Catharsis [Novel]

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

            Before stepping into the cluttered alley (It was moderately wide for a lane between buildings, but it had obviously been a depository for any number of detritus and trash the vagrant population of the area had collected.  Discarded shopping carts, piles of clothes, smashed cardboard boxes and overflowing dumpsters crowded the path making what was initially a wide walkway into a relatively narrow one.), I decide to tap into my abilities before committing to the choice.  Even if I'm not afraid of any nocturnal dwellers that might reside down the creepy path in front of me, there's still no point in pushing my luck.

            "There's a difference between being dumb," I pause and scan the desolate wreckage of society in front of me. "And being just plain stupid."

            Even though the darkness of the night (Except for an impressively bright, and yet creepy, moon.) is reflecting the near absence of light in the alley, I can make out details just fine.  My night-vision has kicked in nicely as always, and even in the dim light I can tell there's no life around me.  Or at least nothing is moving ahead of me.

            A brief but deep inhale (The place reeks of varying level of putrescence, but I don't smell anything that resembles a human.) and a slight cock of the head (There are a number of sounds in the city at night, but nothing registers as out of place.) reassures me that my previous fears were unwarranted.  My new home (How depressing to think of a large, empty warehouse as the place to "hang my heart".) is only a quick fifteen minute trip away.

            Hoisting the bags back up, I begin the delicate tight-rope walk of trying to get through my desired path without bumping into anything with my toted treasures.   It’s an endeavor that is most certainly easier said than done.

            As I creep past my fourth open disgusting dumpster (How many of these things can they cram into this place?  It's beginning to defy both logic and physics.), it hits me.

            Something's wrong.

            I'm not alone.

            There's no movement to alert me, it is just a sudden sense of something else knowing I'm there.  No.  Not something else.  Someone else.  There's someone in the alley, and they're close.  And they are most definitely thinking very unhealthy thoughts about me.

            But where are they? I think as I stop walking and slowly spin around trying to find a sign of where they might be.  Even with my heightened senses, though, nothing stands out.  There's nothing around me but piles of trash.  Lots of trash.  Unless they are hiding in the trash...

            "Hey, sweetheart," a growly voice rumbles from my left (Of course not the direction I'm currently looking.).  "Wats in da bags?  Whachu got fer daddy?"

            Spinning towards the sound, I see an ancient trash monster rise up from the ground and shuffle towards me.  As it stumbles my way, the paralyzing smell of rotting food and what I can only assume is the used contents of a baby zombie’s diaper (I may be wrong on this count as I've never actually encountered a zombified baby or inhaled the contents of its diaper by choice, but I'm thinking if I ever do encounter said creature then I will recognize the smell from this very moment.).  The reek of the creature alone is horrifying and causes me to step back a few feet (That's as far as I can go before bumping into one of the many waste receptacles that populate the alley.).

            Raising its arms towards me (Just like every horror movie monster I've ever seen.) it physically shudders as it walks and bits of used food wrappers and other societal refuse fall from its body.  I know my life has taken a weird turn lately, but this is seriously too much.

            "Gimme da bags, gurl," it rasps in that horrible voice, drawing each word out slowly as if tasting them before releasing them into the air.  All I can do is stare as it slowly releases itself from the trash nest it had buried itself in.

            As the trash continues to fall away from its body with each shuffling step, I realize what I'm staring at: a man.  A horrible mess of human existence for sure, but it’s still just a man.  A man so covered in the nasty surroundings of this alley, that he was able to slip under my senses and not be noticed until I was right on top of him.

            The relief that sweeps through my body upon the realization that I'm not fighting some supernatural creature is almost crippling.  The sweet tingle of it flooding my system is so intense that I have to drop the bags and grab the metal structure behind me for support.

            "Geez man," I mutter quietly once I have myself under control.  "You really scared me.  You shouldn't do that to people."

            The adrenaline that had shot through my body upon first seeing him has activated my hunger more than I would like.  My goal of not tapping into that side of myself is still fresh in my mind, and I don't want this to be the event that breaks me.  I need to calm myself down.

            The man (He's not nearly so scary now that I know what he is.  He's still dirty and nasty and not someone I really want to deal with, but at least I'm not worried about what he can do to me.) is still moving towards me and saying something, but I've tuned him out so that I can try and calm myself...and try to prevent his becoming a snack.

            "One moment buddy," I say to the guy as I close my eyes and try to control my heartbeat and breathing.  "I'll be with you once I take care of something."

            He's getting closer and still making noise, but I'm only dimly aware of it.  He's an extraneous issue right now compared to getting myself under control.  He can wait.

            Breathe.

            Concentrating on happy thoughts, I let them flow through me and over me and wash away the hunger that's in me.  I don't need that side of my powers.  I can live without it.  It's not a necessary part of...

            My abdomen explodes with fire and pain interrupts any train of thought I had going.  It hurts.  It hurts so badly.  It just hurts!

            Instinctively grabbing my stomach, I stumble backwards and open my eyes. 

            "What happened to me?"  I gurgle as wetness pours out through my fingers.

            The trash man stands in front of me holding a long, pointy knife covered in blood.  The viscous red liquid slowly slides down the blade and drips to the pavement of the alley as I stare at him.

            "Witch!"  He yells at me (That's not the word he says, but it's what I'm going to pretend I hear.).  "Donchu 'nore me whens I talking to you.  You unnerstand me?"