How far can the Imagination take us

Some implied violence and theme within.

A wave of darkness settles over the room as the light fades from the explosive final scenes, slowly hiding the plush high backed grey cloth seats, and midnight blue carpeted walls. As the heavy deep red theatre curtains prepare to close, white text begins to scroll up the blackened screen. The small glimmering aisle lights showing where to step, flicker into life. With thoughts lingering on the movie he leans over and slowly caresses her cheek with the back of his hand, then follows her jawline to begin slowly massaging her ears with experienced movements knowing how that makes her feel. She snuggles in closer feeling the warmth of his chest and hearing the beat of his heart as it slowly increases its rhythm. Watching the screen for his name to show, he feels his lover draw close. They were used to the wait, and with a comfortable silence they settled in, hands exploring each other sensually in the darkness, as the credits scrolled past. She glances up at him, his eyes showing his concentration on reading all the flowing text, and that he was assuaging her need for being close automatically. She smiles knowing her turn will come when he has seen his name on the screen, and slowly relaxes into the massage and endearing touch. Closing her eyes allowing her mind to unwind after such an exhilarating movie and busy week. Enjoying quiet around them, and the closeness to her beloved.

Slavering and with slow urgency, blood red eyes peer around the corner, centring on the couple sitting in the theatre. Hot breath creates vapor clouds in the chill air seeping through from the slowly closing exit door. Eyes begin to glow as the hunger slices through the beasts thoughts, creating an insatiable lust for the hot taste of captured prey.

With almost forgotten survival instincts the woman sits up breaking away from the tender embrace, quickly trying to look in all directions. She doesn’t understand why she has succumbed to these sudden tremors of terror, but with absolute certainty she knows something that shouldn’t be, was watching them. She senses horrors of the unimaginable crawling somewhere in the surrounding darkness. The sound of claws scraping emanates from the shadows below, almost too soft to be heard. Could it be an over active imagination, the feeling that this was real was just too strong to ignore.

Laughingly her partner places his arm around her, mistaking her tremors for something else, and asks “Should we go home?”

“Shh, can’t you feel that?” she whispers

“Feel what? I feel you!” he laughs and again reaches for her

She ducks low, using the seats as cover, disentangling herself from the reaching arms. She hisses “We have to go, NOW!”

“What are you doing? Why?” he says pushing himself out of the seat to stand up.

Pointed ears lay back and start flicking with irritation, no prey has registered him from this far before. With the slow calm movements of a well practiced hunter, he moves into the amphitheatre of the cinema. His stealth and speed belying his 3 meter height and substantial size. The exhilarating feeling for the power of the hunt begins, heavy breath slowing. The scent from his prey is strong, the smell of fear pervades his nostrils. Saliva increasing with his anticipation of the chase and final capture. An excited snarl escapes his lips, he bares his fangs and moves fast and low, angling to intercept.

Like a startled rabbit the woman changes direction and runs between the cinema rows towards the other end and the distant aisle. Hissing urgently, “Quick this way!”. Her partner follows grumbling, a sense of exigency beginning to permeate through his annoyance. Crouching low the woman approaches the aisle and looks both ways, peering into the darkness, hampered by her inability to see into the shadows. She knows something is there, doesn’t try to think it through, she just feels it. A predatory snarl shatters the silence around them and the man drops low with a sudden understanding they are not alone. Spotting an exit door up the aisle, she hisses “Run!”, and quickly sprints into the aisle, with her lover close behind. The lights come on, bathing everything in a blinding white light. She staggers, misjudging her step during the transition of her vision from darkness. Her partner steadies her motion and pushes her forward, having now glimpsed the fast moving grey blur coming around the chairs at the bottom of the aisle. Dripping fangs, evil piercing blood red eyes and claws the size of hunting knives, with muscles rippling as the monster launches forward toward them. Terror propels his movements seemingly causing him to fly as he races up the stairs pushing his partner for more speed. We are not moving fast enough, we’re going to die, howls his inner voice as the world around him appears to slow to a standstill. The exit door ahead opens and a shadow moves across the doorway.

“Oh my God, what are you doing? It’s right behind us! RUN!” He screams!

As the door opens, an usher steps in smiling. His thoughts on what he is going to find with the couple still in there. Blinking in confusion, as the couple push past him and sprint out of the theatre, yelling unintelligibly. Wonder what’s wrong with them he thinks, and turns back to look for any misplaced items, and begin his clean up routine. Muttering about how strange some people are, he picks up a small stuffed wolf in the aisle, probably left behind by some random child. Wiping his hands on his trousers in disgust, after getting slobber on them from picking up the toy, places it into the carried lost property basket. What an interesting toy, I might take it home for my daughter after I give it a clean. As the toy lands in the basket, the slow fading eye glow remains as unnoticed as the name of the special effects artist scrolling up the screen.