Dusk Flowers

In her small apartment in Back Bay, a young woman named Eliza lay sleeping. She'd been up late last night, studying. This was a well deserved rest. The moon still rode low in the sky, casting shadows through the little room like a puppet show. She gave a tiny sigh in her sleep, one of her soft cheeks squished against her pillow.

A wind blew hard against the building, carried from the north end. It brought with it an injured raven, limping through the air faster and faster.

Eliza woke to the sound of breaking glass. As she shot up, out of her peaceful slumber, she was dazzled, blinded by light. She had to squeeze her eyes closed to shield them, blinking quickly until the pain faded. The moon shone into her room like a celestial spotlight, bleaching her vision.

Glass crunched on the cheap carpet. Her window had been smashed clear through. Eliza shook her head, shedding sleep. She must still be dreaming. What could possibly drop through the window of an apartment on the 19th floor of a building? She wondered in vain.

Cold April air pouring in from outside hit her like a bucket of ice. Eliza shivered. Maybe this wasn't a dream after all. This didn't seem like something she'd imagine. Pushing the covers away, she moved to get out of bed. Whatever had happened, she'd better start cleaning up after it.

Musical whispers of sound ghosted through the room. On the floor, glass fragments shifted. Eliza froze. There was something else in the room; An animal maybe. Eliza began to worry, as she always did. Eliza often found herself the ultimate target of anxiety. Anything that could go wrong should be able to go wrong. What was she going to do? What if, God forbid, the thing were rabid? She started to sweat, wringing her hands as if that would stop the horrible pounding of her heart in her ears.

She looked back towards the window, her heart stopping instantly. Instead, she felt the urge to faint. A gaunt shadow rose slowly before her bed. The swollen moon illuminated the figure, transforming it into an ethereal monster. It was eerily beautiful, in a way that sent chills down Eliza's spine. No. That must've just been her fear.

There was someone in Eliza's home!

Eliza tried hard to hold back all the thoughts struggling to surge through her mind. It was no good. There was someone in her apartment and if she just stood back, who knows what would happen?

Eliza Panik scrambled back onto the bed, as far as she could go, until her back hit the wall. The figure stood, watching, no visible features coming into focus.

She snatched her cell phone from her end-table and lobbed it as hard as she could at the intruder. There was a harsh yelp of pain and the shadow swayed. There was no room in her head to celebrate. Grabbing the next object her hand found, the T.V. remote belonging to a small set near her bed, Eliza chucked it, her fingers crushing the buttons as she plucked it up.

Calm light flowed into the room from the television, the shadows rising back into the third dimension. Eliza gasped. The intruder, now attempting to lean on the foot of Eliza's bed, was a slim woman. Lifting a hand, she rubbed at a bright mark on her forehead and winced. "You throw hard," She muttered in a gravelly voice, "That actually hurt."

Eliza could only stare. How had this happened? The fire escape didn't attach to this window. She couldn't have climbed in! Her body shaking, she lowered her gaze to the blankets on her bed, where a dark stain crept up the fabric.

Eliza shrieked, the sound piercing through the night air. Now not only was there an intruder, there were stains on her perfect blue comforter! The woman seized, her eyes wild with urgency. "Be quiet! Someone will hear!" She hissed. Eliza shook her head, unable to speak. Someone must have heard her, someone would come help!

She had readied herself for another scream when her eyes found the source of the black, inky stain spreading across the foot of her bed. She fell breathless. The substance flowed straight out of a gash in the intruder's gut. Noticing Eliza's gaping stare, the intruder shrugged. "It's not so bad," she said, "You get used to it."

Then she grimaced, eyes rolling in their sockets, and sank heavily to the floor.

For the second time that night, Eliza shrieked.