Golden Beast

Behind the Door

Ari did not want to think of her dreams any longer so she brushed it off as she walked towards the canteen. Flint was walking behind her, following her as if to guard her from something that does not exist. She looked behind her with caution to check on Flint but she only saw his usual expressionless face. She couldn't help but feel more and more uneasy as she gets near the canteen, though she didn't know why. It was not that long of a walk before she found out why she was feeling so uneasy. As they entered the canteen she saw Dr. Arthur standing in one of the corners, watching every child that is in there. His eyes were roaming around the room looking at each child with keen observation.  It was not long before he spotted Ari, though his expression was not a pleasant one at the sight of Flint being with her. He waved at her regardless, forcing a smile in the process. Ari just nods at his direction as a greeting before proceeding to a table.

Flint sat across her, his expressionless face wavering a bit. "Are you okay?" Ari asks, concerned for a new 'friend' she had made. She saw Flint's reddish-brown eyes shake before looking at her. He just stayed quiet as if something was stopping him from talking. Ari realized how pale Flint was except for his rather pinkish cheeks, she thought maybe he was just not going out as much as the other children here. Ari reached out her hand to touch his arm but Flint swiftly pulled his arms to his side, avoiding contact with her. She saw fear paint itself on his face as beads of sweat form on his forehead. "Y-You need to escape..." Flint said in a soft shaky voice. His face darkened right away as he leaned on the table then spoke in a lower tone than before, "You'll die if you don't". Ari felt her heart skip a beat. She stood up in a whim and went to get food from the service counter in an attempt to escape the conversation.

When Ari finished getting herself dinner, she turned around to return to their table but Flint was nowhere to be found. She shrugged it off and tried to sit on a table when someone tapped her shoulder. She turned to the person and saw Dr. Arthur, he was beaming with a warm smile... almost eerie she thought. Ari smiled a little to return the courtesy. "I have not seen you all day, where have you been?" he pried.

"I was just in my room, doctor" Ari explains.

"Oh? You know... it isn't healthy for you to exclude yourself from the others," Arthur says trying to sound concerned.

"I've just fallen asleep, I must have been quite tired from everything," Ari reassures him.

"Well. No one could argue with a tired body," Arthur exclaims as he patted Ari's shoulder.

"If you need any help settling in, please don't hesitate to ask for my help," he continued with a concerned look on his face.

Ari nods then turned her face to her meal to continue finishing her meal. Arthur leaves after a few seconds, leaving warm traces at Ari's side.

***

Ari was walking from the canteen to her room when she heard loud banging on the wall of a room she was passing by. She was startled and felt her heart pound next to her lungs and ribs. She gulped and tried to approach the door with the intention of looking inside. Another loud bang rang out but this time with a faint sound of laughter. She felt her heart increase it's beating and her throat dry up from the tension boiling inside her. She placed her left hand on the door and held her left ear on it. She heard screaming, laughing and thrashing inside, the voice sounded like Flint. Ari tried to calm herself, breathing in then out before grabbing the door handle. She turned the handle slowly and shakily, trying to avoid making any noise with her rattling. She peeked through the small gap she was able to make. The room was dark, but she could make out the details of the room. It was white but have purple paint slathered sloppily all over it, with a few distinct yellow flowers as details. She heard scratching with a bit of crying and pleading, "stop... please..." she heard Flint say in his sweeter voice. His voice was followed by a deep menacing laughter before speaking to him in a low voice, "You cannot stop me! You cannot even stop the death of the other six, and now the seventh! You are weak! You're the reason they died, all because you killed him." Flint started to wail in agony, repeating the word "No".

Ari swung open the door and saw Flint alone on his bed. His face was red and scratched on certain areas, his eyes were also red and swollen from crying. Ari called out his name as she rushed to his side, but he didn't seem to have heard her. She saw his arms scratched and that his clothes were a bit torn. Ari cupped his cheeks to let him see her, she saw tears streaming down his face as his eyes dilate at the sight of her. He whimpered before Ari could ask what happened, he then hugged her and continued his crying. Soon after Flint fell asleep in Ari's arms as she continues to console him, singing him a lullaby she remembers. She tried moving Flint off of her so he could lay on his bed but he grumbled when she did. She let him clung onto her as she continued singing to him until she herself fell asleep with him.

A/N: the song above is what Ari sang to Flint but maybe a bit slower... I hope you'll listen to it and like it