Justin Taylor slid his arms around his boyfriend's waist, anchoring him closer to him, his body convulsing in helpless shudders, a feeling of dread overwhelming him. "Seth, please don't go out tonight. I have a really bad feeling."

Pulling back to disengage his boyfriend's tight hold, and with a surprising degree of difficulty, his voice was slightly admonishing when he declared, "No, Justin. Not a feeling. It's never just that with you." Shaking his head, Seth walked away, checking himself in the mirror, slightly wincing when he turned to see the hurt in Justin's eyes. "Baby, don't be mad at me. You know I don't buy into this premonition bullshit. I am a registered nurse and a damn good one. I believe in cold, hard facts - not the supernatural."

"I never believed in it either; or, at least, I don't think I did." Justin shook his head, scrunching up his nose as confusion overwhelmed him. "You know that I remember very little before that night. Most of which I remember are fragments, and what my family and friends told me."

"Family..." Seth sneered. "Your father tossed you out right after your discharge from the hospital. He didn't even give you a chance to get settled... and your mother, well, she did very little to intercede on your behalf." At the pained look in Justin's eyes, Seth moved closer, placing his hands on each side of his boyfriend's face. "I'm not saying that to hurt you, Justin. But you need to face the facts. If not for me, you would be on the streets, fending for yourself. In the shape you were in... that would only have had one outcome..."

Justin looked at his boyfriend incredulously. "My mother was afraid of him. She wasn't independent at the time, and he was verbally abusive, in addition to being an alcoholic. She had my sister to think about. And whether you believe it or not, I am not that weak. I can take care of myself!" Sighing in resignation, Justin walked away; he went to sit down on the sofa, his hand reaching for the television remote. "I know you won't heed my advice, but something is going to happen tonight. Not only do I feel it... I have seen it."

"What exactly have you seen?" Seth forced himself to keep the mockery from his voice. Despite the fact that he didn't believe in Justin's so-called premonitions, he knew that Justin did. He had already upset him enough tonight. The last thing he wanted was for his boyfriend to worry about him all evening.

The pallor on Justin's face was immediate. "Red eyes hunting you, Seth. And then, cornering and capturing you. The eyes of a monster."

"That's ridiculous, Justin. Red eyes? What about a face? A body? That just doesn't make any sense."

Shrugging his shoulders, Justin couldn't totally disagree, but he knew what he had seen. Sadly, he had only seen the eyes. "Take my advice and avoid any dark alleys. If you do that, you just might survive tonight."

Seth's eyes widened, a tremor at once coursing down his spine, but not enough to change his plans. He often took a shortcut down a couple of alleys. They were usually empty. How had Justin known that? "I'll be careful, Justin. I always am. After all, I have you. Why would I want to risk that?"

"Why indeed..." Justin agreed, offering his lips for a kiss when Seth approached, for once, hoping his premonitions were misguided. When Seth locked and closed the door behind him, Justin closed his eyes as he recalled those eyes again. At once, he shivered.

He had never seen red, glowing eyes. Quite simply, they were beautiful... and terrifying.

TBC