Tuesday Tales - Year

 

Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This week's word prompt is “year”. We are back with my new Sci-Fi story. 

Be sure to check out the other Tuesday Tales by clicking here!

Dani stared at him for a long moment. Instead of high tailing it out of there, she took a step towards him. Yes, whatever hovered over him terrified her.  Her vision blurred and her head swam. 

She wasn’t going to leave without him. 

She stepped over the poor… She paused for a second to refocus her gaze. The poor guy. It was definitely a man. She steadied her feet and kept going. She grew closer to Ezra and whatever skimmed the murals above them. 

She saw the blur that shot out of the creature a split second before the collision. It didn’t necessarily hit her. Instead, she felt it pop inside her brain, an intense pressure that was there then not leaving a tiny, pulsing migraine in its wake. What just happened to her? She blinked as she felt it settle inside her, leaving her with the sense that she was definitely no longer alone. 

A hiss from the circulation desk brought her attention back to the scene before her. It was accompanied by the clatter of sharp, quick clicking. It sounded like one of those ancient telegraph machines running out of control. Ezra no longer sat dormant on the desk. While he was still cross legged, his back and neck now arched in an unnatural position. His fingers flexed in an almost fist and his teeth were gritted. His face twisted in agony. 

Whatever just happened to her must have angered the swirly cloud monster. The tapping sound drifted away even though they were clearly still there. They were replaced with a soft, almost child-like voice. 

“Who is this? This little one who thinks she is so brave. Year after year you bring me these poison soaked, leathery corpses. Where have you been hiding this tasty morsel?”

Dani frowned. Did she just imagine that the thing talked and it sounded like a seven-year-old? 

Her scowl disappeared and her eyes widened when Ezra choked out a warning. “Leave her alone. Touch her and I promise I’ll destroy you.”

He whimpered as the voice responded. “You’ve tried for more than a decade to get rid of me. How has that gone for you?”