I quickly told my subs goodbye, thanked them for their contributions, and tossed my headphones on the desk. The room was mostly dark; the LED lights and computer were still flickering.
Again, the red light flashed, and this time I saw it come through the gap in the blackout curtains.
I stepped closer, watching the light turning on and off at weird intervals.
Was there a railroad crossing around here?
I pulled back the curtain quickly, and two large red circles stared back at me. They were bright, yet not enough to blind me, and with the window's reflection, I saw it wasn't a lamppost or a crossing but a freaking animal. I could only see the shoulders and the head that perched on top of them. Four claws, leaving deep gouges in the wood, gripped tightly, while two feathery antennae swayed from its head.
I sucked in a breath… it tilted its head, and I screamed.
It chittered as its claws scrambled to hold on to the windowpane. While there was glass separating us, I could hear those cries of, “What the hell?” coming from it.
Me too, pal!
I screamed again as its claws clicked at the window ledge. I tried to get my other claw to reach the ledge for a better grip but missed. Instead, the sharp point ran down the window, giving it a high pitch scratch down the glass.
I tripped on some clothes, a tangled mess underfoot, and the world spun before I slammed into the bookshelf. The shelvesbehind me wobbled. As the scene unfolded, I backed away, paralyzed with panic at what was about to happen.
Because the books and figurines were piled so high, they would inevitably come crashing down.
And I watched in slow motion with my hands held out as if I could do something magical to stop the madness.
“No!!” I cried out, and not one but two of my bookshelves went crashing to the floor.
I pressed my hands on either side of my head and gritted my teeth. “It's gonna get it now!” I grabbed the wand that rolled to my feet and went to the window. “I’m gonna jab those red eyes right out!”
By the time I reached the window, the red-eyed creature was nowhere to be found. In a moment of frustration, I let my shoulders droop and slammed the wand down. “Did that really just happen?”
I stomped down the stairs, wondering where Harlow was. Surely she’d heard that? She wasn’t due to stream until later. She had ahigher load of subs, so she didn’t have to put in as many hours as I did.
I growled, ready to spill what just happened and how there was a burglar, a weird animal, a stalker sub… OR maybe a monster at my windowsill.
I paused.
Ooooh! Maybe itwasa monster. I rubbed my hands together. That would be pretty cool.
I wonder if it was fuckable? Because with the recent announcements from NASA saying that the aliens in space were not fuckable, monsters were the only thing that was left.
First, we would have to find out if it could talk, had a mind of its own to decide, because we weren’t doing animals here. No, sir.
I continued down the stairs. A familiar voice echoed down the hall, and I began my catty growl in the back of my throat.
“Is that you, Kassie? Come on down here! Mayor Hollow is here checking up on us. Isn’t that sweet?”
Mayor Hollow, my nemesis.
He kept wanting to make small talk yesterday at the grocery store, and I wasn’t having it. I just wanted to shop, not talk about the weather or the bylaws. I already read them.
1. Stay out of the forest.
2. Come to the parties.
Now leave me alone.
As I stepped into the kitchen, there was a fancy teapot on the table, filled with coffee—because Harlow doesn’t like tea. There was a whole carton of cream because you could never have too much, and sugar cubes nearly toppled over one of the cups.
Harlow smiled and waved me in. “You must have won! I heard you jumping up and down up there!”
