Riddle Me This

The Creature

Behind the rather exquisite vase was a very large... creature. Truthfully; that was the only accurate description in which could be associated with its appearance. It had long black fur that looked nothing like fur at all but rather something akin to tentacles, shifting and twisting at will, it's eyes shone through the darkness which cloaked the room like a blanket. Three eyes were on it's forehead; each varying in colour -one glowed an eerie blood red, another pure white eye stared unflinchingly at its surroundings, it contained no pupil and the final eye was a clear blue, akin to the colour of water on a hot summers day. From its peaked two deadly looking teeth, as white as ivory and as sharp as a blade, sharp, jagged claws were hidden beneath the tentacle-like fur.

The room the creature was in was very large and regal looking. The ceilings were high, many feet in the air; from them hung extravagant chandeliers, chains of glass draped between the polls which held the light bulbs, it was clear that when the bulbs were illuminated that the glass would refract the light -granting the room an underwater theme. Colours from the glass would spill out onto their surroundings. On the ground laid a golden mat, beneath it was a dark mahogany flooring; swirls of wood were imprinted onto it. It was clear that this wasn't a room for pleasure but a room that was built purely to impress all who laid eyes upon it. Various artefacts stood proudly on pedestals, displaying what rested upon them. They held everything from vases to weapons.

The creature lurched forwards, emerging from its hiding spot. Shadows clung to its cloak, like they were preventing an old friend from doing something extremely foolish, shrouding the creature in darkness. It glided across the room the pads of its feet masking any possible sound that it's claws could make against the hard flooring. Approaching the arching doors, it paused momentarily, only to look up, the closed doors blocking its path. Once again gliding forward; it flickered for a moment and then went through the door, leaving no sign that it once resided within the room.

Emerging in the hallway, the creature didn't even hesitate before continuing on its way. It ignored the full length portraits of the previous residents, the colours so vibrant, pictures so well painted that if you were to walk down the hallway you would have sworn that they moved in their frames. Eyes would watch you as you walked by, sending shivers down your spine. Beneath each portrait was a golden placard, inscribed with the inhabitants' names, birth and death dates.

Moving through the old hall the creature headed for the stairs, shifting through the shadows as if it was born from Erebus itself. Climbing the stairs two at a time it quickly reached the second floor. However, unlike the impersonal feel that the first floor gave off, this one radiated a more welcoming feeling. Children's toys laid scattered on the floor, heights of children drawn and measured against the wall, drawings illustrated by a small child were pinned on the walls. One end of the hallway opened up to a large living room, comfortable sofas were spread out evenly, a large TV screen was black due to lack of power, a board game lay abandoned on the table and next to that were remnants of a previous meal were left untouched. Yet the creature merely spared it a brief glance before stalking onwards.

Pausing at a pink door the creature looked upwards, the pupils of its red and blue eyes scanned across the childish scrawl that read 'Lizzy' the white merely stared unblinkingly. It glided forwards and through the door.

The floor was flooded with toys like dolls and building blocks, the walls were as pink as the door and in the middle of the room was a bed fit for a princess, in the bed laid a small girl whom was fast asleep. Even in her sleep her face was framed perfectly by golden curls, her face was plump with baby fat, her lips a rosy red. The creature stalked forwards, lowering its body so that it was pressed against the ground. Jumping onto the silk, pink sheets, the bed didn't even dip. Placing its paw on the girl's chest and it pressed down; claws digging into her sternum. The girl's eyes shot open in pain but before she could cry out her eyes grew misty and her consciousness left her. She was dead, an alarmed reaction plastered upon her face as blood spewed forth from the puncture wound. It leant down, the creatures cool, wet nose pressed against the girls rapidly cooling skin, a pink tongue darted out, once, twice until the creature was lapping at the blood which spewed from the puncture wound.

Yet, without a beating heart the stream of blood was not continuous so the creature raised its paw, the claws uncurling as it placed them between the deceased girl's collar bones and dragged them down to the girl's abdomen. Blood burst free, bubbling out of the wound like lava out of a volcano. The creature lapped hungrily at the blood, greed flooding into its eyes. Claws ripped desperately at the skin, blood flowing freely like a river, splatting on the pink walls a staining them crimson, all the while the creature drank the blood of a child, ate it's flesh in feral desperation.

Leaving the room, the creature headed straight for the blue door opposite what has been the little girls room, dark crimson dripped from its muzzle. On the door was the name 'Ethan' written in a more mature hand writing compared to the childish 'Lizzy'. The creature didn't even hesitate as it slinked through the door, however, unlike the girl's room there were no toys on the floor, the walls were a dark black colour with posters pinned to the wall -and the boy was not asleep. From a lamp that sat atop a desk in the corner of the room, light spewed and by that desk sat a boy around thirteen years old, long dark hair that would usually reach his shoulders was tied back. The boy sat hunched over a piece of school work (obviously last minute or he would not be up at such a time. Although when he heard the sound of claw scratching against the wooden floor, he sat up in alarm and looked right at the creature.

The boy screamed in alarm as the creature prowled towards him, rousing his parents from their slumber. His father groped blindly for the shot gun that he knew he kept in reach for these situations whilst his mother grabbed the hardest thing in her reach -a lamp. They charged from their room as the creature drew closer to the boy who was frozen in shock. The door slammed open and a shot was fired, followed by the thump! of a body hitting the ground, the creature's eyes grew foggy as blood from the bullet wound bubbled out of its forehead. The mother ran for her son as the final breath left the creature's lungs, she gripped and held her son tight as the creature's blood was soaked up by its fur and grew on a puddle on the ground. The father poked the limp body with the barrel of a gun, making sure that its heart no longer beat before joining his family.

And yet, before you go rejoicing the creature's death, thanking that we are no longer at threat to fall as one of its victims. Remember this; one does not choose to become a monster, a creature, a thing, a beast, one is made a monster. The creature of this story started its life as a runt, the smallest of its siblings, born into a world where everything was much too big. But the hairless beings were nice, they stroked his fur and made sure he was warm, whist gushing about how cute he was. The hairless beings were safe; until they weren't. Until they were cruel heartless beings, poking him with metal sticks that were much too sharp, no longer making sure that he was warm, no longer running their finger through his fur and instead locked him in a cage where he had not enough space. His stomach was always growling, his mouth always dry and his limbs always ached. The hairless beings hurt him so why shouldn't he hurt them? Late one night he escaped, slinking away into the shadows only leaving bodies of those whom had harmed him in his wake, eyes never being laid upon him until his death.

So riddle me this: is a monster really a monster if it only kills the ones who made it live in continuous agony? The very beings who made it a monster to begin with?

~END~

Hi! Thank you for reading, this is just a short story I wrote, it all developed from the beginning sentence (in bold and italics) that my friend LemonSunshinesma gave me. I hope you all enjoyed it!

~ForlornSpirit