Burdens - Chapter 20: Horror
#20 of Burdens
boop.
Chapter 20: Horror
The silent chattering ceased. The screen turned black except for the obvious light that reflected off of it. The lights were not quite all the way out, but enough that the screen took all of the attention.
A bright light flashed onto the screen, signaling that the previews were starting. The fox sipped a bit of his drink through the straw, then gave a glance over at the wolf. For the most part, he seemed to be enthralled by the previews. Perhaps he did not have a chance to watch too many movies.
The previews went by, showing movies that the fox was not really interested in, but Hunter seemed to be interested in every single one of them. His eyes darted from side to side of the screen, taking in everything there was to offer. He looked like he was ready to leap from his seat and into the previews.
The screen turned dark again. Roger could feel the wolf settle back down into his seat. He had been so tense and with every motion, the fox could feel him brush against his arm or his leg or his side. The seats were not exactly small, but not large either. Still, the wolf was large and his stance was larger, causing him to have almost consistent contact with the fox.
Roger did not mind. It was almost the same thing that would happen in every theater he had been in. Usually there was some overweight fur that would sit next to him, or someone that liked to keep their legs somewhat apart. It was not uncommon at all.
Yet he had never sat next to someone doing that of which he held such guilt. Every motion reminded him of his presence, causing his fur to tingle slightly and his blood to rush. He felt himself blushing and he placed his tail on his lap to let his paws have something to keep them occupied.
The movie began ever so slowly, fading into a dreary, rainy, desolate building. It seemed worn down, indeed a miracle that it was able to stand in the torrential storm it seemed to be in. It was made of wood and the wood had blackened over what looked to be scars from a fire. There was movement on the inside of it and the soft cry of a child.
The wolf peered intently at the scene. He was immediately absorbed, fascinated by all that it was, as empty as it was. Roger tried to figure out what was so interesting about the scene, nothing interesting had even happened as of yet. Still, he could feel the wolf tense back up, as if awaiting something. Perhaps he was waiting for something to pop out. It seemed to be that kind of movie.
The camera panned into the broken building and there was the child, crying. One could not see the events unfolding in front of him, merely shadows of what was cast by the simulated lightning. It seemed a monster was in front of him, of some sort. It was large, hunched over, and was apparently tearing something apart, though it was impossible to really tell for sure, aside from the many hints.
The child continued crying, but a light came by. Apparently the police had been searching the area. They shined the light on the child, and then where the monster was. A "Oh my God," was heard, and then a close up of the child's face, and then it was the next scene. The fox pursed his lips. He had seen better scenes in movies that had less money put into them. A famous name still brings more crowds, he figured.
The wolf calmed down when the next scene came. It was bright, in contrast to the dark picture before. There was green grass, next to a building of which appeared to be a hospital of sorts. It briefly showed the exterior, then resumed to follow the child's progress through the story.
Roger took his eyes away from the screen for a moment and notice that the wolf had been gripping onto the armrest. He looked back at the movie, and it was still at a peaceful portion. He sipped on his drink a little bit more.
He found the snack the wolf had wanted, somehow still in his possession. He tentatively put a paw on the wolf's arm, felt it ease, and them proffered the treat. Hunter looked at it, confused for a moment, excited, took it, and proceeded to continue watching the movie, maintaining his enthrallment. Roger shrugged.
The movie came in a typical pattern of calm and sudden shock. With each surprise moment the wolf had jumped in his seat a little and cowered, curling up and attempting to hide. Roger could swear he could hear him whimper amidst the roar of the special effects in the theater. He felt bad for the wolf.
The monster made its first appearance in the movie. It was malformed and vicious looking, dripping with unknown amounts of blood from unknown sources. It had large strings of slime that came from its enlarged jaw, with teeth sharper than razors and claws to match. It was bulky and lanky at the same time, hunched over, breathing its hoarse breath upon the protagonist. It misted in front of them in a slightly red tint.
Roger looked over in time to see the wolf's reaction. His ears folded immediately, he withdrew, and he shut his eyes, clenching them to keep all lights and appearances out. His paws had gone to his ears, and he hid himself. He seemed to shake in his chair. He was terrified. The fox knew he had made a mistake in his movie choice.
He did not know what to do. He moved a paw tentatively, hesitating to touch the wolf. It did not seem like the right thing to do, yet at the same time it felt it was. If it was for the sole purpose of consoling his friend, then it was fine, right? He ran through the ideas a few times in his head, the constant view of the wolf shuddering in the char urging him to proceed.
He placed his paw on the wolf's shoulder, lightly at first, but increased pressure gradually. The wolf seemed too petrified to react, and then finally the fox decided to change his method.
He pulled the wolf over with both arms, and then gave him an awkward hug, whispering, "Shh," in his ear softly. "It's okay," he would say, and it seemed to help. The wolf relaxed a bit, opened his eyes, still staring at the screen.
Hunter then put his own arms around the fox, held him tightly, almost painfully, as he worked his way through the movie.
The fox felt trapped again. He hesitantly patted the wolf on the back, and sat with his back arched uncomfortably as the wolf's arm was in the way of him sitting fully in the chair. He sighed, but he figured this was a better alternative.
Eventually he just let his arm rest on the wolf. The movie was nearly through. The monster had terrorized the citizens long enough. They were after it now, rifles in hand, the child having grown up. They fought their way to the broken down house.
Roger looked down at the wolf, who had held him for at least half an hour now. His back was sore, but he was sure the wolf was no more comfortable. Every so often he had removed an arm to take a drink of whatever he had, eat whatever was given, but it returned to being wrapped around the fox.
The fox's drink had been finished. His bladder alerted him that it did not particularly enjoy the situation he was in.
All things considered, he did not mind having the wolf close to him. He felt warm. Not the wolf, but the fox. His heart beat strongly as he looked at the wolf endearingly. He smiled softly to himself, in the darkness where no one could see. He returned to the movie.
The monster was gone. It was dead and the citizens rejoiced. Still, something seemed to nag the now-grown child.
The scene changed. It was years in the future. The protagonist now had a child of his own. All seemed well, yet unbeknownst to the protagonist, a shadow lurked nearby, looming, only seen by his offspring. There was a shudder in the sound effects, and then the screen turned to black. The monster had not truly died.
The lights began to glow softly as the credits began to roll. The wolf did not let go of the fox, and the fox secretly did not want him to, but knew that he should.
He petted the wolf's back, and gave him a soft hug before signaling that he should get up. The wolf realized what he was doing, no longer mystified by the movie, and quickly released the fox, sitting back up abashedly. He murmured several apologies. The fox assured him that it was fine.
They got up and took their trash. As they walked out, the fox thought to himself that no, the monster was not truly dead.