Grandmas House

"Oops, that was close." He says with a chuckle.

"Don't want glass everywhere." He places the cup down on the coffee table and turns to look me over. My heart sank as fear flooded my mind. Jeremy's face changed to more of a pout as he looked over me.

"Sorry, I know this must be just the worse... I mean, you can't even speak to me right now, and usually, they are at least able to scream when I do this." Jeremy crosses behind the couch back into the kitchen. The sound of drawers sliding open and the clattering of utensils filled my ears. All I could manage was frantically search the room with my eyes.

"Does your grandma not own knives?" The panic boomed from my chest. His almost playful tone made my stomach turn. The tears on my face disappeared as my skin went numb. The kitchen fell silent for a moment until I heard Jeremy mumble a defeated oh well and return to the living room. He stood over me, his eyes examining my limp body.

"I guess I'll have to do this the old fashion way." I watched in horror as his body began transforming his fingers elongated the tips acquiring long talon-like nails. The sound of ripping skin came from horns that began jutting from his forehead. The eerie sound of bone on bone filled my ears, followed by Jeremy's mouth transforming, looking less and less human and more snout-like. Free patches of skin grew hair drastically tuffs of hair burst through his clothing that ripped and tore from his body growth. Jeremy, the nurse, was now a giant horned beast foaming from the mouth in front of me.

My heart thumped in my ears. I dare not blink, not wanting to miss any sudden movements from this monster. Deep pools of yellow interrupted by black slits replaced Jeremy's usual green eyes that never left me as he changed. For a moment, Jeremy just watched me, allowing drool to drop from his toothy maw. Finally, the creature moved, leaning in closely to hover over me. I felt globs of drool fall to my body. It was cold, almost as freezing as its breath on my face. Its breath smelt like roadkill. He took several whiffs of me before quickly standing again.

"Usually, I don't do this without major prep beforehand, but with all your rules, I couldn't find time to catch you alone." His voice was gruffer with hints of growls, but I could tell this beast was still Jeremy. He leaned in for a couple more whiffs. His movements were serpent-like.

"It's this smell. I have no idea what you are, but it's intoxicating..." Slit pupils were heavily dilated with every smell he took from me.

"And I can tell if I consume you, I'll have a significant boost in strength!" His words carried a purr that disgusted me. The haze was working with the drugs to make me feel even sicker. It all became too much and bile filled my throat. I choked, which caught Jeremy's attention. A clawed hand adjusted my head, allowing the vomit to flow out.

"Sorry about that. I didn't have time to measure how much to give you, and I'm not sure what you already have in your system... I can't have you dying on me before I start eating." The gentleness of his words had my head spinning. The fear of becoming a meal filled me, and I was in disbelief that I was going to be devoured alive the tears began pouring again.

"Now, now, I don't like my food too salty." He wiped the tears away and grasped both sides of my head. His jaws opened wide as he lifted me by my head slowly into his mouth. Terror locked my eyes onto the rows of teeth that were dripping with drool. I was sure I was dead but then I heard the sound of keys jingling in a lock. Jeremy paused, his eyes now trained on the front door. With quick, precise movement, he moved me to lie behind the couch flat on my back. The door opens, and I hear two people shuffle inside carrying bags.

"Make sure to lock the door, boy." I heard my grandma say to the other interrupter.

"Yes, Ma'am." The voice of a younger male made me somewhat happy with the idea that maybe one of them would see me catch a glimpse of my foot or hair from behind the couch. I searched the ceiling with my eyes and caught sight of the horror hiding in the upper corner. He had stuck his claws into the ceiling and wall. He held a finger up to his snout, signing to keep quiet. From the bottom of my vision, I watched my grandmother, followed by a young man I didn't recognize, walk past me into the kitchen, and I could make out the sound of them placing plastic bags on the floor and counter. I thought he must be helping her carry groceries, and maybe if he noticed me, someone would have enough time to get help.

"I'll need to prepare my ingredients, and retrieve my knives there in my room." The boy, quick to listen, made his way to the back of the apartment and entered the first door in the hallway. I lay here listening intently to him rummaging through drawers before the returning footsteps. I tried my hardest to move an arm or leg, hoping for even a finger or toe would move so I could make some sign of my existence, all while loathing the fact I couldn't speak tears filled my eyes as my body ignored my will. The steps got closer, and my chances were slipping away, but the sound of footsteps had ceased. I searched the bottom of my vision through the tears to see the young man watching me curiously from behind the sofa.

"Mrs.R there..." His voice was cut short I felt the temperature drop considerably. I watched as the young man instantly froze solid in a block of ice. The beast crawling above him had released a strange mist from his mouth. The shuffling from the kitchen stopped and my grandma made her way from the kitchen to stand in front of the man popsicle in the living room. She calmly examed the block of ice before sucking her teeth in disappointment.

"The youth today seem to be taught nothing at all." She rapped a knuckle against the ice before switching her attention to me. The tears were streaming down my face. I was watching in horror as the beast lurked above her. She shuffled over to me, taking a knee next to me. The stealthy beast slunk across the ceiling to hover above us.

"It's alright, child ill fix you up." She hovered one hand over my body with an orb of green light in her palm. She waved over the length of my abdomen. A warmth filled me, replacing the numbness. A twinge in my palms allowed me to move my fingers then my arm was back into my control. With all my might, I pointed towards the ceiling. She looked up to see the horned beast forming an iridescent blue light from its mouth shooting its freezing mist.

Instinctively my eyes clenched shut. I waited to feel the icy winds freeze me solid, but only the warmth continued. My eyes opened to a shell of light protecting my grandmother and me the torrent of chilling wind ended to show a confused monster outside of the bubble of light. He tried to poke it with a clawed finger and was shocked as if he had touched an electric fence.

"You can't hold this field for long, you old hag, and I have all the time in the world." My grandmother sat calmly using the green orb to heal me while watching the beast who kept prodding the shell of light with his hands.

"Or ill eat this man here as a pre-meal snack before I devour my main course of witches." The beast laughed. Its guttural distorted sound made me sick, but my grandma just sighed in annoyance.

"You kids today love your assumptions. First, we aren't witches, and second, don't make a mess in my apartment." The beast and I both shared a moment of confusion at her response.

"A mess!? It's going to be a blood bath!" Maniacal laughter filled the apartment. It was like a pack of demonic hyenas assaulting the ears before cornering its prey. It only stopped when the beast felt a liquid at his feet. He wondered for a moment what could have drenched the floor before he swiveled around to see the empty block of ice behind him with a human-sized hole melted in the center. He frantically searched the room, seeing no one.

"Where he go!? Where's the boy?" He demanded.

My body regained movement. I could now sit up on my elbows between the shell of light, and the beast stood the young man frozen in ice—the beast whips around, grabbing up the man and holding him off the ground.

"You think you could sneak up on me? I'll freeze you solid and shatter the pieces!" He opened his jaws wide, the blue energy forming in his maw once again. Before releasing the mist, the young man gripped the beast by his throat and lower jaw.

"Would ashes be fine, Mrs.R?" The young man's voice was calm, almost devoid of feeling.

"You'll be sweeping it up." My grandma replied matter of factly.

"Y-you all are going to die..." The beast choked out through his clenched throat. He releases the mist into the face of the young man, his upper half enveloped by mist. When the attack ends, and the mist clears, the beast is shocked to find the man unscathed by his attack. Panic set in as the beast thrashed wildly, trying to get free of his grip. His vision began to go fuzzy. The man's grip tightened on his airway. Not even his claws pierced the strange man's flesh. The beast fell to his knees, his consciousness slipping away suddenly.

The grip on his throat was gone allowing him to gasp for air. Still, a new grip was now on the top of his snout, keeping his mouth wide. His vision returned to the young man towering over him with his mouth agape. A red light formed from his throat, and a plume of flame shot from it into the beast's mouth. He felt searing pain fill his throat and rush through his body. No matter how hard he tried, the mist couldn't stop the intense flames from entering. He flailed wildly, unable to even scream as the fire consumed him, tufts of flames caught patches of hair on fire, and soon the lower half was ashes, the head coming free of its perch.

The young man held the head in his palm iridescent red light lit the head a flame, turning what was left of the monster to ash on the floor. My mind swam with the impossible experiences I went through. Exhaustion took hold, and my consciousness slipped away now that I was safe.

"Take her to my bed and be careful." It was the last thing I heard before I passed out.

~End of Chapter One