Fears

***

The fire spread quickly throughout the house. The fire was spreading quickly throughout the house and the heat was getting so intense that it was impossible to stay in one room for long. I had to jump aside as the flames came close to my face. The undead were outraged. An animal fear began to boil inside her. Being a blind creature, she couldn’t see the people approaching the house from outside the window. Only when she smelled them did she turn her head towards the window. A low, guttural growl came from her lips. In an instant, the window of the room she was standing in shattered, and there was the shattering of a bottle, followed by the sound of fire, which began to spread rapidly, throwing itself at things, growing stronger and bigger. — I hate you so much! — she snarled loudly, trying to sniff her way out with as few injuries as possible. The monster darted from side to side, hissing like a cat. It was eerie to hear the roar, the rumble, the way everything in the house turned over as it ran. Many people took a few steps back, some hiding behind those with stronger spirits. Grandmothers were reading spells, trying to help in some way, hoping to get the evil out of the way. Someone began to cry, either from fear or compassion for the creature that was now practically on fire and could not get out. It was getting harder and harder to breathe, the temperature had risen, the fire practically caressing bare skin. The fur on her black paws was partially burnt. Nothing would let them out, the windows were closed and would not give way to violent blows. The door, though it opened a few millimetres, would not let her out. And the fire kept coming, making her whimper and cling to life. — GRH! LET ME IN, YOU CREATURES! — The creature could no longer hold back and began to literally howl in pain, whimpering like a stray dog that had been forcibly taken from its former owners and was terrified of humans. — LET ME GO, DAMN IT! Stop praying! Clumsily opening the door a small crack, Nightmare grinned and stuck out a long grey tongue, glaring at those standing nearby. The fire pressed harder against the door, making some of them dizzy and nauseous. Gathering his strength, Nightmare began to push on the door, even though it was getting harder each time. Looking for other ways to get out, the girl began to flail around the house as soon as the door closed under the pressure of the people. The tears didn’t stay on her cheeks for long and rolled into the fire, evaporating halfway. There was a gradually increasing roar, mixed with infernal screams of pain. As the fire grew stronger, obscuring the creature’s view, the girl screamed with all her might, letting out a loud roar of pain.

***

Slowly, the building smouldered, consumed by the fire. An unpleasant smell hung in the air, causing some to turn up their noses. The water brought by the boys helped to put out the fire. There was a lot of smoke piling up, billowing upwards and dispersing somewhere out there. Some of the men walked away, no longer interested in tampering with what was left in the ashes. They didn’t want to see what the others would do. The other part of the crowd simply dispersed, leaving behind the painfully curious people who had decided to make sure it was finally over. The rubble was just in its place. No one was moving anything, it was all very quiet. There were birds and cows humming somewhere. When the house and its ashes were left to themselves, the people dispersed. Only a woman in her sixties stood there. She stared into space without moving, but something brought her back to the present. In a moment, her soul became so bitter... The woman decides to go over and find out where the creature is. Debris, beams, ashes, stones, something that had not melted from the house was still lying there. Grandma Sofya tore the ashes apart, even though someone might have looked at her like a crazy grandmother. But she was also understandable — she could have taken something valuable that had not been exposed to the fire. A body suddenly appeared in the ruins. Badly burned, mangled by the fire, it lay motionless in the ruins. Sparse hair, melted but still intact, covered its head and fell over its face. Its paws were hairless, the rough black skin worth touching. The woman stared at the body, trying to catch the slightest sign of life. Her heart pounded faster and her thoughts became confused. What if this monster woke up? What if its eyes opened and it pounced on her? The body seemed motionless. It lay there like a shapeless, menacing shadow, and yet something about its presence filled the woman with unspeakable fear. Her hand trembled slightly, but she dared not retreat — there was too much at stake. Suddenly, a faint rustle caught her attention. The woman froze, held her breath and listened intently. It seemed to be only a creature. Turning back to the creature, she checked to see if it was alive. A faint pulse, equally faint breathing, its back barely rising with each slow breath.

***

The large, heavy body settled uneasily on the bench by the stove, where a small fire was crackling cosily. Grandmother had increased the flame, but she was still wary of Nightmare, who lay motionless where she had been left. One paw dangled from the floor, the other rested on her belly, rising and falling in time with her infrequent breaths. Sophia slowly began to prepare a decoction of herbs, using the ointments she had on hand. She could not afford to just leave the monster to die — compassion was awakening even for this strong and terrifying creature that had recently threatened to destroy everyone. After a while, Sophia moved closer, leaving the plates on the table. Her attention was drawn to the wounds on her face and body… Not remaining indifferent, she made the house warmer, then carefully and gently began to remove the remains of her clothes. Horror seized her when she saw the burnt, mutilated body that had once been beautiful, slim and strong. — Oh… how bad you feel now, — Sofya shook her head and looked at the seemingly lifeless body. She began to treat the wounds carefully, trying not to cause Nightmare any more pain, if that was possible. Every touch echoed in her soul with pain and pity for a creature that seemed to have no place in this world. — Well, let’s see how we can save you, — she whispered quietly, continuing to work as if she were talking to a normal person, not a monster. She knew she couldn’t change the past, but she could at least try to make the present a little easier. After a while, Nightmare seemed to feel the touch and moved. Awakening, the girl opened her eyes and, while she had the strength, turned her nose back to the warm fireplace and fell back asleep, hugging her shoulders. The grandmother stopped as she watched the monster move, curled up into a ball, and picked up her feet. At the same moment, she put her arms around her shoulders. Steady breathing could be heard. Sophia froze, still holding the plate of ointment, and only woke up when a growing drop of oil and what little was on her hand fell onto her knee. — Oh dear… — The woman sighed and continued to carefully dab at her wounds and burns. Nightmare had dreams in the meantime. Not particularly vivid ones, but dreams that sometimes made her shudder, or just toss and turn excitedly, whimpering, feeling the pain through her sleep. Sometimes she would wake up, look around, but soon she would sink back into her emotions and thoughts, oblivious to her surroundings. A spasm of pain, like a hot iron hand, clenched the monster’s body and forced a muffled moan of pain from her lips, silent sobs. It felt as if every bone in her body was buckling under the weight of an invisible burden, as if her very existence was a curse from which there was no escape. She couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe, but she was terribly alive, too alive to just walk away. Granny sat by her side for a long time, every day, waiting for a miracle. Her hand glided slowly over Nightmare’s skin, as if the pain was something ordinary, familiar to her, yet so soul-destroying. The grandmother calmly applied ointment to the wounds, sometimes sighing, but there was something cold, almost mechanical in her movements, as if she didn’t care whether the person in front of her was a man or a helpless doll. In her eyes — emptiness, a deaf abyss in which there was neither compassion nor warmth. She was just tired… The creature’s thoughts grew as heavy as lead chains. It lay there, suffering, feeling with echoes of consciousness as if its relatives were trying to help it in some way, licking its wounds. Pungent odours sometimes wafted into her nose, making the creature wrinkle and moan. Its mouth would open in a silent scream, sometimes causing Grandmother to recoil — it was so horrible to see this recently burned creature suffering. She buried her hands in her hair, letting the scarf fall from her head to her shoulders. Sofya looked at herself in the mirror as she stood up and moved away from her seat: tiredness in her eyes, small trails of tears on her eyelids, dishevelled hair. She would like to rest now. Meanwhile, in the forest, creatures like Nightmare herself, large and frightening, like humans crossed with animals, were resting. Some ate meat, chewed bones, some slept, and some decided to play. The monsters lived alone, unaware that their relatives might be dead or in the care of an old woman who had sheltered them for a while. No one could smell the familiar smell. How long could these terrifying creatures wait and not notice? Or maybe they don’t care about those who were with them before… The larger individuals, the higher ranking ones, chewed on the meat, taking a little from each piece. Fresh meat, but that smell… It was strange to many, eating uncooked meat that might have a foul smell… but to them, as wolves, bears and the like, it was quite normal. Greedy snarls, the crunch of tearing fibres — their muzzles (if you could call a face with a jaw like that of a predator) were stained with blood. Sharp teeth at the front, slightly rounded and human-like at the back. The bite is quite strong. One of the older species sat quietly eating blood-stained meat, hiding a piece of game in its large paws. There was snorting, heavy breathing. The dark growths on its large, hunched back moved with every movement of the creature’s body. It swallowed the remaining piece of flesh, licked greedily and crouched down. Blind, but keenly aware of space, it watched the other creatures. Each one gave off a different scent, a different aura, so its head turned towards the one that passed in front of it. Standing on all fours, the crouching monster sprinted to the river to wash itself, to wash its paws. Some of the monsters also went to wash after a small meal. There was a splash that caught the attention of some, and they turned around at the sound. Some fish had accidentally jumped out of the water and collided with a rock, causing several of them to put their paws in the water, groping for rocks and leaning slightly. When one of them, catching a fish, accidentally pushed his neighbour, a fight broke out. A light one at first, but it soon turned into something strange and terrifying. Like mutts, the big monsters clung to each other, began to tear and throw, biting, leaving wounds on their bodies, growling loudly. This went on for about three minutes before they calmed down. Snorting, they went back on all fours, bending over and leaning on their big paws. They looked like bears, but with the body of a man who didn’t dare bend his legs to crawl like a toddler of about a year old.