threw the stone which pathetically bounced off his shoulder. “Haha, you want to die right now don’t you bitch?”

His hostility stirred something within me, probably anger. My body was on fire and my vision focused narrowly towards him. His arm raised to swing down at my mother. ‘I have.. Have to… GO NOW!’

***

“This is his house up here I think.” The rain began to pick up now with water streaming down the street. I screeched to a halt, my body felt an intense feeling. “What is this feeling?” My hands began to shake because of some unseen terror. Every cell in my body was set on high alert. “Something feels terribly wrong.” I looked towards Nogu’s house and saw shattered glass on the grass. Following the trail up with my eyes it led to a shattered window.

“Nogu, are you okay?” The wind changed directions to blow from nogu’s house. On the wind I could hear a faint sobbing. All at once my frozen muscles moved me towards his house. “I don’t know what's going on Nogu, but I will save you no matter what!” My feet pounded the wet pavement. I skipped up to the door and jiggled the handle. “It’s locked.” I glance over to the busted window. “I’ll use this entrance.” I hopped through the windows without catching myself on the broken glass. Once inside I hear a crazed laughter. “Haha, you want to die right now don’t you bitch?” The voice could be heard from the back yard.

“Nogu!”