I hear what sounds like flesh hitting flesh hard, shouting follows and another ringing shot before complete silence. I wait a minute or maybe a year before I feel someone or something at my back and a breath against the back of my right ear. "All clear," Felix whispers. "See you around, kid." He lingers a few seconds before he's gone. After a few of my own seconds, I open my eyes and quickly look behind me. I'm definitely alone. Fuck, a third time.

I stand up quickly and look to the front. John is on his cell phone yelling at the police I assume while the other customers are mingling at the front whispering to each other and giving uncomfortable glances to the unconscious assailants on the floor. Their masks are off and there weapons lay strewn next to them. I move out of the aisle and get a better look. I am very alarmed to see the shotgun barrel twisted into almost a right angle. One guy has mocha skin and blondish short dreadlocks while the other has a buzz cut and might be some kind of mixed Asian descent. The dreadlocks guy is bleeding a lot, but I can't tell from where. Was this Felix's doing? It's very hard to imagine but at the same time I can't help thinking about superhuman strength and speed and that book I've been reading.

A half an hour later, we are all outside and giving statements to the local police. They put the less injured perp in the back of one of the cop cars while the other was being driven away in an ambulance. None of us seemed to know exactly what happened even though I had my hunches, I didn't tell the police or mentioned Felix. I'm not sure why. Maybe because I knew they'd think I was crazy. I don't think telling them my neighbor who might be a supernatural being might have beat the crap out of these guys and saved all our lives. He did save our lives, didn't he? I still wasn't sure if I trusted the new tenant but I was definitely grateful. They gave me water and got me to tell them where I lived. One of the cops drove me home even though I don't live that far.

My mother was hysterical of course, though I wasn't surprised knowing her and it didn't help being escorted by the cop to my front door. Wish he had just dropped me off in front of the apartments. She sobbed and kissed me all over for a few minutes before I calmed her down and told her a million times that I was perfectly all right. Even though, I wasn't exactly but what she doesn't know the better. After that, she made me a sad little cup of tea and I went to my room.

I kept thinking about Felix and all that happened in the past hour and a half. I wasn't sure what to think or even do about this. I mean something was definitely up with that guy. I had so many questions, but I was suddenly very exhausted. So eventually I fell asleep with Mabel curled up beside me. I also realized I never got those groceries I set out to get in the first place.

I woke up to a knock on my door. I stirred from a very bizarre dream that I really didn't want to dwell on much considering it involved the dark haired and bare-footed possibly vampiric new tenant.