Dan & Phil: Not of This Earth

13 | A Shaky Recovery

Word Count: 2831

     The air was still. The moon, a slim crescent, dully lit the midnight dew that lined the grass and coated the leaves. A brook babbled endlessly, murmuring softly to itself, it, too, too afraid to act.

     Dan and Phil cautiously approached this scene, hand in hand, laced with fear of another wave of what had assaulted the skies. "What happened? Everything looks okay," Dan commented softly.

     "I'm not sure." Phil gulped, his eyes searching for some sort of movement in the forest. "We should get back to town. I'm sure Mr. Shakespeare is wondering where I am by now."

     "Y-yeah, let's go home."

☆☆☆

     A week passed and nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Dan and Phil continued their lives as if nothing had happened. It wasn't until one night after dinner that they discovered what had occurred.

     The duo walked along the brick pavement, passing various shops and people. "I still can't believe you did that," Dan laughed again, shaking his head. His hands were carelessly stuffed in his coat pockets.

     Phil walked with his jacket slung over his shoulder, stained with dark brown across both breasts. His white button-up had similar markings down his stomach until it reached the crotch of his trousers. "Neither can I. This was my favourite outfit, too." He cleared his throat and coughed. "I'm going to stink up the entire apartment."

     "Everyone loves the smell of coffee!" Dan chirped sarcastically.

     Screams rung out from afar, stopping them in their tracks. The sound of tumbling rocks followed soon after, accompanied by an inhuman shriek.

     "Come on!" Dan exclaimed, his old training and instincts kicking in. He and Phil bolted through the streets until they were face to face with a monster. It stood tall above the buildings, its oily, black wings extended, small but long, jagged fingers protruding from the ends. It lacked muscle, resulting in bony joints and spindly limbs.

     It had three narrow eyes on either side of its head and on circular one between them all, each one completely black and lifeless. Black, greasy hair sprouted from its head and spine, crawling around its collarbone. A long, sharp beak, similar to a hawk's, curved into a hook, sat in the middle of the face. The corners stretched behind the eyes in an unnatural, forced grin that spoke only in shrieks.

     Although the masses screamed and ran towards safety, not everyone managed to get away with their lives. The beast sliced through buildings effortlessly with its fingers, killing all and any who dared to remain in their offices and homes. Its beak plucked innocent bystanders from the ground, it threw its massive head back, and then swallowed them with little effort.

     Without a word between them, Dan and Phil quickly stumbled into Star Garnet, weapons at the ready. He stood taller than Phil, the taller of the two at the time, but his height was not otherworldly or entirely unusual for a human. His hair was shaggy, tied in a sloppy ponytail and dark auburn, similar in the deep, warm colour cherries took on when baked neatly atop a cheesecake.

     Considering their outfits, Star Garnet wore a black vest with a ruffled tail over a grey tunic that had evidence that coffee was spilled on it from the stomach down. The tunic's cuffs and collar were lined with a curly, golden embroidery, courteous of Dan's clothing. Barely-loose black trousers and a pair of half-calf riding boots completed the outfit.

     Star Garnet sprung into the air, landing on the top of an apartment building, and rushed towards the monster's head, bounding from building to building. Once he was close to its head, he sprung at it at full strength and speed. Star Garnet was fully prepared to strike the beast in the back of the head before it spun abruptly and caught him out of midair.