Velvet and Diamonds

 

I could tell that the strumming of my fingers against the passenger seat armrest was driving him crazy. Good,. I thought. Serves him right for being a jerk in the first place. Serves him right for ruining what could have been a perfectly enjoyable night in the city for us.

            My boyfriend, Dominic, was driving his Chevy Cobalt much too fast for the kinds of twisty, curvy back roads we were cruising along, probably because he was angry at me for suggesting we stop somewhere for directions. I had even asked him to get directions before we left the club, which was how we wound up in this situation to begin with. But he had been grumpy and grouchy with me like this for weeks now.

            “Why don’t you just go the same way we came down here?” I snapped impatiently, looking up at him from under my dark red, brownish bangs.

            “That way was too long—we took a shorter way last time.” It was a short reply, thick with iciness.

            “If you took me with you last time instead of that other girl, I could have remembered,” I countered, starring back out the window towards the large, white glowing orb in the sky.

            “Grace, that’s enough,” Dominic growled as we made a tight turn around a tree stump. “I already explained this to you once. They were all just my friends, especially her. You should know you’re the only girl I care about, now or ever.”  

            “Then why did I have to fight you take me there?” I pouted, the thought of him being with another girl almost driving me to tears. “Why didn’t you want to bring me?  Why, Dom? Why were you such a cranky little baby back there in front of my friends?”

            He pinched the bridge of his nose with a groan, trying to calm the migraine he’d been complaining about. I laughed internally and smirked to myself, strumming my fingers louder still.

            We emerged from the woods enclosed back roads to a main intersection, which was completely deserted, being as it was almost 3:00 in the morning.

            “Dom, look.” I pointed across the street towards the only structure with light still on, Marvin’s Mini Mart. It was positioned on a bit of an incline, and the structure and parking lot was surrounded by dark evergreen woods. The glowing neon sign on the front window read ‘Open 24 Hours’.

            He starred at the building like it was the plague, as we waited for the light to turn green despite no one else being on the roads. “Come on, Dom. You can run in and get some directions and some medicine for that migraine, so you don’t crash the car on the way back. I’d like to make it home in one piece tonight, thanks.”

            Dominic seemed to snarl in frustration, his knuckles turning white as his grip on the steering wheel tightened.

            “Grace, I’d like to get home as quickly as possible. We’re running out of gas as it is.” His deep voice soothed me like a lullaby, even though his words were scolding me.

            “Well, driving around aimlessly isn’t going to get us home any faster,” I pointed out as the light flashed green. He didn’t like this, but he grudgingly hung a left turn in to the mini mart’s empty parking lot, and peeled into a handicap spot by the front of the building. My eyes did not miss the assessment that Dom’s Cobalt was the only car in the parking lot.

            Dom furiously turned the ignition off and tossed his disheveled, glossy black hair away from his face, so that his brilliant, royal blue eyes could pierce into mine. They were cold, unloving at the moment, but my heart loved them anyways.

            “I’ll be right back,” he said commandingly. “Don’t follow me in, Grace. No matter what, stay inside this car.”

            I felt my lips pout like a child’s as he climbed out of the driver’s seat and locked me in, heading into the fluorescent lit store.

            As the minutes passed, I noticed so did the quickly gathering heavy dark clouds over head. I tried to ignore this omen of rain by nervously picking at my fingernails and playing with my long, straight, smooth, reddish brown hair. Not before long, my eyes were attracted once more skywards.

            The moon was full and plump, finally unveiled by the misty, cob-web like clouds swarming the night sky, hiding the moon like a scarf over a valuable pearl. Thunder lulled lazily through the heavens, and a thick, white bolt of lightening traced itself like tree branches across the violet sky. The dark timber and deep green evergreens in the woods began swaying violently in the wind. I focused my attention on the stirring of the leaves and branches rather than the sickly storm overhead, until I realized something about the movement of the forest greens: They were not dancing to the steady beat of the wind at all. The were quickly jumping side to side, as if something were darting, or even lurking inside of them.

            My heart temporarily iced over. I looked closer; my eyes held wide open, as I forced myself not to blink until they found the source of the scuttling tree leaves. My light hazel eyes were getting ready to snap close, but just then, the moon completely unclothed itself from its dress of fog, and the woods were illuminated more clearly. My breathing stopped. A pair of gleaming topaz eyes could be seen hovering in the jet blackness.

            Watching me.

            I gasped unwillingly, throwing myself against the back of the passenger seat. My side swept cherry bangs momentarily a skewed my vision.

            Fumbling inside my purse for my cell phone, I retrieved it and urgently punched in the #2 speed dial, waiting to hear Dom’s husky voice pick up on the other end. Where was he?

            The answering machine picked up as I furiously threw my phone back down inside my purse. I unbuckled myself anxiously from the seat, turning to see if I could catch a glimpse inside the mini mart. I tried peering over all the constructible sale signs on the window, searching for Dominic’s tall, lean figure.

            Just then, all the lights in the store shut off at once, as well as all the neon lights on the front windows, like the snuffing of a candle. My heart hammering once again in confusion, I remained frozen as each of the lamp posts in the parking light trickled out, except for the one straight above Dom’s Cobalt, which seemed to linger on a moment longer than the other’s. I was left alone in a black out, except for the illumination cascading down from the moon.         

            My heart leapt into my throat and I frantically began looking around for any sign of human life. Instead, I heard the trees rustle before me. As I quickly looked up, I realized the eyes were no longer hovering there. Instead, as lightening fired down somewhere overhead, I saw a flash of a dark, crouching figure dash by.

            My hands flew faster than the speed of my thumping heart towards my cell phone once more. I slouched down in my seat, bringing my denim clad knees up to my chest as the phone rang again.

            I squeezed my eyes shut tight—as tight as they could go, as I could finally hear the rain pelting down on the windshield and all sides of the steel box I was locked in. I couldn’t see anything but the black of my eyelids, and I couldn’t hear anything but the rain until Dom’s answering machine picked up.

            And then something immensely heavy crashed down on the roof of the car, quaking the entire vehicle from side to side. I shrieked unwillingly, quickly throwing a trembling hand to my mouth and suffocating the sound. I squeezed my jaw tighter with my hands, trying my best to keep from hyperventilating as the sound of frantic, eager claws scraping against the steel echoed in my ears.

            What was out there? What was trying to attack me? I looked up at the grey interior of the car above me, where the sliding cover to the sunroof rested. It was hard to believe the only thing keeping me from my potential bloody fate was a thin piece of metal covered in synthetic material.

            The eager growling and scratching noises continued as the world crashed down around me, and I reached up to draw the screen back. I pulled it back swiftly, like the removal of a band-aid, and winced as though I knew the pain would shortly follow.

            I met its eyes instantly. My eyes were drawn to its fiery, glowing topaz ones like two opposite ends of a magnet, and I feared them. The head was monstrous, much larger than a wolf, although that’s just what it looked like. A giant, prehistoric wolf, and it’s matted, gnarled dark grey fur was torn and frayed. It’s mouth was snarling, viciously displaying two sharp racks of teeth, saliva dangling from its hungry, scarlet mouth.

            And it wanted me.

            My brain panicked, and I thought I was going to have a coronary as the blood raced through my aching, pulsating veins.

            It all happened very quickly after that; the wolf seemed to head-butt the glass separating the two of us, causing it to shatter quickly but only slightly on impact. It jumped on the weakened spot with all the force of his two front legs, causing a chunk of the glass to pour down on me like a fountain of splintered daggers. On impulse, I threw my arms up as a shield. I could feel it penetrate my black corduroy jacket and slice my skin like needles. The seeping blood was coming from all over.

            And then the frenzy began.

            The wolf arched upwards, baying hungrily to its white king above, and then it buried its face back into the glass, growling sharply. The sound was deeper and more intense than the thunder itself. Rain began quickly entering the car through the gap like a broken faucet, and all the while the wolf frantically attacked the glass window that parted it from its meal.

            “Dominic!” I screeched at the top of my voice. I did not know where he was, but he needed to know that I needed him, I needed him desperately. He had told me to stay put, but I didn’t see that as an option anymore. I made a quick grab for the spare umbrella in the back seat, and thrust the object directly up breakage of glass where the wolf’s face was crazily attacking. It let out a beastly moan as the umbrella bashed its nose, and I took this time to sprint out of the car, into the pouring rain towards the mini mart’s sliding doors.

            They refused to open on cue like I expected they might, and despite my futile pounds on the glass door, I realized I was not about to get shelter here.

            My heart was racing faster than my legs as I continued running under the overhang; I heard the beast howling in pain behind me, then leap off the car roof, beginning its hunt.

            I thought about ducking behind the large mulch packages stacked in front of Marvin’s, but thought against it as I heard the beast plow threw the cases I was weaving through like they were stacks of leaves.

            As I reached the end of the concrete sidewalk, I had no choice but to continue racing into the forest ahead of me. This was totally pointless, I knew the moment I did so. The killer wolf would have no problem at all finding me in here; it was its home after all.

            I couldn’t see where I was going, but I could hear branches snapping beneath my black heeled boots, which we were nearly impossible to walk in let alone sprint in. Without warning, the ground disappeared from below me, and I was falling, my fingers clawing at the blackness around me. I hit the ground hard after a good six foot drop. My body was aching and throbbing all over, and I heard my wrist crack like a pathetic little twig as I tried to brace my fall. Seconds later, the monster leapt gracefully over the drop-off where I lay broken and helpless, bounding off into the woods.

            I watched the huge, bear-like body in the form of a wolf continue elegantly racing out of sight into the darkness, and before long, I couldn’t help but release a tiny whimper. I knew instantly my wrist was not the only part of my body broken, but I knew I could not wait for another one of those monsters to come find me.

            I gingerly heaved my body along with my left hand, wincing in pain, trying not to let my cries attract any unwanted attention. Dominic was the only thing on my mind. Was he dead? Was he dying as well? As I somehow managed to slither my way up the vine infested dirt floor, I heard a hungry growl echo through the trees behind me.

I turned over my drooping shoulder to look face to face with the monster, its hollow, yet soulful topaz penetrating me, devouring me from that good twenty-foot distance apart. The rugged, matted dark fur was standing on end in a threatening manner. The sleek, slender body was arched in a way suggesting it was prepared and eager to attack, and the barred, grisly looking teeth made its purpose all the more clear to me. It had the advantage point, being on the ledge of a rock and standing a good deal higher than my already petite form. I had no chance whatsoever in trying to crawl away, I knew that. The strong, lean legs would be after me and on me in a matter of seconds, and I would be done for.

            The beast saw its victim had fallen, and knew the victory would be easily won. Without a second to spare, it sprang gracefully into the cold, wet night air, soaring straight towards me, elongated like it was diving into a lake.

            Goodbye, Dominic. I thought, as the beast glided effortlessly towards me. I love you, and I’m sorry.

            I shut my eyes, and just before the image of sharp, vicious razors dug themselves into my flesh, I heard the sound of two titans colliding with each other, and the pitiful whimper of the beast as its heavy body collided with a tree.

            My eyes flew open as I saw a second beast before me, this one jet black and wrestling ferociously with my attacker.   The sight left me open-jawed and breathless, as the smaller black wolf leapt once more on the grey wolf, which took a swipe at him just below its shocking, royal blue eyes.

            I knew those eyes…

            The fatal fight continued, and the black wolf was once again knocked to the dirt earth, as the grey wolf cowered, snarling above it. The blue eyes could be seen clearly even from the good distance away I was sitting, plain as day like sapphires. But with one last feeble attempt, the black wolf lunged its face at the grey wolf, biting the larger wolf directly in the throat. The grey monster staggered backwards, falling limply behind a bush next to him.

            I struggled, crawling closer and closer across the dirt floor towards my savior, startled by a new series of noises. I could the whimpering of the black wolf first, and then it turned to shrieking moan, then the whimpering of a human.

            “Dominic,” I breathed, as I hovered unsteadily over his bare body, a red gash on his cheek just below his left sapphire eye. “My God, Dominic, I don’t even—”

            “Gracie,” he winced, causing my heart to flutter. Gracie, the name he called to let me know he loved me. I was his, and he was mine. He sat himself up on his elbows.

            I understood everything at once. What had happened during his last trip down here, why he’d been so grouchy lately, why he had a headache, why he needed to get home...

            He was lost. He must have been attacked in this very area. And now, this was what had become of him. A monster.

            My savior.

            “Oh, Dom, I’m so sorry—”

            “Shh,” he hushed me gently, reaching up to stroke my cheek. “I love you Gracie. Don’t ever be sorry. Let’s get you home.”

            “Dom, you can’t, you’re hurt—”

            “Shh.” He hushed me again, lifting me up into his big, strong arms. The hyperventilation started catching up with me then—I couldn’t believe what was happening.  I lost track of how quickly I was breathing as I counted the number of strokes Dominic gave my hair, and before long, I got extremely dizzy in his arms, and I think I passed out.

            The last thing I saw was a stretch of violet velvet, and thousands of large, gleaming diamonds.

Reviews

[Luke Logan]

What a wonderful treat! Great writing, Jennifer. Your use of simile, metaphors, anthropomorphism, and many other figures of speech; along with the perfect pacing and terse compositional structure made this one of the better stories I have read on this website. Bravo!

[Jess.]

This was totally amazing!
It pulled me in right away, and I felt like I was there with Crace through it all.
Very well done :)

[Nakami-sensei]

Wow. I'm speechless.