The Creatures Series

Thirteenth Night-1

Thirteenth NightCreatures of the Night

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##### Thirteenth Night #####

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Things got worse so fast that the mere act of breathing alone is able to suffocate me. My body feels sore yet I can't stop moving. And behind, I can sense someone is chasing me. At the other side of the dark hallway, waiting to be close enough so he can have a perfect shot.

When I fall on the floor, I turn around to face him.

My racing heart is actually destroying the concentration I once had.

There's no light clear enough to let me recognize him. But I can spot his outline. He's tall and slim, and probably muscular. Everything is black about him, but I guess that's because of the lack of lighting. I see his dark eyes before I can see the silvery metal that he points at me, somehow illuminating from the darkness.

He's holding a gun.

I close my eyes, knowing that this is my end.

No time for life flashing before my eyes or thinking about the ones I'll leave behind if I die, because the bullet already pierces through my heart. Breaking the silence in the hallway.

I fall back to the floor. And as I do, I can see the perfect glimpse in one microsecond of the bullet, coming out through my flesh. At the same place where it pierces through.

I blink, rather shocked of what I just saw. But it's no illusion. And know that. I know that I can't die.

As if knowing that one bullet won't be enough, he shoots another bullet. Directly to my heart.

The bullet pierces through my skin, tearing my flesh. But it gets pulled out as soon as it entered that I can't even feel any pain from it—

The third bullet comes in faster than the second, follow by the fourth and the fifth. And I haven't even landed on the floor yet. I had been afraid that this time it will be different, but the bullet came out anyway after my body hit the floor.

I can't hear his footsteps when he walks closer to me. And it's already too late for me to run when he stood just a few feet away from me.

His eyes are burning darkness, looking at me so intensely that it's impossible not to notice. His face is really handsome indeed, I'm able to know as I look into his eyes.

Then, he brings his gun to me. Once again the hallway is filled with a gunshot.

*

Wherever I go, it seems like the darkness always follow me.

Because even though the scenery of the silent hallway has disappeared, along with the man with a gun, the new one is not as far from black.

The first thing that I can make out is a dried black leaf. When I blink, I realize that it's a petal of rose. And it's not just the only petal floating in the air. There's more. Ten, twenty, fifty. I look around the willow dried trees and see the air filled with it. My bare foot can even feel the petals that's been spread on the dirt, mixed with evenly spread dried yellow leaves.

A dark crate then attracts my attention. I walk to it slowly and spot someone sleeping in it. With greyest pale skin and black silky smooth long hair spread around her head gorgeously arranged. The sleeping figure looks almost like me. She looks so peaceful in slumber.

I turn around, and for the first time, seeing many figures standing around us. There are even black chairs arranged all around the place.

Though I can swear that they're not here just a minute ago.

In those crowds, I notice my friends' faces. Banri standing with his head looking at the ground. Shara leaning into Shrade's shoulder and whispering something that makes her brother's face turn sad. Barely having one painting hanging in his hand is Nono. The silent Crease looks almost like a statue when she becomes more quiet. And Arch is sitting beside Shrade, eyes looking at me with such gloominess. My heart feels hurt and my lungs become tighter in my chest. Then, I realize that his stares are not for me, but the girl sleeping in the crate.

I turn my gaze to spot my parents, both hugging each other. My mother buries her face on my father's neck as she fall asleep. Not much far from them, Link and Artro are standing. Each holding a flower in their hands.

I haven't notice their shaking bodies or their eye-sweeping hand movements at my first sight at their direction. But soon I realize what they are doing.

They're crying.

Not long later, as if seeing them for the first time, I also notice their clothes. They are all wearing the same shade as the sleeping girl.

Black.

*

When I wake up, three things happen at the same time. I hurriedly scan my eyes to check the four ceiling corners of my room if any of them are glowing. My nightgown is on fire (or has it already on fire before I wake up?). And a strong wind is blowing through the entire room like an indoor storm.

It took me a couple of seconds for me to recover and start taking care of the chaos.

I put away the black fire on my gown with a snap of a finger, letting it swallow by the wind that’s been blowing uncontrollably in my room.

Smoke fills the air around me once the fire disappear, making me cough two to three times while my hands are trying to flutter it away. Even though I ’ m used to the black smoke that I can manipulate with my power, this type of smoke ─ the gas one ─ is out of my comfort zone.

I look around my room to find everything is in chaos. The couches and tables are flipped. The wallpapers are ripped. The refrigerator looks like it was just been robbed by someone. And not to mention my closet. The glass sliding door has broken into pieces, making the shards spread all over the carpet.

And this all happened just because I had one nightmare. I wonder if my friends are all waken up because of this disaster. But if they do, they would have been bursting into my room by now. The good thing is that I always sleep soundlessly like I’m already dead. So when something makes me uncomfortable, my power usually do the talking. Or in this case, expressing it.

I walk myself to my bathroom quietly and look at my tall mirror only to expect the worst.

Black fabrics are barely hanging on my body, almost falling off completely to expose every inch of my pale skin. I can even see my outline figure easily. Even my matching pair of black underwear was on fire, competing with my nightgown of which is going to fall to the floor first. My oversized breasts are barely covered, not to mention my private part.

The good thing is that my black fire only consumed my garments, not my flesh. Or else this would have caused so much pain ─ either from the outcome or for the recovery part. But even though my skin is fine, it ’ s all covered with the dark ashes from the burning material.

My hair is tangling everywhere, but can be easily combed when I let my fingers go through it, luckily.

Deciding that I need to clean myself, I strip away all the material lingering over my skin ─ which are falling apart more easily than ever ─ and took a bath to clean the ashes. Once I ’ m finished, I wrap myself with a towel and walk out of my room to see what time it is. 05.30, I check myself on the clock.

Well, still plenty of time before breakfast is served. But not wanting to have another nightmare and burn my last nightgown (I really need to recover my clothing), I leave my towel to wear my usual outfit, sleeves shirt and pair of pants with an extra heavy jacket. All in black and long.

Since he’s back, Artro must be staying in the 149th floor. Deciding that I want to give him a visit, I press the elevator button.

It seems like I had wake him up when he open his room door, because he’s still wearing his pajama and his messy hair.

“What is it?” He asks through clenched teeth, bringing up his I-just-woke-up mode. He can be pretty grumpy when he wakes up. I only giggle.

“Want to go hunting for today?” I ask him. He and I used to go hunting animals in the forest as hobbies. And we both are pretty good with our guns. “That is, if you’re not so busy today.”

He blinks a couple of time to take my figure before realizing who he’s talking to. “Oh, Arsene,” his voice soften. “Sure. My schedule is clear for today. I can start accepting my missions tomorrow, so I’ll take that offer.”

“Then I’ll wait for you to prepare,” I say. “Let’s have lunch in the cafeteria before we go. The breakfast in my lounge hasn’t been prepared yet, but the cafeteria always opens 24/7. We don’t want our stomachs to rumble when we’re hunting, do we? Or else it might gonna scare the animals away.”

He nods. “Alright. I’ll go get changed,” he says before closing the door in my face.

Even though that’s kind of rude, I’m already used to it. Artro isn’t really the type that will allow a girl into his room, even though she’s his cousin and close friend.

Unlike Link, who even didn’t dress appropriately before opening his door. Remembering his bare chest even makes me feel nauseous instead of.... the other way, somehow.

And that’s when Artro opens his door.

*

She is placed on the knocked down tree, making a natural one-meter table to support her laying figure. His pale and dark figure is leaning on the tree and to the gun, placing his hand all over her. His face shows no expression, but I know that he’s holding his breath as I hold mine as well. The prize is just in front of us, waiting to be capture.

I watch Artro as he place his index finger carefully on MaryX’s trigger.

MaryX is the name of Artro’s gun. He had her since he was just a child. It was a gift from his parents for his first birthday (bullets not included). And ever since he received it, he swears to love it till the day he dies. And he does. He loves it and fully takes care of it. He cares for his gun so much as if MaryX is alive. He loves her so much that he even brings her around with him everywhere, including in his school.

Thus that’s the reason why Artro was shunned by everyone, thinking that he’s weird or even a scary psycho or by many other names I had forgotten he was once called by kids our age. But he doesn’t seem to mind being shunned by everyone else. He’s too proud of having MaryX to even care of other minor things. That’s why when I first met him (he’s at his house, in his room, holding a real gun) I already know that I like him.

I like danger as my playmate.

I wasn’t that of an innocent and goody-good little girl before.

I had no fear to show my true color.

I was evil.

Holding my chuckles with my hand of remembering back those memories, I watch Artro’s cold and calm eyes staring through his pair of glasses at the chocolate feathered dear behind a tall looking tree. The dear is big and full of fat, with horns indicating that it’s a male.

This is a big catch.

That is, if he can shoot it right to the most fatal organ.

Artro pulls the trigger and a bullet pierces through the deer’s heart. It falls to the ground almost immediately. Artro stands up and approaches his catch, bringing MaryX with him. I trail along behind him, jumping on the fallen tree and branches cheerfully.

“Right to the heart.” My eyes are looking at the red dot on the deer’s chocolate feathers, examining it to calculate for how far did the bullet pierce through its chest. “Your skill hasn’t get rusty, cousin.” I bend down on ground that is fully covered by green leaves to lift the deer’s front body to pick up the bullet from the ground with my black leather glove. The bullet has shot through the flesh and out, now covered with fresh red blood as proof.

“What makes you think I’ve gotten rusty?” He smirks playfully. “I’ve been practicing with MaryX, you know,” he say gesturing her in his hands.

“Well, you have been busy, after all.”

“I hope you’re not thinking of something else that does not involve rather any school books and textbooks.”