The Life Behind an Animatronic IV- Solace

Chapter 20 - Grand Design

It was normal at this point to receive a dream when I slept now. But instead of myself roaming somewhere abandoned and haunted and then encountering the Nightmarionne, I was standing outside of the lair. I wasn't afraid, rather, I felt an anger and hunger like never before. I felt taller and stronger than ever, and the cold wasn't as effective as it had been. I didn't understand what was going on until I heard the Nightmarionne's soft, wicked voice in my ear say:

"Go and feed."

It was the signal given, and my instinct drove me to sprint away into the woods. I could see so many fine details, like the bark on a tree, the grooves in it, a fallen leaf on the snow with its stem shooting through it, and if I focused enough, individual snowflakes and their unique patterns. The world also seemed brighter at night and easier to see, everything lit up in grey tones and muted colors.

I burst through the tree line and found myself in the city. A gentle thought urged me to return home and help the others, but it was quickly squashed with a need to find something to eat and a sudden mistrust of my old friends. I had this nagging feeling that they wouldn't want to see me.

I stared up into a small home's upper window. I saw a dim light shining through the glass and decided to investigate. I jumped on a windowsill below it and leapt to an astounding height and only produced minimal noise, save for a slight scratching sound. I gripped the windowsill of the upper window and hoisted myself to peer inside.

There were two humans in a colored room, most likely a bedroom. One was a taller male who was sitting at the foot of a white bed of a female child. She seemed worried in her expression and was hugging a plush toy tightly. I felt like I needed to avoid the parent's gaze before I could enter.

Wait, why did I want to enter this little human's room? I had nothing to do with her and her family, but I wanted food. Perhaps I could sneak to their kitchen and, after raiding it, leave.

But something itched at my mind and stomach. I wasn't craving any human snack or meal, rather, something that the little girl could only provide. Instinct overwhelmed any thoughts, fighting my conscience. A part of me was still urging me to go home, but every other thought screamed at me to strike when it was time.

I was able to hear their muffled voices through the thin glass barrier.

"I think there's a monster under my bed, Daddy." The little one cried. Her father just gave her a reassuring smile.

"There's no such thing as monsters, remember? You need to sleep in your own room tonight." He firmly replied. The little girl turned her head to the side and looked down in a fearful gaze. Her father sighed.

"But if it'll help you feel better, I'll check underneath." He said. The child nodded eagerly and watched as her parent stood up and knelt next to her bed and peeked under.
After a short period of time, he stood back up.

"Nope, nothing. See? You're safe and sound in here." He assured. This simple action appeared to reassure her as she smiled and hugged her father. He put his lips to her forehead, rubbed her hair and exited the room with a "Good night!".

The door shut, leaving her in darkness. She shuffled in her bed for a bit before turning away and attempted to sleep. I carefully pushed the window up, giving myself enough room to crawl through and stand in her corner. The child looked over to her window, obviously confused as to how it was open. She carefully walked over and looked around outside, then shut the window and crept back to bed.

She hadn't even noticed me. I approached her bed with silent foot falls and loomed over her once I reached the side. A small voice was telling me that this was wrong and that I should just leave, but it was quickly smothered by an intense, dark thought.