AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Jakari
The house felt drafty,a tell-tale sign of autumn in the air. I had my work cut out to get this place sealed for the winter, not that I officially needed to anymore. Everyone in Screaming Woods stayed far away from this place.
Thanks to a Halloween punch gone wrong, I’d become the stereotypical ghost in the manor. The creepy old man who lived in the haunted house—no, I was the snake man in the shadows.
Rising on my tail, I lifted myself to the second floor and quickly hammered a shutter in place for the coming cold winds. I didn’t need to keep climbing and moving, so it didn’t take long for me to board up the second and third floors.
This was the only maintenance I did on the house anymore. Otherwise, snow and leaves would find their way into the house no matter how tightly sealed the windows were. And considering I was cold-blooded now, I needed to ensure the house stayed as toasty warm as possible or run the risk of falling into brumation.
Picking up my tools, I slithered back to the shed and tucked everything inside before heading into the house. It would be dinner time for the average person, but like my reptilian kin, I only needed to eat once a week if I was up to it. But after thirty years like this, I ate once every couple of months.
I usually went into town and splurged on a big meal, but lately, more and more humans had been making their way into Screaming Woods, and the lingering looks were becoming far too frequent for comfort. It was easier being a monster amongst monsters, but with this new subdivision outside of town going up, more humans were claiming Screaming Woods as their home, some oblivious to its dark and monstrous history.
Instead, my nights were spent working. It was all I had now, although everything was done remotely. When I was first transformed, I’d run the company through phone calls, which was easy enough when I didn’t need to sleep. That winter, I learned my lesson and ended up in brumation for months before awakening in spring to find myself covered in dust. After that, I learned everything I could about myself while continuing to work. I built my company into a multi-million-dollar business, allowing me to step back more and more.
The board was interested in my removal. I was, after all, the reclusive billionaire CEO. But if they knew the truth … they would’ve been glad I stayed hidden. I was a freak. A monster. A predator … and I was better left alone.
Settling into the nest I’d made for myself in the living room, I pulled my laptop out of the fabrics and flipped it open, losing myself in emails and reports. As I scanned through numbers, a creak drew my attention to the door. Quickly shutting the screen, I hid it in my nest and slithered to the hallway to check.
There it was again.
Someone was trying to lift one of the boards I’d put over the windows today. It rocked slowly, and then one round, bright blue eye appeared in the corner as they looked inside. The door rattled next, and I slithered closer to the window overlooking the front porch.
A young woman stood there, trying to unlock the door with a hairpin. She threw her head back, tossing her shoulder-length purple hair out of her face. An unnatural color, but on her, it looked so natural. Although, anything would look natural on her. She was simply breathtaking.
Without a second thought, I glided back into the basement and quickly turned the power off. The upstairs lock would shut off immediately, allowing her to come in. I wasn’t sure why I’d done it. I was supposed to remain alone, but one glance at the beauty on my doorstep and I was inviting her in.
Ensuring all the breakers were off, I returned to the main floor to see if she realized the door was unlocked.
I hung back, remaining in the shadows as the door creaked open, and she slipped through, dropping a grey plastic grocery store bag on the floor. She turned back to the door, manually locking it before looking around slowly.
She licked her lips and then cleared her throat. “Hello?”
She didn’t speak loudly like she didn’t want to know if she was breaking into an occupied home.
Taking a deep breath, she tried again, much louder this time. “Hello? Is anyone here?”
She slowly made her way through the house, room by room, checking for occupants. But there was enough dust and other signs of age to make her think it was unoccupied. The only thing—if she noticed—was the clean floors, thanks to my tail.
But she didn’t.
She stood in the kitchen, taking in the bare cupboards and outdated and empty fridge before releasing a sigh.
I scanned her body slowly, taking in her petite form. She couldn’t be older than twenty, although I suspected even that might be generous. She looked like she’d been through hell. Her ripped and stained clothing was several sizes too big and hung off her frame. Her face and hair were muddied, and there was a long gash across her cheek.
Whoever she was, she was running from something. An overwhelming protective urge filled me. Whoever was after her would have to go through me.
“Okay, no food.” She closed another cupboard and slumped to the floor, wrapping her arms around her legs as she hung her head. I wished I had a store full of food for her to ravage. “I can survive one more night, and if no one comes, maybe I’ll head into town and get supplies.”
She pushed herself to her feet and walked to the front door, bending to grab the bag she’d dropped. She walked over to the console table and dumped the contents out, pushing aside the used box of bleach and purple dye—that explained her hair—to count the money spilling out of the bag.
She sighed when she finished, putting it all back before nodding her head. “I’ll need a job if I stay here for a bit.” She looked around, her eyes drifting upstairs. “Maybe I need to make sure I can stay here first.”
Irina
Tryas I might to keep pushing myself, I was exhausted. I’d been running for two days straight with no destination in mind other than not going back to where I came from. The only break I’d taken was going into a store to get hair dye and using it.
I figured if the nuns were looking for me, they would look for long black hair and the initiate uniform I’d worn at the nunnery. So, I stole clothes from a donation bin and stopped to get bleach.
