If this woman wasn't so crazy, Alexander may have found her statement intriguing. Her comment about his arm struck a chord with him because as far fetched as it sounded, what happened was true, had been true for a while. He should have been in as much pain as the store owner. He should not have been able to walk away from that car accident from earlier in the day. He should have not survived that ambush in Afghanistan. Alexander suspected that there was more to him than he could dare to understand, which was part of what made it so difficult for him to cope with his recent past. 

Her comment also made every hair on the back of Alexander's neck stand on end. She needed the power in his blood? Instantly, he imagined being drugged and chained up in some isolated warehouse, bleeding out like cattle in a slaughterhouse while this crazy woman collected it all for whatever strange cult shit she was into. Did she think she could gain his ability for her own?

"I'd come with you if it would shut you up, calm you down, and resolve this mess," Alexander said, almost afraid to look into her eyes--afraid of what he would find following his answer--but he needed to be clear with her. "You clearly need help, and if going with you is the fastest way for you to get that help then I'd do it. However, I really don't want to be chopped up in little pieces or bled out like a blood bag or who-knows-what-else you have in store for me because of my supposed power. This other place you keep talking about--it's probably a damn warehouse in the middle of nowhere."

Alexander began to move more boldly towards the flames. "I may not have much to lose, but the odd way you almost answered my questions puts up too many red flags. So, I'm just gonna step away here..." He stuck an arm through the flames, not surprised that they bent harmlessly around his arm like water around a rock. He prepared to step through the barrier, not wanting to simply run out in case there were cops with guns on the other side.