Delicate slip-on shoes clapped quietly over the wet sidewalk of the dystopian city. Dressed in a knee-high summer dress and clutching a closed clear umbrella, Marin stood out in the clouded and gloomy city. She was like a ray of sunshine in a dark and dreary hole. She was certainly different from the rest. Her hair and skin a shade too light, her eyes a hue too vibrant, and her demeanor to boot, were just not like other humans. Because of that, Marin had been treated differently than most in their lives. It had turned from a rain to a drizzle in a short amount of time, and now, somewhat of a fog seemed to be settling in under the streetlights.
Had anyone else been around this ghetto part of the city at this time of night, she'd have kept lapis lazuli colored eyes on the sidewalk as much as she could. It was uncomfortable for Marin to look at people in passing. She already knew they'd be staring, whispering. Some had no intention at all, but merely gossiped in her passing. Others seemed to fear the strangeness about her. Some were almost, too, intrigued. It was always best for Marin to be on her way silently and keep to herself. But it just wasn't like her. Often times she would stop to help an elderly woman with her groceries, or a child with a lost pet. She was usually shooed away by parents, or told she wasn't needed. It wouldn't ever stop her from trying to help others though.
Marin had just returned from visiting a friend under the old East side bridge. She could consider him that, at least. The homeless man, Charlie - or Chip as he liked to be called, was blind. The old man judged Marin not on her appearance, but by her demeanor alone. The girl often spent her last dollars on extra food to feed the man. She'd offered him time and time again to stay at her apartment, but he enjoyed the "free" life. Old as he was, he was in pretty good health. Aside from the blindness thing.
She enjoyed sitting under the bridge with the old man and listening to the stories of his life. She rarely did much talking, since she wasn't used to conversation, but he never seemed to mind. They always sat around a small fire that was always lit before sundown. The old man never let the fire die in the night. Even blind and in his age, he feared the darkness, claiming that things of nightmares always lurked just beyond the light's edge. Marin didn't believe that, but still, some nights on her walk home alone she'd walk somewhat faster, her imagination running with Charlie's stories.
The small girl was on her way back now to her apartment now. She called it an apartment anyway. The building was on the "bad side" of town. It probably should have been condemned ages ago. Many of the rooms were uninhabitable, but Marin didn't mind. She found the best in every situation. And, rent was cheap. That was a plus for a girl who wasn't allowed to stay many places for too long. She 'unsettled the customers', or her position re-filled without warning. She didn't take it personally. Though she sighed at the thought.
As Marin rounded a corner just a few blocks away from 'home' now, she saw a young boy backed against a wall. She'd seen the child around a few times; he lived in her complex. His parents were the ones who were always shouting at each other until the early morning hours. Marin was almost positive that they didn't care what the boy did at any hour of the night. Though usually he was with a group of other boys. Tonight, there was someone unfamiliar, who seemed to be threatening him. Marin could only see the back of the man, but when he reached back and struck the boy, she knew the situation wasn't a good one.
Immediately, and without thinking, Marin stepped in. "Hey," she said, coming up on the pair non-aggressively. "Is everything okay here?" she asked, mostly to the boy. His eyes looked towards Marin, full of fear and confusion, and then back to the stranger. When the man turned his gaze on Marin, she gasped. The boy took his opportunity, and ran, as Marin would have hoped he would. The stranger before her now had a dark and twisted look about his face. It was unnatural, and almost demonic... if she had to put a name on it. His eyes seemed slightly sunken in, and all he seemed to have were large pupils. Deep rings circled his eyes and faded out into his cheekbones which were sharp and set above more sunken in features.
"You made me lose my dinner," the stranger hissed in a two-toned voice that sent chills up Marin's spine. Jewel blue eyes were wide with horror, just as the boy's had been. She covered her mouth with her free hand and clutched the closed umbrella to her chest with the other. This creature was of nightmares and horror movies. Unreal. It couldn't be real. While Marin mulled over the possibility of the creature's existence, it took it's opportunity to attack. Jumping Marin and causing her to fall to the ground, the creature dug sharp disgusting nails into her shoulders while she simultaneously pushed back, unable to take her eyes from the multiple rows of too-sharp teeth that snapped ever so close to her face.
The small girl was unable to find her voice to scream for help, not that anyone was around these parts now anyway. Her heart raced and her arms burned. She wouldn't be able to hold this, thing, off much longer. And then what? Would it eat her flesh? Devour her soul? No, no... she would wake up before then, surely. A long disgusting, black forked tongue slipped out of its mouth to drag across Marin's jaw and cheek and she shuddered, repositioning a hand to push up on the creature's face. The taste of Marin's flesh only sent the thing into a more ravenous frenzy. Marin's arms began to shake and weaken, and she choked back a sob. This was it, she couldn't hold it away any longer...