fiction

CΩT (Part 8)

She made the beast take us somewhere else. It was weird to be in a place that has so little green, just stone and the leafless light-trees. I stayed awake this time and watched the scenery, all different sizes of the same flat-walled cliffs, almost every one a different color, and the same clear material of the traveling beast’s eyes were set into the sides of them – did the cliffs have eyes, too? I doubted anything so large could be alive. More likely than that, some of these two-leggers killed their beasts and used the eyes for their nests. Looks like it served them well. Perhaps if the prey I was used to had more useful parts I would reuse them as well. What an interesting idea!
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CΩT (Part 7)

I woke up when the whole right side of my body went cold. I had been transported to a bright place, a strange square cave where two animals stood, looking down at me. Then the one with the white covering started touching me, feeling my legs, ribs, and neck. The other person started talking, she sounded upset. Maybe I meowed in my sleep and she was disappointed by it? I sat up to demonstrate that my voice did not reflect my strength and they both stopped talking and stared at me. So I asked them what the deal was, but they didn’t really give me any hints. The man ran some object along my back and seemed disappointed when nothing happened. The long haired girl eventually picked me up and took me back outside. It was kinda nice to be carried again, it had been a while.
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CΩT (Part 5)

Carly gets home late that night and parks her truck, letting out a sigh as she shifts the stick to P. She reaches the second floor and stops at the top of the stairs, staring down the walkway to her door which is, once again, ajar when it should be closed. She turns and walks back, getting into the truck, locking the doors and dialing 911 on her cellphone.
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CΩT (Part 4)

Black leathered fingers curl around the edge of the now open door, inching the door further until there is a space wide enough to fit the unmasked man. He sidles into the apartment, footsteps light but still causing the floor to creak. Chuck sits in the middle of the room, staring at him. The man wears a camouflage green jacket, square pockets lining the front, and has lank brown hair that falls in thin strands over his stubble covered face. He peers around in the darkness, eyes moving back and forth twice before lighting upon the observing cat. He looks back at it for a moment and then puts his forefingers to his lips, chuckling without sound as he lowers his hand an moves closer to the middle of the room. Chuck remains seated, watching all the while. The man moves to the shelves and then turns to the television. He grimaces and shakes his head. All of a sudden, Carly lets out a snort from the bedroom and the man jumps. He stares at the list of shadow that leads to the sleeping girl. Licking his lips, he inches his way to the door.
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CΩT (Part 3)

The dim lights of the truck pass over the walls of the apartment building, passing over alternating reflections in windows with blinds drawn and brick wall. The clock in the car’s radio reads 10:40 p.m. as Carly pulls into one of the few empty parking spaces left.

“You stay here while I get your stuff upstairs, okay?” she says as she gets out, the cat still seated, tail wrapped tight around it. She goes up the concrete steps to the second floor, wincing and pausing her ascent each time one of the steps results in an booming echo. She walks past three of the maroon metal doors before crouching and placing her purchases to the left of the fourth door at the far corner of the building. She inserts the key and jiggles it back and forth before the deadbolt yields and the door can be opened.
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Howahkan (Part 4)

“Let’s get out of here!” he yells at Atlat, who scrambles to his feet. But he does not run to Kaga, instead staring at the choking monster. He raises his sword, and a second later brings it slicing down toward the brown-feathered shoulder. Just as it is about to cut Ántimán, his left arm flies up and catches the blade, cutting into the palm. Atlat tries to wrench it away from him, but the hand clamps down harder in spite of the dark red blood now dripping from between its four fingers. Ántimán continues to cough and choke, retching up some blood which smokes upon the ground, and clutching its burning stomach and chest. He raises his face to look at Ántimán, eyes narrowed, red irises peering out from between the slits. Its mouth opens wide and a screeching scream erupts from it. Altat releases the hilt and turns and runs, and Ántimán trudges after him, releasing a smaller and smaller scream with each step until finally falling forward, the stone sword cast aside. The body twitches and then the tongues of flame cover it, the feathers curling up as they catch fire. This time both Atlat and Kaga stop to watch.
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Howahkan (Part 3.15)

Atlat screams and dashes forward, slashing a diagonal from Ántimán’s left shoulder down, but he has already taken flight, instantaneous downdraft from the flapping flowing down upon Atlat’s shoulders. The hovering figure blots out the sun and kicks out a taloned leg at Atlat’s face, who raises his word and parries, the claw leaving thin white scratches along the stone. Atlat places his hand up against the flat of the blade and, gritting his teeth and stumbling back a few steps, pushes away the still midair Ántimán. Another flap and Atlat is pushed backwards onto his back. Ántimán walks forward in three quick steps and leans down, mouth going to bite Atlat’s face, when Kaga springs up and yells.

“Hey! This is for Awan!” He swings the sling around in a circle and hurls the white ball at Ántimán, who turns to look at the approaching missile. It smokes and catches fire as it hurtles through the air. Just as it reaches Ántimán’s face, he opens his mouth wide and in it goes, one swallow later and Tumseneho’s eye-orb visibly passes through the bird man’s gullet. He freezes, and his eyes widen as he coughs and retches. Steam flows from his mouth and he falls forward, arms snapping out to support him from below the wings. His eyes bulge and tendrils of flame appear on his torso, spreading by the moment. Atlat scrambles backwards across the ground to get away from the hacking creature as it claws at its neck and stomach.

( ©2015 Sean Dorsey )