The brightest light that burned that night were the shadows gleaming in its eyes.
The air froze, clinging onto the hairs of his trembling flesh, as the creature reared its head back. His stomach clenched into a knot with each drip of blackened red racing down the creature's jaw to its neck. His breath hitched at the back of his throat, yet didn't dare move.
Don't scream. Don't scream, a foreign voice cooed in his mind. You'll never stop screaming.
Flecks of broken mosaics clattered across the ridges digging into the street with a mere growl—feral and sharp as it vibrated in the cage of its throat—that fell from the creature's lips. It tilted its head down at him with a glare until it fixed its eyes, black pools sweeping around a lone crimson iris, upon him. Just as quickly as it turned to him, it quickly shuffled closer. The creature whipped its head to the side, spitting a hunk of crumbled, bloodied bone out of its mouth. It dragged the heel of its claw across its mouth and crept closer until it hovered over him.
His flesh shriveled as he stared up at the black smeared across the creature's face while its lips fell into soft curve of a smile. His heart caught in his mouth. The creature leaned over him, its smile twitching eagerly the closer it leaned. It nuzzled the tip of its nose against his as it inhaled deeply. A shiver tore down the creature's spine as he caught sight of the mangled black bones rippling from its back.
The tip of the bones swayed with each sigh moving through the creature's body, leaving the ivory rings sewn down the edges dangling heavily across the ground. His muscles clenched against his bones as a slender claw traced his cheek. Steamy puffs fell across his face as the creature let its lips ghost his. Black droplets burned down his cheeks with icy tears until the claw melded into a hand pressing against his chest. The crimson irises in the creature's eyes widened, then softened with a gentle gleam. Its nails nicked through the tattered cloth on his chest, sighing with a quick brush its lips over his, "You're free."
The cry tearing from his throat stormed through the smoldering night, leaving him clawing at the sky even after his voice went dry.
"—up! Wake up!" The boy felt his nails digging into his skin as he was slammed against the ground. He jerked violently at the pain blooming through his shoulder, forcing his eyelids to snap open. Rusty, brown orbs stared down at him, dodging the outstretched hand reaching over him. As air slowly filled his lungs, the boy doubled over with a harsh hack prying open his throat. The man over him leaned back as the boy dry heaved on his side. He hauled the boy upward as he shakily dabbed his chin drizzled in spittle.
"Thanks," he croaked weakly. The man's lips twisted into a frown while the boy rubbed his at his bobbing Adam's apple. The boy felt the other's glare burning through him and sighed. "Please don't make me."
"You had a deal." The man cut in sharply.
"Deal," the boy scoffed softly through another fit of coughs. "Deal to let them throw us deeper in hell."
The man stared down at him heatedly until the boy's shoulders slumped. He buried his face in his hands, mumbling, "Please don't make me."
The man reluctantly sighed. "Was it the same…dream?"
The boy sucked in a breath and nodded, blinking back the heat stinging his eyes. The man's glare softened, sagging against the walls creeping around them. "Alright." The boy's eyes gleamed even as the man quickly added, "Don't expect me to let it go next time."
The boy let out a heavy sigh, rolling onto his knees to lean towards him. He ducked his head ever so slightly.
"Thank you." He whispered.
The man rolled his eyes as the boy shuffled past him, his shoulders scraping against the walls. A fleeting streak of dark orange dusted through the cracks of the wooden planks overhead them, batting their shadows back behind them. The man flicked his gaze towards the roof brushing over their heads and back at the boy crawling through the narrow channel.
"You should get some more sleep." The man said. "You know day is just as bad as night."
The boy flinched, pressing his lips together in a thin line. He shook his head firmly, inching forward to the cramped orifice of his cot. The man sighed, staring at the boy disappear behind the blanket hanging from the planks. He crawled through the channel, cursing under his breath at the walls pressing down against his bulbous shoulders. As he scrambled towards his cot, he turned to the boy curling his thin blanket around him. He pressed his self close against the wall, away from the other bodies skewed together in a mangled heap. The man dropped his chin to his chest as he carefully climbed over the others. "I hope you know what you're doing." He kneeled closer to the boy, brushing clumped pale locks matted to his clammy skin to the side, whispering, "Mika."
Blood Creamer