Retribution

Chapter 5

From then on, he was very careful of where he was going. How he had not been spotted earlier felt like a miracle now. The fear had quelled the noises in his head for a while, but eventually they started coming back, always in the background, always a distraction from his current reality. His mumbling helped keep him on track however, as he recited the only song he could remember from Don Henley.

He is deep in the heart of downtown now. The corporate buildings tower above him, blocking light from penetrating to the roads that connect them all together. He knows the way so well. Long ago it was so easy to reach by taxi. Now having to sneak around empty, broken cars is another matter. It is necessary, he tells himself. He just has one more place to get to.

There is a sudden ear piercing roar that reverberates all around him. He screams, crouching and cramming his palms over his ears to ease the pain. It is so loud, he cannot pinpoint the location it comes from. He just knows it is too close for comfort.

It ended, leaving an echo behind. He stayed, unmoving, waiting for the echo to end before standing up. His head is so dizzy. He had to lean on a wall to center himself. The buzzing in his ears is stronger then ever, and he suddenly remembered how he had acquired the buzzing in the first place. The children in his head were screaming, and the women were yelling for him to hurry.

He reaches the corner block of a building and peeks down the road. After a while, he judges the area is clear and sneaks his way onward. He is now so close. The closer he gets, the louder the voices in his head become, and singing is useless.

Finally, he reaches the only corporate building on that road with the two sections of concrete stairs leading up to the entrance. Seeing the all too familiar building, he forgets the threat and moves into the open. With a heavy sigh, he succumbs to the madness of his psyche. He lifts his gaze up the stairs to see the many reflections of the sun shining from building to building, reflected onto the busy lobby and stairs that lead up to it.

The stairs are busy with foot traffic. No one is paying too much attention to anyone else.

Elizabeth is back, looking as stunning as ever. She gracefully makes her way out of the lobby and down the stairs, over to him. He reveals a bouquet of flowers from behind his back for her. They exchange a hug and a kiss before she speaks.

"To what do I owe this surprise visit?"

"For being the love of my life of course!" He smirks.

She laughs and places her arms on her hips.

"Eliot, honestly, I have a lot of work to do. Don't get me wrong, really, I love this, but your timing is early." She says.

"Ah, that's okay. I just wanted to make you smile."

He pulls her close and they kiss.

"Besides," he pulls back, "I will see you tonight and the surprises will continue."

She blushes and places her hands on her cheeks in a feeble attempt to hide it. A few individuals who walk by smile, which only makes her more embarrassed.

"Alright, I'm going back to work now." She says, grabbing her flowers and pulling him in to a long embrace.

She starts to make her way up the stairs. She pauses after a few steps and turns around.

"Thank you, my love." She says smiling.

There is a scream far behind him and she moves her gaze in its direction. Fear is in her eyes as both hands go to cover her mouth, flowers falling to the ground. He turns around to see a massive monster towering over the road, crushing cars and concrete with every step.

The world is dark and cold, his harsh reality setting in again.

The monster is the height of five stories with a body that stretches all the way to the intersection and beyond. It has six eyes, two of which are furthest on either side of his head and can extend outward and curve to look behind him. It's mouth is the width of his massive head, with large square teeth clearly visible with every breath it takes. It's skin is that of massive amounts of white, flaky string. This monster is beyond imagination and a thing of nightmares.

A woman screams and he knows it comes from her. He quickly turns around to find all of the people who have been making their way to and from the building are in bloody pieces all around him. She is covered in patches of blood but has no visible injuries.

"Get in the building!" She screams and runs up to the broken glass doors of a once beautiful lobby entrance. He runs after her, hoping the monster will not notice.