Chapter 1: I run from my awfully hairy neighbours
Something was just not right. And I'm not talking about messy stuff or dirt or anything like it, even though all these things bothered me like hell.
No, there was something really weird with the guys who lived next door. And it's actually hard for something to be considered odd to me, since I'm not the most normal person in the world. But these guys... They just surpassed my the limits of the acceptable. Why? Well, imagine two red-haired guys with pointy yellow teeth, ridiculously hairy arms and some horrid black mischievous eyes which followed every single woman who passed by the street. Two perverted, perhaps? Possibly.
Except as far as I know perverts don't have horse tails coming out of their flanks.
Yes, I wrote that right. Tails.
And the funny thing is it seemed it was just me who noticed these things. Really, how can people be so unbelievebly blind? Sometimes, I even believed that it was all result of my mind finally getting crushed. But hey, you can't really live thinking like that, right?
I had decided not to tell anybody about that, of course. And I'd tried to take this out of my mind, though I just couldn't help noticing them every time I went outside. Of course, that was just until the day I decided I had to go out on my own to buy some chocolate.
Ok, I know this sounds weird. I mean, a fifteen-year-old who didn't have autonomy enough to leave home on herself? Yeah. But what can I say? I have my issues. It's not like I couldn't go out I wasn't forbidden. It was just that I always felt somewhat like a ticking bomb. And I didn't want to explode with other people around me.
So I watched life outside through the window of my bedroom. I longed for a normal life, where I could be a normal teenager, but I also knew that it was just impossible for me.
And yet on that day I had decided to go out. On my own. Of course it was just a quick walk to the grocery on the corner of the street, but still I needed some courage. What had driven me to do so? I don't know. Maybe I was just tired of seeing everything from the oustide, like an invisible espector. Maybe I was driven by my PMS, which made me want some chocolate crazily. Or perhaps it was just fate pulling its strings. Anyway, all that matters is that I went.
At first everything went well. I bought my chocolate, causing no confusion at all - which was good considering I am a living magnet to confusion and went my way home. The problem started when I realized I was followed. By one of the creepy neighbours. I fastened my pace, trying to get home as quickly as possible. I tried not to look behind, to see if I was mistaken, if he was gone. But of course he wasn't. I could hear his constant footsteps right behind me.
Taptap. Taptap. Taptap. Taptap.
I remember thinking that at least I had some advantage toward him, since he appeared to be lame. Then I reached my home. In the front door, the other neighbour looked at me maliciously with those beady black eyes.
I confess I panicked. I didn't want to think of what could actually happen if they actually got to me. So before I could think of anything, I ran. I ran as fast as I could, without even realizing that I could get lost in this city I knew only from my window, feeling the blood run fast and pulse strong in my body. From behind the two pairs of running footsteps got farther and farther, until they suddenly vanished completely.
I should've found it odd, I'll admit it, but I had panicked, remember? I looked back. No sign of them. I sighed in relief, while trying to recover my breath. Then I looked around, trying to recognize where I was. I was surprised to realize I did know the place it was a small park where I used to spend some time with my father. We made a picnic just for the two of us while watching the boats nearby sail. It was a calming place to go and I hadn't realized how I'd missed there until that very moment.
I stopped as I recovered my breath though it had been a short run, it had been intense. I felt the marine breeze on my face, the smooth grass scent making my fear slowly go away. That was when I saw the boy. He stared at me with a curious impression, as if he'd never seen anything like a girl before. He sat in a bench on his own, a baseball bat on his lap and a cup of coffee on his hand. Our eyes locked for one second and then I abruptly flew from the ground.
I really didn't see that coming. At first, I didn't understand what had happened in one moment I was standing; on the other I saw myself literally tossed away. I tried to get up, starting to feel the pain get to the arm I'd fallen on. My head ached, my mind was a swirl. Before I could stand up though, an awfully hairy arm grabbed my hair, picking me up from the ground.
I felt my blood go cold and my whole body tremble of despair. Before me beady black malicious eyes stared as if they would rather enjoy having me for dinner. I knew I should move, I should try struggling. Yet, I was paralyzed with fear, the arms and legs gone numb. I looked behind my captor, watching as the other weird neighbour approached with a smile stamped on his face. My heart sped up as I saw his right hand holding a gag and his left, a knife. My stomach, on the other hand, revolved about three times when I looked at the guy's fisionomy and realized the horse tail was not the weirdest thing about him, considering he had furry legs that ended on monkey's feet and fangs on his mouth as well.
The horror of imagining what they might do to me overthrew the numbness and I started struggling. I tried to hit the one who held me, I tried to scream. And when I thought it was all over for me the strangest thing happened. My captor suddenly dropped me, turning to his equal agressively. None of them emitted a sound, but I could see that they were discussing heavily by the frantic way they move the arms and legs to each other.
I know I should have run then, but I was hypnotized by the scene. That was, until the mute conversation was over and they tried to kill each other.
I gaped in horror. This shouldn't be happening. This was wrong. Awfully wrong. I wanted desperately to be mistaken, but I'd seen the expression of both of them. I saw the uncontrollable madness, the absolute fury.
I knew they wouldn't stop until they tore each other apart.
"Hey, let's go!" a soft yet urgent voice surged to take me out of my trance.
I looked up the boy I'd seen earlier offered me his hand, the posture tense, the bat ready on his hand and the eyes alert to the struggling monsters. I gave him my hand without thinking and he grabbed me from the ground. We ran away from there, my arm around his shoulder, his arm around my waist.
We entered a residencial street and before I could protest he dragged me to one of the many houses, locking the door behind him as he entered. He sighed.
"Well, that was close..." his eyes focused on me. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine." I answered, a little wary about him "But I should get going. My dad's gonna get worried."
"Maybe you should stay here for a while. Until, you know, those things are definitely gone."
"No." I pursed my lips, starting to feel nervous about his presence. I mean, sooner or later he could be affected by my curse, and what would I do then? "I really have to go. Now."
He stood silent for a few moments, as if considering. His eyes analyzed me with some interest. Then he finally raised his hands, as if surrendering.
"Alright..." he sighed "But I think I should at least take you home..."
"No!" I protested fiercely.
"They might still be out" the boy pointed out. "There could be more of them. It's not safe to go out alone. Besides, you are hurt."
"I'm not." I said stubbornly. My arm ached, my head didn't feel right; I felt dizzy and sleepy. Well, at least I wasn't limping.
"Fine then." he didn't seem to be pleased by that. "If you are so averse to my presence." He unlocked the door and watched as I crossed it, trying not to demonstrate any weakness.
"Fine." I said, resolutely. Then my will strength flickered and I turned back to him. "By the way, thanks for helping me."
He just smiled.
I went to the street, feeling a little lighter. Yet the uneasiness soon got to me again. I once more hesitated. I looked back to the house. The guy was still there, observing me atently. I felt the nervousness tickling me.
"Is there something wrong?"
I passed my hand on my hair feeling quite uncomfortable.
"I... I may need some directions."
He smiled again and took me home.
