Feeding Day: Part 1
With a sigh Milo dropped into an
old dusty chair. All she had wanted was to do a bit of questionably legal urban
exploration. What she got was a group of fellow teens who wanted nothing but to
drink and further vandalize the place.A civil dispute had ended that
real quick. Most of the teenagers disbanded except for her, her friend,
and a couple others. At least one of which was attempting to calm things.The happy couple's yelling and
crying could still be heard echoing through the halls. Apparently the girl,
Sadie, had cheated on her boyfriend Luis. Why anyone would want to fuck in this
place was beyond her.Soft footsteps drew her attention
to her friend, Kay. She was a pretty little calico with white face and a black
freckle on her nose."I'm really sorry, Milo," she
said."It's fine."Kay looked a little crestfallen
before perking up."We could still do some exploring
now that everyone's gone if you want?"Milo considered it. Her bright
blue eyes narrowed, her liberally pierced ears drooping. Her impulse was to say
'no', but to do so would put the final nail in the coffin of this night."...You know what? Sure."The darkly-clad husky drew herself
to her feet.Kay all but clapped her hands
together with glee. Milo gave a little laugh and rolled her eyes, issuing a
soft 'c'mon'. Against the wall was her shoulder bag, nestled within some
debris. She got down and took out a pair of flashlights. She offered one to Kay
and the two set off."So, who'd she cheat on him with,
anyway?"Kay shushed her, talking more
quietly."It was actually two guys...""What!?""Shh!""Sorry.""Anyways, yeah... I'm not sure who
they were, but... I think one of them was a bear?"Lingering nearby was one of the
party goers. With a big ear angled in their direction he listened in on their conversation.
He was a gaunt mackerel tabby. His fur was oily and unkempt as shown by the
tail hanging about his legs.Truthfully he couldn't have cared
less about what the two girls were talking about. Quiet as he was, he'd just
always been an excellent listener. Not that he'd ever put such a thing to use
unless it brought him closer to a new fix.Slinking off by himself he put his
back to an old boiler. Taking a rag from his pocket he wetted it with some
lighter fluid and pressed the cloth to his nose, inhaling deep. The rush was
instantaneous. He wandered forth with an unsteady stride, sliding the
black canister back into his pocket.From around the bend ahead
staggered Luis."I'm walking home," he shouted at
someone unseen, "Don't fucking follow me."He continued on further into the
darkness of the factory. The whiskey bottle hanging from the tortoiseshell's
hand drew Terrance's eye and prompted him to tag along a good distance behind.Sitting on the floor beside a
concrete doorframe was Sadie. Her long, pretty white fur was all
disheveled and her head rested in her hands as she sobbed helplessly. Beside
her was Dimitri, an arctic hare. He had an arm over her shoulders, doing his
best to comfort her."It's alright," he said, "Tomorrow
when he's sober you two can talk it over."Sadie shook her head, the attempt
at comfort only driving her further into despair."No. It's over. It's over." She
said. "He won't forgive me."Dimitri was about to say something
when a deep, rumbling growl seemed to issue forth from the walls surrounding
them. A great tremor shook the floor, sending stray debris skittering. He
leaped to his feet, panic only a prey species could exhibit in his dark eyes."W-what the hell is that?!"Elsewhere Milo and Kay's
flashlights flickered out and plunged them in utter darkness. Even the light
pollution trickling in from the windows was swallowed. Kay screamed. Milo tried
to find her in the darkness to calm her.Several corridors away Luis found
himself knocked off balance when the whole building suddenly jumped
beneath him. The bottle rolled from his hand to knock against the crook of a
doorway.With a groan he pushed himself up.
Sitting back on his haunches he rubbed his jaw. Before his eyes total darkness
gave way to pale moonlight which filtered in through the clouded windows.
Within the deep black beyond something moved. The shadows rippled like
water against a snake's hide. A gurgling hiss met his ears. Four slatted
eyes glimmered like the void itself within that thick black. His heart leaped,
his breath sticking in his throat.He staggered to his feet, orange
eyes wide as saucers. The heavy thud of steel-toed boots behind him had him
turning just in time to be struck upside the head. He hit the floor limp as a
bag of potatoes. Dust billowed up around him, intersecting with the
tangible darkness swirling about his attacker's feet.The man was tall, easily over six
foot. He was clad in all black and a hooded trench coat. Within his gloved hand
was an axe, the blunt end of which had just been introduced to his victim's
skull. He turned slightly as he observed what lie beneath him. His face was
hidden by a black and white mask which resembled a dragon's skull. The only
indication of his species was the long feline tail flicking out from
beneath his coat; silvery gray with an exotic black pattern.He dropped the axe and it crashed
to the floor beside the downed cat. Luis stirred, moaning, and the Killer fell
upon him. Taking a fistful of the tabby's head fur he slammed the smaller
male's skull into the floor, over and over again until he lie still.Beyond them the darkness writhed,
hissing deeply in hunger. False moonlight shone against the unseen thing's
huge, scaly hide, arched and serpentine. The scrape of its body against the
ceiling tiles drew a rain of debris and dust.A short sprint away stood
Terrance, horror scrawled across his face. He stood petrified until a
massive pointed reptilian visage broke from the shadows.His body reacted before his mind
did. He didn't look to see where he was going. His foot collided with a stack
of wood and debris and sent him sprawling to the floor. Planks toppled over,
the noise singing down the hall and drawing the Killer's attention.The black figure
stood. His white mask was stark against the shadows which seemed to
bleed from his very being. With the smoothness of a born predator he moved.
Terrance stared up at the Killer's mask, body threatening to lock up from fear.In the background the monster
descended upon Luis. It snagged his arm within its jagged mouth and
dragged him back into the darkness. There came a sickening ripping, popping
noise and Luis let out a blood-curdling scream.As if broken from a trance
Terrance leapt at the sound, throwing himself down the hall at full sprint.The Killer almost went after him,
pausing upon the distinctive hiss issuing behind him. The creature's
voice was barely audible above the screaming."Come here..."He spun back around, disappearing
within the shadows.Terrance kept on running. He ran
until his abused body would no longer cooperate and he fell into a brisk walk
instead. He didn't notice Sadie and Dimitri on his way toward the stairs beyond
them. His scraggly tail was looking much bushier than usual."Hey! What happened!?" Dimitri
called after him.He bounced toward him, muscles
tight as wires. Terrance gazed back at him, his grip tight upon the rail and
one foot on the stairs."We heard screaming," the rabbit
continued, "Who was screaming? Did you see?""It was Luis." Terrance finally
rasped. "Someone--something attacked him."Sadie gasped, a hand to her mouth.
She didn't bother to wait, she turned tail and took off down the hall. Dimitri
didn't notice. He was too stunned by what he'd just heard. Chills crept up his
spine."What do you mean? What attacked
him!?""I don't know what it was."Terrance turned and began
ascending the stairs toward the door which would lead him out of this place.
Dimitri followed as if drawn by a cord."Was it an animal?""I said I don't know. It was a
person and something else, it wasn't any kind of animal I know of."He reached the door
and shoved it open, revealing nothing but a deep black void beyond.
Already stepping out, he nearly toppled forward into it. Dimitri caught
him by the back of his hoodie. There was a faint tearing noise and Terrance
lurched back into the building. He tripped over himself and the hare, falling
against the back wall.Dimitri and Terrance stared back
at each other for a moment, both in stunned silence. Dimitri turned toward the
door, to the nothingness beyond, holding his head in his hands."What?" he breathed, "Where...is?"Nothing could fill the silence,
now. Nothing could soothe the icy terror which gripped both their hearts. As
far as they knew the world as they knew it had been ripped out from under
them. For several breathless seconds neither of them could do anything but
stare uncomprehendingly.Terrance scrambled to his feet and
rushed up the stairs beside him. Where he was going, neither of them could
guess.Only then did Dimitri realize
Sadie's absence. He called out for her, descending the stairs once more to try
to find her. His voice echoed down the halls, but there was no response.