Samuel felt waves of welcoming warmth spread throughout his body as he gained consciousness. He lay there for a few minutes, his eyes slowly adjusting to his surroundings. Sam barely saw the open curtains of the small window at the other side of the room, but he strongly felt the Sun’s rays filling him up with vitality. Under the veil of morning, Sam’s worries from the previous day were replaced by hope and confidence.
He was fully aware of his surroundings now, no fogginess clogging his senses, his mind filling to the brim with the details of his room. He observed the rich colour of the walls, even their various bumps and dents that he had become accustomed to. Samuel noticed his clear glass chess set, its surface reflecting the radiant light spouting from the window high up on the wall. In his peripheral vision, he even saw a miniscule spider, perched on its throne of intricate webs.
He sat up in his bed, all of his inhibition discarded. Sam stood up and his blanket slid back down to the ruffled bed. He abandoned making his bed. This menial task wasn’t on his list of priorities at the moment. Samuel’s only concern was to check if his parents were in the house. He would postpone brushing his teeth until after breakfast. Sam jogged towards the stairs, filled with excitement. He took long strides up the stairs, jumping up the steps two at a time.
When Sam reached the peak of the stairs, and the kitchen, he finally realized exactly how hungry he was. Samuel glanced at the white bread, and the cereal box in the corner of the kitchen, but he resolved to postpone that as well. He passed through the empty doorway into the living room, but no one was to be found. Samuel didn’t let this discourage him though. They might be sleeping in their room, Sam reasoned. He sauntered towards his parents’ room hopefully, passing the beautiful butterfly display hanging on the wall and walking down the familiar hallway. He knew this place like the back of his hand; he maintained a vivid and detailed mental blueprint of the house. The Sun’s radiant light was making his surroundings glow. Samuel finally reached his parents’ room, his last hope. He sighed, forced a smile and began to turn the door knob. The door had begun to swing inwards, slow as a snail. The door partially showed the room, revealing a large shadow of a figure facing the opposite direction.
“Mom? Dad? Are you guys h”—BANG! Samuel heard the sound of two paws hitting the floor, and within the span of the blink of an eye, the mysterious shadow had turned around, and crossed the distance between Sam and itself. The figure was too swift to see; it had remained an indecipherable blob of mass. It smashed right through the still opening door, sending wooden shrapnel flying in every direction, colours of the walls, the shrapnel, and the shadow swirling and blending into a single monotone hue. Samuel didn’t even have time to cover his face, but that was the least of his worries. Before any of the shrapnel had even reached Sam, the indecipherable figure had completely blasted through the now obliterated door, leaving the wood chips almost completely still in the air in comparison to the its speed.
Before Samuel had any time to react, it had tackled him to the ground with astonishing momentum from its previous feat. The air in Sam’s lungs was forced out of him when he hit the wall behind him. Sam’s body bounced off of the wall and hit the wall opposite. Finally, Samuel’s form slid to the ground. Sam was in awe of the fact that he was still conscious, but he was still winded and writhing in pain.
This isn’t possible, Sam thought, panicking as the creature pounced on him, pinning his shoulders to the floor. He couldn’t breathe. He could see it clearly now, but what he saw brought no solace. Samuel saw a slender animal. It seemed almost feline, but its features emitted such an alien aura. It had shining, leathery black skin, without the slightest imperfection or blemish. Sam’s eyes followed two of the alien creature’s powerful, lean legs from where they stood like ebony stakes driven into the flat side of his shoulders, to the main body of the terrifying, impossible creature. He counted four legs, all the while his mind was racing through all of the potential paths out of this situation. However, Sam was jarred back to the present by the high-pitched screech that the animal’s ridged throat produced. He felt compelled to gaze into the creature’s azure eyes, and if he didn’t feel the flow of adrenaline throughout his body, he would have revelled in its alluring beauty. He would have marveled at the ridges that ran parallel to its spine, resembling gills, had the creature been trapped in a secure cage at least twenty feet away. What he witnessed was horrifying, for what he saw in this creature’s eyes was the most potent weapon of all, what sets humans aside from all others and places them at the top of the food chain, the throne of the world: intelligence.
For a moment he just sat there, petrified under the crushing pressure of this nightmarish creature. Samuel attempted to explore every crevice of possibility for what was occurring. Everything that he knew confirmed that this was a hallucination, a vivid, picture-perfect hallucination. It could be an obscure species of panther, but he knew that this was extremely unlikely. There were no panthers around here, save for the zoo, and even that was in another city, and none of them had gills. Sam had watched Animal Planet, and he was positive that no animal looked like this. It was much more likely than what his eyes were trying to convince him though. Samuel wanted to pinch himself, just to see if what he was seeing was real, but he couldn’t move a muscle under the scrutinizing gaze of the creature. He supposed that the mind-numbing pain was enough of a pinch.
Never mind wondering if he had unwittingly ingested massive amounts of hallucinogens while he was asleep, it was essential that he put together an escape plan. Sam could see his frightened face in the mirrors of the creature’s eyes. It examined him, shifting its weight, as if identifying him, checking to see if it had assaulted the right fifteen year-old. Samuel was lying parallel to the walls now, and he could see an escape route, referencing his mental blueprint. He knew a shortcut through his backyard to the small plaza across from the mall. The only problem was that he couldn’t budge. Sam couldn’t even shift his weight without giving the animal something to suspect. He needed a distraction and he needed it fast. He could feel the pounding of his heart slowing down by a fraction. He reasoned that if this thing wanted to kill him, it would have already ripped his throat out. Acting on his instinct that this was intelligent, he assumed that it wanted to capture him, but how it would do so without paws was beyond him.
Suddenly, he heard a knock on the door, along with the voice of what he gathered to be Toby yelling, “Hey, Sam. I know I didn’t call ahead, but your parents aren’t home and I figured I’d come hang out anyway.” Shut up! He didn’t want Toby dragged into this. The leather creature turned its head towards the front door, the source of the noise. It growled loudly, in its high pitched screech. “Hey, what’s that noise? Are you using a kettle or something?” asked Toby, his obliviousness frustrating. Run!
The pitch-black animal turned itself more towards Toby, taking its attention away from Samuel. He saw his chance, feeling the pressure on his shoulders loosen, but something stopped him for a moment. Sam heard muttering, whispering. As if the animal was talking to itself. Its tone seemed almost insane, frightening him. But, he needed to act now or he would never get the chance again. Toby would eventually walk away, and he would be left alone with this wicked creature, and would suffer from whatever was part of its evil agenda.
He waited for a moment, concentrating. He pulled together all of his hate and resentment and frustration in to one task to save his life. Ready as he could be, he lifted his legs and jabbed his legs at the creature’s hind legs. Its paws squeaked as its legs were pushed out from under it, the back of it falling to the hardwood floor. It lost its balance, and Sam pivoted his torso towards his parents’ room on the left, sending the creature crashing into the wall. He sprung upwards, on his feet already. The bathroom was to his right and he knew that he couldn’t make it to the door in time. If it was a contest of speed, he would lose hands down, but this was a contest of familiarity and agility. He slipped in to the bathroom, leaving the light switch untouched and slamming the door shut.
“Sam?” Toby called. Damn it! As he ran up to the window, he found the window was jammed. He could already hear the creature scratching the door, but it stopped almost as if it was about to ram the door. He hurried, pushing upwards as hard as he could until the window came free. After that he realized a flaw in his plan. There was a net between the bathroom and salvation. Sam frantically pulled open the cupboard, taking the largest hairdryer, and smashing it on the net until it broke through. Samuel heard a crack, and he was about to resort to a final stand, fight or flight, but a brief glance back assured him that he had about five more seconds. The leather animal had broken through, but it still had about half of the door to break before it could slip in. Discarding the hairdryer on the bathroom floor, he climbed through the window, feet first and resting on the windowsill. The height was a little daunting, but he dropped down, hitting the pavement with a solid thump.
He contemplated going through the park in the front, but that kind of open space would likely lead to his demise. Instead, he would loop around the house once. The creature would not spare Toby, and he wouldn’t let him die. Turning towards his right, Sam sprinted past the entrance to his garage and through the path leading to the driveway, his feet already raw from the skin on pavement contact. It hurt with every step, but he made it and made an immediate right. Sam heard the patter of paws behind him. He turned onto the walkway up to the front porch, where he saw Toby waiting by the door. Samuel ran up to Toby, ragged clothes and all.
“Hey! Why didn’t you answer me? Woah, what’s with the clothes and why aren’t you wearing any shoes?” asked Toby, but Sam didn’t have time for his questions.
“I’ll tell you later! Come with me, right now! And no, this is not a joke!” Sam exclaimed, answering an unasked question. He couldn’t waste any time. Toby seemed reluctant but he seemed to sense that he was desperate. He didn’t wait, running across the lawn and cutting through the garden. He could feel the life of the plants being crushed, but he had other issues. Too late. As he passed the right side of the house, he saw both Toby, who was directly behind him, and the creature at the other end of the lawn. Hearing the animal’s screech, Toby picked up the pace.
“What’s going on?” Toby asked, but Sam left it unanswered. He sprinted past the house and onto the backyard. Usually Sam was only a mediocre runner, having to really concentrate to do well, but now he was running like he never had before, leaving Toby in the dust. When he made it, he picked up the biggest log he could find without having to lug around a whole tree, and let Toby pass him.
“Toby, jump the fence,” Sam instructed.
“What about you?”
“I’ll be there in a sec.” As Toby climbed the fence, Sam, brandishing his weapon, planted his feet and prepared himself. The beast was there within seconds, but it was on to his defensive stance. SKREECH! It was there, but he sidestepped it and smashed its head with the stick as if hitting a homerun. It was dazed, but this wasn’t over. Sam took this time to discard the stick and climb the fence, dropping down on the other side. He was in the back of the plaza, beside the dumpsters. He saw a man leaning against one, out for a smoke, having a puzzled expression on his grimy face. If only he had stayed inside, Sam thought. Grabbing Toby, Sam sprinted out to the front of the plaza, spotting a deserted shop. Perfect. His family often came to this shop for dinner when they wanted something “exotic”, and he knew the place pretty well. He was once again using familiarity to his advantage. Suddenly, he heard a human scream from behind the plaza, and then as soon as it began, it ended. He needed to hurry.
Finding the door strangely unlocked, he opened the door, frantically leading Toby inside. Toby appeared even more frightened than Sam felt, and that was saying something. The shop owners should have been here, yet they were nowhere to be found. But this way was better. He could use the hiding place without involving anyone else. He shut the door behind him, leaving nothing out of place. Toby and Sam vaulted over the shop counter, on the other side of the clear display cases, showing different types of spiced rice, chicken, and beef. The smell was intoxicating, and Sam realized just how hungry he was, but first he needed to survive the ordeal he was in right now. He would not die stuffing his face with rice.
“Hey Toby,” Sam whispered, “Try to breathe slowly and quietly.” Toby didn’t answer, but he got the message. It became so eerily quiet that he could hear and feel his heartbeat thumping within his chest. Samuel couldn’t bear lifting his head to peer out from his hiding place. He wouldn’t take the risk.
He shuddered again and again as he heard screams and shouts from outside, soon muffled. This thing was covering its tracks, leaving its path bloody, but anonymous. He hadn’t entered this into the equation. How could it be this ruthless? Sam forced himself to stay put, covering his ears. How can I leave these people to die while I sit here in safety? he asked himself, and he couldn’t answer it. He stood up, determined to do something to help these people. Just as he was about to leave, Toby grabbed his arm and pulled him back down. Sam was furious.
“Do you want these people to die?” Sam demanded, half screaming. His own survival was the final item on his list. All other thoughts were lost in a sea of outrage and disbelief.
“No, but there’s nothing we can do,” Toby replied, still whispering, “Do you want to charge out there with just your fists? You can’t fight this thing!”
“I can, and I will! I’m sure that this place has some kind of knife in the backroom.”
“That’s not what I meant! We both know that this is out of our hands. Last time I checked, a couple of fifteen year-olds can’t take on a fully grown leopard, or whatever that was! You know I’m right. Let’s just wait this out.” Toby was right, of course, but that didn’t stop Sam from feeling restless and guilty. He tried to settle down, and eventually, the noise stopped, but that only made it worse. Sam knew what silence meant, and he was scared out of his mind, shivering. He tried to convince himself that this wasn’t his fault, and that it was over. He knew that it wasn’t his fault. He couldn’t have done anything, and after sitting there for what felt like hours, he was sure that this was over for now. Toby seemed about to slip out of consciousness, but Sam jolted him awake, pulling him to his feet.
After exiting the store, Sam realized he could still hear the sounds of the busy plaza, people doing their daily errands. "Wait," he told Toby. He turned around and saw them. No wounded shopkeepers, no survivors desperate to run away. No dead bodies. Just people.
"What the..."
They walked away from the impossible plaza, contemplating the possibility that they were both insane. Sam's hunger was forgotten. He just wanted to get away from this. Both of them walked quickly away from the plaza, towards and undecided location. There was a mutual feeling of unease, an unspoken need to get away.
Once they walked far away from the plaza, Toby asked, “So what exactly was that? It looked like a leopard or a panther, but it was different, its face…”
“I don’t know exactly. I know just about as much as you. I just woke up, went upstairs, and the thing attacked me. It smashed right through my parents’ door with speed you wouldn't believe, but it just held me captive on the floor.”
“There aren’t any zoos for miles. How did a fully grown leopard get here?” Toby inquired.
“I don’t think that one did,” Sam replied.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that I don’t know what the hell that was. All I know is that was'nt just some escaped leopard.”
“That, dear Samuel, is ridiculous.” Toby dismissed with a hint of sarcasm mixed in.
“You didn’t look into its eyes, or even get a clear look at it. You didn’t hear it… whispering. I kept getting the feeling that that thing was intelligent, as in sentient.” Toby burst out laughing, and eventually, so did Samuel. It was a twisted, desperate laugh, and whether they were laughing or crying were equally valid assumptions. But suddenly Toby stopped laughing, as if his face had turned to stone. All remnants of light-heartedness were scattered like raindrops in a violent storm.
“Luna.”