Alexander knew what he could do to human skin, muscles, and bones. The human body, in his opinion, was so fragile and easily manipulated by the merest touch. He had seen what he had done to his parents by being in simple proximity to them; Alex survived longer than them, but she was also twisted, like all the furniture in the home.
Alexander and his sister would often go to the local market and buy their staples. They preferred the personalized service and they didn’t get the dirty looks that they got from the bigger stores. They ordered clothes and other items online so they didn’t have to deal with people.
They were together at the store, and Alex still wore her red veil to hide her molten face. Alexander noticed his gloves were getting thin at the fingertips, so tried to avoid touching things and kept his hands in his pockets.
Alex got her deli order and started walking along the store, looking for other items. Alex held the basket in the crook of his arm – again, avoiding touching the meat which he would instantly spoil if he touched it. He walked along the aisles, following his sister who loaded up the basket.
He approached the last aisle, and looked up to see the clerk who had a panicked look on her face, frantically taking out the lottery tickets from the display. In front of her was a man in a hoodie leaning on the counter. Alexander squeezed by his sister and started walking up to the man. The man turned around, a snarl on his dark face. “Get the fuck away, ya freak.”
Alexander peeled off his glove and let it drop to the floor. He was furious at being called a freak. He was called a freak in school, ever since the accident, with his chalk white skin and glowing green eyes. He didn’t show any emotion as he lunged forward, grabbing the man by the front of his hoodie. His fingers easily pierced the fabric as it fell apart in his hand when he touched it.
“The fuck!”
Alexander grabbed again, this time grabbing the shirt and his fingers sunk into the man’s chest. The man screamed in agony, as Alexander pulled him forward. Muscle, skin, and blood coated his hand as he pulled, tearing out a hole in the man’s chest.
“Oh, my God!” he screamed, falling to the floor and holding his chest. “Fuck, shit, fuck – I’m gonna die!”
“Probably,” said Alexander, knowing the toxin was now in the man’s body, and if he didn’t get medical attention within the next fifteen minutes, his blood would be poisoned beyond the repair of a transfusion. Alexander coldly looked at the clerk, who stared in horror at the man writhing on the ground, screaming. “Call an ambulance.”
“Already did, Jesus Christ,” said the girl at the deli counter coming over. She looked up at Alexander. “Is he going to die?”
“Soon,” said Alexander.
The girl at the deli counter looked at the girl at the cashier, who suddenly broke down. “He was gonna kill me!”
The deli girl ran around the counter and hugged the cashier, and minutes later the paramedics came. By then, the man had stopped screaming, as blood seeped into the man’s lungs, and he slowly drowned to death on the way to the hospital.
The next morning, Alex opened the door to the police, including a detective, letting them into the house. Alexander came out of the living room. “Am I under arrest?” he asked.
“No,” said the detective. “You’re protected under the local vigilante law.” He looked for a place to sit down. None of the chairs looked comfortable. “You’re not planning on becoming a vigilante, are you?”
“No,” said Alexander. “In fact, we’re planning on moving.”
Alex looked up sharply. She looked down immediately.
“There’s too many bad memories here.”
“Where will you go?”
“Someplace where they’ll accept me for what I am. What we are.” He walked around the dingy room, stopping at a chair. He gripped the back of it, as his fingers dug into the wood like butter. “Where we won’t be called freaks.”