Alien Outlier

Chapter 11 [Conflicts]

A chill passed me, caressing almost the entire side of my body. I snuggled Laciana closer to me only to feel nothing but air. My eyes still closed, I felt around the bed for her. Nothing. My eyes opened to the darkness and it was like seeing everything in black and gray. I sat up, looking around carefully. Nothing. I looked up at the green neon numbers that made my clock.

"Four, thirty-seven." I whispered to myself.

I furrowed my brows looking underneath the slits of both the bathroom door and the closet door. No light came from either of them. I went to pull down the covers only to find that the blanket was already down past my knees. No wonder I was cold.

I froze hearing a noise. It sounded like the clinging of metal. "Lucy?!" No answer.

A knot began to form in the pit of my stomach. What the fuck was she doing so early in the morning? I prayed she was having some "late night snack" at this time. Maybe she couldn’t sleep, went to watch tv downstairs, and knocked over something. The rational scenarios kept playing in my head, but of course I still had to go and see for myself.

I shivered as I walked under the air vent that blowed cold air. I made a mental note to adjust the AC while I was down exploring the dark for Laciana. I didn't turn on the lights thinking I'd ruin my night vision but then I realized the tank lights would anyway. I passed the light switch as I walked to the door, and was too lazy to turn them on anyway.

Opening the door, I stood waiting for my eyes to adjust to the light before I walked on. My eye brows furrowed as I spotted something strange. A dark spot on the tank. From a distance it looked like a sticker. I reached out and lightly touched it. It was warm and liquidy. This was no sticker. I rubbed the substance between my thumb and index finger, and snuffed it to better identify it.

"Blood?" The knot in my stomach twisted then.

My head turned so fast that it gave me a light headed sensation. I looked toward the "cat walk" instinctively. Nothing was there of course. I stepped forward only to feel more warm liquid. I tensed up, remembering all the times my feet touched the oh so familiar fluid. I didn't have to bend down and look at it to know it was blood. A lot of blood, smeared along the carpet. What the hell? My heart raced and my palms got moist with sweat. What was going on?

Carefully I made my way to the "cat walk". I looked to the right where the front door was. Nothing, it was all clear. I stared for a little bit longer trying to analyze the scene for anything suspicious. In the dark I couldn't tell for sure but the right side looked the same way I left it before going to bed. I also listened for any sounds.

I turned to the left side of the "cat walk", my eyes grew wide with panic. What looked to be a male body laid on the tile in a pool of blood. Close to it were drag marks in blood, and what looked like to be a snake on the floor, bleeding from one end. I examined the scene carefully, searching for Laciana. I didn't dare call her name in case there were more of them and they'd come after me. Before I turned to go down the stairs something caught my eye. Something shiny. I leaned in on the rails and squinted for a better look.

I noticed that the slid-in door was ajar and light was coming through it. The light reflected off a blade. It was a.....scythe? At least that's what it looks like from up here. I turned and raced down stairs. The body didn't worry me. I could tell it was pretty dead, and harmless. As I made my way down my foot left bloody impressions along the stairs until my foot was mostly clean of it. Whatever was left was drying and beginning to stiff but I ignored it. I could clean up as soon as I found Laciana safe. I hope she wasn't hurt or worse. Had someone tried to break in, and she tired to stop them? Why didn't she come and get me?

I wanted to check all the other places and rooms of the house to see if she was there but the light out side pulled me to it. I watched my steps this time, avoiding the blood on the floor. The smeared blood was dry and hard now. I ran a finger lightly on it to make sure my eyes were right. They were. I turned to the body laying parallel to it. The first thing I noticed was the large slit shaped wound on its chest. It was so deep you could see the tile through it, if the tile wasn't iced with his blood.