"Filthy American," he swore, before spitting on the ground beside him. "I'm going to ask you this once, and once only. Where is the genie?"

If Stephen could have gawked at him, he would have. Who was this man really and how did he know about Grace? He struggled to regain some kind of motor function, but nothing would move as he commanded it to. Stephen felt himself screaming internally trying to force his limbs to move, but the message was blocked. He could only look up helpless and snarl his mouth, putting out the only question he could think of, "Who... are... you?"

Lopez smiled, a cruel gesture that showed stained teeth and soulless eyes. "I will tell you who I am, not that you will have much use for the information. My name is Hanif, and I am a warden in the Order of Light. I am here to restore balance to the world." Hanif then looked at himself, smoothing out his clothes as if to present a more impressive appearance to match the t.i.tle.

Stephen managed to roll onto his back, sending pain searing across his entire body. The feeling was like nothing he had ever experienced before. It was like having a cramp that had spread to your entire body, forcing every thought or idea from your own head. What made it much worse was that Hanif kept leering at him as he struggled.

"You'll take a while to recover from that one," he sneered, before looking all around the driveway. "Now, where is the genie?"

"f.u.c.k you!" Stephen exclaimed.

Stephen watched as the face of Lopez/Hanif twisted into rage. In a smooth blur of motion, he wound his leg back, and launched it against Stephen's torso.

Stephen howled. The pain of the blow caught him directly in the ribs, and pain exploded across his chest. He could have sworn he heard a crack once the toe of Hanif's boot made connect with his flesh. Taking the moment to roll back away from the warden, he tried to cover his body as his only means of protection. He just wished he was stronger, able to force his muscles to stand up to protect Grace. In that moment, he wished he had joined the gym much sooner.