147… 148… 149…
She spammed the doorbell, fingers frosty red and nails scorching blue. After waiting for the feeling of eternity, warmth opened the door. Owen in his scraggly bedhead with an accompanying shabby brown robe opened enough to reveal tacky sailor pajamas. It was the most comforting sight even as he berated her in the lateness of the hour and her choice of wardrobe in the weather.
She could only smile, finally safe.
The last of her strength left her, leaving Avie to collapse on the front door stoop, him barely managing to catch her before the impact could. Owen picked her up in his arms, taking in the frigid temperature of her body, skin covered with scrapes and caked with dirt.
“Holy shit, Avie... what happened to you?”
“I need. To use. Your shower…”
At the very least, she thought if she could wash off her scent, there would be no more trail, no horrendously tall cryptid smashing through walls to capture the human that cost them their privacy and possibly a meal. However, once she moved into the bathroom, the idea of having a shower didn’t work, Avie couldn’t stand for that long, so instead decided to take a long soak with scented products much different than her own.
The hot water soothed her muscles, the whine still reverberating throughout her. The young woman rinsed out her hair, the masculine scent masking the honey one she previously applied. Avie thought about what she had seen. The eyes of the dark figure terrified her. She felt as though she interrupted something she really was not supposed to see, let alone escape from. The dark red burned into her retinas, creating a snapshot memory every time she closed her eyes. Once again filling the tub with clean water, the woman soaking in its comfort as she sat and processed.
The redhead couldn’t describe it, but she felt the overwhelming block in the back of her throat to not share the information she bore witness to.
But, why though?
She should be telling Owen what happened out there in the woods. Avie should be telling any person who would listen so they could stop what was out in the forest. But she couldn’t bring herself to think about attempting to do that. It sounded crazy to her, and she was the one to bear witness to the thing with feathered wings. How could she possibly convey it properly? This was way beyond the scope of her ability of understanding. Her energy was zapped, leaving her beyond the point of exhaustion, her body hardly able to control the motions of cleaning up, let alone converse over the situation she experienced.
Avie went out there for answers, and, well, she may have got a fraction of one. She was lucky this time, how could she keep that luck to find out more? Would Owen run in with gusto at the mention of something not human in the woods? He very well might without a second thought to his safety.
Twisting her hair to dispel extra water, she figured she was too tired to think clearly about what happened, and that she could ponder and explain more in the morning. She came out with borrowed PJ’s, toweling her damp hair. Owen started a warming fire, still crouched adding firewood before he took notice of her entrance.
“Hey, are you feeling okay? I made you some tea.”
Sitting on the couch, Avie slumped into its comfort, “I’m exhausted, the vibrating is back, it’s draining me, but I’m alright. Thank you, that’s exactly what I need.”
“I put your clothes just on the recliner here, did you want me to wash them?” He adjusted to come and sit next to her, bringing the steaming cups to sit on the table in front of the pair.
“Burn them. I just need to rest for a moment.” She leaned the damp curls on his shoulder, feeling as though she may pass out at any second.
“Avie, why would I do that?”
“You’ve got the fire going anyway. Please? It’s important.”
He nodded, the scruff of his beard scratching on the top of her head. Hesitantly, Owen spoke quietly, “Did you find something with your vibrating?”
Her eyes opened up, looking down into her lap, “… Yes and no. It came back in the middle of the night, but it’s much worse. It felt like I couldn’t even breathe, and I knew that it was trying to guide me to find something else. So, I followed the call—kind of like how I first came into town, you know? I ended up in the forest where this old abandoned manor was.”
He bristled at hearing that, but still waited for her to continue as she sat up, “And… Someone else was there, I think. Two men were, actually. One of them chased me out and I was terrified they were following me, so I tried to lose them in the woods. I couldn’t see what they looked like or anything. It was so dark there, and I was unbelievably frazzled.”
“I understand. I’ve seen that place a few times; it has an intimidating atmosphere. I’m not very impressed you went out there alone in the middle of the night, that’s idiotic. I would have preferred you call me at least so I could have gone with you. I mean, look at you, you’re shaken up. Frozen to the bone and collapsing on my doorstep!”
Avie sighed, “I know, I wasn’t really thinking straight. I just wanted answers to make the pain stop.”
“It’s painful now?”
“Like someone turned the intensity way up, I had a hard time moving at first. I’m sure it is trying to get me to find something else in town.” She reached out, picking up the tea, slurping at the seeping liquid as it cooled down enough for her to drink comfortably.
“There may be something in that area, we should do some investigative exploring once you’re feeling
