“We’re not alone,”
Chapter 12: Her Past
Michaela didn’t felt like going to Kendrick and give him the reports, no. She wanted to be alone; she needed to be alone. Michaela zigzagged through the maze of the town; from dark corner of the town to the bright blue ocean. Michaela didn’t stop when she reached the end of the ocean bay; instead, she turned off her bike’s engine and strolled up towards a wooden shack near a forest.
It was stormy one day, dark clouds were rolling in fast and the sea was no longer a friend to any fishermen. Michaela’s father refused to stay at home, fixing his net while his wife and daughter was hungry. The pantry was empty and they have no money in their pockets, it was cruel, really, and it had been raining heavily for the past few days. Although Michaela tried not to fuss over how hungry she was, but how could she? She was only 5 years old and she was nothing but skin and bones. Finally, Michaela’s father could no longer go over the fact that his family are starving.
“My wife, let me out to sea, to provide food you and my daughter. I can take no longer of suffering you are going through; you and Michaela. Let me out to the sea, to bring home fresh fish and prawns so we could feast on,” he said gently over the pathetic fire.
“Hush now, husband. And what if you’re lost at sea and never to come back? Right now, Michaela needs you, I need you. Don’t throw your life over something as small as starvation. You have a daughter whom loves you dearly and me. Maybe the rain will clear tomorrow and you can once again fish,” she smiled and hugged her husband. Michaela was sitting by the fire, playing with a doll her mother made for her. Her stomach growled and she started to cry.
“Hush now, my child. Let us turn in early so we could forget the hunger that is gnawing in our stomach,” she carried Michaela and brought Michaela into her room. Throughout the night, Michaela could not sleep; the gnawing was too great. She then heard small footsteps outside her room over the booming thunder. Michaela then saw a soft light streaming into her room from the door crack. Filled with curiosity, Michaela went out of her room and she saw her father dressed in his raincoat and his back was facing her.
“Papa?” Michaela said, clutching her doll tightly to her small chest.
Her father turned around and offered her a wide smile. He then placed his forefinger on his lips, signaling her to be silent.
“Papa is going out for a while okay? Papa will bring home a fine feast fit for a princess like you,” his grey eyes were shinning due to the candle’s soft glow.
“But papa, mama said tomorrow. Why don’t you listen to her?” her innocent face brought her father close to tears.
“Papa does not want both you and mama to suffer no longer. I promise to be back and when I returned, we’ll go to the beach together to pick up lovely shells from the beach as soon as the storm is over okay?”
A streak of blue lightning flashes across the sky which was followed by a loud boom of the thunder. Being as innocent as a 5 years old girl, she idolized her father, thinking he was a superhero.
“I’ll be waiting for you okay, Papa?” she smiled, kissed her father on the cheek and later gave him a tight hug.
“Go to your room and sleep, when you open your eyes, my princess, you’ll see a fine feast on this bare table.”
Michaela obediently went to her room and slept, dreaming about her being a princess, feasting upon food so delicious, every princess in the world were jealous of her. But little did Michaela knew, she has lost something; something that she wished she could turned back time and retrieved it back.
Michaela walked into the house, leaving unwanted footprints on the dusty floor. She went to her room and she saw a photo frame placed on the bed. Michaela picked up the photo frame and wiped it with her sleeve. In the photo frame, it contained a yellowish, brownish colored photo which was soon to fade. Michaela could make out a girl standing in the middle of her parents, smiling so brightly as though the girl was oblivious to the world. A memory like this brought tears into her eyes and a flashback occurred.
“Mama, Papa said he is going to come back with lots and lots of food!” Michaela said as she twirled around the kitchen, dancing happily to the melody she simply made up.
“No wonder Papa was gone when I woke up,” her mother smiled and looked out of the window. It was no longer raining and the sky was bare, not even a single cloud was seen.
“But Papa left last night!” Michaela said as she watched her mother cleaning the kitchen sink.
“Yes, darling. Mama is busy now, why don’t you go out and play? It’s a beautiful day,”
Michaela obediently went out of the house and started making sand castle. At the corner of her eyes, she saw two men walking towards her house. She waved at them for she knew them. They were her neighbors and they waved politely back at her. If only Michaela was observant, she would be able to see how grim their faces were.
“Good morning, young lady,” one of the men said as he nodded towards her.
“Good morning,” Michaela called back and she watched the two men walked into her house. She was a curious girl and as the saying goes, curiosity killed the cat, she peeked through the window and saw the one of the man talking in a soft tone, his face was filled with sympathy as soon as her mother received the news.
“Your husband was found lying on the beach. His chest no longer rising and his boat were crushed to pieces. His hand though was gripping tightly onto this,” the man passed her mother a large sack which was contained with fishes, crabs and clams. “he did not survive, I’m afraid.”
Michaela’s mother dropped the sack and stared at the men, her mouth was opening and closing like a fishes’.
“But… but he left this morning, I’m certain of that. There was no way he was caught in the storm when he left after the storm!” she was hysterical.
Michaela went into the room, her hands were covered with sand and she pulled her mother’s skirt.
“But Papa left last night!”
Michaela’s words rang in her mother’s ears like bells of the funeral. She turned and looked at her child; her eyes were filled with tears.
“Why didn’t you stop him!?” she cried, grabbing her daughter by the shoulders and shaking her back and forth in a rough manner. “Why didn’t you stop him!?” her screams filled the house and the men quickly took action. They pried her away from Michaela tried to calm her down, holding her tightly so she won’t charged towards her daughter again. “Why didn’t you stop him!?”
Michaela was shaken up and she started to fill tears streaming down her cheeks. Her father had left her, where is the promise he is willing to fulfilled? Who will play with her and tell her jokes? Who will teach her how to fish and to mend the net when it’s broken? Michaela broke down and cried, telling herself it’s her fault; beating herself up mentally. But she was nowhere close to her mother’s state though, her mother went mental due to the lost of her husband. She would sit by the window, looking dreamily outside, waiting for her long lost husband to return to her welcoming arms.
Day by day, Michaela soon gotten over the fact she lost her father. She met a young boy one day, when she was around 12 years old. At that time, she started fishing out in the open sea, bringing food home for her mother to fill her stomach. Until the day she saw her father walking towards the house.
“Michaela! Michaela!” her mother shouted excitedly and pointed, normally Michaela would dismiss her mother but her mother pulled Michaela to the window and forced her to look out.
She thought her eyes were playing tricks on her when she saw her father walking towards their house. Michaela’s mother pushed Michaela aside and she rushed towards her husband and kissed him lovingly on the lips. Michaela too, went outside but she felt uneasy. Her father looks the same yet she felt something was different, something she could not lay a finger on. But, she still welcomed her father home warmly. After dinner, Michaela went to bed and she heard her mother laughing softy at what her father just said. She soon closed her eyes; her heart was filled with happiness and content; happy to hear her mother once again laugh with joyfulness.
She woke up when she felt something touching her and she was frightened at the being she saw; the being that was staring back at her. It was not human, she assured that, but it was no ordinary creature too. Her breath was caught in her throat and she had problem breathing. The thing had eyes that constantly changes color and mouth filled with needle like teeth; small, sharp and dangerous. She shifted her eyes down and saw a pair of hands with claw-like nails attached. The thing smiled and globs of saliva ran down its open mouth.
“Sweet dreams,” it said and paralyzed Michaela with its rainbow eyes. Michaela saw a large golden eye, too, staring at her. The space between her and the monster decreased and she could not do anything to stop; not being able to stand up too.
The breath of the monster tickled her throat as she swallowed a mouthful of saliva. Michaela shut her eyes tight and waited for the pain but instead, she heard a gunshot and she smelt smoke. She opened her eyes and saw a young boy, around 12 year’s old, holding on to a gun. The boy then climbed into her room, gun still pointing at the creature. His face was twisted with disgust and anger flared in his onyx eyes.
“Are you alright?” he asked, never leaving his sight from the creature.
Michaela nodded and she gasped when the creature started to move. Apparently, the boy has shot the creature in the head, buying him time to bring the girl out. But, the creature recovered quickly than expected. The creature was quick, it lashed out its talons and caught him on the eyebrow then pushing him back and he fell. The creature faced Michaela and it shifted its shape, its face was no longer gruesome but it was none other than her father.
“Papa?” Michaela said and started to reach out towards her father look alike.
“No!” the boy cried and pressed the trigger.
He then lowered his gun which was giving out smoke and placed in his belt. He took out a small device and placed it on the creature, slowly dissolving the creature. As soon as the device was complete, he looked at the girl, dropping on his knees and took her hand, trying to find any injuries.
“I’m fine,” she said, her voice was shaking.
He stared at her with sympathy and wiped away a tear that has escaped from her right eye.
“Stay here, if there is any more of that thing, just call out to me. I’ll be there in a heartbeat,” he smiled and got up to his feet. He then went left the room, looking at sights he doesn’t want to see.
When he came back, Michaela was dressed in a shirt and short jeans. He smiled at Michaela and told her to pack.
“Where are we going?” she asked, still filled with curiosity.
“To a man that will explain everything to you,” he said while looking out of the window. He then sighed and shifted his attention to her.
“I’m sorry about your mother,” he said, softly. He hung his head with shame for not being able to arrive earlier.
It hit her; the impact was so great, that she fell. He was quick enough to be able to catch her before she hit the ground.
“My… my mother’s dead,” she said, still unable to accept the truth. “My father!?”
“That thing was not your father; it never is and never has been. Your father was gone much earlier, remember? The thing just took shape as your father, seizing its opportunity to feast on you and your mother, quenching its blood lust.”
“My… my father was long gone, my mother died tonight,” she broke down and hugged him tight, holding on to him like he too, is going to leave her. She cried on his shoulder, pouring every ounce of her frustration and sadness out. He felt awkward for no girl has ever hung on to him. He awkwardly patted her shoulder, trying to offer her comfort. They both stayed in the position for quite a while; not moving until the morning sun break through the horrible night.
Michaela wiped the tears from her cheek and sets the photo frame back on the bed where she once took it. She then went out of the house, trying to leave the horrors of that night behind.
Michaela walked towards her motorbike and she stopped as saw a little girl selling flowers. Michaela fished out some money from her pocket and bought a bouquet of white primroses; she then crushed the petals and faced the sea.
Papa, you promised me you would come back and pick lovely shells from the beach with me as soon as the storm is over.
The storm has passed, Papa, for quite a long time and yet, you are nowhere in sight.
She then opened her palm and the petals fluttered in the sea breeze, bring them towards the roaring ocean. She stood there, for quite a while, watching the petals fall on to the water and was washed away.
“I knew you would be here,” a voice spoke from behind. Michaela turned and saw him standing behind her, his hands in his pockets.
“And how would you know that?” she asked, facing the sea again.
He took a few steps forward and was next to her,
“Because, Michaela, I know you,” he smiled and in her mind’s eye, she saw the 12 year old boy that saved her smiled at her too. Michaela broke down and cried, her palms covering her face.
She felt him move closer and he hugged her, tightly. She then lower down her hands and wrapped them around his neck, still crying as she does so.
“It’s alright,” he said, when he know it will never be alright. The past they both had are nothing but nightmares that haunts them from time to time, leaving them restless and agitated. Enormphs has taken away lives of their family members and for that, they shared the experience, only he experienced it much earlier than Michaela.
Behind him, the sun was covered by a dark cloud, causing everything to fall into darkness. But he did not move an inch, no; he stood there patiently as she hung onto him. But he was alert with his surroundings, watching the moving trees as the wind blew. He knew they weren’t alone, he felt it. But he could not track it down. He was not afraid though, just trying to contain the excitement that was bubbling inside of him; the bloodlust of killing more Enormphs.
“We’re not alone,” he whispered to Michaela and she stopped crying. Instead, she slowly reached towards her gun that was hidden in her red jacket.
“I sense it too,”
The memory caused her to feel much hatred and anger. Killing an Enormph now will satisfy her sorrow for the moment.
“Bring it on,” she said.
