In Your Arms

Missing

Farrah could not sleep. She tossed and turned on her bed, the new clothes she wore causing her skin to itch. She hated how uncomfortable everything was despite not being able to pinpoint exactly what the problem was. She had her own room that was furnished, quiet, and warm. She had her own bathroom as well, and new clothes lined up inside her closet. She was even able to take a bath, though in all honesty she preferred Isen's sweet smelling shampoo. Nothing on earth compared to the things he had given her a few nights ago.

From her bed, Farrah watched the window next to her illuminate slowly as the sun began to rise. She attempted to hide under the covers in hopes of finally falling asleep before her day began, but the enclosure became too hot and suffocating for her to bear.

Sighing, Farrah realized all she could die was lie awake and hope that nobody interrupted her for a few more hours. She would have hated seeing everyone's face again.

Minutes must have passed when the sweet silence of the morning was broken by loud knocking on Farrah's door. She flung the covers from her bed and marched towards the noise to see who else she was going carry a grudge against.

"Excuse me, but I-"

Her words were stopped the second she yanked the door and laid eyes on an annoying, familiar face.

"Oh. It's you."

Skye rose up his hands defensively, stepping back with a short chuckle, "We've barely talked and you already hate me."

Farrah crossed her arms over her chest impatiently, waiting to hear what Skye wanted exactly.

"My dad told me you tried to escape yesterday. Don't know about you, but that was pretty funny to hear."

Farrah scoffed, pretending to laugh as well, "Ha. Ha. I'm glad me being unhappy and wanting to be free is funny to you."

"That's not what I said."

"What do you want anyways?"

Skye outstretched his hand towards the girl, as if expecting a handshake. Farrah stared at it, confusion creeping up on her as she stared at the man, then his hand, then back at him.

"Sorry we got off on the wrong foot. I might have been a bit too harsh, but I promise I won't be a dick anymore, okay?" Skye lowered his hand when he realized he wasn't getting anywhere.

"You've met my dad. He's Mr. Bex, by the way. Uh, he just wanted me to see how you're doing and if you're hungry."

Farrah was about to say she wasn't, but her stomach betrayed her. At the mention of food, a low grumble echoed from her belly and filled the awkward silence between the two individuals.

"I'll take that as a yes," Skye tried to hide his smile as he stepped aside for Farrah to walk out. She eyed him suspiciously and made her way past him, waiting for him to close the door.

"You don't have to like me," Skye tried to fill in the awkward silence between them. Farrah agreed to herself, too preoccupied with the outside world to verbally express her thoughts.

Since it was morning, Farrah noticed everyone in Haven was walking around in similar looking white clothing and neatly combed hair. Haven itself was much more visible to Farrah now and it was no surprise that it was some sort of military structure. The tall walls seemed sturdy despite vines and other sorts of plants growing on them. There were a few, small buildings scattered around, and an abandoned fighter plane was even sitting in the middle of the whole place.

Farrah could see why her people decided to seek shelter there. The forest devoured them completely. Only a very sharp eye would be able to spot Haven from high up or even from the ground.

"My father and I found Haven about two years ago. We were with other people at the time, and from there we grew. All of us have a purpose here, and it's to help find and bring back any human we meet." Skye paused, waiting for a painted over military vehicle to roll past them. Farrah watched as the armored men on the car waved at Skye, their unusually large, black guns reflecting the sun. She stepped behind her guide, recalling how Isen was shot at.

"Why are there guns here?" Farrah questioned, though she felt she already knew the answer to that question.

"To protect us from any danger."

"What type of danger?"

Skye stopped walking, and he turned towards Farrah with a somber look on his face. It was clear he didn't feel comfortable bringing it up again, but he felt it was important to let Farrah know of what everyone there was fighting against.

"That...thing you were with yesterday. It's not what you think it is." Skye noticed the displeasure growing back on Farrah's face, but he tried to finish before she could get a word out.

"Damn me if I'm wrong but hear me out. People have gone missing here in Haven, and it's not because they're leaving." Skye struggled to say the next few words, and Farrah could tell he was troubled by the way he lowered his voice.

"They're being eaten. I mean, bones and all. Sometimes we, uh, find a limb or two around the area. But...other than that nothing. My dad and some other guards have said they've seen something like a shadow roaming around here. Whatever it is, we know it's to blame for the disappearances. Last night was the only good look we got at the beast, and now it's gone again."

Farrah furrowed her brows, swallowing hard as she shook her head from side to side, "No. You've got it all wrong. Isen isn't like that. He would have eaten me then."

"Maybe," Sky nodded to himself, "Maybe he was waiting to fatten you up or something. Even if we have the wrong creature, there's no doubt that that thing is to blame for what's happened to our world."

"What are you talking about?"

"When we first found Haven, the place was completely wrecked. It took us a while to gather everything up and decide what was useful or not." Skye pointed to a distant little fort that was guarded by two armed men. It was clear that everyone was given instructions to stay far away from the area, as it was completely isolated.

"In there, we found things- secrets- about our own government. Battles, deaths, missions...it was all there, along with video footage" Skye continued, recalling the time him and his father had played the video on a barely functionable TV device.

"You remember the sky that day, right?"

Farrah squeezed the end of her shirt as the memories she had buried began to resurface once again. Her heart picked up its pace as Skye continued to speak.

"I don't think a lot of people noticed what accompanied that light. On the tape, there's this- this black thing just flying right out of the sky. I couldn't really tell, but I'm sure the light that killed everyone was coming from its mouth. That monster tried to murder us all, and now it knows where we are and it's finishing the job."

Farrah could hardly form her words, but it was too late to say anything.

Loud screaming was heard and with it the sound of guns firing at a fast pace. Skye and Farrah both turned simultaneously towards the entrance of Haven, where all the noise had suddenly erupted. A gasp nearly escaped Farrah's mouth when she noticed what was causing all the commotion.

The creature must have been a bit smaller than Isen, but it was equally as menacing in appearance as he was. Its skin was a brilliant blackish blue, like the night sky covered in a million bright stars. Its head was a wolf's skull and from its bony jaws were strings of bloodied meat.

Farrah felt her skin start to crawl, but she could not move. Skye was close to picking her up and dragging her back inside to safety, but Farrah pushed him away.

She couldn't leave, nor did she want to. The monster that was terrorizing everyone had set its glowing blue eyes on her, and she knew why it had come.