The Defects

•Chapter One• You Aren't Alone

I hear the bushes rustling behind me. I dash through the thick woods, cutting my arms on the branches skimming by me. My long red hair got caught on twigs around me, and pain shot up my arm, but I continued running through the forest. A loud roar emerged from behind me. I shivered as chills traveled down my spine. I stopped in my tracks when I came to a large, oak door. My head turned to where the roar had come from. It shook the ground around me and the trees rustled, almost seeming to shiver with fear as I did. Another thundering howl from the other side of the woods made my decision for me. Completely out of breath, I gave the door a push. Dust flew off of it, making me wheeze and cough. The door didn't budge, but I could now see an engraved moon in the door. I took a few step backs and then ran, shoulder first into the door, making it burst open. I fell side first onto the ground with a heaving thump. I stood quickly and wiped the dust off my clothes and began coughing and sneezing. When I finished wiping my clothes, I dashed to the door and slammed it shut. Another loud roar came from behind me. I winced and trembled. After the ground stopped shaking, I looked at the room and saw a boy about my age sitting with a lantern in his lap, staring at me.
"Who are you?" He said quietly. His voice was low, but scared. It trembled.
"I-I'm-"I said in return.
"What are you doing here?" He asked, standing up quickly. He was wearing long, ripped, tan pants, a brown shirt, and a tool belt around his waist.
"I-" I was interrupted then by a deafening roar behind me. My eyes spammed shut and dust fell on my shoulders from the shaking ceiling. I heard the boy whimper. I opened my eyes directly after the booming sound. He was holding the lantern so tight, I thought I could see his knuckles go white.
"I was just running from the sound a-and I came to this door, and I came in because I thought it would be empty, and-" I was stopped by him holding his finger up.
"You ran from it?" He asked me, making eye contact with me. I quickly regretted what I had said. If he told anyone, I was dead. He had dark brown eyes that were sharp and alert.
"I know, it's stupid. But please don't tell any-" again, his finger shot up.
"I don't think it's stupid."
"You don't?"
"I don't," he said, standing up. He walked over to me, so I could see him better now. His hair was messy with a dark brown color with dust lining it. He had strong cheekbones, perfectly framing his tan face.
"Why don't you think it's stupid? We live in a world full of people who spend their lives just to find and train these fricking mythical creatures! The entire population aspires to have the largest collection!"
"I don't think it's stupid because-" another loud wailing came from behind the door, but it became softer and faded. It must have been tranquilized. He let go of the breath he had held. "I don't think it's stupid because-" he paused and looked away. My hands ran through my hair nervously. "You see, I-" he stopped and sighed. A moment of realization struck me like a bell.
"You're afraid of them too," I said, with wide eyes. He purses his lips and nodded. "I-I. I thought I was the only defect," I said. I had always believed this. A defect was a child that was born with a fear of mythical creatures. They were thought of as outcasts and for years, I thought I was the only defect in my section. But I now knew I wasn't the only one.
"You aren't." He mumbled.