*MADE IT TO THE FINALS OF ONC's SHORT LIST*
One makes, one nurtures and one extinguishes - thus, a balance is maintained on Tellus.
But what happens when the scales topple?
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Ati was scared like it was nobody's business. Although the person outside could not have been able to see her, all the coherent thoughts had fled her mind. It was not particularly necessary that this person was out to harm her, and that this was the same person who had been responsible for the gory incident that had taken place almost an hour prior. However, given the fact that she rarely received any visitors and the hooded outfit of the stranger, there was no better guess or optimistic thought surrounding her.
What was even more peculiar was his awareness about her front door's camera location. Only a vindictive and a criminal mindset could know of any such detail.
The stranger rang the bell again, still looking at the camera. She turned on the communication system but kept it non-visual on her end.
"Who is it?" she asked.
A guttural groan was followed by, "open the door."
"State your motive," she vocalized, feigning a firm cadence.
"Let me in first," he insisted. This time his voice had a sliver of desperation in it and it sounded akin to a voice she had heard before, "I don't mean any harm, girl."
"You either state what is it that you want or you leave, there's no in between," Ati was as headstrong as they came.
She had the number of her building's security typed on her phone's keypad when she noticed a movement behind the stranger. A slimy, charcoal black thing with tentacles was crawling down the stairs from the floor above hers. It was right behind the stranger and the worst part? He was totally unaware as he continued to plead.
"Come on, don't be a brat. I am here to apologize."
In that instant, she realized why his voice was sounding close to familiar. It was the guy from the park. And this guy was going to be the monstrosity's food if she didn't do anything pronto.
With her pounding heart, she tapped the button on the door lock to open it. The slimy thing was now turning towards the stranger. Ati had, no doubt, hated the man when he had let her fall intentionally, but no one deserved the fate akin to what she had seen in the morrow.
Three things happened at the same time. She had grabbed the man by his hoodie, as soon as the door had opened, pulled him in, and shut the door with a bang. Waffle had begun to whine. Simultaneously, the monster had jumped right where the man had been standing seconds ago. An inhumane snarl was heard as the slimy creature went back to where it came from.
Ati's eyes were bugging out of her sockets, her heart running a marathon at the speed of a jet pod. She sent a prayer to the Lords for keeping her neighbors who lived on the upper floor safe.
"What in all hells was that?" She was reminded of the stranger's presence as he swore under his breath.
Composing herself, she turned to face him.
"What do you want? You could have been its next meal had I not seen that beast behind you." She was seething and trembling with fury and fear altogether.
"Next meal?" His tone was dubious and questioning.
Ati ignored him and went to placate Waffle who was still whining, "it's all right now, boy. Shh..." He nuzzled her palm, whimpering for his human's safe touch.
"I don't know what it was or why it was here but, I do know what it can do. A mangled body was found on the mat of my apartment this morning, and it should please me to say that it could have been you next. Alas! It doesn't."
The stranger had removed his hood by now, and his steel grey eyes were piercing holes through her.
"You saved me," he stated it as though it was a universally acknowledged truth.
"You owe me, big time. Now do what you came here to do and leave." Ati might have said that she wanted him to leave but she did not and, she direly hoped that he would stay. None of it was because of those sappy romantic crap, but because she was scared to be alone now that a beastly creature was out to get a meal. And having this person here, although she'd been taught not to talk to strangers, was a small relief.
He stepped towards her bed, and she cursed herself for the decision that she had taken last year. When she had just adopted Waffle, he had a tendency to claw the door at night. Frustrated, she had gotten the door unhinged, and now, it was lying somewhere in her store room, collecting dust.
The doors could have kept the man out, but they could not anymore.
"Even after what I did to you, why save me?" It was a good question, an excellent one even. Nevertheless, she didn't find it necessary to dignify it with a response.
The technicians would be here any minute now, she thought, and then I'll get rid of him too. Be calm, you need him until then she chanted the mantra in her mind - over and over again.
"Well," he spoke, letting it go. Accepting that he was not going to get a response, he continued, 'I wanted to say sorry for what I did the other day, in the park. It was a weird day, although the events from the last hour trump it by every facet now, I couldn't help but vent out all my frustration on you," he sounded contrite and sincere.
Right then, a thought struck her like a lightning bolt, "how did you find where I live?" she was alarmed, finding herself inextricably trapped between the devil and the deep sea.
His behavior was downright stalker-ish, and it peeved her out, even more, when this time, he did her one better and didn't acknowledge her doubt even. To top it off, he chose that moment to smirk at her. Again like he had done so in the park. The nerve.
She would have jumped at him in a fit of pique had it not been for Waffle's rising whimpers. Ati and the man stilled. A clicking sound was coming from outside the door. Their eyes met, the guy - whose name was still a mystery to her - nodded as though in a silent agreement, and went to the door.
"Turn on the visuals. The blue button," she whispered, coming to stop behind him. It was back, the black thing. This time though, it was writhing in its place. Bubbles were forming in its skin as if it were boiling on the inside.
All of a sudden, a hand grew out of the goo, then another. In the next moment, a man covered in something that resembled molten tar was standing in its place. The grin it had plastered on its face was so malicious that it made Ati's entire body tremble in fear. To make matters worse, the creature didn't seem to have white teeth, instead had sharp metal-like pointed blades. Waffle was now as silent as the two of them. For a little while, it seemed as though no one was breathing.
The creature raised its hand. The man in front of her took a step back, bumping into her.
