Chapter 3: Trapped in doubt

She stood in front of the white silk cocoon mound at her feet. Her jaw relocated as the skin lighted from black to cream, and incisors melted back into her cheeks. The thick tail covered in black bristles pulls out of the cocoon with a barbed spike dripping a yellow liquid at the tip as it recedes and melts back into her back.

Her pounding head quiets down as the blurry room stops swaying, and all becomes clear. Her broken wings reset in place. Her cream back pales white as the wings turn into red liquid before merging back into her. The young woman’s snow-white back changes back to a creamy complexion before she paces back and forth, wondering about what happened to her.

The mystery of the man in the black coat, the weird structures that reached into the sky, the bright blue sky, and where she was now. She stops looking at all the strange things and portraits that lined the shelves and walls before looking back at the cocoon. She didn’t even get a good look at the creature in front of her before defending herself and restraining it.

Her palpitating hearts slow and merge back into one while her mind is still as glass. She lets out a light sigh and sits down; she looks back at the broken desk and window before finally making up her mind. She raises her nose into the air to make sure. It smells of something similar to humans but still different.

She raises her left arm, which has a curved sickle of bone growing out. On her right hand, the fingers fatten and elongate with octopus suckers growing from them and the mouth of a sea lamprey at the palm. She slashes an opening in the silk to reveal the head of a young human male, breathing heavily with a pale complexion. She smells his pungent stench of human, but it still smells different, leaving doubts in her mind building up like a sand castle to fall down as she shakes her head and lowers her right hand towards his head.

The tentacles fasten around, and her serrated palm lowers towards his forehead. She knew this was barbaras, but what difference did one human death mean towards her when she needed information? Torture would not be messy, so she was going to take it straight from the source.

The man opens his eyes and screams in pain as trails of blood fall into his eyes. “Aaahhh! Jansdfn jsvbvno usinsaf,” said the man. He went quiet as his eyes widened and lost their light, looking at the woman and asking why. His squirming body went limp as his head slid off his body as ripened fruit, leaving behind a gray and white substance instead of blood, only to collapse back into the cocoon. She was perplexed as this was the first time something like this was happening.

In her confusion, flashes of memories flow into her mind as vapid illusions with masses of pain and pleasure flood her own mind as she starts to learn, understand, and digest this humans knowledge, but it is cut short as they turn black as she looks back to her hand that was holding the head only to see that it was now a blob of white liquid flesh. Now useless, she cursed at how this, too, was the first time this had happened.

How was she supposed to replace him before disappearing without leaving a trace if she could not know everything about him? Key facts were obviously not obtained as it was no more than basic language skills and random memories of a child playing in what was a beach or a city. Nothing about adult life or advanced knowledge was left.

Her hands morph back to their human shape as she starts to digest any information that might still be useful among these memories, only to find his name, and nothing really else stood out.

Would she have to sneak out and find another victim to extract memories from now? She turned towards the window and wondered what she needed to do about that, as the neighbors might come and cause trouble. The first thing she had to do now was to get rid of the body. She turns back and sees the man standing there with a pained expression holding his head with a hand while tilting slightly.

Shock fills his face as he sees her, but he stumbles and falls on his face from tripping over the silk still around his legs from the cocoon. He gets up quickly and runs over to her, quickly checking her body and lifting her arms around, only to see some damaged clothes and blood stains but no open wounds. He sighs in relief and backs away from the flustered and confused figure in front of him.

In her confusion, the woman held her hand to her heart and wondered if she could hope she had found someone else like herself. Could she hope that this weird human thing was not her enemy but one of her kind? Was she no longer alone? Drops of water splashed on the floor, leaving stains as tears fell down her cheeks.

Could this be hope? What had she done? She falls onto her knees and cries into her hands as she wonders if she can be forgiven and make it right. The man flinched but came over, gently embraced her, and said, “There, there. I don’t know what has happened, but you are safe now.”

Chris was troubled. He hoped that the woman in his embrace would feel safe now that she was on the ground. What happened when I entered here? Did I faint from the sight of blood or something? Am I such a lightweight? Maybe that is why I am so lightheaded feel weak? Such things can wait for later.

The room is a mess. What was that thing I tripped on? Looks like silk. Could she be a moth or bagworm type and use that to brake her fall? I guess that would explain that.

Hmm. That lump of white flesh looks like. No, that couldn’t be. There is no sign of harm on my body or clothes, and if she were one of those so-called assassins that I fantasized about, she would be trying to kill me now, not crying in my embrace. Right?

Not like some inelegant beast is in front of me, as she is clearly human. I guess I will stay here until she lets it out, and then we can talk.

She only said, muttering between her tears, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

The woman lifted her head. Her red-shot eyes and tear-stained face with black hair covering most of it only made her look more like an evil spirit than a sad woman in the flesh. Chris reached into his back pocket and pulled out a handkerchief to whip the tears away.

“Look, I told you. What happened had happened, and that is that,” said Chris. There is no point in worrying about the damages. My insurance should cover it after a down payment. I shouldn’t let this girl feel guilty about it, even if she wants to compensate for it. This can only set me back. What to do?

“But I,” said the woman. How can he be this forgiving? I was literally eating away at his mind and trying to steal everything from him in a bloody murder. He was the prey, and I was the predator. He can’t be that naive, can he? No, it must be something else.

“Look, that isn’t important. As long as you’re okay, that is all that really matters.” I don’t want her to try and press charges, though I could counter-sue that no insurance will cover it, and I can get the rest of the money I need from my book sales from another grant.

“No, but.” I really don’t know what else to do. Fine, I give up. I will go along with what he wants for now, so I can find out more about him and this place.

“But nothing, everything is alright now. Got that!” She is clearly still shaken up and needs to rest. Let’s leave it here.

“Yes.”

“Good. You can tell me about yourself when you are good and ready.” I will probably need it for the claim.

“Thank you, young hero.”

“Think nothing of it. I will get a broom and some trash bags to clean this place up. Why don’t you go downstairs, sit on the couch, and collect your thoughts.”

“Sure.”

“Oh, do you need any help down the stairs?”

“No, I am perfectly fine,” she said while gently pushing him away and getting up. She gave a quick glance back before walking into the hallways towards the stairs.

“Well, now I only have to clean this mess up,” Chris mutters in dismay. He thought of the cost of repairs alone and shook his resolve a little before getting the broom.