Later on in his life, when Eli thought back to his college years, he would wonder what the hell he was thinking when he decided to become involved with Vigilante. Granted, it wasn't so much of a conscious decision as it was a series of unfortunate mistakes. In the end, he would look back on that first night he decided to help Matthew out as the night it all started. Not that he'd really meant to help him.

He was just doing it because he was under the mistaken belief that news of his mysterious disappearance would be reported on the next day otherwise. The moral of that story was, never unmask anyone who regularly beat up criminals as a hobby.

As it was, it was already too late for Eli to even try to have a normal life. The fact that he had his not so reliable stalker back only made this more obvious.

He still did his best to ignore the not-so-creepy knowledge that someone was watching him. Eli wondered what it said about him that he could actually differentiate between Matthew and his newest — and unknown — stalker. It probably wasn't a good thing.

With all the oddness in his life, it was nice to know that some things stayed the same. Even if it was just studying or having lunch with his friends. Work and school provided some sort of reprieve. It was a slice of normalcy in his suddenly hectic life, and Eli learned not to take those moments for granted. After all, he could never be sure when a crazy masked man would decide to break into his apartment.

That being said, he was all too glad when Tucker and Collin told him about a party — which was more of a get together at a couple of guys' apartment — and decided that Eli needed a break. Eli wasn't about to argue with them because they were right. He most definitely needed a break.

For once, Eli was actually looking forward to the weekend. So much so that he didn't dwell on how sad it was that he rarely had anything to get excited about. He definitely needed a social life.

Collin seemed to agree.

"You need a social life," he said bluntly as they ate at a cheap diner close to their school.

Eli rolled his eyes as he chewed the bite of greasy goodness that was his cheeseburger, and swallowed before taking a sip of his cola.

"You've said that. Repeatedly. For the last two years," he reminded his friend.

"Well it's true," Collin said with a shrug. "You work too much. And you're always stressing over school. You're gonna be bald by the time you're thirty and I'm not gonna lie, I'll laugh — a lot." Collin grinned and then took a bite of his breakfast burrito (which Eli had pointed out, was not supposed to be eaten for lunch).

"For your information, not a single person in my family is bald," Eli said. He was perfectly sure of this too. He'd checked. "Plus, working at a coffee shop is stressful." Mostly because Eli thought people were idiots — at least when it came to their preference in drinks.

"I'm sure it is," Collin said sarcastically. It was his usual response, since Eli always told him about the terrible people he had to tend to. Personally, he thought the redhead was being too dramatic. "So, you're going to the party tomorrow, right?" he asked.

Eli thought about it for a moment. For the first time since he'd been told about it, Eli had his doubts about showing up. He knew it would be fun — knew he needed it — but he was wary about having to actually talk to people. In his honest opinion, he was more than rusty when it came to making friends. Really, it wasn't his fault, especially when he always ended up meeting weirdos.

"Yeah, I guess I will," Eli finally said, deciding that no one he met could ever be more of a creeper than Matthew.

Plus there would be free food and that was always a bonus.

Eli didn't expect to see Matthew at the coffee shop that day, which didn't bother him all that much. After the last time they had spoken, Matthew had kept a more irregular schedule, as far as his visits to the shop went. Even when he was around, they didn't talk much, and Eli was aware that it was mostly his doing.

Truthfully, Eli was still upset with Matthew. Maybe not as much as the last time he'd shown up at Eli's apartment, but enough that he didn't really feel like chatting with Matthew. Definitely enough that he nearly groaned when he actually showed up while Eli was taking out the trash. One minute there was just a couple of hipsters working on their 'bestsellers' and a group of friends getting a snack and then — when Eli returned — there was Matthew, sitting at his usual spot.

In Eli's humble opinion, there was no other word to describe the man but creepy.

"Here, take this to Matthew," Michael said, handing Eli a cup of coffee.

"What? Why me?" Eli complained.

"Because you're not doing anything," Michael said without missing a beat. "Also it's your job."

"I really don't like you," Eli said, snatching the cup out of Michael's hand.

"You're breaking my heart," Michael deadpanned. Eli scowled as he turned to walk away.

As he often did, Matthew was reading the newspaper when Eli reached his table. He looked up as the redhead set down the cup of coffee and smiled.

"What?" Eli asked in what was more of a grumbling sound than the indifferent tone he was hoping for. Matthew arched an eyebrow, looking amused, but shook his head.

"It's nothing," said Matthew. Eli frowned when the man turned back to his newspaper. Vaguely annoyed, he turned and went back to work. Matthew didn't stay for long, just enough to finish his drink.

Lately, his visits were short, sometimes not even long enough for him to finish his coffee. Eli had the odd feeling that Matthew was just there to check up on him. Which was a whole new level of insulting — at least in Eli's opinion. After all, it wasn't like he couldn't take care of himself.

He could. Of course he could.

Eli wisely chose to ignore the voice in his head that was laughing hysterically at him.

The evening was chilly by the time Eli started to make his way home after work. Enough that he was reminded that it was nearly winter. He zipped up his hoodie and began his usual walk to the bus station, wary for any stalkers.

Eli didn't even pause to think about what his life had become that he had to actually worry about being stalked. Thankfully, he made it all the way to Pam's Burgers, which was about two blocks away from where he worked without feeling like he was being followed by anyone. He walked inside and ordered a bacon cheeseburger — his all time favorite meal and what he considered humanity's redeeming factor — before taking a seat to wait for his food to be done.

It was a rare treat, but he told himself he deserved it after all the things that he'd put up with in the past few months. Plus he didn't feel like trying to make a meal out of leftovers and instant noodles again. The last time he'd done that, it hadn't turned out too well.

He didn't wait too long for his food, probably because he was one of five customers. Soon, Eli was out the door and hurrying to catch the bus. Just a couple of stops later, he was climbing out and starting on the short walk to his apartment. The streets were so quiet that Eli nearly had a heart attack when his phone rang.

Switching the bag of fast food to his other hand, Eli reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. Only to realize that it wasn't his usual phone that was ringing. With a frown, and after a minute of frustration during which he struggled to hold his dinner while reaching into his backpack, Eli answered the other phone he kept with him.

Even though he knew it could be no one but Matthew on the other end, it was still strange to hear him through the phone. Usually, he was irritatingly close.

"Sorry I couldn't stop by," Matthew said in place of a greeting. "I figured it might be best if I didn't."

"Why's that?" Eli asked, fearing the answer. The pause that followed did nothing to reassure Eli.

"There might be someone looking to hurt you," Matthew said after a while, sounding like he really didn't like what he was saying any more than Eli did. The redhead didn't know if it was because he was afraid of what Eli would do or if he felt genuinely guilty. "I'm still not sure about what's going on, but for now, just be careful. I'll see what I can find out."

"Woah, wait, what the hell? What am I supposed to do now?" Eli told himself he wasn't panicking — he wasn't.

"Just stay home, at least when you're not at work or school. You'll be fine if you're careful," Matthew said. Eli wasn't sure who he was trying to reassure. "You'll be fine, I promise."

Eli scowled and glared at nothing in particular, wishing Matthew was around so he could punch him.

"I'm sorry about all this," he heard Matthew say, sounding reluctant yet sincere. Eli still wanted to kill him. He settled for hanging up on him and shoving the phone back in his pocket.

He more or less stomped his way to the next block and up the stairs to his apartment. By the time he arrived his fries were cold and his appetite was gone. Eli supposed that was what happened when you found out that someone wanted to kill you or — in the best case scenario — beat the crap out of you. And of course that would be when his brave vigilante would decide to keep his distance. Of course.

Eli was starting to feel like the world conspired against him to make him miserable.

The next day, he awoke feeling slightly better, if only because he would actually have a break for once. He didn't have to work or go to school and that was about as good as it got for him. For most of the day, he stayed at home, watching some TV and catching up with the shows that he missed during the week. It wasn't until his phone rang — waking him up from a very nice nap — and he heard Tucker on the other end asking him where he was that he remembered the party he'd been looking forward to, at least a bit, the previous day.

Suddenly, Eli didn't feel like going out and attempting to socialize.

"Somehow, I'm not surprised to hear you've decided to keep on with your hermit lifestyle," Tucker said when Eli told him he wouldn't be going to the party with him and Collin.

"I'm not a hermit," Eli said, rolling his eyes. "I'm just not feeling like going out right now." It wasn't really a lie, Eli thought.

"Are you sick or something?" Tucker asked. Even through the feigned nonchalance, Eli could hear a hint of concern. If he hadn't been feeling particularly generous that day, he would have made fun of Tucker for that.

"Yeah, kinda," he said. "Maybe I'm just tired, school's been a pain," he added. It was true enough and something Tucker would be able to sympathize with. After all, he was always complaining.

"Take a nap or something," Tucker advised. He paused and Eli could faintly hear Collin talking in the background. "Nevermind, Collin says you're just being anti-social," Tucker said, and Eli could just about hear him grinning.

"Well, that too," Eli admitted.

"Oh yeah, you're definitely not a hermit," Tucker said in a deadpan tone.

"Shut up," Eli said, getting up from his couch and walking to the fridge in search of something edible. "Go to your stupid party and stop harassing your poor, sick friend." He heard Tucker laugh on the other end as he stared at the unimpressive contents of his fridge.

"Alright, I'll tell Collin just how broken up you sound about having to stay home." Eli was sure Tucker would, just like he knew him and Collin would complain the next time he saw them.

Eli hung up and, after a quick look through his kitchen, decided he had to go out for food. Unless he wanted to eat expired ramen noodles with week old bologna, that was. He really needed to go out and get some groceries.

He pulled on his jacket, grabbed his keys and some money. As an after thought, he grabbed the other phone that he'd tossed onto his coffee table — the one Matthew had given him — and ventured out into the chilly night in search of affordable food. For a college student like Eli, who had a crappy job and too many expenses, that meant finding a place with a dollar menu. Fortunately for him, there was such a place just a couple of blocks from his apartment.

While the burgers weren't as good as the ones from the diner he usually visited, they were cheaper. Not to mention, Eli was hungry enough to not care.

It didn't take him long to walk down to the fast food joint. Something that Eli was very much glad for, mostly because of the cold. Of course, there was a nagging sort of voice that kept reminding him that Matthew had told him to stay home.

Stay home and starve or go out and get killed. Great choices, he thought bitterly. With a huff of annoyance, mostly at his brain for reminding himself of just how crappy his life was, he opened the doors to the fast food place and walked in. With ten bucks in his pocket and a sprawling menu of cheap junk food to choose from, Eli felt much better as he surveyed his options.

Less than ten minutes later he was leaving with a paper bag full of burgers and fries. Quite honestly, it made Eli wonder how many more burgers his poor heart could take. He supposed death by burger wouldn't be so bad.

"I seriously hope that's not an actual bag full of burgers."

The sudden voice nearly made Eli jump. Fortunately for him, he recognized that voice, and turned to face the speaker.

"If it makes you feel better, there's fries," he said. "They count as veggies, right?"

The young woman standing just a couple of feet behind him looked like seriously unimpressed. She was about as tall as Eli, maybe even taller by about an inch or two, with dark hair that just grazed her shoulders and eyes of a rich brown tone. Her name was Vanessa, and she had been in the same class as Eli the previous year. They'd also had a thing — Eli thought two weeks couldn't be considered actually dating — and had managed to stay on good terms.

Eli wondered if it was because neither of them were much into drama.

"How are you not dead?" Vanessa asked, getting closer as she hid a smile. Eli could still see it, even if it was just a small quirk of the lips.

"Luck?" Even Eli didn't believe that. After all, he knew Matthew. "What are you doing around here?" he asked, because he knew Vanessa was staying with her older sister in an apartment closer to school.

"I ditched my date," she said nonchalantly. Eli wasn't surprised, Vanessa wasn't the type to put up with guys that she didn't see as being worth her time. He sometimes wondered how he managed to get through one date with her.

"What was wrong with this one?" he asked, as he started on his way home with Vanessa at his side.

"The guy wore more perfume than me," she said. "It was giving me a damn headache."

Eli couldn't help but laugh at that. It was just like Vanessa to be irritated by something like that.

"Jesus, you're picky," he said, knowing all too well that it probably wasn't the only reason Vanessa left her date. She just found it easier to use a crappy excuse.

"Am not, I dated you," she countered, and okay, fair point. Eli still rolled his eyes.

They walked together for a while, just until they reached the bus stop and Vanessa stopped. She didn't sit on the cold, metal bench but stood beneath the overhang and glanced down the street. There was no sign of the bus.

"Weren't you going home?" she asked Eli.

"I'll wait with you for a while," he said, sitting on the bench and setting his dinner down at his side.

"Really?" Vanessa asked, trying and failing to hide a grin. "Should I be touched that I'm more important than food?"

"Oh, haha," Eli said, glaring. "Next time I'll leave you alone in the cold, empty bus stop."

"Glad to see you're still as snarky as always," said Vanessa. "Even if you look like crap."

"I do not!" Eli said, sounding indignant. Not that he wasn't perfectly aware of how true Vanessa's words were.

"You keep telling yourself that," Vanessa said with a roll of her eyes, as the bus approached, bright lights visible in the distance. As she pulled out her bus card, she paused and turned to Eli. "Seriously though, take care of yourself," she said, casting a wary glance at the dark circles under her friend's eyes and his paler than usual (and that was saying something with Eli) complexion.

As the bus pulled to a stop in front of them, she leaned closer to Eli and left a quick kiss on his cheek. "I'll see you later," she said, and climbed into the bus. Eli could see her waving at him as the bus drove past. He waved in a daze, trying not to think of who came to mind when he felt lips touch his skin.

Scowling to himself — and cursing his mind for wandering into places he did not want to visit — Eli resumed his walk home. He stopped at the corner to wait for the light to change, still caught up in the mess that was his thought process at the moment. He liked to think that it wouldn't be half as bad if it weren't for a certain person.

The light changed and Eli stepped off the sidewalk, his footsteps seeming to echo against the pavement. It was just a moment later that he realized that wasn't an echo. Without turning his head more than was necessary, Eli glanced behind him. He could just make out someone walking just a couple of feet behind him. When the stranger had appeared, Eli couldn't tell, having been too distracted to pay much attention to anything. Now, however, his thoughts were fairly focused on whoever was walking behind him.

Please don't be a crazy stalker. Please don't be a crazy stalker, Eli thought over and over in his mind. He wasn't really confident that — for once in his life — his luck would actually be good, but he thought hoping wouldn't hurt.

Nervously, his free hand slipped into his pocket, grasping the phone he hoped he wouldn't need to use. He sped up and thought of the best possible way to defend himself with a bag of fast food. His options were painfully limited.

As much as he was trying not to panic, the moment he felt a hand grasp his shoulder with a tight grip, Eli felt as though his heart would burst from how quickly it was beating. Not knowing what else to do — and not stopping to think about what would happen if it was just some poor idiot with no social skills to tell him it was a bad idea to follow people — Eli turned and literally beat the man on the head with a bag full of burgers. Granted, he didn't expect to cause much damage, but at least he'd do something.

To his surprise, the man actually let out a displeased grunt and released Eli, stumbling back, probably more out of surprise than anything else. Eli was stunned for only a moment.

Holy crap, it worked! he thought as he turned, meaning to get away.

His victory was short lived as he felt the guy pulling on his coat, practically tossing him back onto the pavement. He hit his head hard, and felt his vision swim. Something that didn't improve when the other man's fist slammed onto his cheek, knocking his head back against the pavement. Eli caught a glimpse of a vaguely familiar — and very blurry — face beneath the hood of a jacket as a bright light flashed across them.

"You're late—!" Eli made out part of a complaint as his brain struggled to work. He thought he heard a car door open and then footsteps. A moment later there was another sharp flash of pain to the side of his head and his brain shut down — he was unconscious.

                                                          - - - - - - - - -

Hello everyone!

First, please pardon the absurdly long wait, but life gets in the way of things (not to mention technical difficulties). This is the third re-write I've done for this chapter and I still scrapped about one and a half pages with this one. I wouldn't say I'm happy with it -- granted, I rarely am happy with my writing -- but hopefully it turned out okay. This book is nearing its end though, and that makes it so much more difficult to write, because endings are hard. I'll do my best though!

Thanks to everyone who's read, voted and/or commented, and until next time!