Harm and Harmony

-Chapter 14-

Day: 1

Days Left: 5479

Lives Saved: 0

After packing away the medical kit in one of the kitchen cabinets, the chimaera then headed towards the trap-door, still limping. 

"Hey!" Corinna called after it. "You shouldn't be moving! Hey-"

The chimaera heaved open the trap-door, climbed down the ladder, then slammed the entrance shut with its snake-tail.

Corinna stared at the trap-door, waiting for the chimaera to return. She cupped her face in her hands, trembling, thinking about what she had just done. She helped the monster, the one that had tried to kill her. Yet, just now, it had treated her wounds, brought her to shelter, and played with a wind-up toy frog. This sudden outburst of playfulness unsettled Corinna. The monster was unpredictable. Perhaps, in part, due to its inability to speak, she found it difficult to discern the monster's emotions. Whilst its facial features were covered in fur, she had to rely on its body language and those green eyes, those radioactive, toxic- 

Corinna shuddered. Even then, that was not enough to trust it, to feel comfortable in its presence.

Her eyes wandered over to the front door. She could escape right now. Holding onto the makeshift spear, she looked at the dagger that she had stolen from the monster. What did the monster want from her? It couldn't merely have helped her out of gratitude from her saving its life, could it?

After sliding her dress back on,  Corinna headed to the front door. She looked back at the rest of the room, at the fireplace, at the kitchen, at the bed. It was shelter, but it was one that had to be shared with a monster.

Her hand hesitated over the doorknob.

That monster could kill you at any moment. 

It's safer outside. Don't be fooled by its childishness, it's dangerous. 

It will kill you. 

Open the door. 

Just open the door. 

Open it.

Corinna opened the door and saw darkness. Just darkness.

A torrent of wind screeched past her, pushing her back inside. It soon calmed, and the door slowly creaked closed. Corinna opened the door once again and stared back at the darkness, at the empty world outside. 

Her thoughts scattered and crumbled as she heard the sound of the trap-door groan and rise open. The chimaera returned to the surface, closing the door behind itself with its snake-tail. Carrying something in its arms, it bounded to the lounge section, with a lightness and skip to its step until it noticed Corinna standing near the door, her hand still holding it open.

The young woman froze and locked eyes with the monster.

She let go of the door ,and it closed by itself.

"I was just looking outside," she lied. "To see- see outside. To see how dark it was, or if the... weather had improved."

The monster did not respond. It continued staring at her. After a moment it strode over to the window above the kitchen sink, placed whatever it was carrying on the unit, then opened the curtains.

"Ah, yes." Corinna forced a laugh. "That would have been easier." She walked over to the window. "I'll just do that next time."

The human and the monster gazed out into the darkness outside, standing only inches apart.