The shadowy figure turned the lights back on with east. Now that the room was illuminated again, Katherine was able to see the man that stood before her.

"Kate. You still look as beautiful as ever," He said with a toothy grin.

His voice sounded charming, but Katherine was able to hear the vile undertones. Whenever his voice was that deep, with his lips curled up the way they were now, danger wasn't far behind. She didn't reply to him. She was in so much shock she couldn't. She had still seen him in her dreams from time to time, but hadn't seen him in person since she left. He had let his beard grow out a bit more. One side of his face was marked up as well. Some of it looked like it could have been scarring. But there was more too it. It could have been paint or make-up, but it also could have been tattoos. Katherine wasn't sure, but it wouldn't have surprised her. His eyes were also two different colors. One was the same grey blue she remembered, but the other eye was stark white, outlined slightly in black with a black pupil. Almost as if it were a negative image of his other eye. She wasn't exactly sure why. She hadn't seen him since the day of the accident. She didn't wait around to see what the outcome was. She packed up and got as far away as she could.

"I've come to take you home."

Katherine almost didn't hear him over the sound of her heart beating in her ears.

"This is my home," She replied, mustering ever ounce of courage in her body.

He chuckled and shook his head. "No my little lamb. This is a place you're living. I'm going to bring you back to a home."

Katherine's brain was going a million miles a minute. Praying that this was some dream she was going to wake up from. She had been so careful. She hadn't ever stayed in one place too long. She rented monthly so her name wouldn't ever be tied to anything. Paid in cash anywhere she could. Used a prepaid phone that she only gave out to her places of employment and parents. She even made sure to get jobs where she wouldn't be out with people all of the time. But now her ex boyfriend was somehow standing in front of her, inside her apartment.

"How did you find me?" She asked barely above a whisper. Moreso out of shock than wanting an actual answer.

Malakai shrugged. "Wasn't too hard. After I realized that you weren't coming back Brody and I started looking for you. We had you tracked down once, but you took off again before we could get you. Then we had some other things we had to deal with for a bit."

The way he clenched his teeth and the change in his body language at whatever those other things could have been made Katherine shiver.

"I've been keeping a close eye on you little lamb. I've been watching ever move you've made for the last month," He continued, causing her eyes to grow even wider, hoping he was lying to make her nervous. "I know about the little shop you use on the corner to avoid going to a big food store. You stop at the post office Monday to check your box. You found that little coffee shop two blocks over that you treat yourself too whenever you have more of a rough day. And I'm not sure what that thing is you have going on with the doorman, but it is awfully nice of him to stay late every Tuesday since you seem to get home about twenty minutes after his shift should have ended. Yet he waits around here until you get home."

Malakai took a step forward. Katherine instinctively took a step away, trying to not let him get too close to her but he just smiled. "God himself couldn't keep you from me Katherine. Now come on. Gather some things you want to bring with you and let's go."

Katherine remained silent. Her eyes darted around the room as she tried to come up with some kind of a plan. He was still blocking the bedroom door. There was no way she would be able to make it passed him. Just then, a small breeze hit the back of her legs and she remember the open window.

"Don't. It won't be work it," Malakai stated as if he was reading her mind. "You can't outrun me on a fire escape. Besides, Brody's down there waiting for you anyway."

Katherine began to feel defeated. All the work she had done to try and get away and start a new life had failed. And since everything Malakai had just told her about her weekly routine was correct, she had apparently failed miserably. Making a run for it would probably have failed too, but it was the only option she had. Just as she was about to take off, she thought she heard another set of footsteps in her apartment coming down the hall. Hoping maybe one of her neighbors was hearing this conversation through the walls and coming to check on her, she felt a tiny spark of hope. Which changed the moment the person the footsteps belonged to came into view and stood next to her ex-boyfriend. She thought seeing Makalai had taken her off guard, but looking at the man who was standing there now had her feeling as if she just saw a ghost.

"It's been a while and we haven't heard from you boss. Need any help?"

"Buddy?" Katherine gasped as her hand covered her mouth.

She hadn't seen Buddy in nearly two years. He was Malakai's best friend. They had similar interests. Began to work out and spar together. Buddy was his right-hand man. Since he was always around, they ended up spending a lot of time together and became close as well. Buddy acted as somewhat of a brother to her. Until things began to get a little bit crazy with Malakai, and he disappeared. Buddy left one day to run an errand for him and never came back. It worried Katherine for a long time. She wondered what happened to him. Tried to study the emotions of her boyfriend because whenever she asked about Buddy, she wasn't given an answer. It was one of the main reasons why Katherine ended up running away a few months later.

"We're good. She's just being a little hesitant on leaving. Why don't you grab a bag and pack up some of her things and I'll take her to the car," Malakai replied calmly.

"No I'm…"

"You're coming with me Katherine."

"Not willingly." She somehow managed to say.

Malakai chuckled darkly. "Fine. Scream all you want. No one will hear you over the fireworks. And if I have to knock you out, no one will question me carrying you to the car. They'll just think you've had too much to drink. Do you know how many people I saw passed out on the sidewalk on my way over here? You're coming with me. One way or another."