The thing in the chair stared at the tears building up in her eyes. All she could do in return was stare back into the darkness, and wait for what she knew to be the inevitable end. Forcing herself not to cry, Madalyn could feel the thing’s penetrating gaze carefully study her. she winced and tightly shut her eyes. Madalyn’s other senses intensified, which only made its presence more terrifying. She could hear the harsh creaking of the chair as it stood up. She could feel the vibrations in the floor as it trudged towards her. Worst of all, as it moved closer still, she began to smell a foul odor in the air. An odor she was sure could only be the scent of blood. Sensing the beast to be within inches of her, Madalyn fell to her knees and held her breath.
A moment passed. Nothing. She could still sense the ominous creature towering over her, but nothing beyond that fact. Feeling the air in her lungs running out, she tightly curled up hoping to hold onto this last moment. Silently, Madalyn wished that she could somehow will herself away from this place. How did she even get into this situation? She thought back to her friends, and how they waved goodbye earlier that day not knowing it would be the last time. What possessed her to take that shortcut home? If only she could see them again; just to tell them how special each of them are too her. Hours seemed to pass in those few seconds. Madalyn softly exhaled in resignation.
Her eyes opened momentarily. Just as she moved to shut them closed again, Madalyn caught a brief glimpse of the thing’s eyes. In those eyes she saw something unexpected. There was a hunger in those eyes, not a savage hunger for flesh, but for warmth. A warmth that could help heal prolonged suffering. Those were the loneliest eyes she had ever seen. Somehow, she no longer felt threatened. No longer trembling, Madalyn pulled herself to her feet. Now that the creature was standing before her, Madalyn was surprised to find herself to be nearly a foot taller than it. The thing slowly bowed its head and gently rested itself on her shoulder. She was startled at first, but immediately calmed by the soothing sound that came from its beak. It’s cooing was something like a raspy kitten’s purr.
It’s neck was covered in thick folds of shining black and green feathers. The creature nudged her shoulder again, and Madalyn began to stroke the bird-like creature’s breast. Its long feathers tickled her cheeks. As she moved her hands through the thing’s plumage, the smell of blood again reached her nostrils. She must have adjusted to the smell in the air, but now the smell was much stronger than before. Almost immediately, she felt an oozing wound concealed by the dark feathers.
The thing winced as her fingertips lightly pressed against the exposed flesh. The pitiable creature quickly withdrew from her and began jerking about; letting out painful cries. Madalyn felt her heart begin to ache and her eyes well with tears. Seeing this creature in such pain, and having no idea how to help, was more than she could bear. She swiftly reached out and firmly wrapped her arms around the creature, pulling the two of them close together. Seeming to understand her gesture, the creature calmed down. The whole room seemed to go silent. The only sound that could be heard was the creature’s raspy breathing and Madalyn’s sniffling as she fought to hold back tears.
The pair seemed to relax. No longer curious or afraid of the other. As they pulled away from each other, the sound of a metal latch and a heavy door opening echoed from a dark corridor. The creature, in response, became very agitated. Its feather ruffled, making it appear several times larger than before as it withdraw from the sound. Madalyn looked back and forth from the mysterious corridor to her newfound companion. She grew worried as her friend let out an unsettling growl. The beam of a flashlight shattered the darkness of the corridor, and a foreboding voice whispered,
“Now, what do we have here?”
Upon hearing the stranger’s voice, the creature let out a sharp, defiant cry. The next thing Madalyn knew, her friend sharply clasped its beak around the collar of her shirt and hoisted her onto its back. She held on tightly as it turned from the light and furiously sprinted away into a series of winding tunnels. Madalyn could only guess as to why her friend had become so alarmed, but now all her attention was focused on maintaining her grip as they darted through tight, narrow passages at startling speeds.
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