Alone: A collection of Short Stories Read Free Page B

the shadows beside the hard wood dresser. She listened to his
heartbeat and breathing, waiting for any sign of him waking
completely.
    The
last thing that she needed tonight was to get seen too soon. It
wasn't really that much of a big deal. She had her ways of solving
that problem, but she was already behind on her list and she
definitely did not want to lose this tooth. There were only so many
hours in a night and Neva knew that she needed to be finished and
back home before dawn or she would never hear the end of it. Morden
loved a reason to yell at her, and being late was one of his
favourites, as was returning without the precious teeth. Most of the
time he didn't even need a reason to yell, he simply enjoyed making
her life a living hell. It seemed to be his favourite pastime and he
would find any possible excuse to put her on punishment.
    She
sighed with relief as the boy's breathing settled into the steady,
deep rhythm of sleep. He had not woken and now she could get this
collection done with, check it off the list and leave. There were
only a few more minutes before the sun was due to rise and Neva did
not stop to think before she took a step towards the bed. She
stretched her hand out ready to reach underneath the pillow to
collect her treasure. Already feeling the elation of adding the tiny
white gem to her pouch she took another step forward, letting a
smile build on her face.
    Of
course, she was not prepared for an ambush. Her attacker was hidden
next to the thick woollen rug across the centre of the room. His
tiny, plastic green form leaning against the edge of the pile. His
gun, with a sharp pointed barrel, pointed straight into the air and
directly at her foot. She stepped and instantly felt the red hot
heat of the toy soldier's attack. Her foot exploding as she felt the
weapon pierce the soft skin between her toes.
    She
bit back a scream. Mumbling obscenities under her breath as she
hopped around and tried to soothe the pain. She carefully dropped
her foot to the floor, kicking the toy away from her and wishing
that she had worn something other than the silver sandals that she
had opted for. They were cute, and comfortable. But the bedrooms of
small children were like battlefields. She should have known that
there would be at least one obstacle. Usually it was a pet, or a
football. That instantly made anything with a heel impossible. Now
she mentally removed every but steel toed boots to the list.
    Neva
stepped forward one more time, slipping her delicate hand underneath
the boys pillow and sliding it across the mattress until she felt
her fingers brush the prize that she had been searching for. She
closed her hand around the tooth, moving it gently out so as not to
disturb the child and delivering it into the tooth pouch on her belt
without even looking at it. She had seen a million teeth before and
she really did not have time to see another.
    She
took a last glance at the young boy, who was now laid on his back.
His head was turned towards her. His blue eyes were illuminated in
the glow of the moonlight that broke through a crack in the
curtains. They were open, and focussed directly on her, taking in
her form beside his bed with a look of confusion on his face.
    Her
reaction was instantaneous, and she barely had chance to squeak out
a short, broken apology before she felt the transformation begin.
Her eyes began to glow deep blood red that felt like burning inside
her irises. She could see the colour on the edges of her vision,
glowing and flickering with red lights. Her teeth lengthened and
sharpened into sharp points and her hair frizzed out from the
stylish curls that she had spent and hour styling, into a teased
mess that stuck out around her head and forged her a new silhouette.
She felt her fingers and nails extend into long claws, destroying
her fresh manicure.
    The
boy's eyes widened in fear. The creature from his worst nightmares
was leaning over him, growling menacingly. Only he could hear,