You stand there dumbfounded, examining the haggard man. From what you could tell, he was dressed in strange, but interesting clothing. He wore an exquisite, long, black leather coat with dark green lining that went down to his ankles. He wore black leather pants and boots as well. His black, shoulder length hair is pushed back and flipped outward. You are especially intrigued by the scepter he is holding. It has a golden shimmer and there is a glowing blue orb nestled near it's pointy tip. You suddenly realize that you are staring.
"My help?" you finally reply.
You wouldn't have believed him if you had been in a room full of people. You would have assumed that he was talking to someone next to or behind you. Even now, you are skeptical.
"Yes," he states, looking around, "I seem to have ended up in the wrong location."
He seems to be genuinely confused so you decide to at least point him in the right direction.
"Right. So, uh, where do you need to go?"
"I believe my destination lies south of here."
"Here," you hold up your cell phone, "I have a map on here."
You quickly pull it up and show it to him.
"Ah!" he points to your phone, "This is where I need to go."
"That's not too far from here. Do you have someone who can drive you or...?"
"If you mean transportation, I have none." He leans the scepter towards you.
"Well, I'm pretty tired but I could drive you there. I can always stop and nap if I need to."
You were still a bit uncertain but you felt bad leaving this man, who clearly doesn't know where he is, to find his own way.
"Splendid." he replies grinning. He pulls the scepter away from you. You wonder what he was planning on doing with it.
"I'll unlock the car for you. I'll be right back."
You press the button on your key. He seems intrigued by this. You quickly run back inside the house to gather some things. You pull open the bathroom drawer and grab a zip-lock full of items. You are always prepared in case you have to go somewhere on short notice. You throw the zip-lock in a bag containing some extra clothes, just in case. You change into some jeans and tennis shoes and head out the door, after leaving a brief note on the kitchen table. You lock the door behind you and notice that the man is circling your car.
"Is something wrong?" you ask, wondering why he hasn't gotten in the car yet.
"Oh, I was just...inspecting your vehicle." he says quickly.
You open the passenger door and walk back around to the driver's side. You sit behind the wheel and strap yourself in. He cautiously follows suit, closing the passenger door after he is seated. He looks around at the interior.
"You act like you've never seen a car before..." you joke.
"I haven't been in a...car...for a long time." he nervously replies.
Was this guy serious? He has to be joking right?
"Hey, you can put your...scepter in the backseat with my stuff if you want."
He nods, reaches back and carefully places the scepter on the back seat as you start your car. He seems to jump when you turn the key. That's odd. You notice him fumbling with the seat belt.
"Here." you reach over, pull the seat belt out and click it into place.
"Thank you." he says very quietly.
You pull out of the driveway and turn your headlights on. You drive for a few minutes in silence. The roads are completely empty and you can hear the street lights humming.
"So, why do you have to go to this place at 2 a.m.?" you suddenly ask, glancing at the clock on your dashboard.
He thinks for a moment and then replies, "They have something I need."
"Must be something pretty important."
"It is." he says, smirking.
"Well, you're in luck. It shouldn't take us that long to get there, traffic is light."
He chuckles. Before you can ask what he is laughing about, you look in the rear view mirror and notice a black car with dark, tinted windows following you. This can't be good.
"Uh oh. We have company."
"Just keep driving." He figures out how to undo his seat belt and reaches back for his scepter.
"What are you doing? Who are these people?" you exclaim, becoming frightened.
You had no idea what that scepter could do!
"Just drive. I will take care of them." he says calmly.
You turn your eyes back to the road and wonder what you have gotten yourself into.