Lucy walked up to the tall rusted gates, they were covered with an over-grown rose bush. The building behind the gates seemed to be a fairly large mansion turned into a hospital or perhaps a school, but they have been closed off for some time now. My friends Florence, Dustin and Sniffer believe I am too afraid to stay the night in it.
"Ha! What'd you know?" I said.Because I am
"You won't do it for a whole night!" Flo challenged her.
"Pfft, Easy! I'm not scared of 'n empty buildin', an t' ghost ain't real either."
"Sure. So you'll do it then?" Sniffer added.
"Wha-… 'ey no, I di'n't say that!"
"What's the matter? You scared?" Dustin said joining in the conversation.
"Jus' t' prove you guys wrong. I'll show ya's, I'll stay the night and you's won't be laughin' t'morrow." Lucy stated with an air of confidence.
Lucy planned with Florence. They would all meet at the gates later in the afternoon. When they got there a small shower of rain was pouring down from light grey clouds.
The mansion looked gloomy and it stretched across the plot of land forever. It was built with faded red bricks and moulded mortar. The roof had broken grey tiles and the windows had either been boarded up or covered in mould, grime and cobwebs.
There was only one window left surprisingly, untouched. The top-most, arched attic window but there were a pair of torn purple curtains blocking anyone's view to the inside. Perhaps the window was broken, Lucy thought as she stared at the window and saw the curtains swaying slightly before they stopped moving completely.
Lucy gulped and turned to Florence.
"Given up awready?" Sniffer jested.
"You wish."
"If you fail, that means you were lying about being scared and we are allowed to say it whenever we want." Flo stated.
"Yes…" Lucy agreed she didn't want to lose her dignity over a silly bet. All she had to do was stay one night and that was it.
'Alright' she thought to herself. Lucy began to climb the tall gates with a determined look in her eyes. She lost her grip half way and struck her hand on a thorn before she caught herself back on the gate. As soon as her feet hit the ground in the other side the clouds unnaturally grew darker overhead and the rain became heavy droplets that soaked Lucy's clothes.
Running down the pathway, she looked back to her friends who were waving impatiently at her to go on trying to shield themselves from the rain. The wooden doors creaked loudly when Lucy pushed them open. A drop of blood fell on the carpet as she stepped inside.
"Oops" Lucy said aloud, her voice echoed in the large room around her, bouncing off the walls and making herself sound louder. She grabbed a stray piece of fabric and wrapped it around her hand.
"H-hello?"
The doors suddenly slammed shut and Lucy let out a slight yelp. They were jammed shut when she tried to open them again. She could still hear the faint patter of rain hitting the walls.
A loud snarl sounded out in the darkness and she froze in her place it sounded like it was everywhere at once.
The hallway ahead of her was narrow and the end was too dark to see. Lucy stepped forward slowly, observing her surroundings with caution. She heard another growl this time in front of her. She could then hear footsteps in the hallway closing in on her, they stopped and a breeze brushed past her.
"H-hello?"
No reply.
Lucy reached behind her for the doors, but what she got was not the cold metal of the door handles, it was the soft velvety fabric of a cape. It suddenly was ripped away from her hands and before she could turn to see what happened an inaudible voice whispered close to her ear. Cold air rushed past her with a heavy force.
"Get. Out. Now." The stranger shouted at her.
"I-I can't!"
The man yelled and hit the wall.
"I'm s-sorry. But I-It's not my fault, it were my friends!"
"If it was your friends YOU wouldn't be here then. THEY would! Why are you in here?!"
"I-I were dared t'-"
He laughed.
"So you put yourself in danger just because your friends dared you to!"
"N- Well-, I thought no one were in here."
"Well… You are VERY sadly mistaken, and for trespassing I shall have to cut out your tongue!"
The man stepped into a dim light, he had fiery red hair in a tangled mess which fell onto his shoulders. A bunch of it was roughly tied back into a pony tail.
His bright hair contrasted his deathly pale skin and his eyes were ignited with gold, danger and hatred. He was standing tall which added to the threatening look about him.
The more Lucy looked the more she could see. He was wearing a long navy-blue cape that just brushed the ground with soft waves. He had a dark blue almost black suit and a red undershirt.
"No please! It won't 'appen again"
"...Very well." The man said. "I'll give you one chance. Find another exit before tomorrow's sunset and you are free to go… If not…"
"I'll find it! Don't worry!"
"Oh I'm not worrying. You're the one that should be."
He turned and walked into the dark hallway. Lucy ran after him after a few seconds he noticed that he was gone.
'Strange' she thought. 'I could have sworn that he was just…' another cold rush of air flew past her, it was soft unlike before.
*Oomph* She ran into him again.
"How did-!"
"I'm sorry… for before… he is just reckless and enjoys tormenting others." He said
"Who are-"
"My names Alfendi"
'Do not worry, he will not harm you so long as you do as he says' His voice was quiet and sounded as if it were being whispered into her ear. The malicious air about him was gone and it was replaced by sadness and a heavy sense of loneliness.
"O-ok"
'Sorry... I can't help reading your thoughts…'
"You're reading my thoughts?!" Lucy said surprised.
Alfendi walked forward, away from her.
'Follow me' Lucy recognised that he wasn't speaking out loud with his voice, he spoke through her mind. Each time he spoke his calming voice controlled her movements as if he was telling it what to do rather than asking.
"What are you?"
He did not reply.
"Tell me!" She reached out to grab his arm, but with an unhuman-like speed he turned around to her.
"Don't." He warned her. "... Argh"
He clutched his head and held it in his hand.
Sharp fangs retracted into his mouth
She stood wide-eyed in shock with her hands up in defence.
"You're… You're…!"
'Sorry for that' he spoke '…minor headache... What's the matter?'
She just stood in awe, watching him carefully.
"D-don't look at me.. I-I'm a monster." Alfendi spoke, turning around with a hand clasped over his mouth.
He stood with his head down looking to the ground. In silence he ran down the hallway with a frighteningly fast speed.
"Wait." She called out quickly.
He stopped a few metres ahead and looked down with his head to the side still but he did not turn his body. A bright light came from a candle and she could see him in full. He was not as tall as the other man, his back was bent over slightly, she saw sadness and a dread in him. He kept on his toes as if at any moment the other man would return.
"You're not a monster"
"But you see, I am! I have killed many people. Innocent people. I... I couldn't control myself... Why are you not afraid of me?"
"I don't believe any of 'at is true!" Lucy said as she crossed her arms.
"... You-" Alfendi said slightly in shock as turned around to face her.
Alfendi fell to his knees. His palms hit the floor and his fair fell into his face as it formed into a deep red colour like the man had before.
The man raised his head and yelled at her.
"You stupid girl! You would be easily fooled to think that any stranger is innocent and they yet they would surely kill you where you stand! Didn't your mother ever told you not to talk to strangers, didn't she ever teach you that this world is cruel, even to people like you!"
The hatred in him grew and his eyes gave away his anger. He pulled at his hair and glared at Lucy.
She backed away with her hands raised in terror.
"Do you really think I won't kill you tomorrow? I just want to be alone, can't anyone see that! Just get out of my sight!"
Lucy was backed into a corner back at the entranceway she came in from, but her gaze had been fixated on something else. Each time he yelled she could see sharp white fangs in his mouth.
"WHAT DO YOU WANT?!" He half barked, half screamed as he looked straight into her eyes.
He stood there staring at her face for a moment, mesmerised by the blood red colour of her eyes.
There was a long pause.
"...Y-your eyes... They're so... Pretty." Al says.
The rain suddenly stops.
Everything became deathly quiet.
He shuffled closer, still on his knees, slowly inching closer. Lucy unsure of what to do, waited to see what was about to happen.
After a few seconds she was in arms reach of Al, he stopped he stood up and slightly bent over to peer into her face.
I sit on the old dusty bed in someone's long forgotten bedroom. There is a creak from down stairs. A door opening perhaps? Al was 97.4% sure it was a door.
"But where could it be coming from?" He asked himself rhetorically.
"It better not be a human."
His other side replied.
The calm one sighed.
"Oops" He heard a voice from downstairs call out.
"Where did that come from?"
Suddenly his eyes widened.
"I smell... Blood" the potty one said.
"N-No wait!" he said, trying to avoid the frenzy that his other side was about to have.
Al moved to the entrance to see a girl, trespassing. He notices the cloth around her hand. Trying to avoid a bloody situation the calm one fails to subdue his other side.
"H-hello?" The girl says.
He stands right behind her and notices rain pouring into the doorway. Al slams the door shut in annoyance. He snarls at her.
He circles her and ends up in front of her at the entrance of the hallway. He makes a low pitched growl and slowly walks towards her, making his shoes click loudly as he walked. He enjoyed watching her expression darken with each step.
'Stop it you're scaring her'
'Why should I? She's trespassing!'
Alfendi has an ability to make himself into an invisible mist and travel from place to place as fast as he wants. He uses this ability to fly past her and Al stands behind her, waiting.
The girl reached behind her, Al noticed she almost grabbed something she shouldn't have. A little shocked, he pulled his cape from her hands.
He almost pushed her to the ground when he flew past her again.
"Get. Out. Now." He said trying to hold back a grin.
"I can't" she said.
He slammed his fist against a wall fighting so hard against his will to snicker at her.
"I'm s-sorry. But I-It's not my fault, it were my friends!"
"If it was your friends YOU wouldn't be here then. THEY would! Why are you in here?!"
"I-I were dared t'-"
Unable to hold back any longer Al let out a short laugh.
"So you put yourself in danger just because your friends dared you to!"
"N- Well-, I thought no one were in here."
"Well… You are VERY sadly mistaken, and for trespassing I shall have to cut out your tongue!"
Al stepped forward to let the girl see him. As she studied him Al noticed her clothing. She wore a salmon pink cap which oddly matched her green button up jacket.
"Please! It won't 'appen again"
"...Very well." The man said. "I'll give you one chance. Find another exit before tomorrow's sunset and you are free to go… If not…"
"I'll find it! Don't worry!"
"Oh I'm not worrying. You're the one that should be."
Alfendi turns and walks down the hallway.
'Shes following us'
He makes his body blend into the darkness as the girl runs past him.
The placid side of Alfendi finally manages to take over and watches the girl turn around.
'Strange' she says in her mind 'I could have sworn that he was just… he's kinda cute thou-'
Placid flies past her again. While she is not looking where she is going she walks into his chest.
"How did-!"
"I'm sorry… for before… he is just reckless and enjoys tormenting others." Alfendi says.
"Who are-"
"My names Alfendi"
'Do not worry, he will not harm you so long as you do as he says'
He speaks through her mind to calm her.
"O-ok"
'Sorry... I can't help reading your thoughts…'
"You're reading my thoughts?!" She says.
Alfendi walked forward, away from her.
'Follow me' Alfendi could control others by telling them what to do.
"What are you?" She said finally realising something was wrong.
He did not want to reply.
"Tell me!" She reached out with her bleeding hand but he turned around quickly.
"Don't." He warned her. "... Argh"
He clutched his head and held it in his hand trying to gain control over his other side.
Sharp fangs retracted into his mouth
She stood wide-eyed with her hands up.
"You're… You're…!"
'Sorry for that' he told her '…minor headache... What's the matter?'
She just stood watching him carefully.
"D-don't look at me.. I-I'm a monster." Alfendi said, turning around and covering his mouth with his hand.
Al tried to run away not looking back.
"Wait." She called out.
He stopped a few metres ahead and looked down to the side, still facing away from her. A bright light came from a candle and she could see him in full. He was not as tall as the other man, his back was bent over slightly, she saw sadness and a dread in him. He kept on his toes as if at any moment the other man would return.
"You're not a monster"
"But you see, I am! I have killed many people. Innocent people. I... I couldn't control myself... Why are you not afraid of me?"
"I don't believe any of 'at is true!" Lucy said as she crossed her arms.
"... You-" Alfendi said slightly in shock as turned around to face her.
Alfendi fell to his knees. His palms hit the floor and his fair fell into his face as it formed into a deep red colour like the man had before.
The man raised his head and yelled at her.
"You stupid girl! You would be easily fooled to think that any stranger is innocent and they yet they would surely kill you where you stand! Didn't your mother ever told you not to talk to strangers, didn't she ever teach you that this world is cruel, even to people like you!"
The hatred in him grew and his eyes gave away his anger. He pulled at his hair and glared at Lucy.
She backed away with her hands raised in terror.
"Do you really think I won't kill you tomorrow? I just want to be alone, can't anyone see that! Just get out of my sight!"
Lucy was backed into a corner back at the entranceway she came in from, but her gaze had been fixated on something else. Each time he yelled she could see sharp white fangs in his mouth.
"WHAT DO YOU WANT?!" He half barked, half screamed as he looked straight into her eyes.
He stood there staring at her face for a moment, mesmerised by the blood red colour of her eyes.
There was a long pause.
"...Y-your eyes... They're so... Pretty." Al says.
The rain suddenly stops.
Everything became deathly quiet.
He shuffled closer, still on his knees, slowly inching closer. Lucy unsure of what to do, waited to see what was about to happen.
After a few seconds she was in arms reach of Al, he stopped he stood up and slightly bent over to peer into her face.
"U-uh A-Alfendi? What are ya doin'...?"
Alfendi's hair suddenly changes.
"Are you hungry? Because I am."