Happy Saturday folks! If y’all remember from my last post, I said that I was working on a short story to share. Well, today is the day that I have decided to debut that story.

Allow me to introduce to you my newest work in progress Enemy of My Enemy – a short story. If you recall from a previous post (here’s the link if you need to look back), this is a short story about two people from rival families who must learn to work together to fight a common enemy. I haven’t gotten very far into this story, but it has still been super fun to work with, and I love the characters and the plot.

I’m not planning to post a snippet from this story every week, but I will post one at least once a month, maybe more depending on how well you all like it.

I’ve rambled on long enough. I’m sure you just want to read the story. So, without further ado here is the first snippet of Enemy of My Enemy. Enjoy!

~~~

The rain poured down from the darkened sky, the sound of it hitting the empty street echoing off the walls of surrounding buildings. The sound of it was comforting. If it were any other day, I would be out on the street, dancing to the rain’s song. If it weren’t for the pain that laced through my body, I would be enjoying the feel of the raindrops on my skin. But the pain and panic I felt were overwhelming. 

I had been tricked. Lied to. I thought he wanted to be my friend, maybe even more. But no. He just wanted to use me. To send a message to my family and to this city. There was a new challenger on the street. And they weren’t afraid to shed blood. 

I stumbled and reached for the wall that was next to me to steady myself. My ribs throbbed, as did a few other places on my body. I was too wet to tell if my leg was still bleeding. How bad were my injuries? I looked around, taking a deep breath trying to deal with the pain. The street was empty, quiet except for the rain. Were they following me? Were they lurking in the shadows waiting to finish the job? I had to get off the street. But where could I go? I wasn’t in my family’s territory. They were too far. I would never make it with my injuries. Who could help? Who would help me in this neighborhood? Who would–

Titus. Titus would help. He was the one who warned me to stay away from the new kid. 

Taking a deep breath, I pushed myself off the wall and started stumbling down the street. If I remembered correctly, Titus’ apartment was just one street away. I just had to make it one street. 

Just one street. 

I repeated those words over and over in my head to keep myself going. As I walked, I started to second guess this decision. Was I really going to ask someone from my family’s rival for help? I knew deep down that I didn’t really have a choice. 

Our fathers’ were leaders of the two richest families in the city. They were rivals, vying for control of the city’s economy. This city had long been forgotten by the government that ran our country. Ever since then, our families have started to take control of the city’s trading, as well as other businesses in the city. It made their wealth grow, but their greed grew with it. Our ancestors have been fighting for full control of the city ever since. Our families hate each other. We were raised to hate each other too. But ever since Justin and his family moved to town, things have seemed… different. Titus became more concerned with getting me to stay away from Justin than mocking me and my family whenever we saw each other. 

I should have listened. 

I finally turned down the street where Titus kept his apartment. The streetlamps illuminated parts of the street, just enough for me to see. I kept out of the shadows, fearing what might lurk there. Up ahead, a light was coming from Titus’ apartment.

Please be home. Please be home. 

The rain started to slow down a little as I approached. I looked up at the door that stood at the top of the stairs. Stairs… I had completely forgotten about the stairs. I pulled my soaking skirt up to my knees and took a moment to steady my breathing. Gritting my teeth, I pushed myself to take one step at a time. 

By the time I reached the top of the stairs, I was out of breath and everything was throbbing again. My leg was definitely still bleeding. Letting my skirt drop from my hands, I bit back the tears that sprung to my eyes. 

Leaning against the doorframe, I reached a weak hand to the door and knocked as loud as I could. My legs were wobbling, and I could feel the strength slowly slipping from my body. How much blood had I lost. How badly was I injured? I was starting to get light headed. 

Footsteps echoed from inside and a second later, the door opened a crack. Titus’ blue eyes met mine. “What do you want, Nalla?” 

I couldn’t form words. When I tried, a groan came out instead. I hunched against the doorframe, clutching my side. 

Titus opened the door wider, letting the light from inside bleed out, studying me in confusion. I tried to stand taller, to show at least some pride fitting the Monroe name, but I couldn’t. 

Titus’ eyes became wide as he looked at me, no longer hidden in the shadows. His eyes roamed over me, taking in the bruises that were beginning to form on my face and arms. He noticed the blood that stained my skirt as well as my torn and soaked clothing. I tried not to shrink back from his gaze. 

Tried not to let my pride be bruised as I finally found my voice. “Help.” It came out in a whisper. 

The world began to spin. My legs gave out beneath me, and I felt myself falling. Strong arms caught me before I could hit the ground, lifting me and carrying me into the warmth of the apartment. The sound of rain melted away and morphed into the sound of a crackling fire. I felt its warmth not too far away. 

Something solid and soft pressed against my back. I blinked, trying to make sense of my surroundings. I was in a chair in front of a fireplace. I couldn’t see much else. Titus appeared in front of me, his eyes full of concern and… anger. He was furious. 

“Who did this to you, Nalla? Who attacked you?” Titus put his hands on my shoulders to get my attention. 

My mind was fuzzy. I could feel myself slipping away. But I had to say it. I had to tell him. 

“Jus–” I couldn’t form the word. My eyes grew heavy. 

“Justin?” Titus guessed. “Justin McFarlan?” Titus squeezed my shoulders, trying to keep my attention. 

I felt myself nod even as my eyes fell closed. The pain was fierce. 

“You’re going to be alright, Nalla,” I heard Titus say. “You’re safe.” 

Even though he was my enemy, even though I was taught to hate him and his family, I believed him. I knew he would do what he could to help me and to get me back to my family. There was a new threat in this city, a new danger. We have to fight it. We have to stop it. Maybe we could finally put aside our differences to stop this threat, to protect our city. Maybe. Hopefully… 

The last thing I remember was Titus’ warm fingers brushing against my cheek before the world turned black. 

TO BE CONTINUED