The first thing Marlon did was nothing.
He just stood there, hands loose at his sides, watching me climb back to my feet like it was the most boring thing he'd witnessed all week. No stance, no guard, no visible preparation of any kind. Just a man standing in a park, waiting, faintly amused.
I steadied myself and rolled my shoulders. The collar sat against my throat irritatingly. My limbs were mine, technically. They just didn't feel like it anymore. The usual current that ran beneath my skin, that low hum of something more than human, was almost completely gone. Stomped down to a flicker.
I exhaled slowly.
Then I moved.
I came at him straight the staring with a jab and Marlon leaned an inch to the right and it sailed past his cheek without him even lifting a hand. He looked at where my fist had gone, then looked back at me.
"That's it?" he said.
