***NEED WORK

Numb. I felt numb.

As lame as it sounded at the moment, there were no other words to describe it. My mind just stopped, refusing to accept anything that was going on anymore. I felt dizzy and dazed, watching the events unravel before me as if I was watching a very confusing movie. A movie I just happened to be starring in as an unfortunate victim.

So here I was, the damsel-in-distress me, sitting drenched in the mud and rain, just rescued by my great savior.
Lovely; so much drama.

Viper let out a menacing hiss from somewhere in front of me as the lights around the park slowly returned. I saw that he had regained his human like state. It was still raining hard, but I couldn't be drenched more than I was already.

Suddenly, my strange calm and airy mood dropped, hitting me hard like a heart attack.
I was DEAD.
A pathetic wail escaped me as I fell back and scrambled away from what was playing out before me.
"Wha---Who...why?" I stuttered, staring holes into the stranger's back.
I started to shake uncontrollably, the tremor rocking to my core. I clamped my teeth together and curled up into a tight ball, shutting my eyes and myself away.
Make it go away, I pleaded to myself. Make it all disappear!

Viper let out an amused huff, sounding a bit agitated.
"If you are here standing before me, very much alive, I believe it is perfectly safe to assume that none of my puppets survived what was supposed to be their dinner," he said nonchalantly.
I opened my eyes against my better judgment. The stranger didn't respond or move. I still couldn't see his face, so there was no way for me to read his expression. Viper let out a short humorless laugh.
"Pathetic, all of them. Absolutely useless." he muttered.
I thought I saw the stranger bristle at the icy disgust of his tone. Viper continued.
"Unbelievable. Never would have thought I would lose all of my pets to some measly little angel." he sighed, shaking his head.
He breathed out dramatically, rain dripping from his dark hair.
"Oh well. I'll just have to recruit some more." he said dismissively.

Viper took an advancing step towards the stranger.
"Really, how did you manage to get rid of them without a scratch?"
Again, the stranger didn't answer. Viper pouted, feinting hurt.
"How rude," he purred.
Then his cold, slit gaze flickered on me. I flinched violently, unable to look away. That sly smirk returned to his face.
"Poor child...poor, poor Celeste," he crooned in his velvet tone.
"I'm sorry, love. Someone was being uncivilized, intruding like that. Don't fret; this shouldn't take long," he said in a sickly soothing tone.

He took a step in my direction.
Suddenly, I saw something glint and something cut through the air with a sharp whistle. Viper stopped short and frowned. A thin blade of a very slender sword hovered directly in his path, glinting deathly and sharp. It stayed perfectly still, not wavering the slightest bit in the stranger's hold. Viper looked from the blade, to the stranger, a dark curiosity flashing in his eyes.
"Hmm...what game could this be?" he asked in amusement.
He looked at me, and then back at the stranger. Slowly, the frown curled into a dark smirk on his handsome face. Then he dove, snarling with his sharp teeth bared, right at me. I saw him slip under the hovering blade and past the stranger with great speed.
Horrified and frozen, I stared back into Viper's hungry eyes as he reached for me with his sharp claws. I didn't feel pain as I heard the sound of something collide into another solid with a soundly thud.
Then the next second I was thrown back into the air, something crashing into my chest hard. Pain rippled through my chest, effectively knocking the air out of my lungs.

I gasped out, my head snapping back sharply. My arms and legs were tangled, unable to identify where I was. Then I felt myself land in a heavy heap, splashing into a puddle.
Oh my god...oh my god...

He got me, that demon son of a bitch really got me.
I tried to breathe, ignoring the aching burn in my chest. Blurred hues of mixed dark colors whizzed around before my eyes, making my stomach turn. I swallowed, and gasped out as pain seized my chest again.
"Oww..." I rasped.
Damn, life, or rather death is being so cruel to me. I had always thought that there was no pain or suffering after death.
But, oh; was I in a world of pain or what?
My whole body tingled painfully as I tried to sit up. I cautiously brought a hand to my chest, feeling around for my wound. There was no open wound, no blood, and no torn flesh.
"What the---" I started, confused and dazed.
Then, I felt the slightest pressure I hadn't noticed before, lift away from my rib cage. Suddenly, the pain tripled. I cried out, unable to inhale. I coughed and gagged, but I still couldn't breathe. Almost immediately, and almost as if in haste, I felt a cool sensation seep into my chest, blowing away all of the pain.
What is this? I thought. What was this feeling?

Slowly, my vision steadied to solid and concrete shapes and forms. My conscience cleared and all signs of stress withered away to nothing. The first thing I could make out was the swing set that was now further away than it was originally. Next was the swaying form of Viper, trying to right himself onto steady feet.

Something from the picture was wrong; something was missing.

Finally, I turned my gaze up, and almost jumped a mile.
There, holding me upright and securely was the dark stranger, closer to me than ever before, his hand resting gently on the base of my neck. But even at this proximity, his face stayed hidden in the shadow of his dark hood. I couldn't see his face. I couldn't see his expression. But I had a strange feeling this stranger wasn't exactly human either.
My guardian angel.

That was what Viper had called him. An angel...is that what he is?
A deep angry growl snapped me out of my busy thoughts. I looked and saw Viper on all fours, his position very animalistic and intimidating. He bent lower to the ground, his dark glare aimed straight at the stranger in a wild frenzy.
"Do you honestly think you can get away with that?" he spat. "I am not as weak as my pets were!"
He dug his claws into the ground and snapped up into the air, diving down to attack. The stranger next to me gently released me and grasped the hilt of his sword tightly. From the corner of my eye, I caught Viper smirk. Then, he disappeared. The stranger stiffened and wheeled around, just as a sudden shadow materialize right behind us.
"So you best take me seriously," Viper sneered, before lashing his claws out at the stranger's hidden face.

I heard the sound before I could figure out what had happened. There was a sharp thwack! and the stranger flew, his body twisting painfully in the air. At the same time, Viper was thrown back in the same manner, seemingly by some invisible force. I saw the stranger crash onto the ground on his right side, splashing into the mud. Then, something black fluttered down to the ground before me, catching my attention.
What is it? I thought as I reached out with shaking fingers to the fallen object.
I picked it up gingerly, almost afraid that it would hurt. Surprisingly, it was light to the touch, almost like air. But the color was jet black, and it was thick. It was a torn piece of the stranger's cloak.

I heard a gasping grunt and I looked up. The stranger was getting up slowly but smoothly, not showing any damage done to him in his movement. I turned back to Viper, half expecting him to come at me out of nowhere. Viper, on the other hand, seemed to be struggling, despite the amused laugh he let out.
"Now let me see it," he gasped, laughing. He stood up shakily and lifted a closed fist up in front of him. He uncurled his fingers from the tight fist.
A piece of shredded black material fell to the ground.
"Let me see the face of the dark and mysterious, almost-hero of my prey! Let me finally see the face of the one who has plagued my hunting nights!" he laughed with triumphant glee.

I looked back at the stranger, anxiety building up for some reason. He finally stood up straight, his body angled slightly away from me. I saw the torn jagged corners near the neck of the cloak flapping wildly in the current as the stinging rain and wind howled. The torn fabric flipped black, revealing a flash of light skin, adding to my curiosity. The stranger didn't respond or move, not showing if he had heard Viper.

Then, he slowly lifted a hand up to the hood.
I held my breath.
His fingers grasped the shoulder of his hood and he yanked down, whipping the whole cloak off of his body.

The whole world seemed to have stopped and the sounds of the rain and wind faded. I couldn't stop staring at the revealed stranger just a few feet before me. I was surprised, shocked, confused, and many things more.

Before me, only a few feet away, stood black haired, fair-skinned, graceful and thin framed figure...
...of a very pretty girl.