The Autumn leaves were carried on the afternoon breeze as Kiki sat in her dilapidated armchair that had spent many years out on the balcony of the apartment complex where she and her mother lived; just the two of them. Kiki stared at the cars and people who bustled below and sipped the aromatic chai tea that grew cold in her palms. She was still lamenting the events from earlier in the month; the death of a close family member wasn't a thing a teenager could shed so easily. Kiki was dealing with it rather well, at least, better than her mother.
She stood suddenly and slid the glass door to her apartment open. Inside, her mother was preparing a pot of beef stew, still not used to the fact that there were fewer mouths to feed. Kiki headed to the kitchen sink, rinsed out her mug and washed some dishes before announcing that she was going out for a bit. "Be back before 8:30, the stew should be ready by then." Her mother gave a warm smile and handed Kiki a jacket.
Slipping her arm through the sleeve of her fluffy, black hooded jacket, Kiki closed the apartment door behind her and headed for the elevator, that is, she would have, but there was an out-of-order sign posted on the door. With a sigh, Kiki sauntered toward the stairwell and began to walk down to the lobby. It was 4:30 in the afternoon when Kiki walked out the font doors of her building; the sun was still high and the Autumn air was cool and crisp. Kiki breathed in the refreshing air and began to head toward the library.
As she strolled, she had a bit of a strut to her step and she found herself humming a merry tune. For the first time in weeks, she was feeling good; she didn't have to go back to school for a couple of weeks yet and she was having one of her favorite meals for supper. Kiki finished her song as she made it to the front steps of the library; she happily pushed the door open and headed for the fiction section, selected a few books and started for the checkout counter. She waited patiently for a couple of minutes after ringing the service bell, that's when she heard the noise.
Now, not a loud noise, like an alarm, but it was a low moan. Kiki peered over the counter and found one of the librarians, unconscious on the floor. Her books fell to the floor as Kiki jumped over the counter to somehow help the librarian. Luckily, the librarian was still alive, according to her pulse, so Kiki called an ambulance. "Come quickly." Kiki spoke through her cell phone, but as she hung up, she heard a crash come from the door behind the check-out desk. Slowly, Kiki laid the librarian down in a more comfortable position, taking her keys, unlocked the door, and stepped through. It was a dark and empty cluster of offices, as it is in any library. Kiki felt a chill run down her spine; when she thought about it, there was no one at the library, which was no rare occurrence, but there was a lack of staff as well.
There was a danger in that library far greater than anything Kiki had experienced, yet she began to close in further on where she heard the crash. It was a fairly dark room, lit only by the light of the few windows in the office, so when she saw the creature she could barely scope out a spot to hide before it had a chance to see her. She hid behind a row of filing cabinets which were positioned in such a way against the wall that she could stick her head out to look at the creature without it seeing her. It had blue scales that covered its humanoid form, sharp teeth that stuck out even with its mouth shut and large clawed hands. A few cracking sounds passed through the creature's form and it looked utterly human; soft white skin, grey fluffy hair and a business suit now occupied the body a creature once dwelled in. Kiki's entire body shook. What on Earth is going on? She thought.
Kiki was so lost in her own thoughts, in fact, that she did not notice that she had been sitting next to a man that whole time. He grinned at her as she looked at him with surprise. She observed him for a moment, taking in his suit, his mahogany hair; he had remarkably tired, old eyes for one so young-looking—Kiki guessed that he was about twenty-something. "Stay calm, alright? It can literally sense fear." The young man whispered. Kiki shuddered as the words passed his lips, however.
Sure enough, the creature found them. It poked its head around the corner of the filing cabinets and released a loud, guttural cry from its mouth. Kiki could barely move; time seemed to stay still for a few moments while she was looked in the eye by a monster with a human face. Suddenly, time resumed as something warm gripped Kiki's left hand and tugged on it. She looked at the young man who now held her hand and held on to his for dear life. "Run!" he yelled.