Creatures On Fire

Twenty-Three: Be Afraid of Me (Jeepers Creepers)

Mary was desperate. It has been twenty-three years since her little brother had been taken by a creature that, as she thought, came right from the depths of Hell. The nine-year old Danny had even no time to react when suddenly something flew out of the nearby forest like a rocket and carried him away in an unknown direction. Mary was just twelve years old then, but she had an idea that Danny's kidnapper wasn't human. She had spotted the creature before while it was watching her family from different hiding spots; sometimes seeing it being dressed in a dark cloak and fedora hat, and sometimes she had seen it without any clothes, waving its membranous dragon-like wings. No one but Mary had seen the monster, but even her own parents did not believe her when she mentioned a monster being in their area that was spying on them more than once. But strangely enough, Mary felt little to no fear of the creature, even after seeing it carrying Danny away. It surprised her family no less that her, considering the grief they were in after losing their son. Only in her adulthood, around the age of twenty she learned about her state that was known as "ataraxia", the inability to feel distress, fear, and worry; even in most dangerous situations. And now, when twenty-three years have passed, and she turned thirty-five, Mary sat at her laptop, having done enough research about the blood-thirsty demon that preyed on humans every twenty-third spring. The most important fact was that it found its prey by instilling fear into them, thus being able to smell them and decide whether they have something it needed or not. Mary's lips stretched in an evil grin. Knowing her inability to feel fear, she wouldn't give the monster the satisfaction to smell her fear.

Finally she switched of the laptop and stood up from her chair, rubbing her hands in anticipation.

"I'm ready for you. Come and get me, you son of a bitch!"

On the other hand, the words she just said made Mary giggle. What could she do against this creature? She knew basic facts, but much was still unknown. What exactly is he, or it? She wasn't sure whether the monster had sex or not, but from what she remembered the creature had some features of a male, at least facially. And where does he come from? Is there even a way to put an end to his carnage once and for all? Such creatures do not die easily, and Mary wasn't even sure whether it was mortal or not. But she wanted to know more. She tried to gather as much information from people as possible, but still many questions were left unanswered. So there was the only way left.

She had to face the monster on her own.

Only so there was possibility to know more, and maybe, just maybe she would take her revenge on him.

For Danny.

For her family.

For all the sorrow he made her go through.

It has been too long since he hunted for innocent victims, and now he was going to do it again. But this time someone will be waiting.

She was going to see who will be the hunter this time, and who will have the role of prey.

***

It was now the end of March, and that pretty meant that the monster's hunting time had begun. She knew he usually hunts for twenty-three days before falling into slumber for the next twenty-three years. During this time she hoped to learn more about him, but to do that, she had to find him. Mary had no idea where to look for him so she left her apartment at dusk, wandering around in hope for an encounter. Each sensible person would call her insane if he or she found out that she was searching for a monster that wouldn't hesitate to murder her in cold blood and use her body as a decoration for the walls of his lair. But Mary didn't care about what people would think of her. Her brother was taken and most likely was dead, father began to drink after Danny disappeared, and mother had gone insane and got locked in a mental asylum. In fact, Mary had nothing else to lose. This monster had ruined her family, and now she was ready to do anything to ruin his fun.