The Beast called Horror

No-one knows
Perhaps she does
Perhaps she is aware of it, but the singular moment is indistinguishable from the others
The random collective of neutrality that is her external awareness
She is aware of it
And she doesn’t notice it
The moment of complete stillness in the city night
Nothing moves
Nothing breathes
Then the earth trembles
Eyes widen
Breath is caught
Denial builds like rising storm-waters
If the citizens can ignore it
Convince themselves they felt nothing
Then it won’t exist
It will have never happened
But the earth trembles again
And again
The people begin to move

The epicentre travels
With it destruction and violence
A black man-shape of indiscernible size leaps about the buildings
Across streets
Through tenements
Laying about him with his arms and fists
The quiet of the night is shattered by the crashing sounds of steel, brick and glass
Pierced by the screams of the people as they run
It shambles through the streets or halls of the buildings
Slowly except to launch at its prey
He clutches at one citizen and hefts it quickly into his mouth
Blood drips briefly across his muscular and flowing blackness
But as the human-shape dies, the blood evaporates
The beast does not scream
His eyes bear no malice
Ice-blue discs set in the shadows and shapes of his head
Citizens run this way and that
Until the factory he is in lies still
He listens
Nothing
At the edges of his hearing the havoc continues
Sensing them
Their movements
Gathering up their things or abandoning them
Shocked into paralysis by terror
Sprinting with unknown energy
He turns his head slowly
Looking beyond light
Then moves
Exploding the exterior wall of the factory before him

The shaking earth does nothing to wake her
Laying on her side
Arms about her legs tucked up to her chest
Hair scattered across the floor
It’s the movement of the people that pulls her from sleep
She does not open her eyes when she wakes and carries on the appearance of sleep
Shuffling sounds of feet on carpet come from outside
Hushed and desperate voices
The clatter of dropped things on hard surfaces
Scrapes of fingernails on walls and doors
At first, light pattering footfalls in the hall
Then the thudding rhythm of panicked flight
Doors slamming
Yells and involuntary sounds of exertion
Engines starting
Tyres giving yelps of protest as they’re spurred to move
She listens
Eyes closed
It goes on like this for an hour
For an hour she keeps her eyes closed
Slowly encroaching into the sounds of exodus are wails and screams
Building, one by one
Then another sound
A loud, long crashing of… things
Things that make up large things
Things that have been separated into sub-elements by force
It grows in volume
In nearness
Until the air is a cacophony of violence and fear
She opens her eyes
The curtained window flickers with an orange glow
Slow blink
She sits up
Inhale
Exhale
Stands
Nothing changes
Panic and noise
She goes to the sink
Takes a glass
Fills it with water
Drinks half
Sets it down beside another glass, still full

Stops
Waits for the voices of the citizens to fade as they flee
Listens
The street is a tangle of cars and building materials
Spot fires and sprinkles of broken glass
He is calm
Listens
Nothing
Turns his head slowly
Then back again
Nothing
Chooses a building at random
Walks slowly towards it
Reaches up high on the wall and lifts his mass up
Scaling on the surface
Some floors up, he draws back his arm
And smashes through the wall

The tenement shakes
She feels her body sway gently back and forth
Feedback from the muscles in her calves, thighs and hips
Leans two hands on the edge of the counter
Looks at her distorted reflection in the glass door of a cabinet
Her face feels drawn and dry
Her muscles exhausted
She turns around and walks towards the bathroom

A deafening crash punches through the apartment
She stumbles
But continues to the bathroom
At the door she stops
Stares
The wall by the toilet is gone
Shadows of the next apartment exposed beyond
A slow breeze comes from the hole
And standing in it is a massive black man-shape
Body flowing in ropes of shadow
Eyes ice-blue and facing her
Perfectly still, as if it doesn’t breathe
She blinks
Looks ahead to the sink and walks
Turns on the tap
Gathers water in her hands
Lifts it to her face
– Are you not afraid?
A low, even voice
A neutral voice
— Should I be?
She answers without turning to face him
– I will rend your flesh and devour you.
Looks up at the cabinet mirror
Blinks
Her reflection examines her
Droplets of water on her face
The edges of her hair wet
— There’s not much I can do about that then.
Inhale through the nose
Slow blink
– Will you not run?
She turns her head to look at him
At the hole
— I imagine there wouldn’t be much point.
– You will feel excruciating pain.
Blink
— Yes.
Exhale
— I’m sure I will.
She turns her head to the side and looks back into the apartment
Turns her body and walks out
The beast’s head tracks her until she’s out of site
Then he ambles toward the door
His shape contracts as he stoops below the frame
Adapting his shape to move through
He still steps slowly sideways into the apartment
Returns to his size and stands still
The young woman is opening cupboards and drawers
A slow, wooden scrape open
Then scrape and tap closed
Or the smooth exhale of rollers
Air rushing around the door of a cupboard
Coughing out as she shuts it again
Finally she finds what she is looking for
Reaches in
Withdraws her hand with a towel
Pads at her face
She turns around
Looking for somewhere to put the towel
Moves slowly about the apartment
– Do you not live here?
His head follows her wherever she goes
— No.
She disappears into other rooms
Reappears
Moving very slowly
Voice neutral
– Where do you live?
She stops in the centre of the open living room
— I don’t know.
Looks at the dining table
Moves to a chair
Drapes the towel over the back
Rests her hands on the chair-back and towel
Listens
— It’s quiet.
The beast turns his head to the windows
Listens
Very far away the sounds of movement continue
Fading
She turns around to the beast
He looks at her
— I’m tired.
She moves back towards him
Into the centre of the room again
Then lowers herself to the carpet
Lies on her side facing the windows, head pointing at the beast
Feet towards the kitchen
Back to the door
And closes her eyes

The beast stares for some immeasurable span of time
Then settles down, crossing his legs
Not a sound save for the irregular sighing of the air from the bathroom
And the slow, regular breathing of the woman
Not a thought in his mind as he watches her