#juls writes

Moe was dragged by the arms into a cell. The door closed with a bang and after that, only darkness remained. Moe could only feel the dulled edges of floor’s stone, digging into his knees. As he crawled to the nearest wall, his hand slipped, making him loose his balance.

There was quiet, proof the guards had already left. The only sound he could make up in the underground cell was the rhythmic drip of water falling on the floor. He tried to listen for anything else. Nothing. No wait. He could definitely hear breathing. Heavy breathing. He tried looking for anyone, but couldn’t. It was too dark. Where was it coming from? It sounded so close too.

As Moe put a hand to his bruised chest, he felt it rise and fall heavily. It was his heavy breathing he was hearing. As he came to this conclusion he tasted something sharp and metallic on his tongue. Bringing his crooked fingers to his lips he smeared the liquid across is face. They broke his nose. Great, just great.

The sour tang mixed with the damp air made Moe gag. He felt like throwing up the contents of the meager breakfast he had that morning. ‘What a day.’ he thought unimpressed. He could feel a headache building up as the soreness on his muscles kept on creeping him. He should focus on something else. He should focus on how to get out.

As Moe looked for a solution, golden streaks of sunlight appeared on the ground. Morning had finally come and it was seeping through a window with rusty metal on it. Moe was too tired to climb and see if the bars were old enough to break. But as he looked ahead the corner of his lips curved into a smirk. They may have caught, beaten and locked him up, but they haven’t taken his tricks from him. The only thing he needed was a bit of light to see.

Keeping his eyes fixed on the labyrinthine patterns ahead of him, a silver string began to thicken. The string seemed to form patterns, going up, right, down, left, down, right and then it repeated the cycle. With these motions, the room’s temperature went up, making sweat slid down from Moe’s forehead down to his neck. He felt somewhat dizzy. While gritting his teeth, he kept his focus on the dirty wall.

*****

The castle shook like it was going through an earthquake. A blast followed this, catching the guard’s attention. They hastily made their way down the smoke filled stairs, coughing throughout the commotion. When reaching the dungeon, the guards searched for the possible source of the trouble.

“Captain, here!” yelled one of them.

They seemed to be running in circles. Alice could swear they had passed that big oak tree four hours ago. “How long until we reach your ‘shelter’?” she asked. Her feet were full of cuts and bruises from running on the root-covered ground. Her dirty socks were the only thing separating her skin from it.

“In a minute or two,” the madman replied, looking into the tiny cup between his hands. “The tea leaves say that we’re close.”

Alice rolled her eyes. She shouldn’t have crossed the border, now she was stuck with this loony. “Stupid cat,” she muttered. If the animal hadn’t distracted and lead her astray from her path, she wouldn’t have been caught in the Hatter’s mess.

“It should be somewhere around...” He turned towards a bush. Alice frowned. There was nothing there but green leaves and red roses. She startled when the Mad Hatter pulled a dagger out of his hat and cut through the plant, “... here.”

Alice stared at the old house. Vines climbed the walls of the cottage, some peeking through the roof. Still, it was better than nothing. The mocking grin on the Hatter’s face made her scoff.

Once inside the cottage, they found a messy kitchen next to an upturned living area. “Well, isn’t this nice?” The man smiled as he pulled a fork out of the sofa.

Alice entered the small bedroom to inspect it. It seemed like it was the only thing that survived whatever happened there. As she pulled on the yellowed curtains, the metal rod holding them fell to her feet. She leaped out of the room while coughing.

“Are you still alive?” the man asked.

Alice gave the man a deadpan look . “Just start a fire, will you?” She stalked out into the woods.

Alice came back before nightfall with a rabbit in her hand. She threw the bloody thing on the man’s lap after dropping her slingshot on a chequered pillow nearby. “Why thank you,” he said. She washed her hands in the basin the Hatter had prepared.

Silence fell as they waited for their meal to cook. Alice sat down near the fire and studied the dancing flames. “Will you tell me your real name now?”

“Nope.” He cleaned his hat from all the dust of the house. He was careful to not pull on any of the green satin stripes.

“Will you at least tell me why you were running away from the guards?” He stopped for a moment and gazed at her.

“The Queen didn’t like what I had to say.” He looked back down. Alice noticed how well he blended in with the ruins surrounding them. His reddish curly hair was up in the air, his necktie creased, and his clothes soiled from the dirt.

“Why did you go see the Queen?” Alice brushed her blonde hair with her fingers, scrunching her face while doing it.

“I was trying to expand my tea business.” He gave a small smile. His eyes gleamed golden under the light of the fire, giving him a wolfish look. The image in front of her looked like a wolf licking his wounds.

“You mean fortune-telling.”

How could he? My eyes followed his figure as he came back from the bedroom. “Aren’t you ashamed?” I said while gritting my teeth. All I could see was white. White walls framed with years of memories. White knuckles griping the towel on my calloused hands.

“Love, I swear it’s not what you think.”

I stared at the kitchen wall behind him. I could see a picture framed in gold, of a younger looking Emily and Leo smiling while slow dancing. How could things have changed so much?

“It doesn’t matter what I think, Leo, but what I saw.” My voice went higher in pitch. “You and that girl...” I took a deep breath. “How many more have you brought here? To our bed?”

His eyes went wide like a deer caught in headlights. Of course he thought I wouldn't figure it out. He opened his mouth, then closed it. “Really?” I scoffed. “Take your things and go.” I turned towards the sink. The cold water helped calm my feverish state.

Then, his slender hands came in contact with my waist. “Please, babe, let me explain.” I only had time to twist around and clasp his hands. His face hardened into stone at my rejection. Who are you? His stoic posture was unusual.

“There’s no need to explain. Whatever excuse you have won’t change my mind.” I lifted one brow, my hot gaze surveying him.

“I never meant to hurt you, Emily,” he said.

“Then, why? Why wasn’t I enough?” My voice wavered.

“Because you’re never here. You’re working all the time,” Leo shouted. He cornered me between himself and the cabinets. Our noses were almost touching. I could feel his hot breath on my face. “I have needs, and those weren’t being met.” He clenched his jaw.

So that was it. After days of feeling like a volcano ready to erupt, I now felt my veins grow cold. The contrast of it all made my hands shake. I let go of his hands and pushed him out of the way.

With hurried steps, I enter our, well, my bedroom.

“What are you doing?”

I threw his clothes into a suitcase. “I’m making sure you don't leave anything behind.”

“What, you’re going to throw me out just like that?!” Leo moved his hands around. “You know I don’t have anywhere else to go.”

 “Figure it out. It’s your fault to have relied on my goodwill for this long instead of looking for a job.” I closed the suitcase and shoved it into his chest, making him stumble. “You seem to have forgotten. But the house you’ve been living in, the games you love playing all day, were all thanks to me ‘working all the time.’”

“You can’t-”

“Now I want you out of my house, and I don’t, ever, want to see you again.”

I pushed him towards the door.

“I never thought you could be so cold.” I stared into those grey eyes for one last time. I should have known that someone with a storm in their gaze would wreck me.

“I never thought you could betray me.” I shut the door close.

After sunset, we just wanted something to warm us up. 

As the street lights were reflected on the windows, casting shadows on our faces, the smell of grilled meat began to waft in our direction. I could almost see the swirly scent of the food as if it were trying to lead our way somewhere. 

While walking, my mouth watered as I looked at the pictures of food along the street. We kept passing the welcoming open doors of the restaurants, looking for something cheap but at the same time filling to eat, when finally, we stopped at a Thai-inspired fast food establishment. Its black and orange sign caught our attention. We read through the menu and decided what we wanted to go for. 

“What will it be, ladies?” the cashier asked as we entered.

I looked in Mira’s direction, silently asking who should make the order. 

Even though Mira is the most outspoken of the two of us, she motioned for me to do it. She probably let me order as I was more comfortable speaking the foreign language.

“Rice noodles with chicken, Chinese cabbage, mushrooms and sweet and sour sauce,” I said.

After Mira paid for the shared meal, we sat on wooden bar stools, and waited. The restaurant seemed tiny, the open kitchen making up half of the place, leaving space for only two small tables by the wall.

We chatted among ourselves until our order was ready. After someone called our order number, it was left on the counter for us to grab. I went up and took it along with some beige napkins. As I walked again towards our table, I tried hard not to drop the hot carton which held our food.

“Do you need help, Anna?” Mira asked.

“No need.” I successfully managed to settle everything on the table. We finally could stave off our hunger. We dug in and relished in the flavour of everything. 

Even if content, I couldn’t stop worrying over the reddish sweet and sour sauce, whether or not it would stain my sweater. ‘I can’t have that happen. I only brought two tops with me,’ I nervously thought. I looked over at Mira, and to no surprise of mine she had stained the cuff of her sleeve while eating. ‘Very typical of her,’ I contemplated with amusement. However, there was a solution, as the pale floral wool sweater had long enough sleeves to roll them, so it would be easy to hide the stain.

After some time and a small battle between me and the remaining noodles in the bottom of the box, we wrapped up and decided to return to our hotel. 

Julia felt herself relax with the pine aroma in the air. When hearing footsteps coming down the stairs, she said, “We have to get something for Fred as a thank you for letting us stay in his cabin, Al.”

“Maybe we can go to the local market tomorrow and look for something?” Alan proposed while leaning on the sofa. Julia looked up from her laying position and admired her partner’s blonde silky hair. As he gazed down at her, his golden locks framed his face.

“We can do that. But let’s leave it for tomorrow,” she answered. “Right now, I just want to enjoy the quiet night.” She stretched her limbs and closed her eyes. Alan shook his head with a small smile painting his face, glad to see his wife calm and relaxed.

As he motioned to close the window, something flew over his head. Alan let out a screech. Julia fell on the ground with a thud and lifted an eyebrow at her husband. “What are you looking at?” Alan asked as Julia’s green eyes widened.

Julia slowly got up and rolled a newspaper that was on the wood coffee table. Seeming like a tiger ready to jump on its prey, she aimed somewhere above Alan’s head. As she threw the newspaper, he felt something fall on his head.

Julia took her weapon back and approached her husband. “What is it?” he stuttered.

“Don’t move.” She smacked his head.

“Will you stop hitting me and say what’s on my head?”

“I’m not sure, but it seems like a bat to me.”

“A bat?” Alan squeaked.

Mice like sounds piped from Alan’s messy hair as he felt scratches on his scalp. After a moment of silence he shrieked, “Get it off. Get it off, now!”

“I will, if you stay still.”

“It hurts. Am I bleeding?” He kept pacing around the room. “It feels like it. Is it trying to drink my blood?” 

“Stop! Get back here. It’s not going to drink your blood.”

Alan stopped and looked at Julia. She had never seen his eyes so wide before.

“You’re right. It’s trying to eat my brain!”

“What’s wrong with you, Al? It’s a bat not a vampire, much less a Zombie. Now, let me help you-”

“I already feel its teeth piercing through my head!” He tripped on the leg of a chair on the entryway.

“I can’t believe I married such a dramatic man,” Julia said as she finally got a hold of her husband. Helping Alan to his feet, she led him onto the still opened window. “Now, tilt your head.” Julia scrunched her face as she took the small bat out of Alan’s head with the newspaper and moved him outside. After that she rushed to close the window.

“So much for a quiet night, uh?” she rolled her eyes at her husband’s remark.

“Well, we definitely need to go to the nearest town tomorrow. I’m afraid our little friend held onto you for his dear life while you were panicking.”

“Hello?” Melissa entered the hot and steamy room. “Is anyone in here?” She was sure she heard a shrill coming from the dimly lit engine room.

“Mel?” a faint voice called her. It seemed to belong to Patrick.

“Commander, is that you?” Melissa searched around the heavy machinery.

“Here, pilot.” A grunt followed the calling. As she got closer to the Commander, she could make out the sound of heavy breathing. Melissa scurried towards the source of the sound as her hands began to sweat.

When she reached the end of the room, she found a crimson trail that led to a pair of feet. “Patrick, what happened?” She crouched in front of the man. He was leaning on one of the machines, pressing a hand to his bloodied stomach. Melissa looked around. She doubted any of the other crew members would attack their commander. Yet, in the last couple of days, the environment felt heavy with silence. It seemed like everyone was suspicious of one another.

Not too long ago, they had found Jodie in a similar position. After that, her health had declined, making her unable to get out of bed. Everyone had been helping with administering the medicinal injections provided for the mission. She was on her way to Jodie’s room when she heard the noise. Melissa prayed that Patrick wouldn’t fall ill too. They couldn’t afford having another member, let alone their commander, sick.

“Something…” Patrick spoke through ragged breaths. “Something attacked me. From there.” He pointed towards the ceiling. There were only pipes above them. “I only had time to taser the thing away.”

It was at that moment they heard a clanking noise. “It must have recovered,” he whispered as sweat glistened on his forehead. “Hide. Quick.”

“I can’t leave you here.” She shook her head.

“It’s an order.”

She hesitated before getting up. Once on her feet, something slashed her arm. Melissa stumbled back until she hit the floor. She dragged herself behind another machine as she heard a loud ringing in her ears. Melissa looked at her arm and saw dark green lines spreading from the wound.

She looked down at her belt and saw the needle glint, as if it was winking at her. Melissa apologized to Jodie in her head as she injected herself on her wounded arm. She swallowed down a whimper and turned towards the raucous sound of slurping noises.

She saw Patrick lying on the floor, a creature positioned above him. His eyes were wide open but seemed devoid of life. The creature had dark smooth skin, a spike covered back, and three long claws at the end of its four slender limbs. Its spiky tail swayed from side to side. The creature’s head was concealed from her line of sight while it devoured the man.

Melissa tried to bit back her tears as she looked away. As quiet as she could, she messaged her crew members for backup.

Her eyes are set on the smoke coming off of the small stick. The nasty smell reminds her of the times she and her friends used to sneak out of class in high school to smoke and chat behind the building.

Those were times filled with the ringing of stifled laughter and the murmuring of hushed conversations. Those were times when nothing mattered but the empty talks between reckless teens. Those were times that left no space for thinking beyond them.

Elena didn’t smoke then. She doesn’t do it now either. What she looked forward to during those moments was the company and how it made the drowning feeling of loneliness disappear from her chest.

Throughout the summer, Elena realised those were the moments she would keep safe in her memory from that period, even if she didn’t keep in touch with any of those people, even if they didn’t look for her too. She would miss them in a bittersweet manner.

During those moments when smoke used to dance around them, she wished for them to be infinite. Moments full of yellow smiles and crinkling eyes. Maybe at that time, everyone crafted such convincing masks that everything seemed genuine. Happiness and friendship were all left to fade, Elena thought.