Two Strangers and a monster

It was a brisk August night in the city of Calvis, Maine.  The moon shone brightly in contrast to the dark forest floor, and the stars glistened above like decorative lights.  It would feel like one of those summer nights where a person could go camping with their friends and loved ones, but not for Candy.  Candy was a young woman in her mid-twenties, wondering if this summer’s night would be her last.  She closed her green eyes and couldn’t help but play in her head what had happened to her a few days ago, over and over again.  What had happened was that as she was about to go to bed, she heard a soft knock at the door.  Wondering who could have been knocking at such a late hour, she went over to the door, but not before grabbing a small gun that she could fit into her deep pockets first.  She opened the door to look down at a dirty little boy.  

“Hi there… What are you doing here at such a late hour by yourself?”  As Candy asked, she noticed something peculiar about his eyes.  They seemed to be a brownish red, which is uncommon, but something else was off about them, she couldn’t quite pick up what it was though.

“Hello miss, I just need a place to stay for the night.  I am homeless, and going to people’s houses is the only way I live.”

“What’s your name?”  The little boy froze for a second as if forgetting what his name was.

“Oh, my name is Ralph, and what’s your name?”

“My name is Candy.  Ralph, don’t you think that maybe it’s dangerous to go to strangers' houses at night?  There are some really bad people out there.”

“Bad people?  I know a bad person…”

“Who?”  After she asked, Ralph looked straight into her eyes, giving her a strong stare that unsettled her.  But she was not prepared for what happened next.

“ME!”  So-called “Ralph” transformed before Candy’s eyes into a hideous monster.  As she screamed, it grabbed her, shoved her into its pouch on its belly, and ran.  That’s all Candy could remember in her awful flashback besides waking up in this cell, where her only protection is a tattered blanket and the cold dirt ground.  At least she was provided three small meals a day and a gallon of water for drinking and washing.  She was never let out once.  As she thought of her encounter, she heard the monsters stomps, getting louder as if a thunderstorm was approaching.  Like a child afraid of the dark, she hid under her blanket only for her to hear her cell door open, something hitting the ground with a pained grunt, and the door closing.  That was it.  Slowly moving her head out of the blanket, she noticed a young woman around her age.  To Candy, the woman struck her as a beautiful woman at first glance.  

“Hey there, are you alright?”  Candy asked with concern, placing a hand on the lady’s shoulder.  The lady looked up with a pained expression, but also had some trust in her eyes.

“Well, besides just being kidnapped by a monster, I am alright.  I’m assuming that’s how you got here?”

“Yes, it was.  What’s your name?”

“My name is Beth.  And your name is?”

“Candy.  If you don’t mind me asking, how were you kidnapped?”

“Tonight when I was working a night shift at Wendy’s, I was bringing an order out to a car waiting for their meal, but that was not what the customer was waiting for,”  Her voice began to tense up as if she was about to cry.  “Instead, the customer transformed from some woman to a hideous monster, which grabbed me and brought me here through its pouch.  I just don’t know what’s going to become of me, or us now…”  Now Beth was really crying, almost inconsolable until Candy gave her a tight hug.  It was something they both needed.

“Look, Beth, we’re going to get out of here, don’t worry.  We just need to work together, be strong, and pray for the best, okay?”

“Okay.”  Beth’s eyes were hazel and appeared greenish when she cried.  Her hazel eyes matched well with her dirty blonde hair.  After observing their surroundings for about five minutes, they came up with a solution.

“Beth, do you know how that beast opened that door?”  Candy asked.

“Hmm… Well, I remembered it used a key to put me in, but obviously, we don’t have one.  Do you know of anything that could get us out?”

“I do have a bobby pin, but I don't know how effective that would be.  I do have a gun.”

“A gun?”

“For self-defense.”

“Oh.  Hey, Candy, I have an idea.”

“Go on…”  Candy flashed a curious, yet hopeful smile at Beth.

“What if you shot your gun at the ceiling or through one of the bars to get the monster to come over-”

“To distract the monster so it can hopefully drop the key.”

“Oh my gosh!  That’s exactly what I was going to say!  Wow, I have a feeling we’re going to work well together.”  Beth had hope now.

“You are so right, I think we are going to work well together!  Would you like to do the honors and shoot?”

“I would love to.  Do you have any bullets though?”

“Of course.  Here, here’s a couple.”  Beth reached out her hand for Candy to give her two, shiny golden bullets that were about a half-inch long each.

“Give it your best shot, Beth, pun intended.  You got this!”  With a wink from Candy, Beth helped to enact their plan by first shooting at the ceiling.  As planned, they heard the monster’s booming footsteps approach.  A few of the monster’s steps later, Beth shot out of the cell, only for her to hit the monster through a lucky shot.  The monstrous shapeshifter gave a pained, yet terrifying primal howl as it dropped to its knees, with a hand over its chest where green blood oozed out.

“WAY TO GO!  YOU DID IT!”  Candy exclaimed, and they high-fived each other.

“Aw, thanks!  My dad used to teach me how to shoot when I was just a kid.  We would hunt all the time.  Shot a 1,100-pound moose once, worth 12 points.”

“No way!  My parents would bring me on hunting trips all the time when I was younger.  I never shot a moose, but I did get a buck once.”

“We should go shooting together sometime, Candy.  At least, if we can ever get out of this cell.”

“Oh yeah, right.  Have you seen the key anywhere?”  Beth quickly scanned the area and found that the key was just about a foot from the monster.  With the monster being incapacitated, Beth carefully reached her arm out, and with some stretching, she was able to move the key to her hand’s grasp, then bring the key into the cell.

“I got it!”  Beth happily pronounced, as if getting a golden ticket.

“Nice work, bravo!  I can try to reach for the key lock and get us out of here.  What do you say?”

“I say let’s do it, here.”  Beth handed Candy the key, and with reaching her hand through the bar and towards the lock, Candy was able to quickly unlock the cell, seconds before almost getting her hand bit by the injured monster, who caught wind of what they were trying to do.

“Beth, HURRY!”  Candy desperately called as they bolted out from there, cell, through the cave where the monster limped and hissed while trying to chase them.  The two girls managed to run out into the night, and through the forest, which was luckily near the city's main street, and rapidly sprinted for about five minutes.  Having escaped the beast, they sat for a quick, relieved breath.

“Wow, what you did back there Candy was amazing.”

“Right back at you Beth.  But I do have to give it to you, what you did was epic,”  They looked at each other, gave a laugh of relief, and smiled.  “Hey, I have a few dollars in my pocket, want to go get some drinks?”

“You just read my mind!  I can help pay if you want.”  Beth offered.

“Deal.  Do you know what time the Local Bar closes?”

“I think 12am.  It’s 10:30pm now.  We better get going.”  It took the two new friends about twenty-five minutes to walk over to the bar.  The bar was a rustic theme, almost saloon-esque.  The wooden walls matched well with the tables and bar, and most of the seats had a red cushioning to them.  There was a black leather couch with a black coffee table in a corner next to where Candy and Beth entered.  As they entered, an old fashioned shopkeepers bell rang, welcoming the two customers in.  But after the pair found their seats at the bar, with their backs facing the door, the bar's shopkeepers bell rang again, this time letting in an unwelcome guest.  

“What types of drinks do you like Beth?”  Candy asked.

“Ooo… Where do I start?  Well, I absolutely loved fruity drinks, sweet ones too.  I’m not a big beer person though.”

“Me either.  You like whiskey?  Or I can get you a margarita?”

“Would it be piggish if I said yes to both?”

“No way would it be.  This is going to sound a little freaky but as I said those words, I was thinking I would get both too!”

“Candy, you get me so well!  Let’s do it then!  Here’s ten.”

“Thanks, Beth!”

“Anytime!”  As Candy took the ten and ordered the drinks, the guest watched intently, as the two friends were completely unaware of “him”.  It was almost completely quiet in the bar, except for Candy and Beth's chatter, and the bartender wiping off glasses for his next round of guests tomorrow.  Those four people were the only people there, probably because of the late hour.  As the two girls were drinking, Candy felt a presence coming closer to her.  It crept up on her, and slowly turning around, she saw that it was a man with jet black hair, an olive complexion, and stood about six feet.  She looked into his eyes, and just like a few nights ago, felt a strange feeling about his eyes.  Just as he was about to reach a hand on Beth, Candy quickly got her gun ready and shot him, right in the forehead.  The bartender, startled by the noise ducked down behind the counter, as Beth and Candy watched the monster transform back to its form once again, this time, lifeless.  

“What the-  Holy crap!”  Beth exclaimed.  The bartender peered over the counter and took a glimpse over the horrific sight.

“WHAT IN THE NAME OF MERCY IS THAT THING?”  The bartender shouted, pointing a trembling finger at it.  The three gave shocked and terrified expressions as they laid their gaze upon the thing's body.

“I have no idea, but that thing kidnapped me and my friend, and we escaped.”  Candy explained, looking at both Beth and the bartender.

“I don’t know what to say.  But I am calling the police.  Not on you, but to investigate what that thing is.  I would go if I were the two of you, it sounds like you’ve been through a lot already.”

“Thanks.”  Candy and Beth downed the remains of their drinks, quickly threw a five on the counter to tip him, briskly walked by the mess of the creature's body and its pooling blood, then walked out into the night.

“I thought we escaped that abomination already.”  Beth was almost at a loss for words, as she staggered onto the sidewalk with Candy, a symptom of a tad bit too much alcohol mixed with shock.

“Guess second time’s a shot at least.”  Candy reassured.

“That’s true.  We won’t be seeing that thing again, thank goodness.”

“Yeah,”  She chuckled, causing Beth to do the same.  “Hey I’m wondering, I’m off in the morning tomorrow, would you like to get a coffee with me?”

“That would be pretty nice.  Tonight took a lot out of me.”

“Same here.”

“Hey Candy, Wendy’s is just down the street and a block away.  I can give you a lift home if you’ll like?”

“That my friend would be lovely.”

“Great.  Oh wait, Wendy’s is actually the other way.”  Beth pointed in the opposite direction they were walking, where Beth guided Candy towards Wendy’s.  From that point on, with the beast slain, they had nothing to worry about.  They arrived at their houses safely thanks to Beth’s car, and they were close friends ever since that fateful night.