The Eraser
*
The slight sound of raindrops pattering sweeps over the street, dusting you with a dampness you can't shake. You pull your coat closer and grimace to yourself. Even though it's only a light rain, you know you're going to be soaked by the time you get home. Now you're really regretting staying behind that extra hour. Who's idea was that? Oh yeah, the so called best friend's – you're going to murder them tomorrow. You stomp moodily down the street, stamping the pavement and glaring up at the darkening sky like it's throwing personal insults, rather than measly rain.
As you walk you realise you must have taken a wrong turn somewhere, you know where you are, but it's miles from where you're meant to be, and it's going to take you ages to get home. You begin to get that creeping feeling, tingling up your spine, and making the hairs stand up on the back of your neck. You've just realised how dark it's suddenly gotten, pitch black, and the streets are deserted. Even though you can't hear any sound apart from your own rapid breathing, you start imagining people sneaking up behind you. You know it's stupid; you're being paranoid, but you tell yourself, it does happen doesn't it? And you start to walk a little bit faster.
Oh my god, what was that!
You stop walking so suddenly you might have swayed a little, your bare hands gripping the edges of your coat tightly. You get that horrible feeling of every organ in your body suddenly freezing and then defrosting again, in the space of second, and you can hear your heart beating. You swear you just saw a dark shape dart across the road in front of you. You stand for a full thirty seconds trying to peer into the gloom, but there's no more movement. Maybe just the light playing tricks, you think, and tentatively start walking again, but you've only taken two steps when something catches your eye again. You freeze. A dog? You try delude yourself; you know the shadow was too big.
A horrible thought comes to mind, but sort of horribly funny, about a book you've just finished reading. About the monsters in it, huge werewolf-like things, Erasers they were called. You actually smile, despite your nervousness, even feel the urge to laugh. You chide yourself, for getting so caught up in your own imagination; silly, you actually thought for a second it was one of those mutant wolves tracking you. What a joke, right? Right? You think, your head whipping round suddenly, scared, staring into the shadows, as with a scuffling noise the shadow flickers past you.
You don't really hear it behind you, more feel it; feel it's hulking form leaning over you, hot breath on your back. All of a sudden it's there. The second you feel it behind you, you want to spin round and automatically hit it, or run away. Fight or flight. Do something. Do anything; but you can't.
It's too fast for you.
In that split second it appears, you only manage to jump in surprise, before it has you. Suddenly it's strong, solid arm is in front of your stomach, like a barrier preventing you from moving forward, and it's pressed itself up against your back. You feel fur- animal fur – and a clawed hand reaches round and closes over your neck. It's a firm grasp, just enough to restrict your airflow to the point where it starts to get worrying, but not enough to actually hurt you. You're still managing to breathe, but it's hard, and you're panting – gasping.
It towers over you, and you already feel smothered by it. You're just stuck. Just standing there, because you can't think what to do. You're at a total loss. Maybe you're in shock. Would you know if you were? You think, and yet you don't- the thoughts aren't coming. You feel fully aware of your entire body, and you know you're shaking, but you can't seem to do anything with it. You just can't move.
Then the creature slowly forces your head back, so now you're staring up at it's deformed, scarred face. You gasp again, but from shock, rather than from asphyxiation this time. You're staring into cold, hard, emotionless eyes – they are evil slits, surrounded by matted hair and fur, morphing into the snout of a grotesque wolf. It looks like a beast, but there's something human in the eyes at least, and the mane of hair only continues until it starts to space out and disappear halfway down the torso. It has the form of a man, but larger, so much larger, with giant, bodybuilding arms.
A low growl rolls out of it's throat and it's so primal you don't fully register the growl has turned into speech until the sentence is half over. "What are you doing playing out so late?" It says. It's like the images in your head have sprung to life and it takes what remains of your breathe away, so you can't answer, but it unfreezes you, and you start to wriggle feebly against the creature, but all you can do is kick pathetically as it lifts you effortlessly off the ground. "Don't worry, no one will know, because no one will see you again." And it pulls back it's lips in what you suppose it a smile of triumph, but all you can focus on is the long, gleaming, yellow canine teeth.
Now you're fighting for your life – seriously. Struggling, biting and clawing with your hands; you never thought you'd be capable of this, but you never know until it happens, and now you're almost wild with fear because your first instinct was right. It's real! It's – an Eraser! And if that part of the story is true, then the part about the wolf hybrid being able to break a human ribcage with a flick of it's wrist is most definitely true. The part about their teeth being able to rip into flesh, tearing it so easily – is that true? You don't want to find out.
A sort of half suffocated sob escapes you, as you realise your efforts are having no effect, and you can't break free. Your eyes are moist, it's getting hard to see through the tears that are gathering, yet they don't fall quite yet, like you want to cry hysterically, but you can't somehow.
"Get your dirty dog paws off her!" A voice shouts from somewhere to your right, and the world slams back into focus. There's someone else here. And now you open your eyes, which you didn't realise you'd closed, and the wet, black tarmac under your feet becomes incredibly detailed. You know the other person is yelling something, but all you can seem to hear is the 'plink' of solitary water droplets dripping from the gutters. The light is different now – the orange edge of dawn is weaving it's way into the night. You don't how long it's been, but it feels like you've skipped time, and lost a few hours – maybe you passed out? You don't really remember.
There's another shout and with a jerk the arms release you, and you stumble forward, falling against the wall of the building on the edge of the sidewalk, but at least you're still standing. You lean against the wall for a minute, just breathing, feeling the reassurance of the stone under you hand. You can hear the rough, tough sounds of a fight going on very close at hand, but you don't look – not yet.
You check over yourself for bruises, and scrapes – something is hurting, but you can't quite tell where yet. This is when you find out that somehow in the last few hours your coat has been torn into ribbons, and ugly gashes slide down it. You're still wearing it and it only just hangs onto you. There's blood running down your arm.
You feel the upset flip of your stomach suggesting you vomit and make yourself feel better, but you breath quietly and ignore it, still stroking the wall, getting back to reality, but it's not reality as you know it any more, because that book, Maximum Ride, has just become way too real.
There's a thump, and a cry of pain – it sounds like someone's getting beat badly. You wince every time you hear the crack of a bone breaking, and there seems to be a lot of that. This is mental, you think. This is crazy. And you keep thinking that until the fight seems to be over. You sort of hope that in the silence the apparitions have just disappeared into your fantasy world as quickly as they came, but no.
"Yeah, you keep running dog boy!" yells your unknown rescuer into the distance. And you look up to see them. And you see...
Which member of the flock have you just run into? Review. :D
A/N: So what d'yo think?
Yes, I know there's a poll, but I really liked the eraser idea, and then the next chapter will go in the order of poll results and review suggestions etc.