Focusedheart
Through all, smile. Through the worst, smirk.
"Monica come down for dinner." her mother's voice called from the base of the stairs in their small home in the city. The stairs a straight shot to the second floor. Soon a tall and lanky fifteen year old appeared at the top of those stairs. A t-shirt with an owl on it hung from her small frame as sweat pants covered her slender legs comfortably. Her feet were bare and moved rather softly on the wooden stairs a she made her way down there.
Her mother smiled to the child. "What's for dinner momma?" "Your favorite ham and mashed potatoes." They exchange a smile before heading in the direction of the kitchen. Monica splits off and heads to the dinning room where her father already sat drinking his nightly dose of herbal tea. He believed it always healthy to drink at least one cup at night.
He lifted his head as he saw Monica and smiled to her. "Hey there study bug. You ready for that big exam tomorrow? I hear it's suppose to be hard." He gave her a smile and a wink. He knew his daughter well enough to know that there really wasn't a hard test for her.
Suddenly there was a scream in the kitchen. They both turn to look only to see a strange glowing flame coming from beneath the swinging kitchen door. Her father was on his feet in an instant and ran for the door, yelling over his shoulder for Monica to stay put.
As he disappeared into the kitchen, there was another scream, this time it was her father's. Monica felt frozen for a moment in the silence that followed. Then the door to the kitchen began to move, flames licking up the sides of it. The kitchen was completely covered in the flames as it burned and tore through the old wood.
What stood in the door way, was nothing short of impossible. A monster. It's body seemed to be covered in the flames. No, it's body was the flames. With two curving horns on the top of it's head and spikes at the back of it's elbows with long claws on it's feet and hands. It's eyes were the darkest of dark. Not black, but just straight darkness. In that silence they just stood and stared at each other.
Then the monster moved. It lunged for her with speed she had never seen. The child ran for the front door. She reached it but not before she felt something snap out and take hold of her left ankle. Her body hit the ground as her head smashed into the iron door knob. She rolls to her back to stair at the monster.
It was moving closer. Suddenly she saw what had grabbed her ankle. The flames. Her ankle was burned deep and suddenly the flames moved from the monster again, wrapping around both her hands and wrists. She felt the burning this time and she screamed from it. The monster only smiled as it sent another whip of flames at her face. It burned across her eyes causing her to scream again.
The smile was shattered though as the door at the front was suddenly smashed in with an ax. A man in a firefighter suit looked to her and instantly went to grab her. When she looked for the monster, it was gone and darkness took her as she blacked out.
********************************* 7 YEARS LATER****************************************************
Gasping for air, she rose from her bed. Her hand on her cross about her neck and her other on a gun beneath her pillow. Her eyes squinted at the darkness as she searched the shadows of her room. Slowly she released the cross and grabbed her red oval shaped lenses and put them on. Once the glasses were in place she saw that there was nothing. It was the dream again or nightmare for that matter.
Dragging her sore body from the bed, she began to go through the motions of her physical therapy. Her left ankle, hands, wrists and skin around her eyes all bore the scars of the burning she had received seven years ago. To this day she went through the physical therapy to deal with it. It was the only way to keep her hands mobile so she could even have a normal job. Her eyes were slowly losing their sight each year and the doctors said she would be blind by the age of twenty five possibly. She had a limp in her left leg from the scarring. She could walk but there was no being normal for her.
Yeah she had seen a therapist after telling the cops and the firefighters what she had seen. She had been lucky though because they kept it from the papers and only marked it as a gas stove explosion. It still never explained the strange burns she had received though.
Once dressed after a cool shower, she didn't bother with breakfast. She was never hungry in the morning. Instead she took a travel mug of hot chocolate with her and made her ever long walk to the building she worked in. It was the one with the big S on it for Sight Papers. She worked on the pictures for them, editing them and getting the effects right on them. It was a relaxing job and one she could do with her scarred hands.
She wore a soft pair of jeans that looked real nice with a green dress shirt. She was allowed to wear her sneakers and basically whatever she wanted within reason of course. The boss had hired her straight from high school in hopes of getting her store but had after three years settled for getting her amazing work. No one bothered her much anymore. They would look and stare but nothing more. She was glad for it.
She would walk along the side walk until she reached the building to be at work by 9am. Her long dirty blonde hair was lose around her head with it's red highlights showing in the sun.
Her mother smiled to the child. "What's for dinner momma?" "Your favorite ham and mashed potatoes." They exchange a smile before heading in the direction of the kitchen. Monica splits off and heads to the dinning room where her father already sat drinking his nightly dose of herbal tea. He believed it always healthy to drink at least one cup at night.
He lifted his head as he saw Monica and smiled to her. "Hey there study bug. You ready for that big exam tomorrow? I hear it's suppose to be hard." He gave her a smile and a wink. He knew his daughter well enough to know that there really wasn't a hard test for her.
Suddenly there was a scream in the kitchen. They both turn to look only to see a strange glowing flame coming from beneath the swinging kitchen door. Her father was on his feet in an instant and ran for the door, yelling over his shoulder for Monica to stay put.
As he disappeared into the kitchen, there was another scream, this time it was her father's. Monica felt frozen for a moment in the silence that followed. Then the door to the kitchen began to move, flames licking up the sides of it. The kitchen was completely covered in the flames as it burned and tore through the old wood.
What stood in the door way, was nothing short of impossible. A monster. It's body seemed to be covered in the flames. No, it's body was the flames. With two curving horns on the top of it's head and spikes at the back of it's elbows with long claws on it's feet and hands. It's eyes were the darkest of dark. Not black, but just straight darkness. In that silence they just stood and stared at each other.
Then the monster moved. It lunged for her with speed she had never seen. The child ran for the front door. She reached it but not before she felt something snap out and take hold of her left ankle. Her body hit the ground as her head smashed into the iron door knob. She rolls to her back to stair at the monster.
It was moving closer. Suddenly she saw what had grabbed her ankle. The flames. Her ankle was burned deep and suddenly the flames moved from the monster again, wrapping around both her hands and wrists. She felt the burning this time and she screamed from it. The monster only smiled as it sent another whip of flames at her face. It burned across her eyes causing her to scream again.
The smile was shattered though as the door at the front was suddenly smashed in with an ax. A man in a firefighter suit looked to her and instantly went to grab her. When she looked for the monster, it was gone and darkness took her as she blacked out.
********************************* 7 YEARS LATER****************************************************
Gasping for air, she rose from her bed. Her hand on her cross about her neck and her other on a gun beneath her pillow. Her eyes squinted at the darkness as she searched the shadows of her room. Slowly she released the cross and grabbed her red oval shaped lenses and put them on. Once the glasses were in place she saw that there was nothing. It was the dream again or nightmare for that matter.
Dragging her sore body from the bed, she began to go through the motions of her physical therapy. Her left ankle, hands, wrists and skin around her eyes all bore the scars of the burning she had received seven years ago. To this day she went through the physical therapy to deal with it. It was the only way to keep her hands mobile so she could even have a normal job. Her eyes were slowly losing their sight each year and the doctors said she would be blind by the age of twenty five possibly. She had a limp in her left leg from the scarring. She could walk but there was no being normal for her.
Yeah she had seen a therapist after telling the cops and the firefighters what she had seen. She had been lucky though because they kept it from the papers and only marked it as a gas stove explosion. It still never explained the strange burns she had received though.
Once dressed after a cool shower, she didn't bother with breakfast. She was never hungry in the morning. Instead she took a travel mug of hot chocolate with her and made her ever long walk to the building she worked in. It was the one with the big S on it for Sight Papers. She worked on the pictures for them, editing them and getting the effects right on them. It was a relaxing job and one she could do with her scarred hands.
She wore a soft pair of jeans that looked real nice with a green dress shirt. She was allowed to wear her sneakers and basically whatever she wanted within reason of course. The boss had hired her straight from high school in hopes of getting her store but had after three years settled for getting her amazing work. No one bothered her much anymore. They would look and stare but nothing more. She was glad for it.
She would walk along the side walk until she reached the building to be at work by 9am. Her long dirty blonde hair was lose around her head with it's red highlights showing in the sun.
