He Comes At Night

Third POV:

"You. What on earth do you think you're doing here?" he snarled, the words cutting through the tense air like a knife.

For a moment, Rose was caught off guard by his voice. It carried an undeniable authority, brimming with power that could compel even the strongest of wills to submission. 

Yet, paradoxically, it was gentle, like the soft touch of a baby's skin—smooth and soothing. His voice seemed to transcend mere words, reaching deep into her soul with its warmth, despite the chilling embrace of the forest around them.

The bliss of warmth evaporated from her senses as his words cut through the haze of his mesmerizing voice. 

A different kind of warmth once again enveloped Rose, but this time with anger as it surged through her once more, fueled by the audacity of his question, leaving her seething with frustration and confusion.

"What? Me?! You're the one who stepped in front of my car, you suicidal jerk! What the hell were you thinking?" Rose tried to keep her voice down, attempting to rein in her temper, but failed miserably as her words came out in a loud yell.

He just stood there in silence, his glare unwavering. 

She might have entertained the notion that he realized the fault lay with him if not for the intensity of his gaze, which made it abundantly clear where he placed the blame. 

Rose.

It only stoked the flames of her anger further.

"If you're so keen on becoming a roadkill, by all means, throw yourself in front of a speeding train for all I care! Just stay the hell away from my car!" 

Her voice was laced with frustration, each word punctuated by the simmering anger that bubbled within Rose. 

The near-death experience and this stranger's audacity had pushed the girl to her limits; rightfully so.

This time, her words seemed to catch his attention, albeit not in the way she had hoped. 

He merely arched an eyebrow at her, as if amused by her outburst, and responded, "Last I checked, you don't become roadkill by jumping in front of a train on a track, now do you?"

What does he think, this is a game of snarks? She asked herself.

"Are you serious?" she snapped with frustration boiling over. "You're the one who was prancing around the road like you owned it, refusing to move out of the way. And when I nearly got myself killed trying to save you, you have the nerve to get angry at me for who knows what reason."

Rose scoffs then sassily adds, "But oh no, you don't stop there. Then you show the audacity to nitpick at my words. You should be thanking me for saving your sorry ass!"

He remained stoic, seemingly unaffected by Rose's outburst. It was as if her words were nothing more than a passing breeze, failing to stir any emotion within him. 

She thought she was stating facts, but to him, it seemed like nothing more than a joke with no punchline, judging by the lack of amusement in his expression.

"What makes you think you saved me?" he retorted, his voice still calm but carrying an edge of challenge.

"So I was wrong, you're not just suicidal, you're also a condescending, egotistical, ungrateful jerk!" Rose shot back, way over the border of frustration.

"I'm the ungrateful one? How exactly do you think you're alive right now, woman?" he snipped, something twinkling in his eyes as he gestured subtly towards her car with his chin.

Yeah, alright, perhaps that's the first sensible thing that's escaped his snarky, conceitedly delicious-looking mouth.

Hold on, delicious? What's wrong with you, Rose?! Snap out of it! He's clearly trying to charm his way out of this. 

And unfortunately it almost worked.

After chiding herself, she refocused on the pressing question: How on earth was she alive and not squashed against the tree she was hurtling towards with her car?

Her car!

In a split second, she glanced in its direction, or rather, her uncle's car. What she saw flooded her with relief. 

The vehicle was perfectly intact, with no smoke billowing out and not a single broken headlight. The boot was unharmed, and all the windows, including the front and back windshields, were as pristine as ever, without a scratch.

Phew... that was close. She was alive -well for the most part; minus the small headache at the back of her mind and few trinkling drops of blood from her temple, nothing she can't handle. And the car was unscathed-

Her eyes landed on the right side of the car's rear end.

The relief is short-lived as curses flood her mind, accompanied by a million ways to explain the horrific dent on the back side of her uncle's Ferrari.

Oh that's ugly. Involuntarily Rose winced at the sight before her. Her headache subtly moving to the front of her mind and steadily increasing in intensity.

The dent wasn't large in terms of surface area, but it was significant in its twisted appearance, unmistakably present and in no way to be overlooked; resembling a hand squeezing and contorting the metal like a crumpled sheet. 

Like it warped and then stayed that way.

"Oh boy! Finding a top-notch mechanic is going to be a challenge if I want to keep this from Jake," Rose muttered to herself, already planning her next move to cover up the damage.

Just the her body instinctively stiffened as she felt someone standing unnervingly close behind her. Heat radiated from the body, but it was just out of reach. 

A warm breath landed on her ear, sending a shiver down her spine as a few strands of her hair danced in the air from the gentle strokes of breath.

Rose was certain it was him standing so close. And her knowing that had less to do with anything remotely romantic and mostly with the fact that He was the only other person standing there. 

"You're fucking welcome." he whispered into her ear, his voice a blend of arrogance and seduction all rolled into one.

Rose glanced back at him, observing the air of narcissism and self-assurance exuding from his mere demeanor. He stood tall and proud, hands in his trouser pockets, a raised eyebrow indicating his expectation for her response.

What? Did he genuinely expect her to believe that he was the one who saved her?

No way. That seemed highly unlikely.

But then, how was she alive? And why hadn't her car crashed into that tree?

As Rose pondered over the perplexing turn of events, a throbbing headache began to form. The presence of the handsome yet narcissistic brooding man only added to her frustration. 

The dent in the car and the absence of the expected accident left her bewildered, searching for rational explanations amidst the chaos of her thoughts.

Rose's voice was laced with skepticism as she retorted, "I don't recall extending my gratitude."

"It's never too late to be grateful," he quipped with an expectant glint in his eyes, his confidence unabated.

Before she could say anything against his cockiness a loud, harrowing growl echoed in the eerie silence of the night. Rose realized the lateness of the hour and the precariousness of her situation. 

Stranded on an unfamiliar road with a stranger and a damaged car, she became acutely aware of the dangers lurking in the surrounding woods. 

The presence of potentially vicious animals only added to her growing sense of unease.

And who knows, perhaps she is more in danger with this man before her than any other animal in the forest around her.

Upon hearing the vicious howl, a slight shift of expression miraculously appeared on his face for just a split of a second and quickly replaced by the same seriousness like before.

"It's time for you to leave now." He barked the order at her face looking to be agitated and intensifying by the second.

However, Rose, who had been planning on doing exactly that just a moment ago, now felt a defiant urge rising within her. 

Who is he to tell her what to do?

She resisted, unwilling to yield so easily to his command.

Who does he think he is to bark orders at me as if he is some superior alpha male here and I'm his submissive. To hell with him and his narcissism, she thought.

Rose's remark was sharp like the defiance palpable. "Why? Are you scared because of some feral animals in the woods; you want me to leave first so I don't witness you scampering away with your tail stuck between your legs?"

Her words dripped with sarcasm, challenging his authority and daring him to respond.

"Are you really that stupid?" His tone was flat, causing Rose to momentarily falter with her comeback.