Once Upon An Extinction

The sludge that gave her body life never seemed to end, even though it had only been a certain amount donated from the shade long ago. She had often accidentally wounded herself and the black liquid always came out as if held back by a strong pressure. It burned her when she bled and her injuries stung when they healed, but she could not be killed.

Blood got to her feet and went over to the lobby doors of her building. With a fancy key from her dress pocket she unlocked and slid them open before going over to her janitorial closet. Inside the little storage room were long forgotten tools of a dead worker, dusty and covered in cobweb. There was a drain in the floor and several plastic jugs of water nearby on a shelf.

The little monster kept a supply of water to pour over herself in a small attempt to keep clean. Her black blood washed off with little resistance. Blood cursed herself for not taking advantage of human showers while the utilities were still in working order. The water she used had gone stale long ago and smelled strange, but it didn't bother Blood. Every so often, she jumped into the shallows of the river that split the city. Cold, but relatively clean.

As she stepped back outside to the street, Blood felt the air cool her wet body and she smiled in delight. Even after such a long time, the sensations she could experience with a body of her own were wonderfully enjoyable. Blood was a part of the world, instead of an unseen watcher.

Forgetting yet again that she had been wearing shoes, she looked down at the drenched pair with a disappointed frown. After discarding her wet sneakers on the sidewalk where they could dry in the sun, she walked barefoot to the local shoe store. Blood's home was located in what used to be a wealthy area of the city and there were many stores that she had already picked clean. Her return visits were always for dresses and shoes.

Along the way to the shopping area, Blood happened upon one of the monsters that had decided to live in the city as she had. Blood had always waved to the creature, but she could never tell if it was aware of her presence. Blood knew the monster as Cookie. Not an actual name, but its large circular head reminded her of the human snack food.

Cookie was a strange being of bone and wood. It hid a mangled and twisted human skeleton underneath a tattered black cloak. Bones were cracked and bent, tangled and twisted, but Cookie moved easily and quickly.

Sitting atop the body with an extra long spine to the middle of the back, a dark wooden head shaped like a large disc stared forward. The dry, cracked head was about two feet from the center to any edge and only a few inches thick. It always stared into the distance with a blank face with eyes and a smile carved sloppily into the wood with a dull object. The large "X" for each eye coupled with the crooked smile made the monster seem cartoonish.

Blood watched as Cookie sat motionless on a rusty bus stop, his cloak gently twitching in the air. As the little monster walked by she kept eye contact, but Cookie didn't seem to acknowledge her, only staring forward. She put a few yards between them before she quickly spun around to try and catch him moving, but Cookie was still.

Cookie had moved within Blood's sight before, but never in a way that she understood. The cloaked monster would sway back and forth while staring into empty buildings and chase after leaves in the wind. It would sometimes dig into the ground at the park and roll around in the grass. Blood never knew what to make of Cookie's behavior.

In a burst of movement, Cookie stood and quickly sprinted down the street. As the bony clacking rushed past her, Blood flinched in surprise and watched blankly as the cloaked creature disappeared around a corner. She wished she knew how to speak so that she might be able to communicate with Cookie.