In Your Arms

The Creature of the Night

Farrah rested her back against the chipped walls of her residence, lips tightly pressed against each other as she breathed in and out steadily.

The night was hot and her skin was damp with sweat from tending the garden earlier on the day. She was planning on leaving her torn shirt and faded pants out her window to dry, but it had come back.

All she had to do now was wait for the clicking and loud sniffing to disappear from the outside, then she would be safe to uncover the window and finish her duties before bed.

A small sigh escaped her lips as she crossed her arms over her thin, dirty bra. She stretched out her legs as well, staring at the hairs that coated her tan skin with a small look of disapproval. If it were possible, she would have shaved herself completely- starting from her underarms all the way down to her toes. Ever since the incident happened, though, nothing that was possible before was possible now. Her tools were very limited and she didn't have anything to properly take care of her body. All she had was a small bottle of half finished dish soap to wash herself with every now and then.

Till that day, she had no idea what brought the end of civilization. All she remembered was walking home from school when the whole world suddenly went black for a few seconds. At first she thought that perhaps it was a solar eclipse, but the minute she looked up and noticed something like blue electric waves emitting from the blinding sun, Farrah knew something was wrong.

In the blink of an eye, everything was completely destroyed. Trees were uprooted, houses collapsed, and cars flung from one side of the street to the other. What was even more strange was that she remained unscathed, standing confused and horrified in a thick fog of debris.

Farrah recalled another memory of running home as fast as she could, only to find her place completely destroyed, just like everyone else's. Her parents were supposed to be home, and she knew that because it was her birthday. They always surprised her before she arrived back from school.

A loud snort right outside of her dwelling made Farrah jump a bit, sending a trickle of sweat crawling down in between her breasts. She wiped the damp parts of her face and resumed her position, squeezing her eyes shut and reminding herself to stay calm. She had to relax and stop thinking of things that upset her. It would only make the current situation worse.

With a tiny shuffle, the young woman stared at the decayed wallpaper above her head. It was barely clinging on to the damaged wood it had been pasted on to, and Farrah was only a little nervous that it might land on her while she slept. No doubt it would cause her to have a heart attack. She would have to find some sort of ladder to take it down in the morning.

The sound of heavy steps snapping twigs continued for a while as Farrah stayed motionless on the dirty ground. She was used to the strange thing that came roaming around the town each night, sniffing around for what she thought might have been food. At first, she thought her unwanted guest could have been a bear, but as days passed and she was left with several minutes of hearing nothing but it's unnatural noises, she knew that couldn't be the case. It was larger, and foreign. The clicking sounds it made as well as its shallow breathing and hissing belonged to an animal she had never heard of before.

There were plenty of times where she could have sneaked a peek at the beast, but she knew that laying eyes on whatever was out there would only send her into panic mode. For now, she was fine with how things were. It didn't bother her and she wouldn't bother it.

Farrah must have stayed on the floor for several minutes before the familiar growling, followed with a rapid pair of steps echoed throughout the night. It soon faded into nothing, and all that was left was the chirping of crickets. The woman stood up steadily, straining her ears to make sure that she was completely alone once more.

When she was satisfied, she tiptoed towards the entrance of her home, yanking open the creaking door with a small grunt.

She stepped out barefoot and half naked, her feet digging into the dry earth as she glanced towards the entrance of Windsburg- the town she resided in.

The small, crudely made gate that blocked out intruders was damaged and of no use. Farrah knew it was a pathetic attempt to keep out the animal that came in, and she didnt bother fixing it. It was her first and final attempt to be left alone. She had better things to do than try and stop an unstoppable force.

A strong wind bit at her exposed body, and Farrah knew it was time to head back inside. She scurried into her dwelling, shutting the door behind her. Once she was sure that no one could break in, she traveled to her room and picked up the only piece of clothing she possessed. It was lying on a dusty mattress sprawled on the floor with a thin, blue sheet to serve as a cover. Farrah made her way to her window, removing the tablet of wood she had placed over it. Shaking her clothes and smoothing them out, she placed them on the window ledge.

Once Farrah was done, she got on her knees and crawled over to her bed. The stained texture was rough against her skin and sometimes she felt tiny legs tickling her body. It was a sensation that would have made her scream if the world hadn't come to an end and she was still living in her beautiful home. She had changed drastically, after all it had been about 4 or 5 years since she had begun living on her own. Roaming a lonely world with little possessions was something Farrah had grown used to, along with the uncomfortable things she had to go through. Luckily, she had managed to learn a few little things of her own, such as hunting without a gun, growing fruit and vegetables, and hiding whenever danger was close by. Although it didn't seem like much, she was content to just be alive and well.

Did she ever get lonely? Of course she did, but there was nothing she could do about it. The young woman reminded herself that sulking over things she didn't have was a waste of time. She would continue to reside in Windsburg until something unexpected happened, but she had a feeling that wouldn't be the case. Part of her wanted to believe that some other wandering survivor would make their way into what she liked to call her town, but she had been living there for so long and never caught sight of another human being.

Farrah stared outside of her open window and up at the stars that remained unchanged despite the tragedy that had befallen Earth. For a strange reason, it brought her some form of comfort. At least the world out there had remained untouched by the strange light that killed everyone. She could look upon the stars and pretend that she was out camping with her parents, and that they were outside collecting wood for a fire.

Farrah smiled, sighing softly as she closed her eyes and drifted away to a time when man once ruled.