Project 365
With a wave of her arm and a scattering of sea salt, dried lemon rind, ground spearmint, white willow bark and wild clover, Evie brought forth a large wave from the ocean. It rose over the warehouse and crashed at her feet. The water fell between the warped planks of the wharf. It disappeared as quickly as it appeared, taking the fire from the depot with it.
“Nerissa!” Mel stretched his hand towards her, but Nathaniel grabbed him up before he could enter harm’s way. As he dangled in the large, glowing outlined hand, he dropped his outstretched arm when he saw her silhouette. The light above the warehouse door was twisted at an angle but still lit.
She was plastered against the metal siding. Her eyes were wide. She smiled. She smiled wide enough to show teeth before laughing. As she walked towards her team, she covered her mouth with a louder laugh.
“That was outstanding, you guys!” Nerissa opened her arms at the last minute for Mel to sweep her up. He hugged her tight and spun around.
“What where those things?” As his feet touched down, Nathaniel stuffed his hands in his pockets.
“What do you think they were?” Evie gave him a wink before she hugged her sister.
“Are you serious? Dude. Fucking no way.”
“I warned you it might be dangerous.” Nerissa rubbed his long, hanging bangs. She smiled along with him until his smile started to fade.
She turned. From the mist and smoke, within the glow from the warehouse door, a figure appeared. It sauntered with a swagger that would’ve given a big game hunter pause. An arrow whispered by her ear. It swatted it away; a second and a third. It didn’t even break stride. Nerissa held her breath.
She was stock still though Mel, Nathaniel and Evie stepped back and away in a fan position. While the creature circled, Nerissa started to tremble. Her pupils dilated down and the white of her eyes grew. Her chest heaved short, fast breathes. She squeaked when it leaned in and sniffed.
“You smell familiar.” Its voice was dusty dry with a thick, iron-curtain accent. “Have we met?”
“Stay away from her.” Mel raised his bow to point his metal arrowhead at the creature’s eye. It smiled.
“I don’t know you. None of you – but you, I know.” With a small flourish, it took hold of Nerissa’s chin. Its nose met hers. “I have no time to know humans.”
“T-T-T-Tom,” Nerissa squeaked. She swallowed hard. Her tremble turned into a full-body shake.
“I have no time for human names.”
“My husband.”
“Who’s Tom?” With his fists clenched at his side, Nathaniel whispered out of the corner of his mouth.
“Her husband.” Evie dug into a pocket on the thigh of her pants. “He died.”
“Do you not know?” Mel spared a glance at her to see if her face said she knew. Evie shook her head. “Nerissa never told you.”
“No.”
“Ah! The faction that came. Yes. You thought you could finish us.” The creature grinned ear to ear to show long, sharp teeth. One of its hands rubbed the other as its too-pink tongue licked its pale, blue lips. “Great sport, it was. Dinner brought in. Delicious, warm, tell me, how many did you lose?”
Its laugh was cruel as the dry, desert sand in one hundred mile per hour winds. With its long, lean fingers, it peeled back her coat to see her neck. Its eyes grew wide as it inhaled when her white scar tissue was revealed. “How did you survive? Much blood you lost, mostly in my belly.”
“Get away from her!” Mel stepped closer. His bow was stretched and ready. Evie side-stepped in the opposite direction while she rubbed her herbs into the point of her wooden stake. The creature glanced over its shoulder and laughed.
“You came back to finish. For revenge?” It released her coat. “You kill my family because I killed yours? Is that what you think we are? You are pathetic. You will never know what it is because you are unworthy worms. Go now.”
No one moved except for the creature that turned and walked back the way it came. It faded into the smoke and mist. Silence filled its space, broken by a distant fog horn.
“What the fuck was that?” Nathaniel gasped from holding his breath so long. He looked to Mel then to Evie for an answer. They looked to Nerissa.
“Nerissa,” Mel reached for her. Before his hand could land, she spun and slapped it away. The smack caused Mel to pull back. He withered in her stare.
“Don’t you ever do that again. Do you hear me? Not without my command.” Her voice was filled with every bit the gravel that a smoker should have. Nerissa snatched his bow only to shove it back into his chest. She swung at her sister as she tried to approach. “Get out of here! All of you get out of here!”
“Nerissa,” Mel tried again, but Nathaniel snagged his shoulder. He shook his head. His hands found his pockets as he walked away with Mel. Evie stared until she realized that Nerissa wasn’t going to look up. She tisked and sniffed before walking off.
When the cold from the mist and the darkness of the night swept in, Nerissa’s knees buckled. She sank to the dock. Her hand covered her face as her shoulders started to shake.
Project 365 Short Stories by Mary Lewys is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
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