She Who Sees

The elevator jolted down, prompting a yelp from its sole inhabitant. The woman’s hand clutched the rail, and she caught her dead-eyed reflection staring back through the mirror. Dark circles covered her eyes and she counted four wrinkles on her forehead. She sighed. A loud clank snapped her attention back and she saw the elevator doors jamming open. Just as she exited, the doors slammed shut behind her. She glanced back, wondering what would have happened if she was one second slower. “Fuckin’ cheapskate,” she cursed the stingy landlord and shitty apartment. Nearing her unit, the hallway reeked of rotten wood. Honestly, how much could it cost to just fix things around here?

Before her door, Aviana fought back a sigh and straightened her shoulders then entered. A child’s boisterous laughter and a teenager’s cry welcomed her, “Ms. Viotto! I told you I had a date tonight.” The teenager, who wore her hair down today and adorned a fleece white sweater on top purposeful-ripped jeans and gray shoes, strode over. She scrunched her nose as she came close, “Smoking again?”

“Sorry Sophia. Work kept me overtime.” Aviana opened her purse and handed a fifty and a ten dollar note, “I’ll pay you extra.” Sophia grabbed the money and threw the door closed behind her.

A little girl ran down the hall screaming, “Mommy!” then fell flat on her face. The girl picked her head up and built up her tears like a dam about to burst. Her mother rushed over and clung her daughter to her chest, patting her back. “It’s okay Mia, don’t cry. You’re okay.”

That prevented the crying but not the sniffling into her chest. Aviana nudged her daughter’s chin to look up at her and pushed the short black hair away from her hazel eyes. The cry dissipated and the frown grew into the cheeky smile, “cuddles?”

A smile crept onto Aviana, “Yes, cuddles.” She tightened her hug and pat the back of her giggling child. Her daughter’s small body warmed her chest after the cold walk home and with the hug, the day’s stress melted away. Only when Mia’s voice muffled from her chest did she pull her away and feign a frown, “what are you doing up little lady? It is hours past your bedtime. You know better.”

“It’s not my fault! Sophia said I could watch Delilah’s Adventure again.”

“Well, no more. Time to sleep.” She saw a whine breaking on top of her child’s lips and stopped her before it came out. “Why don’t I get you Mr Fuzz and if you’re a good girl, we’ll have pancakes tomorrow.” Her face lit up. “Only if you’re in bed in 5... 4… 3…” Aviana stopped counting and watched Mia dash to her room. She waited a few seconds then followed and by the time she reached the little girl’s room, she was feigning sleep under covers. Aviana let her grin widen and she placed Mr Fuzz, a fluffy teddy-bear, in her daughter’s hands.

With Mia in bed, hopefully sleeping, Aviana moved to the living room and slumped on the couch, but not before evading the litter of clothes and cheap plastic toys strewn about her living room. She felt a flush of irritation at the mess around her and wondered why she bothered to pay Sophia if she was to leave all this for her to come home to. But as quick as the thought came it dissipated, her tiresomeness winning over any residue of annoyance. Her eyelids weighed on her. She was about to let them transport her to sleep but was interrupted with Nova, her gray cat, plopping himself on her lap. She caressed Nova’s back while he entertained himself by biting every inch of his own tail. When she looked up her eyes caught the only part of the room untouched with not even a speck of dust, at least Sophia knew to keep that clean. It was a small round desk with a single, rose-decorated picture frame. Inside it, was a picture of herself holding Mia’s hands when she was three years old as they sat under the shade of a large oak tree and to Aviana’s left sat her late husband.

Aviana smiled solemnly. When he was around, they weren’t significantly better off but home was always clean and she never felt the bittersweet pangs in her chest as she does now. It was New Year’s Day when the photo was taken, they sat on a soft blanket and ate poorly made sandwiches Aviana had spent the morning scrambling together. The wedded couple laughed together and held each other as they tried getting their daughter to say, “Happy New Year,” but only succeeded in her racing around in circles shouting, “Happy Year!” The light flickered on and off and threw Aviana out of her memories. Assuming the need for a new bulb but pushing the thought aside, she let her eyes close and her mind drift off.

When she woke, the light had fully winked out and Nova slept with his teeth clutched on his tail. She let out a yawn, suppressing the groan for the need of a new bulb. Before she moved her cat off her lap though, from the corner of her eye, directly to her right, she saw in the dark hallway leading to her living room, peeking from around the corner, a figure.

Aviana froze. It had the vague shape of a human but definitely was not. As if on cue, awareness of the creature overwhelmed her senses. Her arms pricked on thorns. Its putrid, thick smell of rot and shit squirmed down the back of her throat into her settling in her stomach. She forcibly kept herself from heaving. Sweat stuck her shirt to her back and soaked her armpits. Half of the creature’s body stuck out from the corner, watching her and making no sound. It’s okay. She willed herself not to look at it. If she could avoid that, all will be fine as usual. But it stayed in the corner of her eye nonetheless. Its spindly, bone-thin arms reached past its knees almost touching the floor and its fingers were elongated with arrow-tip claws. Its flesh was a mouldy gray. The creature’s height touched the roof, or would have, for its head was snapped at a right angle barely held on its neck while the white, glazy eyes permeated through the darkness. Both it and her persisted in this frozen state of limbo.

It made the first move. It dropped to the floor like a squashed cockroach and hurled itself at Aviana stopping inches from her face. But she didn’t move a muscle. Even as its head jerked and the tongue slithered through its fanged teeth toward her face, she didn’t turn. Instead, she forced on a small smile and stilled her trembling hand by moving it up and down her sleeping cat’s back. The creature paused, then slunk to the opposite side of the couch, now only its head peeked above the armrest.

Besides her breathing and Nova’s purring, her home was ghost-quiet. The creature made no sounds and Aviana wondered if it even breathed. A creak cut through the silence. She held back a breath of fright and relief, perhaps the thing was leaving and she and her daughter would be safe. Then it dawned on her.

“Mommy?” A voice she’d always recognise cried out trembling, “I had a nightmare, are you awake?” Her head snapped to the right at her daughter, her eyes slightly above the creature. But it had no interest in the child and continued its stare at Aviana. With ruffled hair while rubbing her eyes, her daughter clutched Mr Fuzz and stood a metre from the creature.

Aviana steeled her voice from any trembling and replied, “I’m awake sweetie. Which you should not be, go to bed now.” She didn’t get up as her legs were jelly and she wondered if she even could.

Mia moved closer to the couch and the creature. “I can’t. I had a nightmare.” Her mouth turned upward into a smile, “Mommy cuddles!”

Its head twisted toward the child. Aviana’s heart stopped.

“Go to bed Mia.” Aviana masked her fear with a terse tone.

Her daughter stopped and scrunched her brow, “But Mommy, cuddl-”

“GO TO BED.” Her shout echoed through the room. Mia gripped her bear tighter and ran to her room. Faint crying seeped through the thin walls a moment later.

She winced as her cat’s claws dug into her thigh and she turned to pet her now-awake Nova when a second creature dropped inches from her on the opposite armrest. This one resembled a snake but scuttled on numerous centipede legs while its skin flaked off. Despite its look, it exuded a sickly-sweet aroma. The tightness in her neck loosened and the tension in her chest dispelled when the creature caught her gaze. She admired its dull red eyes and felt herself being drawn in when Nova dug into her thigh again. Aviana swung her head to him and feelings of terror doused her yet again.

The snakish creature crawled up her arm, each tiny leg pinched her as it settled on her shoulder. She felt its eyes bore into her and saw its rotten air sac below the mouth enlarge. Its voice gurgled as it belched its words, “wrong… .. very .. wrong…” Both creatures continued their glares from either side of her. She didn’t know what to do. She’d always ignored them, suffered the few seconds they arrived then exhale and continue her day. She’s never had eye contact with one of them. Her heart pounded against her chest and her breathing came shorter in rapid bursts. Every instinct told her to stay still, to not look at either monster but she already did and one of them, at least, knew it.

The snakish creature shook slightly then its whole body writhed and let out a deafening screech, Aviana fought the instinct to cover her ears. It scrambled to the first creature before the squirming stopped and it declared, “she… .. sees.”

The creature still on the armchair rose to its feet. Its body bent and looked down on her. This one’s voice scraped like fingers on a chalkboard, “Im…...possible..” Both things had their eyes fixated on her. She continued her petting and kept her gaze locked on Nova. “she… sees.. … .. not..”

It eased back to the armchair, the other did not. It continued scrutinising her for a moment longer then moved its eyes to Nova. “….. proof..” The snake-like creature shot forward and squirmed into her cat’s mouth. Nova thrashed with a yelp and his eyes pulled to the back of his head. A second later, erected himself on all fours as if hooked on puppet strings, nuzzled her thigh and let out a deep contorted meow.

Aviana kept the vile in the back of her throat and plastered on a sweet smile. “Are you okay? What was that?” She brushed the back of his head. The creature to her right rasped, “…she sees… .. not..”

The hallway creaked again and around the corner, hugging Mr Fuzz, Mia peeked. “I’m sorry mommy.”

“GO TO B-“

The snakish creature flung itself out of Nova’s mouth and into that of her daughter’s. Mia shrieked. “MIA!” Aviana leaped forward, Nova’s limp body falling to the floor, and grabbed her convulsing daughter.

The convulsion stopped and her daughter opened her mouth and out came a revolting cry, “Cuddles?” Aviana screamed and jumped back, hitting her back on something solid. The first creature loomed above her.

“she… .. … sees”

THE END