The Runner

I awoke to the clicking of tumblers in the locked door. My eyes snapped open and my hand went to the knife under my pillow. Battle reflexes kicked in and I sprung into a crouch on the bed, poised to attack.

A hand was the first thing I saw as the door creaked open with the ugly squeak of rust against rust. It was tanned and knarled, worn by the weather. The next thing I saw was his back, well... the bottom half of it anyway. He was huge, his shoulders obscured by the limits of the doorframe.The yellow raincoat he wore must have been XXXXXXXL to reach the ground from where is shoulders stood over six feet above.

He struggled into the room and when he straightened I could see a worn but oddly kind bearded face. I expected him to panic or attack and I tensed but he just sighed.

"Not again, demigod are you?"

"Who are you?"I demanded, avoiding his question.

He looked at my celestial bronze knife. "Yeah, demigod." He sighed. "Look, I'm really flattered that you decided to stay the night in my lighthouse but it is my lighthouse. So - and I mean no offense by this - GET OUT." He pointed to the door.

"Who are you?" I demanded again, refusing to move.

"Minor god, you wouldn't know my name. Please just go back to camp." He said, fire in his eyes.

"I'm not going back to camp." I told him.

"Please just get out then, I don't have time for sob stories about not fitting in." He said.

"Would you really turn an innocent girl out with no place to go?"

His eyebrows shot up at the 'innocent'. "Yes, yes I would."

"But I'll starve..."

"I really don't care."

"And freeze..."

"Just leave."

"And probably get mauled by monsters..."

"As long as you're out of my lighthouse I really don't care."

I sighed and paced slowly towards the door. "I guess this is why you're a minor god." I taunted. "I bet a more NOBLE god would have let me stay."

He frowned. "What was that?"

"Oh nothing, I guess you're okay with COWARDICE then."

"Cowardice? I assure you that I am no coward!"

"Then why are you SCARED to let me stay?" I asked, totally playing on his ego.

"I'm scared of nothing!"

"Then can I stay?"

He frowned, struggling with himself for a few seconds before looking up and shoving me out the door. "NO!" He roared in my face before slamming the door (and probably breaking the hinges in the process).

I pouted to myself and slung my pack over my shoulder, trudging back down the way I came. "That always works in movies." I muttered to myself as the sky began to bleed with dawn.

Notes

Here ya go! All and any feedback appreciated! :)

- Phoebe :)