by chrisjander » Mon Jul 23, 2018 2:30 am
After the draconic divinity left the apartment, Stephen’s eyes returned to normal. Still covered in sweat from running, and shaking with fear and anxiety, he closes the door and covers his face with his hands. He glances back at the door, notice it was still intact… “So it was a dream?” he thought aloud.
“Dream or not, at its core it was real. What else do you think this night will reveal?” came a voice from on top of a bookcase. Chess was there, flicking a tail idly as he lounged. He turned his intelligent eyes and grin on Stephen. “Blood be on your face, so I must ask. Why wear you such a gruesome mask?”
Stephen looked startled as he looked down on his hands, still covered in blood. He started shaking again, and went to the bathroom to wash off his hands and face. His shirt was also covered in blood, so he threw that into the trash. He looked into the mirror at his haggard face and almost screamed when he saw something behind him in the mirror. A batlike face with an inhuman mouth filled with fangs topped a body gaunt with the exception of a distended belly. Black rubbery skin covered its body and its hands ended in cruel looking claws. It stared at Stephen in the mirror with hate filled eyes.
Stephen whipped around quickly in horror to find nothing but emptiness behind him. Turning back to the mirror there was nothing but his apartment. “What the hell was that thing?! What is happening to me?” he asked. He saw something in the corner of his eye and looked to the tub, where he saw Cheshire perched on the edge, cleaning his paws. “And what are you?”
Cheshire regarded his new emissary with amusement,
“Surely remember you your dreams?
The monster who stalks you, eyes agleam?
Your word you gave me, assurances given
Your life is mine, my precious Stephen
And so the monster is kept at bay
The mirror reminds you, lest you betray
Your word to me, as I have fulfilled
my end of the bargain, my will instilled”
Chess jumps down and rubs himself on Stephen’s legs, looking up at him with possessive eyes.
“A choice you have with the power given
The monster no longer controls you Stephen
So what will you do, now you have the strength
And the power to affect your fate, at length?
Stephen shakes his head, not quite believing that he’s talking to a cat, but a lot of fucked up things had happened tonight already. “Maybe I’m in shock,” he thinks. He splashed more water on his face. He grabs a shirt from a dirty pile on the couch and wrestles it on. His eyes on the cat, he heads out the door for a walk to clear his head. Chess follows, veiled to everyone except him. As he exits and gets to the top of the stairs outside his apartment, he stops in front of two police officers, just as startled as he at his appearance. One had his hand on the holster of his gun at his hip, the other addressed him directly, she asked, “Sir, would you come with us please? You were seen running from the scene of a crime and we would like to ask you some questions.”
“Am I under arrest?” he stammers, his bloodshot eyes not meeting hers, a quaver still in his voice.
“Not if you come willingly with us now,” she says, putting a hand on her cuffs at her waist. Stephen noticed a tension in both officers. He could see the blood pulsing at their necks, hear the pounding of their hearts. “That’s really unsettling,” he thought.
“Ah… okay, okay,” he manages. The officers escort him to a squad car and head to the station. Chess hops in right before the door is closed and settles himself in Stephen’s lap, purring contentedly.