InsaneJournal

Who: Laura Moon & L
What: Laura's returning to her "house guest" after a tangle with a nasty kitty.
When: Early morning, sometime around 6:00am or 7:00am by a watch.
Where: Bob McGillicuddy's Drug / Liquor Store
Rating: PG-13 for some gore / violence allusions
Status: Complete


There had been snarling, clawing, the gnashing of teeth. Laura had heard the best long before she had seen it. She had, in fact, felt it long before she had seen it. Its breath had been warm against her skin. Her superhuman speed had saved her from that blow. Just as Andy had warned her, it was angry. For a brief moment she had thought that maybe Sam was right; maybe she should have brought him along with her. Regardless, she was here now. The beast had found her long before she had found it. She could feel humans, but not carnivorous beasts of the forest.

The battle had been epic. She had left her cardigan back at the store, hoping that L might be able to use it as a pillow or something. She didn't even know him, but he seemed lost and tired, and she was glad that her home would be guarded for the night. She was dressed in a tanktop and a pair of jeans, all of it clinging tightly to her body. Loose clothing would have been a poor choice. The first half of the fight had been the two predators circling each other. It was uncertain who was the prey and who was the hunter. The beast seemed to not want to tangle with her much once it had got her scent. Creatures such as that had serious problems with dead meat, especially when it was walking and threatening their lives. It had made the first move, then, and that was what Laura was counting on. It had lunged at her, and as she weight far less than a normal woman of her height and weight, she had gone flying. Her body landed in a heap on the ground. She was mildly dazed by the attack, but less phased than a normal person. She paid, though, for being sloppy. It sank its teeth deep into Laura's shoulder, and with its jaws it began to thrash and pull. There was the sickening sound of bone crunching under razor teeth and powerful jaws. She did not, however, even seem to notice when the beast let go and, confused, prepared for another lunge. She had tried to use her right arm to get up, but while it still moved it would not support her weight. It, literally, was only half attached. This was going to make things a bit more complicated. In the end, however, she had killed the beast. She could punch with far more force than a normal human being. First she had dislocated its jaw; her left hook was nasty. After that it was a matter of killing it, which she had done with the assistance of a very hefty rock.

It had taken Laura a very, very long time to return to town. She was forced to drag the body, and she didn't want to leave it. Maybe someone could use it for food. It would at least provide proof that she had done away with the beast and that the citizens need not fear anymore. The sun was rising higher into the sky than she wanted, and though she was not tired it was difficult to maneuver. At one point she stopped, hoping to find out if L had stayed at her place; he did not need to see her like this. Unfortunately, it seemed that he was there and he was worried about her. Draping the beast over her shoulders, using it to hide the absence of an attached shoulder, she picked up the pace. Her muscles did not protest. Upon reaching the shop, she jotted another quick note to her impromptu roommate and entered. There was no sense prolonging the inevitable.

The dead woman stood in the doorway of the shop, a dead and bloodied cougar draped over her shoulders. Blood bathed her body, her pale skin dotted with, in the darkness, what looked like black. She looked around, plain as if it were noon, and she noted that her beer case was still empty and waiting for her. Her right arm hung limply by her side, while the left held onto the front paws of the animal. She had been warm for a moment, but the life had left it too quickly.

"L?" she called out in that flat, dead voice of hers. She was quiet, though, hoping not to wake him if he was asleep, which he probably was not. She had advised him to leave. Hopefully he had followed that. A few steps more in, she looked around again. "Are you still here...?"