Behind the wheel of two-seater car sat a broad-shouldered young man, in the view he was twenty-seven. The abundant bristle was sprawling across the face, and also emphasized the lower part of the cheeks. His hair was like coated by dry oil, it was a little worn and pushed to one side, and fell below the eye line. The golden edges of bow tie, strongly stood out against the deep black shirt, they were merging with trousers, jacket, shoes, hair of a stranger, as well as to the vehicle interior.
Without taking his eyes from the young man, Eric strove to understand what was happening here. Assumptions about the abduction disappeared. The victim is usually hidden in a closed room, but not free carried during the day on a busy city street. However, Eric found it necessary to flee as possible. The internal lock of the car door clicked; Eric turned to the man, he closed his eyes and shook his head.
– Don’t hurry, we haven’t really got acquainted, – with a smile, the stranger turned away, and watched the truck, blocking the road.
– I am not interested! – Angrily told Eric, not losing hope to open the locked door of the machine.
– My name is Anders – briefly introduced the young man, without mentioning his surname. – Last night, we literally encountered on the road. Can you remember?
Blinding headlights, grinding sound of tires on wet asphalt: memories pulled behind a terrible fire picture – bright flame obscured little house on Holm Street, and along with it his father Eric. It was hard to breathe…
– I heard your town is famous for its peace and tranquility – continued to say dark-haired man in a lazy tone, Eric almost didn’t hear him; he was busy with the tightly closed door. – I wanted to find a place to live. As it turned out – rumors are not so true. He turned to Eric, he froze with fear, quickly pulling his hand from the dull panel buttons, thinking – what this person hinted at?
Eric’s thoughts jumped from place to place: “It is unlikely that this oddball was walking on Holm Street in the evening, when I ran into an incomprehensible thingy and I don’t think he was in the park, while rainfall lashed out at Silent Valley. And certainly, he wasn’t in my house!”
– Your timid, puts me in an awkward position. Be so kind, don’t look at me like that – bristly Anders frowned from dissatisfaction. Although his eyes remained indifferent.
His eyes were iridescent and multicolored. As soon as he moved, his eyes immediately sparkled with dark blue color on dark-green color with splashes of golden molding near the pupils. They sparkled like stickers with fairy tale characters that Eric used to collect when he was a child. He had never seen such unusual eyes before. He decided that it ware lenses.
– What do you mean? What do you mean, talking about the untruthfulness of rumors? – Said Eric, suppressing the shiver in her voice.
– You don’t really know? – The man portrayed a surprise.
– No, – calmly lied Eric.
– Yes of course! I understand – he obviously didn’t believe. The strange man pursed his lips into a smile, then took colored eyes, and continued his way.
The driver of the truck was able to budge a barely functioning machine. The road has cleared; the motionless cars finally drove off.
– I want to assure you, that you no longer need to judge yourself with anxiety. You’re lucky, and this is enough to calm down.
– That’s really!.. – Not without sarcasm, Eric responded to this nonsense.
The words of bursting with enigma man seemed absurd to Eric! He twitched as if he was poured with cold water. He was not lucky, most likely he was unfortunate teenager, who was pursued by something terrible. Apparently, Anders didn’t know this, if he thought otherwise.
– Almost all of us had to wade through a swamp of doubt and misunderstanding, alone.
It was not clear that he had in mind this time. Eric didn’t touch by his statement, as well as the young man didn’t listen to his advice, and continued to stay alert.
– Where are we going? – he asked.
In fact, Eric would like to know when was going to be the nearest stop. He was still determined to leave the stranger.
Pressing the brake, Anders parked near a small cafe. Before getting out of the car, Eric asked him:
– Who are you? – Finally, Eric still wanted to understand the intentions of person, who picked him up off the road. And maybe he will be able to comprehend the meaning of his hints.
– Just someone who wants to help you. You are need in support; you need it right now, as never before. And there are not many people, who are able to provide it – quite seriously explained Anders.
The gratitude didn’t follow, because Eric didn’t believe in the help of strangers. His own father had never helped him, why the stranger should do it, especially if he doesn’t know Eric?
– Maybe the way it is, but why do you need it?
Everything has a reason – Eric believed. For example, his friend Noah Holm persuaded his father to take Eric to job not only out of friendship: Noah just didn’t want to spend his days in the company of his parents and brothers, who didn’t care about him.
All events had its reason; Eric considered unselfishness the product of fiction, he wanted to find out why Anders helped him.
– I understand what you’re trying to handle now…
– I doubt it! – Immediately said Eric, without giving Anders the chance to finish. He was sure that no one is able to understand what he was that moment.
– I just want to return my duty! – The man admitted, with the different facial expression and tone of voice.
Eric didn’t understand his words again.
– But you I don’t owe anything. I see you for the first time! Maybe you made a mistake? – For the umpteenth time, Eric was in disarray.
– No one said that I owe you! – Explained Anders with a grin.
Despite this, the questions didn’t end there: to whom he wants to repay the debt? He could only guess. Though Eric didn’t care, he decided that he didn’t relate to the quirks of strangers, and that it was time to leave.
– Why are you running? – Suddenly asked Anders, as if he knew the Eric’s idea.
– You said that you know what I’m struggling, so you should know the answer.
– I only know what you have got – the emphasis sounded on the last word – but why are you running I don’t know.
– And what have I got? – Eric also highlighted the last word.
– I asked first! – Said the young man.
His question was not so simple as it might seem to be. There was no exact explanation. Eric didn’t have anything at all, he didn’t really understand, why did it. After a little thought, he tried to give the answer not only to his companion, and also to himself:
– Maybe… maybe I’m guilty in… something, something terrible. I want to make sure – he admitted.
Only that moment, Eric had the courage to put forward the assumption