Reaper's Word

Chapter 8: Last One Left

Isaiah woke looking up at the ceiling of his room. He sat up and was wearing nothing, not that it surprised him. He was always like this after the full moon. Didn't recall much from the three days. He did remember an anger at not being able to find something. What was new? He hated how his memory suffered during the moon. That he was more a beast than a rational thinking being.

He moved getting up, stretching slightly and rolling his neck and shoulders. His back itched horribly, the skin there still healing.

"Annoying." He mumbled, knowing that for the next day it would be that way.

Two nights before the moon, the wings came and he could not control it. Then the night of, he lost consciousness as he let what he truly was come out. Only the hell hounds seemed to be able to coincide with the beast. He just wondered if he'd gotten them all this time or not. The humans that was. Since he'd been trapped here, he’d lost the ability to control himself during the moon.

He slipped on a pair of black slacks and then a black shirt, pulling it over his head. He was feeling a bit more dark today, and what color was better than black? He moved from where the bed was through two wooden sliding doors into a room where there was a long couch in front of a huge fireplace.

He'd never had a fire in it. He just liked the way that it looked. All the stone that went around it and up to the ceiling. The ceiling here was glass and it looked like rain today. He moved across the black tiled floor here after going down one step and moved to the large oak door. The only way in and out of this room. That was of course unless you fell through the roof, but this part of the house was higher than the rest of it.

He went out the door and then down the spiral glass staircase. He always found that interesting. The glass looked so thin, and they weren't connected, just held to the wall with metal. Then again this place had a lot of odd and interesting designs.

Isaiah was barefoot at the moment, but his feet made no sound as they touched the ground. Silence was how he liked to move about, so silence it was. Beta was laying near the bottom and raised his large head. He was a German Sheppard at the moment. The sun was up and this form gave them a bit more protection.

‘You destroyed a lot.’ Came the statement from him. No words of course but that is what he would have said if he could out loud. It was in his head as normal.

"Did I?" He asked raising an eyebrow. He went into the hall there, Beta following him. He was surprised to find the walls still scored from him, but as he watched the walls were already mending themselves.

‘It was fun, so much to destroy, not so many humans to play with this time.’ Beta mentally commented following him and giving a yawn. His teeth curved and not quite natural for the dog beside him. Isaiah looked at different rooms that he passed, he stopped and looked in the plush room.

It looked like someone had caused it to snow in there. Not one piece of furniture was left. He could also see a bit of blood.

‘One of the male humans. Dragged him around for a day or so until Zeta could no longer stand him and killed him.’ Beta informed him.

"Ah." He said. "Are none left?"

‘I have not seen nor smelled one, not even the odd human.’ He glanced down at Beta. Isaiah gave a sigh and nodded. He didn't think that any of them would, they normally didn't. The only reason that Gregori had the last time was that his group had been brought during the moon change. So they demolished most the group and then those that were left he played with.

Though it wasn't so bad. Normally it was only the crafty ones that were left. He was however very disappointed that the female Clair hadn't made it. He just expected a bit more he guessed. She

seemed wise, a fighter. Guess he was wrong, damn and he didn't get to enjoy her. He'd been looking forward to that one, making a deal for pleasure. He was sure she'd have put effort into it.

"We have another five days at least before they may bring in more. I'm sure that they will. I wonder where from this time. What excuse they will use to get them here. Never the same thing twice in a row. I give them credit they are very good." Isaiah commented and went down to the piano room. Beta trotting alongside him.

This room looked fine nothing wrong with it, did they miss this room? As if sensing what he was thinking Beta responded.

‘First night, those that answered the call.’ He gave a nod, this was normally what happened.

They tended to ignore the room where they first killed most the humans in or rounded them up. The humans would avoid that room like the plague after that. He moved over and sat down behind the grand piano and tried to decide what he'd like to play.

'Something calm.' That was always what Beta liked and Isaiah obliged him, picking Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven. He liked classical music though he would listen to anything really. He'd found an I-pod during the last group's stay and was still trying to figure it out. He kept forgetting to search the minds of those that came afterward.

___Clair___

Clair opened her eyes as music came to her, she knew this song. Moonlight Sonata. It was calming to her and she let the music soak in and she hummed it to herself.

Did this mean that the nights of that creature were over? She hadn't moved in two days and now she felt stiff and a bit sore. She got up and moved finding the music. She found herself looking in the piano room.

From here she could see Isaiah sitting at the grand piano and one of the hell hounds laying on a chase lounge here. As she watched two others came in and laid down. It was such an odd sight compared to the one that had been there before.

Isaiah seemed completely absorbed in playing the song, and he seemed musically gifted. Then again she couldn't think of something that he didn't seem to excel at. Clair laid her head down on her hands. To her the music felt more like a cleansing of what had happened. A kind of peaceful send off to those that had died. Even if he didn't mean it that way.

"I do believe you are right." Isaiah said and she looked around for a moment until she realized he was talking to the hell hounds that looked like German Shepherds. She wasn't fooled. He started a different song she thought might be Chopin though this one she wasn't that familiar with. The hell hound that Clair could tell was the only female moved over and jumped up on the piano and laid down as the top was closed.

"Scratch it, I'll take you out back and skin you." The hell hound made a kind of sound and Isaiah gave a sigh.

"Not literally out back, not in the mood to bleed all over the place." This was interesting. It was kind of annoying to only be privy to one part of the conversation. Also so at odds to see him in this role. He looked almost human, a man with his dogs. She memorized the image, it would make an interesting drawing.

She was also running low on her supplies for that. She'd have to see if she could find an art room. There had to be one, her case was nearly out. She hadn’t brought much with. Why would she? She hadn’t planned on an extended stay.

"Several days yet before the next group. There weren't many left anyways." Isaiah said, the music soft as he played. There was only music for a bit. No talking, and it was kind of lulling her to sleep. She

shook her head and kept watching.

"Do you know for sure they were all killed?" Isaiah said, then paused. "Thought as much." He kept playing and this time Clair did nod off. When she woke no one was in the room and it was growing dark outside. She moved back to her ‘home’ and gave a sigh. Early tomorrow she would go out and find some supplies and perhaps a place to draw.

Though it might pay to spend the time watching Isaiah and his habits.

From what she'd seen he seemed to prefer the right side of the house for the most part. Where the piano room was and the ballroom. He moved through those rooms and several of the rooms that were set up for various things, quite often. All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.

She watched him over the next two days to see his habits first before going for supplies. It was hard to keep up with him in the vents and walls of the place but she managed it most of the time. There were a few rooms that she couldn't follow without revealing herself.

He wasn't picky about where he seemed to find to a place to relax. Though he seemed to move toward the back of the house at the highest part of the day. Toward where she'd seen the glass spiral staircase. She made a note to avoid that area at all costs, he seemed to frequent it.

On the third day she finally got up the nerve to leave the walls and vents. She'd seen him move off to the spiral staircase. She listened for the very silent click as the door shut. She moved off quickly and quietly. Clair was proud of herself and her time to spy on him and learn his habits. One more thing to help keep her alive, and she was learning the hell hounds habits too.