Without thinking, she drew her phone from her pocket and took another picture.
The car door opened.
He was as she’d seen him before. Thirtyish, with lines of weariness around his eyes, a dead stare, and scruff on his face. He was wearing a v-neck t-shirt, gray, with a few smudges here or there, nothing blatant, but signs of dirt or something like that. His jeans, by contrast, had even more stains.
“Oh shit,” Jeremy said, when he saw the man striding towards them.
Ben put himself to Jeremy’s left, interposing himself between the man and the three girls of the group.
“Girl,” the man said. His voice was ragged. “Who said you should take my picture?”
“God damn it, Maggie,” Ben muttered.
“Who said I couldn’t?” Maggie called out.
“Why are you taking my picture?”
“I take pictures of lots of stuff?”
“You’re lying,” the man accused her..
“Okay, maybe I took pictures of you because you looked kind of creepy and you were just hanging around where someone hung some rotting sculpture off a fence outside a school?”
“Delete those photos.”
“You heard the nice man, Maggie,” Ben said. “Delete the photos.”
“Why should I delete them?” Maggie asked.
“I’m asking you to delete the photos.”
“That’s not answering my question,” Maggie said. “That’s restating the thing you just said in a different way.”
“Hey, Maggie, you ever wonder why nobody likes you?” Ben asked. “This is why. He doesn’t like you because you’re not deleting the photos while he’s still asking nicely, and we don’t like you because you’re not deleting the photos while the guy is asking nicely. Seeing what I’m hinting at?”
“I like Maggie,” Heather said.
Ben scowled, glancing back. “You like everyone. You’re like a dog with no conception of strangers. But let’s not get off topic. Maggie was about to delete the photos.”
“I was doing no such thing, you lying liar,” Maggie said, not taking her eyes off the man.
“If you don’t delete those photos,” the man said, “There is going to be an issue.”
“if I do delete those photos,” Maggie asked, “Am I deleting evidence of someone who’s involved in this whole mess?”
The man glared at her.
Answer enough.
“Oh… oh no,” Holy Lor said. “Really? Oh no.”
“Give me the camera, and your life goes back to a semblance of normal,” the man said.
“Oh, see, now you’re negotiating,” Maggie said. “I like negotiating. Let’s hear a better offer, though. I’m not convinced.”
“Give the nice man the camera,” Ben said, through clenched teeth.
The man spoke. “If you’re smart, you give me the camera and leave. Leave this town. This is a dying place, and soon it will become a place of dying, of fire and violence and darkness.”
“Give the nice lunatic the camera,” Ben said, quieter, through clenched teeth.
“I’m still waiting to hear a better offer,” Maggie said. “He’s awfully insistent, he’s got to have something to offer if he wants it that bad. I want to hear the offer soon. Going once… Going twice…”
“This is not the way you want to play this,” the stranger said.
“Hey, Ben!”
A voice, from the nearest house.
An older man, wearing a plaid shirt and suspenders, was leaning over his railing.
“Hi, Mr. Richmond,” Ben called out, eyes darting from the stranger to his neighbor.
“You got a problem there?”
Maggie kept her eyes fixed on the weary looking man.
“Maybe,” Ben said.
“Hey!” Mr. Richmond called out. “Step away from the kids!”
The strange man did no such thing. He stepped toward Maggie and the kids.
Toward Maggie.
He grabbed for her arm, gripping it hard, and reached for the phone.
Collectively, the group fought him. Collectively, they found him oddly strong. He bodily shoved Ben and Jeremy away, then pushed Lor to the ground with enough force that she shrieked on impact.
Maggie kicked in his general crotchular region, but failed to land any hit that mattered.
When Mr. Richmond made his way down the driveway, however, and Ben stood up, ready to rejoin the fray, the man backed away, hands raised.
“Stay put,” Mr. Richmond said. “I’ve already called the police.”
“You’re lying,” the man said. “Phone lines are down.”
“Yeah,” Ben said. “You do that?”
“No.”
“You stay,” Mr. Richmond said, stern. “These kids are going wherever they were going, and you and me are going to stay put until we can have a chat with someone.”
“No,” the stranger said. “No we aren’t.”
He turned to leave, striding away. Mr. Richmond didn’t even try to stop him.
But the stranger puased and looked back. His eyes met Maggie’s. “You’re going to regret this, little girl.”
“I’m kind of a teenager,” Maggie said. “Big girl, at the very least. Little lady would do, too.”
“You’re a child,” the stranger answered. He turned, walking back to his car.
He said something else under his breath.
“Wait, what did he say?” Maggie asked.
“He said you’re a child,” Lor answered.
“I heard that bit.”
“And you’re going to bleed, was the second bit.”
“Oh,” Maggie said. “I’d thank you for clarifying-“
She paused, as the man’s car door slammed. He pulled into the street, then disappeared around the corner.
“-But I’m not sure I’m that thankful.”