Pet: Genesis [Publishing]

Chapter 2

Confusion surges through me as I try and wrack my brain for an explanation. My head is groggy, my memories muddled. The last thing I recall is walking back to the blight and finding it up in flames. Everything from there is just images. A boy, a bloody man, rubble, and fire...

The images in my head begin to clear up with each passing second and I feel a wave of panic come over me. Tears spill down my cheeks, the loss of life and the blight... the alien...

"I see you're awake." I sit up quickly, my gaze whipping in the direction of the intruder's voice. My heart speeds into overdrive.

It's him.

The being snatched me up like I was nothing stands in the doorway of the room, his vivid eyes focused on me. I blink in complete confusion. How is he completely unscathed? How am I? I know I pulled the pin on that grenade. I saw his shocked expression as I did so. I vaguely take note that there seems to be a hallway behind him but it's only for an instant. He steps into the room and with his entrance, the wall appears as solid as it was moments before.

I blink in confusion. He didn't press a button or close it with his hands. The door just appeared.

He's wearing a dark shirt with sleeves that stop just shy of his elbows. The shirt hugs his frame perfectly and I can see the lean muscle that lies beneath the foreign material. My eyes drift to his face. A face I have to convince myself exists. There isn't a flaw on his smooth skin. He's eerily perfect. Right down to the unusual hue of his hair that falls down his back.

My instincts register that this predator is approaching me causing fear to squeeze my throat like a vice. All the hatred I've garnered over the years flies out the window in the face of this being, replaced by fear.

"Stop!" I cry out. I don't know if I'm asking him to stop coming near me, or if I just need it all to stop. The memories, the emotion, the fear. All of it. I open my eyes, not having realized I had closed them. To my shock, he's already here. Sitting inches away from me at the edge of the bed.

The way he looks at me is terrifying. There is no expression on his face. Only vague attention is directed towards me. I can tell there is so much on his mind that I couldn't possibly begin to understand.

He angles his gaze slightly, taking in my features. 

"What do I call you?" The sound of his voice is one that's hypnotizing. I fight myself from closing my eyes just to relish the sound.

I take a few deep breaths, steadying myself before answering.

"Where are my friends?" I ask. It shocks me how brave my voice sounds in the face of this terrifying predator. I want to ask him more than this, but all that matters now is their lives. 

For the first time since I've met this being, his face changes. It's a small change, just a subtle lift of his brow and the slight upturn at the corner of his mouth.

"I don't like to repeat myself," he says. Even though his face gives off the misdirection of amusement, the tone in his voice makes me want to crawl under the covers and cower in fear. Gone is that soothing charm. Now, there's nothing but a sinister gaze waiting for me to challenge him. He's craving it.

"Iris," I whisper.

He scoffs at my response, "I see you possess some sense of intelligence." He stands from his position making his way across the room to a bureau pulling it open. His soft chuckle echoes over the room.

"Which can't be much seeing as you tried to blow yourself up promptly after I caught you attacking one of my own."

A wave of nausea washes over me as I recall the moment he barreled his way into my path. His gaze is haunting.