Tap tap tap
Her eyes shot open. For a moment she lay there unmoving, her covers surrounding her like a caterpillar in a cocoon. Despite just now waking up, her mind was sharp and alert. She waited. The only sound in the room was that of the clock on her wall counting down the seconds and the quiet sounds of her breathing.
Tap tap tap.
There.
Slowly, carefully she eased her way out of her covers, her eyes fixed on the window opposite her bed. The view outside seemed normal enough; here there was the wan, milky glow of the streetlight, there the dark square of the neighboring apartment building, there the silhouette of the large oak tree in the courtyard. Everything was as it should have been.
She hesitated, like she always did. She could curl back up in her shell of pillows and covers. Ignore the tapping. Ignore the whispers in the back of her mind.
Her feet touched the floor. It was cold enough to send a shiver through her body. Or was that from something else entirely? The tapping had ceased. All was still in her room. The locks to the window clicked and the sound was enough to make her start. Her breathing became fast and uneven as the window slid open.
Something moved in her peripheral vision. At first she saw nothing. Then, as if a switched turned, the shadows darkened. It moved outwards, creeping along the floor like some diseased animal, scratching and clawing its way towards her. As it became closer, its form became clearer. An arm morphed and shaped into existence, muscles rippling and defining themselves around the center. A torso contorted and stretched away from the main mass.
When it-no, he- finally stood in front of her it had taken the form it always had. The closest way she could think of to describe him was the shadow of a man raised from the ground and given form. The only things that stood out from the black expanse of his body were his white and pointed teeth that only showed when he smiled.
They stood barely an arm's length away from each other. He was completely and totally still. Not once did his gaze leave hers.
"Hello." She whispered.
Hello.
He replied. If someone asked her to describe his voice she honestly wouldn't be able to. He didn't speak with a voice in her head as much as he did with emotions and pictures in her mind. A burst of joy, a sudden surprise, the low rumble of discontent. Some things she could easily assign words to. Others she still couldn't understand.
Despite herself, she smiled. "It's been awhile."
Regret. Shadows pulsing and collapsing into each other. Tearing and reforming and tearing again. Distraction. Frustration.
"Been busy, I take it?"
He nodded slowly. It was jerky and in a way almost unsure.
An image of herself, lying on the bed alone in the middle of the night, tossing and turning. Loneliness. Sadness. Questioning.
Before she could reply another image took its place.
Her kneeling on the bed, legs spread and completely nude. Excitement. Anticipation. A shadowy figure thrusting into her from behind, fists curled up into the blankets. Passion. Pleasure. Her face, mouth open, moaning and enjoying and-
As quickly as it came it stopped. She was torn from the image and dropped back to the darkness of her bedroom. The air was suddenly very warm.
His head cocked to the side like that of a curious animal.
The space between breaths. Curiousity. Uncertainty. Her face, eyes open and wide. Heartbeat quickening.
"I'm fine." Hesitantly she reached out her hand towards him. His eyes flickered towards it but otherwise remained still. The tip of her finger grazed the back of his hand. The skin there felt like a leather purse she once had, except rougher and warm to the touch.
Light touch. Excitement.
Her hand slowly grabbed his, taking care to avoid the massive claws that tipped each of his fingers.
