The Beast

The inside of the house is quiet except the constant tick tock of the grandfather clock in the main hallway. It is quite the nuisance, I only kept it at the request of my late mother. It has been in our family for quite some time and it’s the only thing she left behind when she died. It was the only worldly possession that mattered to her. I would always rue the day it was rolled into my house. Was it because of the relentless reminder of time or was it the memory of my mother that I hated to think about?

I paced the halls of the mansion, a house way too big for me to be the only resident. Ridiculous, would have been the right word I supposed. But I felt I had earned it. I had worked hard to fight my way up the corporate ladder. I deserved it. My bare feet smacked against the cold marble floor. Quarantine had been hard on everyone, though I was obviously faring better than most. I didn’t mind being by myself so much. I didn’t need some huge staff to take care of me. Just a housecleaner, Ginger, that came twice a week and a caretaker, Rob, who was here five days a week. Rob had recently gotten sick so now I had to take over some of his duties. It wasn’t his fault. Anything he had to do was because of me and my decisions.

7 PM. I was trying to buy myself time, putting things off. Very unusual for me. I normally had a go go go type of attitude. I groaned before making my way to the mudroom that led out to the garden. I guess I should really call it a mini kitchen, or a lab. There was a fridge, an obnoxiously large chest freezer, lots of counter space, and tubs with different labels arranged up one wall. I didn’t bother to read most of them. Rob was very good about organizing things the way he liked. I opened the fridge and hauled a large tray out onto the island. The metals bashed together with a harsh ting. Heavier than I thought. I’m glad I decided to stay in pajamas rather than change into a nice set of clothes. Even when I wasn’t going into the office I liked to at least put on a decent athletic wear set.

I pulled back the tin foil to stare down upon the huge slabs of meat that had been prepared. I don’t know why it made me feel sick to my stomach. It wasn’t like a vegetarian or anything. But I felt like they were just staring back at me, judging me for my life decisions. 

“Fuck it. Stop being such a coward.”

I hauled the tray up, thankful that I worked out, and pushed out of the swinging door. The sun was sinking close to the horizon, glaring at my tardiness. I walked alongside the tall chain link fence, searching for the little drawer that allows for things to go in and out without losing a hand in the process. Finally it came into view. I wasn’t sure why we had approved such a poor design. It really could have been closer to the door. Or even better, a slot from the house itself. But I guess it was something I hadn’t considered since I wasn’t the one who had to do the dirty work. Until now. I nearly jumped out of my skin at the sound of the bushes rattling violently. 

“Ha! Gotcha. Well look who it is, the prodigal child out here getting her hands dirty with the beast.”

I wanted to kick herself for falling for his little joke. I looked to the interior of the fence to the line of bushes where Christian stood in dirt stained pants and no shirt. Well he certainly looked like a beast indeed.

“Well Rob is sick. So someone has to take care of you right?”

He sauntered closer, stopping a few inches away from the fence. I was glad I had gotten it electrified. It had taught him a lesson he hadn’t since forgotten. He crossed his arms across his chest and looked over at the sunset. 

“You are late you know.” 

I just rolled her eyes and dumped the tray’s contests into the appropriate slot. It hit the ground on his side of the fence with a thud. He glanced down at it before making eye contact with me.

“I know you look down on lowly shit such as this, but I know you secretly wish you were in here with me.”

“In your dreams. I do perfectly well without having to be locked up. It’s not a gift, it’s a curse.”

He just snickered and collected his meal for the night. He would spend the next hour or so hiding bits and pieces here and there. It would hopefully keep him just busy enough to not start trouble, or think about trying to get out.

“Have a good night sister,” his voice followed her as I walked away. 

I waved a hand absently without a backwards glance. Once back inside I locked the door behind me. Two deadbolts. Then I made my way through the entire house checking every other door and window. Everything was closed up good and tight. I made a short trip to my office where a large TV screen was split into multiple different video feeds. The front gate was locked. No one else on the property. Just the two of them. I wished time would pass a little faster. It was much too early to go to bed and I felt too on edge to rest peacefully. I resigned to settling into the couch with a glass of white wine and Netflix. I surfed around before finally settling on some period piece. It was distracting enough for the time being. I couldn’t help occasionally glancing out the nearest window as the sun began to disappear. I grabbed the wine bottle from the coffee table and refilled my glass before chugging it down.

I was startled awake, unsure of when I had even fallen asleep. Or passed out rather. The empty bottle lay on its side nearby. I hadn’t even remembered polishing it off. The TV had long since paused, asking if I was still watching. I sat up slowly, rubbing my head as I felt some dizziness set in. The chiming of the clock settled into my ears and I realized that must have been what roused me. I jumped again as a long, lone cry ripped through the air. I rolled my eyes and grabbed two of the nearest pillows, smashing them to my ears to drown out the noises. They still invaded my head. A chime. A howl. A chime. A growl. Stupid beast. I wished it had more of a brain so I could tell it to shut up. But then it might do it more just to annoy me. I curled back into a ball, staring at nothing. I wondered why I had ever agreed to take on this responsibility. Surely he could take care of himself. But with Mother gone it all fell on me. Rob had once been in her employment but he too had been passed onto me. I was grateful for him though. I tried to show it. My mother hadn’t felt my brother was responsible enough to be left to his own devices so left his care to me in her will. And out of some sense of duty to my family I agreed. I guess it was to make up for their disappointment that I hadn’t inherited the family trait. Most of the time I didn’t care, didn’t think about it. But as the howls continued I found my face moist and a different kind of loneliness set it.