Stranded [ 1 ]

---Stranded--1---------------------------
"Aright guys, I have work tomorrow. Gotta go."

>A few goodbyes came through the headset as you logged off of your computer.
>It was... ten o` clock.
>Your shift was early in the morning, so you were going to get a good night`s rest.
>You drank some water, brushed your teeth, then headed to bed.

>You laid there for a few minutes, just listening to the crickets chirping and cicadas humming.
>The ambiance provided the perfect white noise, and it always lulled you to sleep.
>Soon, you drifted off.

>You heard something downstairs.
>Fuck, probably your cat knocking something down.
>What time was it now?
>You leaned over with a bleary eyed gaze and checked the alarm clock.
                   [| 12:47 |]
>Ah, still plenty of time to sleep.
>You had to get up at seven.
>You laid back down and let your mind wander, gradually falling back asleep.
>There was a slight creaking sound again.

>"Loka! Are you in here?" Someone called out, sounding a bit worried.

>Who the fuck?
>Goddamnit, someone was in your house.
>Granted, they were calling out to someone, maybe a sibling or child.
>Come on though, they were in your fucking house.
>You reached over and grabbed your pistol.
>Oh, this trusty gun, how you loved it.
>And if this turned out to be a really shitty burglar, you were going to use it.
>Clumsily, you pulled on a pair of sweatpants.
>You tried to move as quietly as possible down the stairs.

>"If you`re in this place, please, answer me! This isn`t funny!"

>That sounded like a woman.
>Why would they be looking for someone in your house?
>How the hell did they get in your house?
>Once you had them at gunpoint, you`d ask.
>You got downstairs without issue.
>You peeked around the corner.
>Nothing was out of place in the living room...
>Except for the closet door.
>Why was it open?
>Well, everything was intact, so you moved on down the hall.
>You heard a bit of shuffling in the laundry room.
>There they were.
>You tightened your grip on the pistol.
>You flipped the lights on in the hallway and turned the corner into the room.
>You heard and saw something dive into the broom closet.
>Well, you had them cornered.

"Hey. I know you're in there. Step out and keep your hands up."

>No response.
>Well, time to play hardball.

"If you don`t get the fuck out of that closet, I`m gonna just shoot into it, okay? So please, do as I say and open the door... slowly."

>This was stressful.
>You heard a bit of movement from inside the closet.
>They still didn`t open the damned door.
>After waiting ten seconds, you walked over to the door and knocked, hard.

"Last chance."

>You heard... crying.
>Like honest to Christ crying.
>Why the fuck would a burglar be crying.
>You grabbed the knob and slowly pulled the door open.

>You did not expect this.
>There was a... something in the closet.
>Currently in the fetal position sobbing.
>You were stunned, but did not lower your pistol.
>It wasn`t human.
>It looked like what you`d imagine a humanoid dragon would look like, though a bit... off.
>They had horns almost like a cow or something, and small wings.
>You noticed a tail curled around them, with rather sharp looking large scales in a row along the back.
>It had sharp teeth and claws as well.
>And yet they had blonde hair.
>Glasses, a polo shirt, and a skirt too.
>This... well, shouldn`t be possible, but there it was in all its glory.
>You backed away a bit.

>Was this an alien, monster, some cryptozoologist`s wet dream?
>Whatever it was, it was in your house and didn`t have the courtesy to keep it down so you could sleep.
>You were considering just calling 911 and letting the feds handle it.
>But then you heard it speak up.

>"Are you... a hu-human?" The thing said, looking like it could die of fright at any moment.
>Its voice was not unlike a normal college girl, though a bit rougher sounding.
>What kind of question was that though?
>At least from her voice you knew for sure she was female, however much that mattered.
>And you were the one with the gun, of course she should be afraid, because you`d blow her brains out if she pulled any shit.

"Yeah, I am. Now I gotta ask, what the hell are you?"

>The monster sat up, eyes red and voice shaky as its tail slowly unfurled from around itself.
>"I`m... my n-name is Jennette."
>Pretty normal name at least.
>She took a few deep breaths.
>"I am w-what you hum-m-ans would call a monst-ter."
>Well, at least you knew what to call her.
>You leaned against the washer.

"Well, okay... what are you doing in my house, and who is this 'Loka' person you keep calling for?"
>She broke out into tears again.
>Fucking hell, you felt like an ass.

"I`m not going to shoot you, okay?" You said, attempting to make your voice gentler.
>She looked really fucking upset.
>You waited for her to stop crying.
>The gun wasn`t helping anything, so you stashed it in your back pocket barrel-first.
>You kept your distance from her though.

>She managed to regain some composure and start explaining herself again.
>"L-loka is a friend of mine. I watched her leave through a b-broken door... and she hasn`t been back in a few days..."
>The monster was actually searching for a friend of hers.
>But what did she mean by a broken door?

"Broken door?"
>The draconic girl looked around like she was trying to hide something.
>"We can use doors... no. I can`t say that to a human. I just can`t find her."
>Her eyes shifted around, trying to avoid your gaze.
>She was keeping something from you.
>Maybe this wasn`t something you should get too involved in.

"Well, if you don`t want me to help you, then I`m not gonna stop you from leaving. Front door`s right there."
>You gestured towards the door.
>She started to stand up.
>Her legs seemed weak and she braced herself against the wall as she got up.
>You readied the pistol again, just in case.
>She was up and moving, slowly walking out of the room.
>She didn`t turn towards the front door though, instead she went in the direction of the living room.

"Hey, the front door`s there!"
>Before you could finish the sentence though, she ran.
>You heard her footsteps stop in the living room, and the closet door close.
>You rushed in with the pistol at the ready, and stopped when you saw her.
>She was on her knees, tears streaming down her face as she slowly opened and closed the closet door.
>It was almost comical the way the door creaked.

"Are you alright? Done running around?"
>She stopped.
>Got up.
>And turned around.
>"You sabotaged the door..."
>Her eyes were caked with tears, but you could also see the animalistic fury within them.
>Her tail whipped around, sending a magazine off of the coffee table.
>The damn door was still moving and working fine though.

"Do you think I want my closet door to be broken?"
>She tilted her head at an odd angle as she shifted her stance.
>"I`m trapped here... and you... you`re... you`re mocking me!"
>Her anger seemed to make her ignore logic.
>And now she looked like she was ready to fight.

"Now, you need to stop. Right now. Think about what`s going on here."
>But she was moving already, leaping towards you with those claws at the ready.
>You sidestepped the attack and aimed the pistol somewhere that it wouldn`t be lethal.
>She landed and then stumbled onto the floor.
>As she recovered from the wipeout, you squeezed the trigger.
>The shot opened a hole in her calf.
>"Aigh! it hurts..."
>She looked down at the wound, blood flowing down her ankle, and fainted.
>That would leave a stain in the carpet.

>You got your kit and got set to work on fixing the wound.
>You needed her alive if she`s going to answer your questions.
>Soon enough, her thigh was bandaged up and the bullet was on a small plate.
>The bullet was damn near flattened.
>It seemed that the round had encountered a massive amount of resistance on entering the wound.
>Her scales were pretty fucking tough.
>You would keep that in mind.
>You managed to get a closer look at her while she was out.
>She had one row of sharp incisors.
>Her claws could easily glide through the gauze you used.
>The tail`s spines were fake though, actually rather pliable.
>She had no breasts, but that would be expected for a reptile.
>You picked her up and set her down on the couch.

>You were sitting in the armchair watching Netflix on your laptop when you heard her stirring.
>You closed the computer and set it down on the table.
>The pistol was in your hands again.
>She opened her eyes, which were tearing up due to the pain, and looked at the bandage.

"Are you gonna try to do that again?" You asked calmly. "Next time, I might aim somewhere important."
>You still felt like a dick, but less so now due to her trying to hurt or kill you.
>"You... didn`t kill me?"

"Why would I do that, hmm? I have every right to, because you broke into my house. But, what I did was in self defense." You stated with a tinge of sarcasm in your voice.
>"What did you hit me with? It... hurts. A lot."
>She winced as she moved her leg.

"It`s called a gun. And the average person here has one. Now, let me restate my question. What are you doing here and how did you get in?"
>You wanted answers.
>She looked at you and sat up.
>"I came in through the door."

"Alright smartass, now-"
>"That door."
>She pointed to the closet.

"That`s a closet. Leads nowhere. I would know, I lived here for a good... six years.
>She shrugged and gave you a irritated reply.
>"If I explain everything to a human, then I would get in trouble with the law on my side of the line."
>More cryptic shit.
>She sighed.
>"But, to get you off of my back... I`ll tell you a few things."

>Well, you got some answers.
>Jennette only explained that monsters could use doors to travel between places.
>She came here looking for a friend named Loka.
>Loka had gotten too curious and entered a door without realizing that it was malfunctioning.
>Jennette had followed through the same door, but it had deposited her here.
>And now she was stuck in this place.