Mated To An Enemy

Myka stared out at the mossy green sludge covering the shallow remains of a once beautiful and shining lake.

A distant memory filled his mind with laughter, and the sound of small splashes as a rock skipped across the surface of the lake. Ripples spread across the water, shaking the golden reflection of the sun.

He swallowed as the memory fell away, replaced by reality.

The lake was almost gone. What remained was a mess of browns and greens. Mud and muck, filled with overgrowth of bright green and yellow plants. From the lakebed came a smell so sour that he was forced to cover his mouth.

The small dock where his father had taught him to fish was almost completely torn away. A large tree branch crushed whatever remained of it. But even before that, the small dock had long been abandoned and destroyed by time.

Lifting his eyes to the place that held the only happiness from his childhood, Myka felt a painful grip on his heart as he saw the destruction of those memories. He swallowed as he made his way around the remains of the lake toward the village.

The small homes that once provided warmth and shelter to many families over the years he had lived there now stood cold and broken. Walls were torn away, and roofs crashed into the houses. Large vines and ivies crawled over the remains of the buildings. As though the land was slowly digesting the village as a meal.

In his mind, this place had never changed.

All of the bad things happened after he had left this village. But while he was here, his parents loved him. He had friends and good memories. His childhood hadn't been a complete lie when he lived here.

Rays of golden sunlight through the trees would highlight the houses as they returned home after catching dinner. His father would laugh and joke, waving to all their neighbors as they walked the smooth dirt path back to the house where they lived.

On their way, Myka could smell the delicious meals being made throughout the small village. Some made fish. Others made loaves of bread, and somewhere in one of the houses, there was a fruit pie being baked.

As they walked through the door, his mother smiled and welcomed them home. She hugged them and took the fish, congratulating them on a job well done. Next, she would get to work preparing the meal, while his father would help him to get cleaned up. Then they would all sit down and eat together as a family.

Myka stared at what was left of his old home. It was different from the rest. All the houses he had passed were in stages of collapsing in on themselves, as though they were falling prey to the natural cycle of abandonment.

But his home was structurally whole. The only difference was that it was also burned.

The foundation of the house remained, the four stairs leading up to the small porch and the front door were blackened but intact. As he stepped onto the porch, he heard the wood beneath groan in protest or perhaps in warning, but after a moment, it settled.

With a shaky hand, Myka reached for the door. He gently pushed it open; it didn't move far before it caught on to something.

An acrid smell forced him to turn his head almost instantly. Burnt, rotten, stale air forced its way out at him. He was tempted to turn away, to leave this nightmare as it was, rather than face whatever horror awaited him.

But in the end, he had to see.

Slipping through the small opening of the door, Myka made his way inside. He pulled his shirt up to cover his nose as best he could while he looked around.

Their home was small. An open room and kitchen made up most of the floor plan. Beyond that was a bathroom situated between the small room that had been his and the larger one that had belonged to his parents.

Looking around, he saw that the fire had spread from within the joint space. Though most of the interior was charred, the building held up just fine.

He glanced toward his room, but the smell drew him toward his parent's room. The door was gone, and the frame was black and brittle from where the flames had eaten away.

Myka swallowed, and as he moved forward, his heart began to pound loudly in his ears. He was only steps away from the doorframe. As he got closer, it was clear that the smell had come from the room. He could see something inside, but it wasn't clear what it was.

He took another step forward, stopping as a sound from behind him drew his attention. Myka quickly turned around to find nothing. For a moment, he blamed his pounding heart. But then he heard it again. This time, he knew it came from his old bedroom.

He took a deep breath, glancing at the front door. He licked his lips, wondering if he could sneak out before whatever was inside the room heard him.

Myka took a step forward, and the wood below him groaned loudly. His eyes widened, and he turned just as the door to his childhood bedroom burst out.

He jumped back to avoid the shards of burnt wood spraying at him. His back hit the wall, and his shoulder hit the frame of his parent's room.

His eyes grew even wider as the creature stepped out of his room.

It was large, having to duck its head under the door frame as it exited the room and still lean forward to keep from hitting the house ceiling. As it moved into the room, Myka could see now that it was one of the bat-like fae creatures. Tall and sinewy, with torn wings and a long snout. Large black eyes that focused entirely on Myka.

It opened its mouth, revealing razor-sharp, jagged teeth with two incredibly long fangs. It let out a screeching sound that left Myka with a dizzying feeling.

The creature charged toward him, and another crashing sound came from the front door.

The world around Myka seemed to slow down for a moment as the creature dove forward and was forced against the wall as a body slammed into it.

He recognized the honey-blonde hair immediately as Ashleigh proceeded to attack the beast. Punching and hitting it again and again. The creature cried out as Ashleigh produced a small blade in her hand and cut at its wings. But then, it managed to shove her back and scream at her.

Ashleigh was caught off guard, the sound burrowing into her mind. She fell to one knee. The creature looked back at Myka, seemingly deciding he was the easier prey.

Myka backed into his parents' room, trying to create distance between himself and the beast. But soon, he found himself blocked by a large object. He looked back over his shoulder to see what appeared to be a large stove of some sort.

Momentarily forgetting the danger of being distracted, his eyes wandered up to the top of the stove.

Myka gasped and quickly moved away as his eyes remained locked in horror at the mummified remains that sat atop the stove. A silent scream forever held on its dry and shrunken flesh.

Even the sounds of battle from the next room could not draw his attention away, not until a loud thunk and the sound of something approaching reached his ears. From the doorway, something moved quickly on the floor toward him.

Myka gasped as it rolled directly onto his boots. He looked down to see the large black eyes of the bat creature staring back up at him.

"AAHHH!" he screamed, kicking the head of the beast away from him and back toward the door.

"Myka!" Alice shouted, moving into the room with an angry flare. "We told you to wait by the lake!"

Myka took short but deep breaths as he tried to recover the beat of his heart.

"You're lucky that Ashleigh was already following after that one!" she shouted, only then noticing how he was breathing. She quickly reached her hands out to his face, forcing his eyes to hers. "Myka? Are you ok?"

Myka looked into Alice's eyes and suddenly found breathing much easier. He slowly began to come back to his senses.

"Uhm… guys…" Ashleigh called from the door. "What the hell is that thing?"

Myka closed his eyes, knowing exactly what it was she had seen.

Alice turned to look, and when she saw it, she raised an eyebrow. Then, she turned back to Myka.

"You're all right," she said. "Just focus on your breathing."

Myka nodded, and Alice pulled away, turning her attention to the mummified remains that sat on the stove.

Looking it up and down, she leaned in to get a better look at the face, smiled, and leaned back, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Well, lady and gentleman, it's our lucky day," she said dramatically as she glanced back at them. Then turning around and bowing to the remains, she continued. "Meet, Alpha Gorn."