[IC] Beauty and the Techbreed (Inner Demon and Narcotic Dollie)

[Narcotic Dollie]

The school bus shook violently as it rushed down the two lane highway, jostling Evee until her teeth clanked together and she accidentally bit her lip. With a yelp, the teenager brought a hand up to gently prod at her mouth as she shot a glare at the bus driver's back.

"That man has got no right to be going seventy on this road," said the boy beside her, a skittish looking exchange student from Thailand with thick black glasses. "We're going down the side of a mountain for God's sake!" He exclaimed, his voice squeaking as he clutched the messenger bag in his lap tighter.

"Hmm," Evee hummed noncommittally, tongue darting out to clean the small amount of blood from her bottom lip. "You're right. We're all doomed. Any second now we're all die in a fiery crash," the blonde dead pans.

The skittish exchange student starts to hyperventilate.

"Oh geez," Evee groaned, instantly regretting her sarcasm. "I didn't mean it, I swear. I've been riding this bus every day after school for eleven years now, and Mr. Hoggenfur hasn't killed me once," she consoled, patting the other teen's back awkwardly. After a few minutes, the boy finally begins to calm down and gets his breathing under control. The dark haired teen looked up as the bus came to a stop and gave her a watery smile. Evee returned the smile before shouldering her backpack and making her way off the bus. Her feet barely have time to leave the last step before the doors slam shut and the bus speeds off to its next stop.

The petite blond tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as she crossed over to the old stone mailbox, opening the lid and fishing around for the can of pepper spray she stored inside. The driveway is about a half a mile long, and while Evee has never seen a bear on her daily trek home, she’d rather be safe than sorry. Pepper spray in hand, the youth starts up the driveway.

[Inner Demon]

The crisp, cool breeze light nipped at the senses as the day began to cool off. The sun slowly made its way toward the distant horizion. A shooting star briefly streaked across the sky before quickly vanishing. It was a fairly mundane day, with little other than the expected happening, just as any other day. However, as the light in the blue sky began to grow dim, a strange and subtle presence fell over the world.

The walk from bus stop to home down this rather large driveway seemed uneventful. The setting sun cast a auburn hue onto the town. A few stars could even be seen, peeking out from the night sky as the moon rose toward its perch, at the center of the sky. It wouldn't be long before nightfall and the nocturnal insects and animals began to awake, singing their daily songs.

As the sky subtly grew darker, a few streaks of light like a meteor shower, slowly started to stripe the sky. A few onlookers gazed out of their windows and stopped their nightly routines to look up at awe, watching the phenomenon unfold. It was like something out of a science fiction movie, eventually lighting up the sky like fireworks as the meteors burned through the atmosphere in a brilliant light show.

[Narcotic Dollie]

Evee made it down the driveway unscathed and stashed the pepper spray on the porch so she could carry it back to the mailbox in the morning. Her house was a small, grey, wooden thing that her father had built himself when he and her mother had first gotten married. The blonde high schooler unlocked the door and pushed it open with her shoulder, dumping her backpack unceremoniously in the entryway when she made it inside. Evee's parents were visiting her Uncle Jack in Minnesota, so she made herself a sandwich and ate it before she went back outside to feed the chickens.

By the time the teen gets out to the chicken coop, it's around 6:15 in the evening and the sun has pretty much set behind the tree line. As Evee dipped the bucket into the chicken feed, a streak of light lit up across the sky, which caused her to pause and look up at the sky. Seconds later, more lights, varying in size and color, began shooting over the horizon. Evee froze and stared, awestruck by what looked like a firework show. "Woah," she breathes, mesmerized by beautiful night sky.

[Inner Demon]

Around town, shops began closing for the night and the citizens slowly thinned from the streets. From behind the glass of a closed electronics shop, a group of various sized televisions brightened the sidewalk with the evening news. "...random power outages all over Colorado since around eight thirty this morning. City officials are assessing the situation and the problems are said to be resolved by tomorrow evening, as claimed by the local mayor. In other news, an unexpected meteor shower lights up local night skies, sending onlookers into the streets. We have Rodger Williams live on the south side with news on the occurrence. Rodger?"

"Thank you Marie. I'm standing here in the middle of the street in Commerce City with a group of curious neighbors who've come out to see the meteor shower that suddenly appeared less than an hour ago. It's like nothing I've ever seen before, with brilliant colors in the sky. There haven't been any discussions held as to the cause of this event as of yet. But with something like this, I'm sure we'll be hearing about it from scientists and Astronomers non stop in the coming days. Next to me is a young woman who-..."

Televisions broadcasting the news from inside the store all suddenly shut off, along with street lamps, traffic signals, and store light fixtures for several blocks. Among the areas plunged into darkness was Evelyn's house, though the sky was was still bright enough to dimly light her estate.

The chickens began to make a fuss as everything went dark, clucking loudly and restlessly pacing about. They weren't the only ones. The other animals and birds around began to act strange. A few dogs howled amongst each other in the distance. Accompanying them was the low hiss of the wind as it gently shook the trees.

[Narcotic Dollie]

One moment, the yard is illuminated by a security light, the next it is almost pitch black. Evee blinked rapidly and waited until her eyes adjusted before looking down the hill and out towards the direction of town. Sure enough, the city of Valencia has gone dark as well. Evee feels her arms breakout in goosebumps.

The sky is still illuminated by what the teenage has begun to believe is a meteor shower. Briskly, Evee pulled the door open to the chicken coop and began to throw the birds their food. "Suppers ready," she called playfully to them, but none of them move. They all stand naturally still, staring unwavering up at the night sky.

It's at this point the wind chooses to pick up and Evee has had enough. Closing and locking the coop, Evee turned and walked quickly back to the house, locking the door begin her. She rooted through the kitchen cabinets clumsily until she found a few old candles, which she proceed to light and set up around the home. Once she is able to see again, Evee pulls out her cellphone and flips it on. Not only does it have a measly five percent battery life, but it seems the cell towers are down too, because there is no reception.

"This is how horror movies start," she murmured quietly to herself, shifting her weight from one foot to the other nervously. The floor boards creak under her feet as she crosses the living room to look out the window and back up at the stars.

[Inner Demon]

It was very quiet for a while. Then there was a subtle rumble. Soon the floors and furniture was shaking as something roared over head. It sounded a bit like a jet engine as it passed over followed by a loud crash in the distance. Amongst the meteor shower, something had fallen from the sky, landing somewhere deep in the forest. Car alarms and distressed dogs filled the following silence with their sounds.

A trail of smoke seeped into the sky from the forest at the edge of town. The impact was followed by another even furter away. And then another came roaring like rumbling thunder, crashing through the towns school clock tower and scraping across the ground, crashing into an alleyway in the town. A stack of crates and boxes meant for the trash cushioned the smoking objects impact, cascading down over it and hiding it from view.

A spark and static electricity subtly arced through the air, followed by several more. In a matter of seconds, the air became charged with static energy and the sky slowly grew brighter. Then, in a flash of blinding light and a loud clattering boom, something exploded into Evee's yard, sending a shock wave of force and sound out. Dust and debris clouded the air for several moments before slowly clearing away. Something glimmered amongst the dust cloud, just a few yards from Evee's house. With the air cleared, the silhouette of a rather large, egg shaped, black piece of metal about the size of a big watermelon became visible, sitting at the center of a newly made, smoking crater. The object was dotted with small neon lights and let out a soft chirping sound every few seconds.

[Narcotic Dollie]

After a few moments of silence, Evee decides to come away from the window and heads upstairs to change into her pajamas. The small blonde enters her room and makes quick work of shucking off her school clothes and pulling on her nightclothes, which consist of a pair of loose fitting shorts and a tank top. She pauses to run her hands appreciatively over the soft blue floral fabric, before heading back downstairs to the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth. The teen gets about three steps down the stairway when she hears a low rumble. As the rumble evolves into what sounds like loud thunder crashes and the floor begins to vibrate, Evee clutches the banister with a white knuckle grip to steady herself. Slowly, she descends back down to the main level, where she can see through the windows that the sky has grown even brighter.

“What the hell?” she muses, before gathering her confidence and going to the door to unlock it. If that was an earthquake like she thought it was, she needed to go and check on the coop to make sure it hadn’t caved in. Evee opened the door and had made it halfway across the yard before an explosion knocked her straight onto her back. Ears ringing, stunned, and half blinded by the light flash and dust, the girl laid there panting, trying to collect herself. She squeezed her blue eyes shut tight to try and keep the dirt out and her hands gripped searchingly at the cool grass to help ground herself.

After a minute or two, when the yard was near silent again and she had gotten her breath back, Evee opened her eyes to stare back up at the sky. It had darkened considerably, but it still didn’t look quite normal. Hesitantly, Evee sat up, hissing at the pain that became apparent in her right temple as she did so. The teen reached up and gently prodded at the area, grunting at the pain and jerking her hand back to find a small amount of blood on it. “Jesus Christ,” she groaned quietly. And that’s when she saw it.

A few feet from the chicken coop there was a large crater and in the center was a rock like Evee had never seen before. The blonde got up and walked closer, until her bare feet stood right at the edge of the crater. “It’s beautiful,” the girl said as she gazed down at the glossy surface of it, its bright flecks of light seemingly winking at her. She was just about to turn back and see if she could grab her cellphone and snap a picture with the remaining battery life, when the ground beneath her feet caved in and sent her careening into the newly formed pit. “Dammit,” the teen cursed after she landed, this time on her side, at the bottom of the trench. The rock was only a few inches away from her now and it sounded like it was…chirping?

Sitting up, she stared at the object that had fallen from the sky and couldn’t help but feel enchanted by it. Ignoring her instincts, which told her she needed to get back into the house as quickly as possible, she scooted even closer to the space rock and tentatively laid her hand on it. Evee had expected it to be scorching hot, but it was actually pleasantly warm.
---

Evee’s Pjs

[Inner Demon]

Loose dirt and pebbles rattled down into the crater along side the tumbling girl as she roughly landed with a thump next to the dark object. A blurred reflection returned Evee's gaze as she studied the strange phenomenon curiously. Its chrome surface was lightly scorched and thinly layered with dust. The dusty membrane was easily swiped away as Evee cautiously pressed her hand against the smooth, metallic surface. She inadvertently smeared some of the blood on her fingertips across the object, leaving a small crimson streak. The consistent chirps stopped. Silence fell over the object for several moments before it exploded with a symphony of beeps, clicks, chirps and other mechanical noises.

Tension in the air built up as the object went crazy, blinking rapidly and beginning to convulse. Its shape expanded and transformed, spinning and whirring rapidly as new features formed and locked into place. Mechanical growls escaped the conglomeration as it began to take on a more biological form. What once was the oval object had reformed into a cybernetic monstrosity. It propped itself up with its massive arms, tipped in dagger like claws. A second set of smaller arms emerged from what became the creatures abdomen. It stood on a pair of massive hind legs. Metallic plating locked into position across its form, layered over bio-mechanical muscles. As the beasts head emerged and slid into place, it set its eyeless gaze on Evee. A maw filled with fangs hung open, letting out slow, ragged breaths.

Steam shot into the air from the sides of the towering mechanical monstrosity as it finished taking shape, followed by one last, high pitched chirp. Fervent clucking and yipping rose from all around as the animals all went crazy.

[Narcotic Dollie]

Evee stared, horrified, as the rock began to undulate and transform right before her eyes. In its wake stood a sinister looking creature, with no eyes, gleaming fangs, and what looked like circuitry running all over its body. The moonlight reflected off of it's metallic body as the nearby coyotes began to yowl frenziedly and the chicken flapped their wings in a panic. Evee's mouth went dry and her pulse was pounding in her ears. The blonde didn't know what the monster could possibly be or where it came from, but she was sure about one thing.

She needed to run.

Evee turned and began to haul herself out of the hole as quickly as possible, digging her nails into the earth so hard that her fingers started to bleed. She didn't dare look back to see if the beast was following her or not, certain that she would be overcome with fear if she saw it's horrendous teeth again. When she eventually manages to grab the top of the crater, she uses all of her upper body strength to throw herself up and out of the hole. Scrambling to get to her feet, Evee starts out in a mad sprint for the house.

[Inner Demon]

Crunching gravel and dirt grew closer as Evee could hear the Mechanical monstrosity approach behind her. Stains and scuffs painted the front of her blouse as she threw herself up the craters steep side. The loose earth crumbled between her fingers, preventing a firm grip. However sure enough, either through adrenaline or sheer force of will, she clawed her way up out of the crater and onto the grassy surface. Just as the sounds were right on here heels, the rest of her body heaved up out of the hole, and Evee pulled herself up. Leaping into the air, the monster landed with a trembling thud behind the fleeing blonde, silently observing as her glimmering hair flailed in the wind. Desperately sprinting toward the dark candle lit house, the girl could still hear the heavy footsteps following not too far behind her.

[Narcotic Dollie]

As she ran towards the house, Evee could hear the lumbering creature not far behind her. The girl stumbled up the stairs and grabbed the pepper spray she had stashed there earlier, whipping around to face the strange creature. “Stay back,” she yelled at the monster, her arm trembling as she wielded the spray in the general direction of its face. ’Where are its eyes?’ she thought frantically, searching the beast’s face to no avail. ’No eyes. Will this even work on him? she thought a little hysterically, her hair whipping around in wind.

The creature panted loudly, its hot breath making little puffs of fog in the rapidly cooling night air. “Jesus,” she whispered again, transfixed on its mean looking teeth. “Stay back,” she commands again, inching slowly back towards the door of her house.

[Inner Demon]

Subtle tremors shook the ground gently as the hulking creature grew closer.

---'Stay back'...'Stay back'...'st-y-s-be-a-yo-ck'...Host species language assimilated. Command input recognized---

Suddenly, the massive conglomeration of metal, claws, and fangs came to a halt. A series of mechanical clicks and chirps pinged out of its metallic body for a few moments before it took a step back, the dirt softly compressing beneath its weight with a low crunch. The thick haze of pepper spray streamed through the air at the fanged visage of the eyeless monster. However it appeared to have little effect. Instead, like a confused dog, the chrome bodied beast tilted its head to the side in response to Evee's defensive demeanor. Another inhuman bellow quietly rumbled from its jagged maw as it silently gazed at the frightened young woman, fearfully moving backwards toward her dimly lit house.

[Narcotic Dollie]

The pepper spray didn't faze the creature at all and Evee chunked the empty can at the mechanical like beast's torso in frustration. It made contact with a clang and a clatter before resounding through the now quiet yard. The creature didn't react other than to cock it's head in what looked like curiosity. It had thankfully stopped advancing, but now it was just...staring at her. Well, she assumed it was looking at her, she couldn't be sure without knowing where/if it had eyes.

Evee's back finally made contact with the door, but as she tried to twist the knob, she realized that she must have accidentally locked it on her way out the door. "Are you kidding me!?," she cried, turning to give the door a harsh kick, before hissing in pain and leaning down to rub her now throbbing toes. "This can't get much worse," she whispered to herself before turning back to face the creature. It hadn't moved much at all, its tongue still lolled out of the side of its mouth. It was sort of endearing, in a weird, I-could-destroy-you-in-three-seconds-but-I'm-restraining-myself sort of way.

"Don't eat me, 'kay?" Evee said in the general direction of the beast, before turning around and trying the windows at the front of the house. They were all locked. Apparently she had done an outstanding job securing the homestead. "Urg," she groaned, sliding down to a sitting position. Her feet and hands were bloodied and stinging, and now she had an awful headache and felt a little dizzy. "I think I might have a concussion," she informed the monster, exhausted now that the adrenaline was wearing off. "You," she continued, pointing a finger at the creature, "...are an awful monster."

[Inner Demon]

---'Are you kidding me'...'can't get much worse'---

Other than swaying its head to follow Evee's movements, the monstrous mechanism remained motionless as it silently observed the frantic girl check for a way into her house. Several tense moments passed before the sore and tired young woman finally collapsed. Each time she looked in its direction, Evee could see the monster looking back at her curiously, panting lightly. Being able to look at it without her fight or flight instincts screaming out her as loudly as when she first saw it allowed a better look at the monster that had invaded her yard. There wasn't much light accept for the moon, though its bright pale visage was half hidden by the clouds. Still, there was enough to make out the creatures angular body and strange bio-mechanical physiology.

---'Don't eat me'...'Might have a concussion'...'You...are an awful monster'---

"...a..awww.." Began a deep, raspy and unearthly voice from within the beasts jagged jaws. "...aawfuuul...moooonster." Sluggishly repeated the metal monstrosity, tilting its head slightly as a droplet of rained collided with its chrome hide. The water beaded and slid down the creatures grimace, cascading to the ground. Within moments, raindrops began to trickle down from the sky, running over the metal beast's colossal body. It was a light drizzle that peppered the air, filling the breeze with the brisk scent of petrichor.

[Narcotic Dollie]

Evee froze and blinked slowly, peering at the creature warily. “Did you--wha--Are you--Did you just say something?” the battered teen asked. In the light of the moon the beast looked much more mechanical than before. She was starting to think maybe it was a robot. The rain began to fall, making soft plinking noises off the maybe-a-robot, maybe-a-nightmare-monster’s armored skin. Sitting up straighter and a leaning in a little closer, Evee asked, “Can you understand me?”

The creature continued to peer at her, breaths still coming out in ragged puffs, and did not answer. He, Evee decided, wasn’t near as threatening when he wasn’t advancing on her or looming menacingly. He sort of reminded her of a puppy. A giant, eyeless, long toothed, mechanical puppy that could eat her alive in under ten seconds.
They sat together in silence for a long while, with the temperature slowly dropping around them. The blonde couldn’t be certain, but she thought maybe the creature was shivering. “Urm, are you alright?” Evee asked, blinking through a wave of dizziness. “If you swear not to kill me, you can come up on the porch out of the rain,” she offered, feeling a little sorry for the other. The beast did not respond right away, so the blonde patted the hardwood next to her. “Come on, the porch is covered. It’s not good for you to be out in the rain.”

[Inner Demon]

Rain pattered over the shingles of the house and across the grassy earth in a dull roar. It moistened the air and brought a chill on the breeze. A dim orange hue from the candles placed near the window was the only source of light as the clouds above grew thick over the pale silhouette of the moon. The temperature subtly dropped with each passing minute. Yet, in spite of the young woman's sudden worries for this monstrosity sitting before her, the cold had no effect on the beast. If it was effected, the creature did not show it. Unbeknownst to her, it would take much more severe conditions than this to phase it.

Another tilt of its head was the monsters only response to Evee's concerned offer. It didn't seem to budge from its spot. Even when she tapped the porch's floorboards to her side, it seemed hesitant. Just a few minutes ago, she had been pleading with it to stay back. It was the first thing she managed to say in her desperate efforts to get away. Finally, it began to sink in that she no longer felt as she did, and the hulking metal beast rose up. A subtle tremble gently shook the ground with each step as the monster trudged over the damp ground, leaving unearthly footprints in the mud.

A creaky moan eked out of the hardwood as the floorboards slightly buckled beneath the massive beasts weight as it stepped onto the porch. The small hand rail bent under a large hand and the wooden overhang cracked as the monster pushed its head and broad shoulders underneath it. Splinters of damp wood and dust rattled to the ground. Finally, motion stopped once the creature could loosely be described as 'on' the porch. Its imposing form now hung over Evee as it silently peered down at her obliviously.

[Narcotic Dollie]

Evee tried her best not to panic as the creature climbed up onto the porch with her, but it was easier said than done. Even though the high schooler had offered for him to join her, he was still an eyeless robot monster who had hatched out of a rock that fell from the sky. Evee swallowed hard as the beast managed to get it's head and shoulders under the covering, towering over her again. After a moment went by and the creature hadn't made any aggressive motions towards her, Evee let out a sigh and forced herself to relax.

"That's better, right?" She asked, giving the other a pained smile. The eyeless monster was actually blocking the wind and rain with his hulking body, so Evee was much warmer. "Looks like we're stuck out here, big guy," she said somewhat conversationally, reaching out slowly and running a hesitant finger over his forearm. "Woah. You really are made of metal," the girl observed, transfixed. "Where did you come from?" She asked, even though she didn't think she would get an answer.

[Inner Demon]

No answer came to the question the girl managed as she wearily inspected the monstrosity. Instead, the beast remained still, rainwater leaking down its form. A light mist escaped its maw as its hot breaths panted into the cool air. Like a confused puppy, the beast titled its head to the side, analyzing her words in its head. It did not move nor stand. However a sound did slowly rumble forward from its maw as it hung open. "..W...wheeere.." Began a the bellowing voice again from within the monster. "wheere...d-diid yooou...comee...froom..." Repeated the creature clumsily as it looked down over Evee's small form.

It was quiet for a moment before the towering chrome monster slowly leaned in. Then, from the beasts fanged maw, a long, pointed tongue darted out, stabbing the unsuspecting girl in the arm. The pain was instantaneous, like a jolt of fire spreading through the veins in her arm and quickly coursing through her body. The pain was intense but only lasted a few seconds before it all numbed away. After a moment a few drops of silver liquid leaked from the small puncture. The wound rapidly healed however, sealing itself up as if it never existed. Moments after the pain stopped, a rush of images flowed like broken memories into Evee's mind.

Techbreed. The first word that popped into her mind. Then, she could briefly see the chaotic images of a massive war between alien creatures. Numerous beasts all similar to the one in front of her clashed with other creatures, rending flesh and metal into the air. Beams of hot red light streaked across the sky and explosions shook the ground. Evee felt as if she was there, among the battle. The images changed to that of a group of armored alien soldiers, each accompanied by these, Techbreed creatures as they marched into battle. The soldiers were loosely humanoid in appearance, save for an extra set of smaller arms. The monsters that accompanied them kept close, staying vigilant. A sudden explosion blew the scene away and Evee felt herself flying across a deep darkness, followed by images of the cosmos, as if she was roaming through the endless void of space. Just ahead, there was a small blue spec slowly getting close. Soon, it became the image of earth in the distance.

Another word entered Evee's mind. A name. Beast. The visions stopped, and when they did, Evee found herself sitting where she was in the first place. It was all some kind dream even though it felt as real as day. Beast still hung over her, passing her an oblivious gaze as she came back to her senses. Her body began feeling a bit more energetic and invigorated, though subtle pain and soreness still tingled through her muscles.

[Narcotic Dollie]

"wheere...d-diid yooou...comee...froom..." the thing parroted back, leaning in closer. ’I’m okay. I’m okay,’ Evee thought to herself as she tried to control her breathing, but her heart had sped back up and she couldn’t quite quell the wave of panic that overtook her. The creature waited for a moment, before its tongue darted out and stabbed the young blonde’s forearm.

It was unlike anything that she had ever experienced. Evee had never been set on fire before, but she imagined that it probably felt an awful lot like this.

Evee cried out and tried to jerk her arm back, but it proved fruitless. “Stop it, that hurts!” she yelled, tears prickling the corner of her eyes and feeling betrayed. The other did not attack her farther, just withdrew its black tongue and stared at her blankly. “I helped you, you jerk! Why would y--,” Evee stopped as the pain receded and the wound closed on its own. Her blue eyes tracked the tiny silver rivulets that flowed from where the puncture had previously been, her mouth open in a tiny “o” shape. “What--,”

Her thoughts where overtaken by a series of pictures and words. Evee couldn’t do anything but experience it, her hands twitching fruitlessly and her eyes wide but unseeing. The last thing she heard before the visions left her was, “Beast” and then she was back on her porch, the techbreed lumbering over her. Evee got up and pushed past him, running to the railing of the porch and vomiting over the side. The student coughed a few times once she stopped heaving, wiping the corner of mouth with her hand. “Gross,” she whispered, but despite just puking her guts up, the blonde felt much better. Her head was no longer aching and she wasn't near as dizzy anymore.

Slowly, Evee turned back to the creature. “Beast?” she asked tentatively, stepping closer to the techbreed and reaching a hand up to touch the shoulder closest to her. “Is that how you got here?” she asked again, her voice gentler now that she knew he wasn’t trying to hurt her. “Thank you for showing me,” Evee continued, patting the metal paneling under her hand. “If you need to show me other things, can you warn me first? I know you were just trying to be helpful, but that hurt me and I wasn’t ready for it,” the blonde admitted, making sure to keep her voice calm so he knew she wasn’t upset anymore. “I’m sorry I yelled at you. I was just scared, you know? I’m sure you know what that’s like,” the girl explained, the image of a battlefield riddled with explosions and the smell of burnt flesh and charred metal clear in her mind.

“I’m Evee,” she told him, suddenly embarrassed that she knew his name and he didn’t know hers. To make sure he understood her, she touched the center of her chest and said, “Evee,” before extending her hand back and touching the center of his chest. “Beast,” she smiled up at him, one of her dimples peeking out. “I’m glad to have met you,” she admitted, before shivering. The teenager hadn’t realized it before, but her nightgown was drenched from the rain being blown onto the porch and she was freezing. “I wish I hadn’t locked us out,” Evee shivered, wrapping her arms around herself to try to keep in her body heat.

[Inner Demon]

A couple wooden panels from the overhang clattered to the ground as the hulking creature flinched. The sound of Evee's distressed voice caused it to recoil slightly. It let out a faint mechanical whine just before she went silent. An absent look was given by the eyeless monster as the girl suddenly snapped up, shoving past its massive forearm. Abrupt retching silently rang out, faintly overshadowed by the rattling hiss of the rain.

It hadn't been too long now since the weather began acting up. Between that and the power outage, everything for miles was covered in a veil of darkness. If it hadn't had been for the candles in the window, the spot on Evee's porch wouldn't have been any different. Even with the dim, flickering light, it was still pretty dark. It did, however, make it quite easy to see the bright streaks in the sky behind the dark billowing clouds as the meteor shower continued. The ringing sound of sirens were barely audible in the distance as first responders rushed about the town.

Beast winced as the petite girl turned to face it. A curious gaze was returned as she addressed it, slowly approaching. The uncertainty and apprehension was no longer visible in her motion. A fact made certain as she laid her palm against the cold, metallic surface of the monstrosities shoulder. It gave no resistance or aggression. Instead, she felt it kneel, lowering its form before her subtly and sending a few more wooden tatters splintering to the wet ground. It offered no response as she spoke about the vision, other than listening to her word as her soft voice rang out over the dull roar.

---'I'm Evee'...'Evee'...---

Raising its head, Beast laid its eyeless gaze on the girl as she pressed her hand against her chest, declaring her name. A few clicks and whirs briefly buzzed out of the mechanical creature rapidly as its head tilted to the side. The words repeated like a jumble of sounds and static in its head as she went on. "Ee....Evee..." The words rumbled out of the monsters maw slowly. In the darkness, Evee could see flashes of neon escape Beast's robotic biology.

The night had only grown colder as the rain began to pick up. It wasn't hard to tell the dropping temperature and frigid breeze was beginning to get to the small girl. Beast cast an absent glance at the door to the warm confines of the candle lit house as Evee spoke of getting stuck outside. "L-loocked...uss out..." Clumsily mimicked the monstrous machine several moments later. A low creak escaped its joints as its massive arm slowly rose from the rain soaked hardwood. The cold appeared to be getting to it as well, though it had a different way of showing it.

Suddenly, Evee felt the air blow past her as Beast's large claw crashed through the upper half of the wooden door. Screws and chunks of wood clattered to the floor as the door blew off its hinges, folding under the force of the impact before clattering to the ground in splintered pieces. Sluggishly removing its arm from the cleared doorway, Beast turned its gaze back to the soaked and shivering girl, passing her yet another oblivious stare.