Monster's Theory

He tried shrugging it off as she walked past. The blonde nodded her salutations and continued on her way. But where could she be coming from? The bathrooms were in the other direction. And even more importantly; why was she wearing talkies while indoors? Slops were the standard here. Didn't she get given any?

Jared shook his head. The last thing needed was another goose chase. So with that thought, the nurse aide dumped himself onto his swivel chair and wheeled himself in.

However, confusion struck as foreign credentials stared back his way. Liam K. Shannon the monitor read. That was the alleged rapist, was it not? Why would his profile be on display? Something he accidentally pressed when he stood up perhaps?

The chair slid over to the adjoining desk before agile hands unhooked the telephone. Further down the corridors and a few meters off a right turn, an extension rang off polished walls. A police officer was quick to answer it.

"Officer Lewis speaking."

"Lewis, it's Jared here," echoed the receiver. "I got a little strange activity going on this side. It's probably nothing but I thought to check; everything cool where you are?"

The guard made a one-eighty and peered through the indoor windows. The patient lay comatose, same position as always. "Yup. Nothing worth reporting." He turned and leaned against the wall before continuing; "Why? Something I should know?"

"Nah... Nah. I think I'm just getting a little paranoid," he answered. "This place can get a little creepy at night. Irks me a little," he confessed. "Do me a favour though. There might be a girl heading your way. Blonde, pretty, has these long legs. Trust me; you'll know her when you see her."

"Uh-huh. Sounds hard to miss," the officer remarked, scanning up and down their corridors. "What's her deal?"

"That's the thing. I'm not so sure. Something's just off about her. Might not belong here. Find out for me, would you?"

The line was cut on that note. Lewis regarded his watch partner, nodding off in his seat. Couldn't blame him. Nothing ever happened here. A light kick to the chair jolted its occupant awake. "Rise n' shine Ralphie. We're getting company."

"We never have company," the balding cop yawned. "Why do we care anyway? I thought our designation was to make sure the kid never ran off. Who gives a damn who comes by?"

"Our job is to ensure no-one unauthorized gets in or out," he corrected. "That includes this girl that has night watch so spooked."

"Yeah? And what's so special about her? She step outta 'The Ring' or something?"

"Guess we're about to find out," Heads up."

And sure enough, fur blew their direction, rolling across the floor in its multitudes. It spread the distance with a wind that could not be felt, drenching their feet in a sea of blue. But neither men seemed to take notice. Their only interest was the girl making her approach.

A high pitch whistle emanated from Ralph. "Would you look at that piece of work. I swear, if I wasn't wearing a uniform..." A light slap to the back of his head told him to behave.

"What?! Look at her, she has to be legal. Especially while carrying around a rack like that."

"Just try not to ogle, okay?" Lewis moved to block the path, hands placed authoritatively on his belt. "Morning Miss. A minute of your time, if you'd be so kind."

"I don't have that long," she frowned, coming to a stop some paces away.

The second officer gave an amused snort. "And where's your rush at this hour?" he mused, pushing himself off the chair. "Girls your size are all wetting their beds for the second time this night."

Green eyes drifted to the door they guarded, then looked back at him. "My caretaker gave me fifteen minutes and I'm left with three. You're in the way."

"Where. To?" Lewis challenged. Who did she think she was to dismiss them so quickly?

A pale hand came up and pointed towards the door. "There."

Ralph burst into laughter as Lewis furrowed his brows in confusion. "Miss. Do you even know who's in there?"

"Yes."

"And you know what he's done?"

"Liam wouldn't harm a fly."

The officer paused and ran analysis. She seemed far too calm. Almost detached in a way. Yet at the same time, dead serious. "Well then. It's unfortunate that neither of us gets to decide on his verdict." A rough hand stretched out towards her. "Mind if I see some ID?"

"I don't carry it on me."

"I meant your patient's tag. Surely you carry one of those."

Just then, fur blew up into the air and whirled around at a near violent pace.

The suspect cocked her head to the side. "And why would you want that?"

"Because someone that matters thinks you shouldn't be here," Lewis stated. "Now. How smoothly this exchange goes is entirely at your prerogative. What do ya' say?"

The patient dropped her gaze to the surface before her. Locks of bleach blonde hair followed suit, covering her eyes and only leaving a downcast smile with dimples visible. "... Why does it always have to degenerate to this?" she whispered, as if to herself.

Officer Lewis gave his wingman a subtle nod. Ralf acted accordingly, stepping forward with cuffs drawn. "This ain't personal sweetie. Between me and you, I think we can agree on a few settlement terms later."

"Ralph..."

A sheepish grin was thrown back. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Relax. Sheesh. You'd think a cop could enjoy the perks of-..."

Without warning, the man in uniform got flung into the air by an unseen force. His back slammed savagely against ceiling tiles, before plummeting back down unconscious.

The scene unfolded in slow motion before Lewis' eyes. The dust floating through the air. The blood droplets, concrete shards, and his friend tumbling through the atmosphere. All torn up and barely recognisable. He could only watch in horror as his partner was once again rammed into the walls before he even touched the ground. Cracks spread from the point of impact, onto the window, door frame, ceiling, floor tiles, dropping plaster as the ruptures fanned.

"What the fuck! What the fuck, what the fuck, what the actual fuck!" The remaining policeman stumbled back nearly tripping over himself. Who the hell was this girl? "Who the hell are you?!"

A moment of clarity snapped within him. He wasn't exactly defenseless here, was he? In desperation; a revolver made it out into the open and pointed down the hallway. His grip was anything but steady.

Slabs of concrete fell off the wall, crashing all around the newly deceased. Dust particles and strands of fur littered the air between them. A flickering light bulb hung from a cord, swinging back and forth across the carnage.

"Stay right where you are, you hear me?! Don't you fucking move!"

The girl raised both hands in compliance. Not a sound came out. The man on the other hand, was beyond delirious. "What... What did you do?" he asked. "I said what the fuck did you do?!"

"That wasn't me."

"Do not fuck with me!" he warned, popping the hammer and taking better aim. A fresh wet patch decorated his pelvis. Tears of panic dribbled down his cheeks. "I swear I'll end you. I don't care if you are a child. I wouldn't care if you were fresh outta the uterus! I will end you!"

Blonde hair fanned about as she shook her head in disagreement. "That might not be such a good idea."

"On the contrary! I think I'd get off pretty damn easy considering the circumstances."

"That's not what I'm talking about." A takkie trekked forward onto cracked rubble as open palms lowered to her front. "You don't understand what's at play here. For both our sakes, put it away."

The cop retreated a step for the one she took. He wasn't even trying to hear her. "Move just one more time bitch. Give me a reason." His eyes darted between the murderer and the victim beneath her. Remnants of a man he'd spent a decade of his life working alongside. "The fuck does she think she is...?"

The shivering stopped. His grip curled tighter as everything outside his sights turned to a blur. "I'm begging you, damnit. Just do it. Just one more step."

A thud vibrated as a blur momentarily shimmered between his gun and its target. Fur whirled all through the corridors, as if patiently waiting for something to happen. Waiting for someone to move. That patience was not shared by the aggrieved. "Fuck this," he swore. "Step or no step; You don't get to walk out of here intact."

His sights magnified as the trigger submerged all the way back. "Die!"

The girl's eyes widened in realisation. "No, wait!"

A flash of light.

Drops of maroon.

And millions of mechanical bits dispersed through the air.

A shockwave sent the officer rocketing through midair. Tiles shattered as he hit the ground spinning. His body rolled all the way down the corridors, knocking a flower stand into oblivion as he skid across the floor.

And the girl? She just stood there unharmed, watching the fruits of her presence unravel. She was not smiling. "I told you to wait."

"You would have been shot."

"And whose fault do you think that is?!" she fumed. Chelsie advanced and stared up at the monster responsible. "None of this would have happened if you weren't so bloodthirsty!"

Mounted on fists and feet, a beast, much akin to a gorilla, stared back down. So massive in size, it could barely fit within the hallway. Azure coloured fur, thicker than wool. How it saw past all those layers masking its vision was a mystery.

The monster donned a red and black scarf, branded in glowing tribal patterns. The cloth reached from the edges of its massive shoulders, twisting around its mane and wrapping all the way up to cover its mouth.

Strands of fur showered the floor when it raised a hand. A single used bullet lay within a bare palm. "I do what I must," it replied in an oddly civil baritone.

The sound of lead echoed against stone with each bounce. An unsteady buzz of a failing bulb rang in the background. Then started the distant footsteps. But a few seconds later, they weren't so distant.

Not a microsecond was wasted. Chelsie bolted straight into room twenty-two and slammed the door. A fur covered hand reinforced it while she went for the blinds. As soon as they shut, another palm eclipsed those too.

Doorways meant nothing to him. The figment simply didn't use them. Chelsie always found him materialised where she needed him. Like right now; knelt down and holding both entrance points closed.

With a heavy sigh Chelsie Hamilton slowly turned from the inner window and faced the bed. Dim as the room was, she could still make Liam out. He lay unconscious with an oxygen mask strapped over his face. Multiple IVs ran into his arm, even more than she usually dealt with.

With a mind of their own, two feet stepped around a thick hairy arm. Green eyes never left the patient though. Two fingers trailed the railing at the foot the bed as she crossed to the far side.

"I suppose this is the part I say sorry, huh?" she started, slowing to a halt at his side. "Where I'm also supposed to say thanks. This would mark the third time you've saved me after all."

Chelsie brushed strands of loose blonde hair behind an ear before sitting down on the covers. "You were always so... impulsive to that effect. Always disregarding your own safety in the name of my wellbeing. Even when it was to your own detriment."

Fingers lightly trailed up his cold cheek, then her whole hand cupped it in an almost affectionate manner. "Well what if I told you that you that you weren't doing me any favours? That maybe... what happened a few days ago on my balcony wasn't really an accident?"

Her fingers moved around the bands holding his breathing mask in place. They travelled up into his spiky hair and played with it. "Truth is; there was never anything wrong with the railing. It didn't fall apart 'cause it was old or because I placed too much pressure on a week point..."

The previous footsteps were unmistakable now. Multiple pairs of boots hammered down the hallway. Muffled voices could be heard not far off, raising in decibels with each passing moment.

"Dumping life support was not out of my usual stupidity either. I know I can't do without it. As I sit here, I already feel the repercussions taking their toll."

A change in rhythm outside meant they had found the bodies. Shadows flashed past the covered interleading window as people dashed down towards her other victim. But she never made an effort to hurry. Instead, her hand found his unresponsive one and intertwined itself.

"Ever tried committing suicide, Liam? Ever had reason to?" She asked with a cracking voice. "I can attest. It's... It's not easy. Especially if you're a coward like me. Ending it all while conscious is a fucking chore."

Doors could be heard opening and shutting, along with the panicked shrieks of already startled patients. Shadows appeared beneath room twenty-two's entrance, blocking off the passageway light. The door knob twisted, but the door itself refused to budge. Try as they might, they had no idea of the force on the other side holding it in place.

The furry ape looked back through fur covered eyes and gave her a nod. Chelsie withdrew her hand and stood back up. "If even the smallest part of your subconscious can hear me, then I want you to know that I'm genuinely sorry," she continued. "My death was supposed to be a private affair. I had it all planned out."

Her feet swiveled around and took her to the window. Through the glass, one could take in how high up they were. The buildings themselves were a solid example of artistic architecture. No sharp edges, not a distinguishable brick. More glass than concrete. More grass than tar. Floodlights illuminated the premises and further down, they lit up snow coated helipads. And there, her family butler could be seen, standing in the cold, checking his pocket watch.

"I know you'll hate me for this but... But I asked a certain blue monster of mine to kill me the second I drifted out of consciousness. Make it look like an accident," confessed the intruder. "At least that way, I go out on my own terms and not that of this... this useless body I'm stuck with."

Thuds resounded from the door, harder and harder with each next attempt. But the blue beast held fast with no complaints. Suddenly, the crack of shattering glass made itself known. Shards flew into the room and showered the floor. Someone had an emergency axe, and was making good use of it. One good thrust would easily impale the large hand holding the blinds in place.

Chelsie gave her oversized acquaintance a worried look. It just glanced back over its scarf covered shoulder and grunted.

"Liam. I wish I had the confidence to tell you all this while you were awake." She approached the patient again, this time with a key in hand. "Then again, with all these pills and injections I'm taking; I very well might not feel this way tomorrow."

A knee placed itself on the mattress as she reached for his hand. "The only consistent feeling I have is regret. Regret that you saw me like that. More than anything, I needed you to leave. Wish you had run. Made an exit using our usual secret routes." A sob escaped while she placed the key inside his left palm and curled his fingers shut. "Now look at you..."

A pain filled grunt rumbled from the beast. A much louder one followed. Glass shattered in earnest as an axe repeatedly drove through the window. Shards littered the floor in their glittering beauty. But the ape refused to move. Not without her command.

A war cry was heard coming from the other side as the axe broke through the remaining glass. That voice. Why did it sound so familiar? She wasn't waiting to find out.

"We're done here," she called out. "Time to leave!" The beast wasted no time following orders. It backed away with speed faster than its size should allow. In one fell swoop, its master was hoisted off the ground and held against its shoulder. In that split second, when she clung onto the scarf, something caught her interest. A doll seated upon a clock on the far wall. It came in the form of a fairy. So realistic, it looked. Almost as if it was staring her in the eyes. So much detail went into its angelic wings, it's fingers, it's frown. But then... it's head turned away.

"No wait! Rovas! Hold on a sec...!"

A body burst through the blinds, ripping them to the floor as he rolled and stood up. Two metres to his right, boots literally kicked the door in. Splinters rained throughout the room as men in gear stormed in.

Vincent paid them little mind. He let go of the axe, dropping it to his feet. Blue blood splattered where it landed, but again, nobody seemed to care. Least of all him. No, all he wanted to ensure his son's safety.

The patient's father scanned the room, searching for anything out of the ordinary. But aside from the damage they had already inflicted, nothing stood out. Liam lay still resting on his bed, as if recent events were irrelevant to him.

"Nothing," a security officer announced. "All this noise and drama to come up with nothing. Maybe we got the wrong room?"

"We didn't," Vincent objected. Glass crumbled beneath his boots with every strategic step towards the window. He moved mindful of the officers and security guards surveying the scene.

"Hey, Vince?" another called out. "Maybe you should leave the rest to us. Can't be easy seeing him like this."

The suggestion went ignored. He knew she was here just a few moments back. She had to have been. Lest the voices he heard were all just paranoia. But where could she have vanished to?

He suspected that open window told more of a story than it let on. In a room with air conditioning, why leave it ajar? Especially on a night as particularly cold as this? Palms were placed on a freezing window sill.

It was vibrating. Those vibrations soon spread to the windows and walls. Then started the rattling, in tune to the sound of rotaries making their ascent.

Vincent looked on as a mammoth sized, dual propeller helicopter woke up the neighborhood. A mixture of snow and sleet blew their way, forcing them to take cover. He dared a peek as the Chinook rose past. Red and blue lights flashed beneath it, illuminating the Hamilton insignia plastered to the underside.

She was there. She had to be. God alone knows how the child did it, but he refused to classify this feat as beyond her capacity.

A scorching rage seeped its way into his blood. Casualties of two grown and well trained men. To think someone that capable had time alone with his defenceless son.

Elsewhere in the room, a fairy watched the spectacle in silence. The police dogs sniffing out the perimeter. The nurses evacuating their patient. The officer convincing the father to leave.

All this, the fairy watched in silence. A silver key lay in it's lap. What it was for, what doors it opened, he knew not. But if two lives had to be lost to make this delivery, then it had to be important.

For now. He would sit here... And wait.

**********

End of Act IV

To be continued? I don't know. You tell me. How did you find it? Any kind of criticism is much appreciated. Especially considering that I don't have an editor nor is English a first (or even second) language of mine. I'm really just writing blind.

So please leave a comment. But if you just can't, thanks for even having the patience to stick with it this far.

Have an epic day / night (depending on your time zone),

CR