Hush

Hush: Animated

It was the scent of Jack's blood that stirred me, that and the two loud kids that came thundering into the lounge of Piccadilly Orphanage. Already I knew they were full of ill intentions. They gave off a disturbing aura of darkness that I had been made to fight against. I could see the dark, misty tendrils seeping unbeknownst to them, from their bodies and fusing together as though encouraging each other in their wrongdoings. These two boys were perfect prey for evil beings to possess, both were weak of mind, and full of an egotistical hunger. I watched as they marched over to the small television set that a little boy was watching and turned the channel over, before leaving and taking the remote with them, laughing as they went. The little boy shouted his disapproval but made no attempt to get the remote back. The floorboards creaked and groaned when they moved, drawing my attention down to the damp footprints their shoes had left, against the dark wood flooring it was hard to tell from this distance that it was blood, only Jack's scent on them gave me reason to worry.

I looked around me, hoping I wouldn't be noticed if I moved, the chances were slim. In this world the magic that was contained in me was foreign, only the gifted people would see me moving, but there was always a possibility someone in here was gifted. My small body was nimble and lithe, I had to risk it.

'Stop pulling my hair!' Some kid from another room wailed in distress. 'Betty! Betty! Ouch, stop it.'

While everyone was occupied I stood, unsteadily on my oversized paws at first until I found my center, this was the first day of my animation in this place, the first day that I was considerably more alive than not. My plush insides moved easily with every turn and twist as I scrambled off the sofa and shuffled quietly from the room and struggled up the staircase to the first floor. The hallway was narrow, dingy and long, the lighting dim against the faded red walls where doors occupied each side all the way along, a long eccentric runner rug covered the otherwise bare flooring, I knew from my life as an inanimate here, where most of the doors led. Closest to the boys' dorm room was the toilets, further down was the shower room, after that was a walk in closet that stored all the orphan boys outdoor clothes, then there was a room for abandoned baby boys which was empty, to the best of my knowledge and a room which nobody had a key to. My eyes scanned the doors carefully, listening to the calling of unknown voices inside my head.

Hush, Hush, Hush, Come quick Hush.

I made for the shower room, the scent of blood wafting up my nose the closer I got, fear tangled in my fiber filling when I squeezed through the door and found Jack lying on the ground motionless.

I rushed over to him and gently touched his face. Skin was a strange thing for my paws to feel. The texture of millions of cells all clustered together and the heat radiating from within, it all felt so unusual, but not unpleasant. I wondered for a moment where the wound was, not really understanding how the human body worked yet as my mind still tried to catch up with the fact I was now animated. Bruising had already begun to form on Jack's cheeks, and his bottom lip swollen and bloody didn't persuade me that the blood loss was from there.

'Jack?' I used my voice for the first time and twitched in surprise at how soft spoken and young I sounded. A slight mumble replied to me and he moved his head to face me. More blood surrounded us and I kept my paw on his face, feeling the heat rising from him.

They did it, stop them Hush, stop them. Darkness is here.

I shook my head of the whispers, knowing they were conjured from the bad energy around us, and focused once more on Jack. 'You're hurt Jack,' I said matter of factly.

He is weak, weakling, boy of feeble mind.

Again the voices whispered into my ear, I wobbled my way around his head to see the wound. I looked up at the wall at where a small dot marked where his head had clashed against what appeared to be a slightly visible nail.

'Tommy?' Jack muttered, 'get Shawty, I hurt.'

I shook my head and ran my short claws gently through Jack's black cropped hair. There was no darkness surrounding Jack like the other two kids, the warmth that exuded from his body helped keep me somewhat grounded in this situation, but instinct told me the darkness he had, was deep within and not to be fooled by what I could currently see.

I heard footsteps coming along the corridor, I knew what I had to do. I was given to Jack to protect him from an otherworldly evil that sought to consume him, I had to be able to communicate with him, which meant I needed a piece of him. I bit down on his arm with as much force as I could and with my fangs, I sunk my teeth deep to the bone. I ripped a small part of his flesh off and swallowed the chewy texture of Jack's raw skin, I could feel the warm flesh slide straight to the fluff in my stomach, where it would remain until it rotted within me and decayed to nothing. My bond with Jack was sealed, soon he would be able to see me move, hear me talk in his mind, and feel me breathe.

The door to the communal showers opened with a sigh, and a woman's head poked through scanning at eye level before finding Jack on the floor. I flopped beside him, motionless and teddy like once more.

'Oh good Lord.' She gasped and rushed over to check Jack's pulse. 'Jack, wake up Jack.' She shouted a little too loudly, lightly slapping his cheeks.

Jack gave the slightest of groans.

The woman, I assumed was the carer fumbled through her pocket, wiped her bloodied hands on her top and dialed emergency services, hearing her panicked chatter on the call, five other boys came to see the problem. Neither were the two that had blood on their feet.

'Somebody, go and find James.' She ordered calmly. I could see her hands shake as she tried patting the blood from Jack's short hair with her top.

'Mr. Williams is busy.' I heard a boy say from outside the door. He pushed his way into the room and approached Jack all too calmly. 'I can help if you want.'

It was the boy with blood on his shoes. His face was freckled and blotchy as though he had a rash, and a deep purple bruise was beginning to form on his cheek. His greasy ginger hair fell limp at his shoulders, and he held at his hand in discomfort. He looked to be about fifteen years old. Scars marred his neck as though he had tried to commit suicide and failed.

'Please fetch me some towels for his head, and a first aid kit for whatever this is.' She gestured to Jack's arm, where the chunk of flesh I had consumed left a fairly large wound. 'A medic is on the way.' She turned her attention back to Jack, once more checking his pulse.

Attack him, protect, defend, hate.

The voices stumbled over their ramblings as the ginger haired boy came far too close for my comfort. The dark aura surrounding him made my head light and dizzy, but it didn't pass me to touch Jack.

Elliot nodded and making sure he trod in the blood before leaving, he looked down at me with mild interest and carried on back the way he had come. The darkness that fuzzed my thoughts slowly dwindled away with him. But a lingering thought remained as the taste of blood tainted my mouth, and a coldness gripped my tummy. It's inside me.