Chapter Text
A short statured woman let out a long yawn and gave her limbs a trembling stretch. It was eleven at night and finally the trash zone that buried her living room was clean! She usually hated messes in general, but slip ups happened and pig stys were created when one worked so much.
Handling two jobs and keeping her personal space in tip top shape was taxing yet that was the norm for life these days.
“Being an adult is such a trap…” She mumbled after stretching, her palms clasping onto her hips as brown eyes glared down at the full white bag of trash.
Driving a car, living by yourself, and having a seemingly endless flow of cash looked so appealing in her younger days, almost like a dream come true. Of course reality smacked the glitter right off that goal. Being on her own rocked to a degree, she couldn’t lie, but the river of money got clogged way too often and a owning a car? Pffft, her wallet screamed in agony every time she just glanced at a vehicle used or not.
Adulthood is a lovely lie. Don’t do it kiddos.
Blowing a straying tuff of hair from her view, she dipped and snatched up the red ties of the plastic bag. Bare feet padded across the freshly mopped fake wooden floor towards the cubby hole that housed her shoes. She slipped on a pair of black sandals.
She peeked down the short hallway and whistled. Seconds ticked by then her call was answered by a stuttering snore. As deep as it sounded, she knew this trip was going to be alone.
“That dog is dead to the world.” She sighed, unlocking the turn latch above the handle and exiting.
The young woman lived on the second floor of a four story building. It was an apartment complex for the low income, her wages barely covering even this. The neighborhood wasn’t that great but it’s all she manage currently. Maybe giving into that rash decision wasn’t so great. But hey, she was doing the best she could.
Place even had an elevator! A plus? Nah.
She entered the steel box with heavy unease in her chest. Too many horror films had planted a phobia of these things in her. Scenes of the elevator getting detached, set on fire, or a flicker of light and monster appeared suddenly and killed someone. Her body shivered as the old machine’s gears groaned as it cranked down the shaft.
“Ugh, hurry up,” She mumbled, leaning against the railing. The odd movement of descending faster than it seemed caused made her stomach drop every time. Thankfully, the ride was over in a few blinks and she had safely reached the foyer.
Quickly getting out of the elevator, she was certain the grin of relief looked silly to any onlookers but the main entrance was devoid of any people. She continued outside and turned to the left. The apartment’s dumpster was located on the building’s side, which was now completely engulfed in dense pitch.
Hairs stood rigid on the back of her neck the more she stared at it with growing apprehension. Why was she doing this again? The rotten stench of a half-eaten baked chicken that rested in the middle of the trash reminded her swiftly.
“I always leave something on my plate… why?” She shook her head, chiding herself.
The inky darkness seemed to advance from just its ally, inching further like tendrils ready to grasp her ankles and pull her in. Her indecisive habit kicked in, making her consider to do this chore in the morning in broad daylight. The longer she simply stared mulling over her ridiculous options, gave way for her mind to begin playing silly tricks on her eyes.
Images of shapes moving within the shadow glued her already stubborn legs to a standstill. That childish fear spiked a bit when she swore a pair of red eyes had appeared a few seconds ago. Her brow crinkled.
‘For God’s sake, how old are you?! Put on your big girl panties and throw the damn trash away!’
Breathing in a calming air, she relinquished the foolhardy tidbits of fear her mind created and moved forward more secure. The moment the tip of her shoe touched the dark edge, a loud crash echoed from ahead, successfully shattering any brave resolve she had built. She let out a tiny yelp of fright, deathly gripping the ties.
“What the hell was that?” Her eyes were wide as plates, trying to see in the vast mass of darkness that was before her for what could’ve possibly made that noise.
A homeless man or a cat could’ve easily knocked over a bin or hit the dumpster. Then again, what if some guy sneaking around in the dark waiting for some absent minded girl to walk down so he could… Nope! She spun on her heel and firmly decided the waste could wait until tomorrow. No way was she getting mugged or worse over tossing her garbage!
But as she retreated something tugged on her feelings, gently urging her to change her course.
She wasn’t as religious as she used to be, that was for sure, however she wasn’t one to ignore that weird sensation of being guided. Biting on the inner flesh of her lip, she returned on the original direction. The container wasn’t far, it was closer to the street than the back road. She kept a tentative pace. So far nothing terrible had happened.
Perhaps it was a touch of reassurance? Who knew…
Pushing the plastic lid up and onto the brick wall, she tossed the rubbage in and closed it as softly as possible. Her eyes darted around, having adjusted to the dark. From what she could tell, everything seemed in place since she was last here a few days ago. Her nose scrunched, upset with herself.
Being paranoid as usual...
She turned to go home when a garbled groan reached her ears. Palms flew to her mouth to lid the sound of fright that nearly escaped her lips. Her head snapped in every direction, wildly searching for whatever made that noise. She found zip. It didn’t seem exactly like an animal but she never heard a human make it.
The geekier side of her brain roused, musing that it was similar to the noises one of her favorite alien species made. The thought bubble of being abducted by a being with a god like build and dreadlocks, swept into space for some ludicrous inter-species sex caused the inner geek half to swoon.
The woman’s expression fell flat. Oh yeah, her bird resembling self would definitely be the first to be ravished by a sexy as hell space hunter. So much sarcasm, it almost hurt…
Fishing out her cellphone from the yoga pant’s pocket, she tapped the Flashlight app and bent her knees to inch hopefully discretely upon whatever the origin was. For a moment, she believed it to be in her imagination but the second noise rang again. She shoved the bright light to her feet in a startle.
‘Hellooooo Mr. Sexy alien!’ The geek would not give up.
She face palmed. ‘Don’t be stupid. Predators don’t exist, neither do orcs or vampires.'
Waddling carefully to peek around the corner, she froze instantly as the light chased away the shadows lingering beside the dumpster.
Against the wall, lying unmoving was a figure dressed completely in black. They had their torso set to brace on the brick, head tilted down so all she could see was the dark hood utterly hiding any distinguishable feature. Their outfit was strange.
Each piece was black and made sure to cover every inch of them. Long sleeves and pants, gloves, and combat boots. The clothing had a lot of pockets on it too. Judging by the height alone, she guessed they were male. Was he SWAT or military?
Tip toeing closer to investigate, the instinct to run strangely absent, she rose the phone to shine some light on him. It illuminated his torso. She gasped, earning a slight twitch from him. A white substance akin to blood ran over his chest from three holes. He’d been shot?!
Was he still conscious? Panic flared. She had to call someone, the police, 911 anyone! Her phone shook in her trembling hands as she swiped the screen open to the dial pad.
Before the pads of her fingers could even tap the numbers, a gurgling groan emitted from him again. She paused, eyes watering from the overload of fear and stress. Teeth bit into her lower lip, the woman dared to get near. Thinking back on this moment, maybe shining the light in his face wasn’t the brightest of ideas…
Licking her chapped lips, she asked. “Are you okay…?”
His skull snapped up in a flash, pitch orbs lined with crimson flared open and a hiss emerged past jagged fangs.
Oh what the fuck?!?!?
He snarled and lunged for her, knocking them both into the small puddle that was left over from this evening’s rain. His thighs caged her legs while his gloved hands bore down on her shoulders, locking her into place under him. In the midst of this hurtle his hood had been knocked back, displaying a smooth yet scarred head with pointed ears.
She didn’t have the luxury to lay and contemplate what he was as his maw opened wider than any normal person’s jaw was capable of, showing off the rows of wicked sharp teeth and a squirming… inner mouth?
Hell no! She was not about to be eaten!
Struggling in his iron grip to try and properly maneuver was difficult. Wiggling for some room eventually made way for her to bend her leg enough to reach and ram it between his legs. He gnashed his teeth together at the impact but did not release her. Balls of steel or he just straight up didn’t care.
Tears bubbled at the corners of her gaze. The pressure on her joints increasing by the impending doom looming above her extinguished any calm she had left. This was it? Eaten by some weird humanoid in the alley to may be discovered in the morning after cats and God knew what else had chewed on her?
A burning liquid dripped onto her stomach. Those hands that were clasped onto the balls of her shoulders moved to encircle her neck, desperation glowing in those odd eyes. She managed to glance down and see his wound dripping on her at a faster rate.
The guy- creature was shaking now, the blood loss taking its toll. He must’ve widened the wounds moving so quickly. His fingers loosen slightly in their hold. She grabbed onto the tiny spark of stubbornness and acted.
Throwing up her free arm that held the cell in it, she whacked the freak in the temple with it twice as hard she could muster with the mobile. His glassy orbs widened a fraction and he swayed, trying to stay up right, before collapsing on top of her. She winced as the weight expelled the oxygen out of her lungs.
“That’s cool,” She grimaced, attempting to shift him off. “I don’t need boobs.”
After much trial and error, she finally succeeded in rolling his body off her own and on the concrete ground. He landed on his back, unconscious. Chest heaving, she lingered to regain her lost breath and exhausted strength.
She was too scrawny for this shit!
Tipping her glasses up, which miraculously didn’t break or come off during that tumble somehow, she rubbed her whole face with both hands. Her brain was still spinning. What just happened?
Her hazel eyes regarded him from behind pale fingers.
What to do with him?
She scoffed and rose from the dirty water. “Fuck’em, that’s what.” Thank God it wasn’t Winter or that little dip would’ve sucked. New York cold plus soaked clothes equaled screw that!
She stomped off to leave the creature to whatever was in store for him when once more that nudging came back. Why couldn’t her conscious leave her be tonight?! Angry eyes peered over her thin shoulder.
Imagining actually walking away and allowing it- him to die was pathetic. A pout shaped on her lips. She didn’t have the heart to just abandon him so cruelly. Even if dark elf over there tried to kill her, thinking back it seemed the reaction was more defensive or instinctual rather than the want to do it.
Oh bugger! Why was she even considering this?! She doesn’t even know what he is ! Though that didn’t ease the guilt in leaving him behind to bleed out.
“Stupid, stupid, stupid !!” She criticized, appalled by her choice.
Hauling his unresponsive body up to her apartment was a job. Getting him there without being seen was a miracle. Thanking her lucky stars, she had managed to do both without being caught. There was the matter of security cameras but no one really checked those unless a theft or other crime was reported.
They made it to her space but the unwanted physical activity both fighting and dragging him here left her gasping, the exertion of carrying that dead weight used up a lot of muscle she barely possessed. She kicked the front door shut when he was moved out of the way. She wrestled with his uncooperative form onto her sofa finally before her legs gave out.
Her lungs took deep breathes to restore a level of sturdiness in her frazzled body.
‘Okie dokie, I got him here but, now what?’ She combed through her damp locks, thinking.
That train of thought derailed when a growl rumbled from behind. Her brow pursed in mild confusion. Glancing over her shoulder, two brown eyes and white teeth glimmered in the dim light of the hallway. A single bead of sweat rolled past her eye.
Oh fudge.
She hadn’t even considered what her dog would think of their very unexpected visitor. His webbed toes were spread wide in an aggressive stance, growling lowly and eyes promising offense to the being who didn’t respond to his warnings. A loud and harsh bark was directed to the creature yet he still didn’t stir.
“Thor, chill out! You’re gonna wake people up worse!” The young woman held up her hands in order to try and calm her canine friend.
The worse implied their grumpy neighbor who took an opportunity to complain against them, especially Thor. Fortune must have been on her side for a while since no one came across her trying to get him up here but if Thor kept up the bellow of his name sake, she’d get that unwanted attention.
“Dude, I swear to God, if you don’t hush that furry face…” She began to threaten, to use that old ‘no treats for a week’ but a rather unwelcome knock thundered.
Dread pooled in her stomach. She didn’t care about having to deal with her neighbor, it was just the timing of it all. Not caring if she got bit, she nabbed Thor by his blue collar and scrambled into her room.
“Williams!” Came the cranky voice of her neighbor, Mr. Franks.
The man wasn’t known for his cheery disposition and pleasant outlook. He never did waste a chance to bitch about Thor even though all the poor hound did was exist. Thor usually behaved quite well until tonight.
“Just a minute!” She sounded back while trying to maneuver the stubborn dog into her room and lock it.
Once that furry feat was accomplished, she spared a worried glance to the couch where he yet lay without moving an inch. In fact, it damn near eerie how entirely unmoving he was. Her eyes narrowed. Was he even breathing?!
“Williams!!”
Unable to rush over and check on her assailant, she trotted over the threshold. As she reached the entrance, her sock stepped in something warm and slippery nearly causing her to fall. Cringing at the very plausible dog mess, she slowly rose her sole. Rae mutely gaped in horror.
It was his blood!?
Bloody -pun intended- fantastic! She hadn’t notice any during their hefty trip as she had tried to keep pressure on his wounds. Was there more outside too? The unrelenting fist pounding on the door broke any sound grip she had on patience.
Stomping her foot back down, she slung the thin wooden door open wide so quickly it had startled the old man.
“Yeah?!” He blinked at her unusual demeanor.
“Well then! About time.” He cleared his throat. “Williams, do you realize how late it is? I’m here to ask you to keep that mutt quiet.”
Smart replies bubbled at the back of her throat, itching to be voiced. She just sighed and gave him a strained grin. “I know the hour, Mr. Franks and I apologize for the inconvenience we’ve caused…”
The syllables died on her tongue as she realized Franks no longer seemed to be listening. His line of sight went straight to her feet. His bushy brows furrowed.
“What in God’s name is that? That dog did something awful, didn’t it?! I’ll be informing the landlord of this danger first thing in the morning Dawns-” He spouted off the nonsense until she couldn’t take it anymore.
‘That’s it!’
“Okay, ya know what? I’ve had it with your rotten attitude, old man! I get it. You hate dogs for some unholy reason! But ya know what? I don’t give a rat’s ass about your likes!” She glared. “And do you know what time it is? Stompin’ over here like you own the joint! Fuck off my doorway!” The last was more loud than she intended but it was effective.
Mr. Franks went sheets paler and gave her a brisk nod, returning back to his flat. She re-locked the door with a with a smug grin. Normally, she kept the attitude under wraps for the sake of sanity but her last straw was drawn! Her smack down with red eyes over there and frizzled out her nerves.
Paid an extra hundred fifty dollars to allow Thor in here and she had put up with this shit. She shook her head, kneading her forehead.
“I feel a headache comin’ on.” She grumbled. Was it bedtime yet?
Thor began to bark again, more instantly this round. Irritation just burst in her chest.“Oh will you shut up, please !”
A shiver ran up her spine as something really strange occurred then.
You are awfully loud for one so small.
What the…?