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I don't know when the madness set it, or if it was even madness that took him away. I know whatever thing took hold of my lover, its twisted nature oozed out of his fur. Life comes at you so fast, some days all you see are blurs. Until you need to reach out for a specific memory, the moments you live are all just splotches of time held; sometimes you hold onto them for too long, keeping the smudge painted over that moment in your brain, unable to filter through and see the clear picture. But when I look back at him, I see him as clear as a reflection in the water. Perfect. With ripples.

The sky-tinted fur meshed with the cloudy splotches on his belly and muzzle. When he brushed his hands over the grape haze of my arms, I thought clouds were reaching out to me. But the sky doesn't stay blue for long.

He hated when I made fun of the way he talked. Noah could never control his tongue. Sometimes, it would just slip out, adding extra syllables to words that never needed them. It was like he was adding his own spin to a misunderstood language.

I hated the way he drank beer from the side of the can like a frat boy. He said he liked it better that way, I always thought he just liked chewing on the can as the bitter liquid invaded his mouth. I guess some habits are hard to crack. I never understood the fascination with cans, but Noah never understood my fascination with socks. What's a ferret to do though? I mean they're soft as fuck! Who doesn't like socks? It's like saying you don't like The Beatles (which Noah continues to tell me he hates them. Prick).

We just moved in together. A hard move for me as I lived hours away from him. We had to drive halfway just to see each other some weekends. I know when you're only dating for about a year, it can be a dodgy choice, but there was just something about that goat that got to me. There was always a softness in his eyes. They were so yellow, as if they were miniature suns, just staring back at you.

So I packed my sock collection and threw it right into his apartment. If that odd homely goat loved me, he was just going to have to handle my strange addictions as I handled his.

But things started to get weird. I don't know how to quite explain it, but it's like he left me to care for his body. His mind venturing off. The morning it started was normal.

I had just gotten out of the shower and stared at myself in the mirror. The dark purple of my hand soothed the lighter shade of my belly. "Yo, what's taking so long?" he yelled as he bolted through the door, horns first. Goats had a weird sense of pushing things. He rammed his head on anything that was in his way when he wanted to. I stood there nude, drying off, bits of purple shedding from my body as I ran the towel over me. He wore a coy look on his face, bringing his hand to my hips, then to my belly. "You're not thinking of losing a pound or two, are you?" Bitch. I remember thinking. He worked real hard to keep me from the gym. Said he liked his men plump.

I scoffed and pushed him playfully off me. "Are you sure this is even going to be worth it?" I asked and he grabbed the print out he found on Facebook. He had this terrible habit of keeping all the useless adverts he got on there as he "wanted to keep them in case we got bored." I mean, what the fuck is the internet for? Am I wrong?

"It's going to be epic! Listen, I saw this online and people have started posting on all the weird stuff they found! One guy posted on Reddit that he found this old doll. He was afraid of it being haunted. Just think of what we could find!" I threw on some clothes and then rolled my head in a sigh.

"Whatever it was you just said, was the gayest thing to pop out of your mouth. Legit." It was difficult for me to see the excitement he held. His fur prickled as his mind turned over the sensation of hunting for weird shit in. What really got to me was that it was in a graveyard! Like seriously the shit there is haunted, you're grave robbing! But I pushed it all aside. I hadn't seen his eyes get so lively before. It was like the day I asked if we could move in--a look I hope he'll look like when I ask him to marry me. There was so much fire in his eyes. I remember thinking how the sky had never looked so blue before. It was a Texas sky, all blue, all sun--all alive.

He threw on his jacket and set his glasses on his face. Kissing me on my cheek he whispered in my ear, "I'll buy you lunch." Bitch knew just how to get to me. That motherfucker knew if he said food, I'd trot along behind him because a ferret's gotta eat. I was not about to go hungry.

I groaned and rolled my eyes. "Fine, but I'm picking the place this time." I said smacking his ass. We both ran out chuckling to the car. As I plopped in the passenger, I looked up at the building. I could see our window from the ground. There was a strange figure standing, but I couldn't put it together. It was just a blur. A splotch. I closed my eyes and when I opened them again, it was gone.

***

The place was dead. And I mean that in every way possible. The sun was sitting right in the middle of the sky, but that wasn't a sign to the rest of nature to say "hey, maybe it shouldn't be cold today." But whatever.

We push past the gates. I stared at them as they towered over me; gothic pieces of steel standing upright from the ground, remaining open, yet so unwelcoming. He parked the car at the front, his eyes staring at me from the side. He had this slight smirk on his face, the kind of smirk that begs to fuck. Though it feels like we're alone, I feel a hint of someone's presence watching us. A glance around as I step out of the car shows no one. Zipping up my jacket, I push myself closer to him and kissed his cheek. "Lunch better be damn good, fuckboy"

Noah held my arm close to him, I could feel his body shake as he chuckled. "Oh we're on that level now. I thought we was closer than that." The words left his mouth playfully. My hand snatched his tongue as it stayed on the side of his lips. We tread over the first hill. My eyes scanned through the graves, noticing the legacy of families buried closely together. Generations covered the top end of the hill, my legs felt as if they were stumbling over misplaced rocks and mud. Not my idea of adventure, but sometimes, I can't say no to his face.

We walked up to a small wooded area. It was enough to not be seen, while being completely visible. It's weird how trees and grass cover someone who is barely hiding. He knelt down behind a bush, digging rapidly. His hand dove right into the bush, not caring if it got sliced by thorns. His face wore the strain as the bush rattled. Then, when everything stopped, his eyes get soft again. He yanked his hand out fast, holding up the newly obtained item as if he were a character from a video game. A steel flask shown in the sun, the dim item clutched tight in Noah's hand. "Told you, Alex! This is fucking epic!" the excitement from his voice was shattering for a moment. I had never seen him get this happy before, not since I moved in.

I gave him a faint smile, brushing my hand over his arm. He handed me the flask and nodded for me to open it. I remember how hard it was to just pull it open, the cork nearly cemented in the top. I've always hated how corks felt in my hands. The pieces that break off make my fur feel as if bugs are lingering on my body. When I finally yanked it out, I tossed the cork away, frustrated with how difficult it was to deal with. I quickly turned the flask over, shaking out whatever contents into my dark purple palm. I remember a small bit of paper inching out, rolled fat like a blunt. And yes, if your friend is giving you skinny ass joints, they're a shitty friend. Make some new ones--ones who don't bogart the weed. Just saying.

My stubby fingers rolled open the fat wad from the flask. Noah snatched the silver container from me as I read the words: "Will you marry me?" I'm never really sure how I imagined being proposed to, or if I ever imagined it at all. The wind pushed gently through the trees, I remember the faint rustling behind us as I tried to push my heart down my throat. My eyes darted over those words, as if the ink would disappear if I blinked.

My body spun around so quick, I practically tackled him to the ground. "Fuck yes." I exclaimed, latched to his body as if he would float away. As if everything that just happened would reset and the message would be nothing more than a simple "love you." I felt him stumble beneath me as I stretched my neck to kiss him, and in that moment we tumbled to the cold, soft grass, fortunate enough not to hit the grave stone we were invading.

He said nothing as he grabbed my ass. His hand slid beneath my hands, grabbing my bare cheek. I could feel his cock beneath me. Opening my eyes, I try to assess the risk, but he doesn't even bother, pulling my shirt over my head and tossing it aside. My pants weren't on for too long either as he stripped me. I stood up and he pushed me over the headstone of this grave and thrust his cock inside me.

I could hear his tongue lull out of his mouth as his hips thrust hard against me. He was a lot of things, but underwhelming was never one of them. I don't believe there are perfect sizes for cocks, but if there were one his would be it. The fur of his paws meshed with my hips as he grew faster. I couldn't keep myself from moaning, each time his dick thrust against my prostate. Though my eyes were drunk, I still tried to let them wander, tried to see if we'd get caught here in the open, but the goat would turn my attention back to him. His hands grabbing my bulge, pulling my head back, smacking my ass. He held me hostage here in this moment of exhibitionism. I moaned the words, "I love you" syncopated with each thrust. My hands gripped this gravestone hard, the gravel moving around the flesh beneath my purple haze.

I knew he was getting close. I was getting closer. My orgasm erupted quick underneath his grasp, my seed shooting hard against whoever's headstone this was. Apologizing mentally, I could feel his hips get faster, harder, his grip tighter now. I knew it was coming. And as the wind blew against our bodies, I felt the warmth of his cum filling me

The wind picked up as we gathered ourselves together. The weather here rarely stays good for long. I can never tell what it is, but every other day it seems a storm starts to settle in. Clouds inched their way over us as we started to leave. I was surprised at how unseen we really were, but then how many people come to visit a graveyard? Still, when the excitement was over, when the rush left our bodies, I couldn't help but feel uneasy. As if the universe had seen us and planned the inevitable punishment. Or maybe an actual ghost.

I've never really been superstitious, but when I look back, I sometimes think I see the audience that was there with us that day.

***

The snow was moving in fast. Winter was a harsh master when he settled in town, and although I'd give anything to see the warm summers of the south, I knew the snow would bind me here. But weather is rarely important when you're in love.

There was a feeling inside our home, an uneasy tension that kept us both on edge; kept us both at the ledge of strangling each other. I know we were both stressed. He was carrying the bills while I looked for work, and managing my job hunt seemed like a battle lost before it started. I knew the mess going in. Starting a new life isn't just an easy drive. But when he came home some nights, there was a look in his eyes when he glanced at me. A look that twisted my stomach into a mass of rubber bands.

It was raining when we had our millionth fight on the issue. He came in soaked and I had just started making dinner. He dropped his coat on the floor, water splattering like blood patterns against the walls.

"How was work, love?" I stirred the soup nervously, the broth boiling now. The steam poured over my face as he set his keys on the counter.

"It was fine. How was your day?" The words weren't exactly cold. There was a touch of warmth on his tongue as he loosened his tie from his neck. It was odd, but I stopped stirring and looked at him.

"It was fine. I had an interview today." His eyes rolled as the words fell off my tongue like droplets of grease.

"And I bet you botched that one too."

"That's not entirely fair, babe. I felt it went alright this time. I at least knew what I was talking about. They said they'd call me back." I placed my hand on his and tried to stroke upward, but he pulled away. It was like a quick strike of blue lightning. Bit of fur jumped from his hand and danced playfully in the unsettling air. It was a brief jolt screaming not to touch him. I wanted to stroke his horns, bring him back to me as this was not the Noah I've grown to love. This body in front of me was just a shell, going through changes, getting rid of everything that made him Noah and replacing him with...with a monster.

There was a sternness in his eyes. A strong presence I hadn't seen before. It was like you stared into them and saw the dark wintry anger wafting around his body. It chilled me. I took a step back, and leaned against the kitchen counter, still facing him and said "Hey, what's wrong?"

He shook his head, as if he had just been in a daze. It was like his mind was dreaming of a war not fought, the guns blaring in his ears as he stood there. I wondered for a moment if he even heard me, or if he knew I was there. "I'm just tired, babe. I'm gonna go strip off these clothes and sleep for a bit." His body stumbled slowly to the bedroom. I knew he wasn't drunk. His breath hadn't emitted the scent. His mind was genuinely gone. Like it left to go to the store, and forced the body to fend for itself.

I watched him wander down the hall, the bedroom light flushed on, but it didn't stay on for long.

I ate my soup---the whole time restless. I felt as if I was being watched, but I didn't look behind. If I was, I knew it'd be him, and I didn't want to dive into another argument or discussion, or whatever. I would let him watch. I would eat. Browse for jobs. But I would not give him the gift of my fear.

I didn't sleep in the same bed with him that night.

***

I slept on the couch that night. I had one small cover, barely enough to cover my body but the room was hot. Or cold. Or whatever my body felt during sleep. It was uncomfortable regardless. It had to have been about two, maybe three in the morning when I felt it. My back was turned to the air, face against the back of the couch. I had a leg on the floor because I slept weird and it was the couch. But nevertheless I remember my body feeling numb. I tried to move my hand or arms but I couldn't. It was like I was completely paralyzed. Stuck on this couch when I really had to pee.

Then I heard it. A large thud that made the purple in my fur leave me, creating a pale frozen ferret. It was like a hammer being driven through drywall. It knocked once, but my brain couldn't help to imagine the sheetrock break apart, dust spiraling off as a piece was severed from the foundation.

It pounded again, the apartment giving a small echo beneath the sounds of the wind.

Again. This time closer. I wanted to look behind me. I wanted to see whatever the fuck it was that was causing me to stay frigid on this damnable couch, but I couldn't move a limb.

It pounded one more time, right behind me, as if inches away. I could hear it breathing, a low rumbling breath as if it had nothing but fluid in its lungs. I started to feel its breath right on my neck and moving up. The hot air ticked me as it made it up my ear.

My breathing increased, I could feel my chest pounding against my rib cage each time I exhaled. It placed a hand on my shoulder, gripped it firmly. The darkness covering the identity of my guest. It pulled my close to its ear and whispered, "Sleep." And like that, it was gone.

***

When I awoke the next morning, the feeling was gone. As if whatever aura that entangled our home had just vanished. Noah was just waking up, I could hear him stretching in our bedroom. The goat was monstrous when pushing out of sleep. Most mornings he would push his arms out as if reaching for the sky while drowning, a large growl emitting from his out. The walls nearly rumbled each time it happened. I learned to sleep through it over time.

I pushed off the couch and started making coffee. Placing the pot in the sink, I ran the water through it before filling it whole. I left the water running as I started the maker, grabbing a sponge and scrubbing dishes. After the night before, I didn't want to look at him much. I was still shaken from the whole night, and I had believed he was the thing that was messing with me on the couch.

His footsteps made a loud thud on the carpet. Though muffled, you could still hear the floor wanting to give out beneath the blue beast. He was odd. Noah was never a too heavy of a person, but he could never step lightly onto anything. Every step he made was just another crash after crash. It was like he wanted to destroy tiny cities that lived there like a giant monster movie. He made his way into the kitchen and grabbed a mug.

"Good morning, babe." He said kissing me on the cheek.

"Good morning, how'd you sleep?" I responded, still scrubbing what little dishes we had in the sink.

"Ugh, terrible! I thought you were fucking with me last night while slept. I kept hearing something in the room whispering, but nothing coherent. It was fast, ranty almost. I felt over on your side of the bed, but you weren't there, so I figured it was just you. I got up last night, took a piss and moseyed into the living room. Only to find you asleep on the couch. It was honestly kind of freaky. I moved in close to you and felt your shoulder and you were tense last night. I through you were having a bad dream, but didn't want to wake you. So I went back to bed and, well, the whispering started up again. I flipped on the light and still nothing. I couldn't figure it out but fuck it was freaky and annoying." His story made my fur stand up. It was more than likely him who said sleep in my ear, but it was more than just a touch I felt.

"Maybe we have a ghost?" I said teasingly. I wanted to lighten the air between us. I knew he had been stressed to no end, so a quick laugh of any kind would have done him some good.

"What do you think it wants?" He asked flatly. It was the kind of tone that didn't tell you anything. He could have still been angered from last night, or he could be totally fine now. I turned off the water from the sink and then started to pour a cup of coffee.

"Maybe it's a pirate, and he's after some primo-goat booty!" I say taking a brief sip and scanning his face. Still. Cold. Nothing.

"Ghosts are legit, you know that right?" He asked as he held out his mug, expecting me to pour his coffee for him.

I simply nodded to the maker and enjoyed my cup. "I've always been on the fence about them, honestly. I don't want to say they're fake because let's be real, it would be so awesome if we found a ghost." Noah just shook his head. It was like the sky twirling back and forth, his horns whisking the air.

"I don't think you should be joking about something so serious, Alex. I'm starting to think you were doing last night on purpose." You could feel the annoyance in his voice, like a power surge that spread across your body through his voice.

"You think I did this? After you practically manhandled me last night?" I was pissed. I knew the words shouldn't have left, but I let them go. "I heard your breathing against me. I felt your hand. I heard you say 'sleep.' Noah. I wasn't messing with you last night, but I'm damn well convinced you were fucking with me." he looked at me, stunned as if I would even say anything like that about him.

"I don't think you understand everything I'm doing for you. I go out there, every day..."

"And you fucking work! But that still doesn't give you the right to do what you did last night." My voice was growing. Each letter a new tree sprouting in a forest along my tongue. My anger---the soil of this growing world inside me.

"I didn't fucking do it!" the words were a roar now. I could see he wanted to throw his mug at me with every bit of strength in his body. But he restrained himself.

"Then who did?" There wasn't a word from his mouth afterward, and I was not easing up.

There was a hell inside of him. A hell I hadn't seen before. A hell that lie dormant until the surrounding world came to badger it awake. And this was that time. You can love someone to death, but sometimes the hell they carry inside them is too much to bear. When his fires started to burn my flesh, I knew our clock was counting down. I just didn't know how much time we had left before we split apart.

***

Weekends were never an easy venture.We were stuck in the same home; the same walls, the same kitchen, maybe a room apart, but you're only a door away, you feel every bit of their presence. But it wasn't just us. I kept getting this feeling that there was something else with us. Something that we just couldn't see. I wanted to believe that he was not the monster he was becoming; or the anger that was carried in his coffee mugs. He still has a perfect image in my mind. His scars are only cosmetic. My bruises are only meant to heal. Pain is only temporary. Even when all life is suffering, pain is only temporary.

He was working at his computer in our bedroom. We hadn't talked since that morning. I had never seen him grip his mug so tight before, but I knew he was on the verge of breaking down. I don't know if ever stopped balancing that ledge. Or if I ever saw his the edge he was teetering on. You paint your lover in fulfillment, in love, ignoring the flaws and the sense of danger that follows them. Whenever I looked at my little goat boy, I only saw the bluest sky. As if the real deal that hovered over us both couldn't measure up. He was the sky I wanted in my life. As painful as it sounds.

He emerged from the bedroom around lunch time. Annoyance hung in his eyes like lingering tears. We exchanged a glance, then I went back to my book. I didn't want to say anything to him. I didn't want to know he existed in this room. I just wanted quiet.

"Is there anything to eat?" the words fell flat from his lips.

I didn't look up from my book. I could see his figure from the corner of my eye, blurred blue standing tall in kitchen. "I'm sure there's something in the fridge, babe. Just have to look."

"Oh fuck you! If you didn't want to answer, you should have just stayed quiet." I heard the door forced open. For a moment, I thought I could see something else in the kitchen with him. A blurred figure, just grey. I knew the blue was moving around, but the grey just stood there. The door slammed shut as he started making something. I didn't bother looking. I was focused on this visible, yet invisible mark wedged between us both.

"I'm sorry, babe." My words were silent, yet loud enough for him to hear. That's what fear does to you. It mutes your voice.

"You're always fucking sorry." I heard him say as he slammed his plate against the counter. How it didn't break was a miracle.

"Well, I wouldn't be if I weren't made to feel like an inconvenience all the time!" I threw the book onto the floor and stood up before him.

"Oh, so I make you feel like an inconvenience, is that it? Let's not forget what I do for us." His eyes stared intently at my heart. It was as if he knew he carried daggers in them; that he could use them to pierce what frail flesh I wore. "Maybe, if you found some fucking work, I wouldn't have to be so fucking stressed all the time." His voice grew louder. The walls bounced his words between them. "You know what, maybe, if you can't fucking appreciate the hell I..."

Cutting him off, a coffee mug was thrown at him like a baseball pitch winning the world series. The cub shattered as it hit the cabinet, bits of glass spewing outward and back at him. I couldn't tell if he was injured, shunning my eyes away, flinching upon impact.

There was a third person among us. A third, invisible presence causing this tension. Yet even though we were not alone, not causing the turmoil we were suffering through at that moment, he still thought these things of me. There wasn't a ghost more frightening than that.

***

It didn't get easier the next day. Noah sent me out to get a few groceries while he stayed behind and "thought through" what had happened. He wouldn't talk about the cup; wouldn't mention how it flew or where it went after it landed. He just needed space to think. He kept saying I needed to get gone for him to have peace for a few hours.

Noah had been growing worse by the hour. Or at least it felt that way. Every time he moved around me, my fur stood on edge. It used to soften by his touch, but the more anger that seeped from his body, the more I wanted to get away.

I was convinced that this presence in our home was bringing out the worst in him. All those evils carried in his heart bleeding out by this invisible pest. That wasn't the same goat I fell in love with. It wasn't the same goat that proposed to me. It was like his body was being taken over, like our infestation was carving him out inside in order to make itself home. But what is home to something paranormal?

Our lights were off when I got home. I set the groceries on the counter, the kitchen not far from the front door. I could hear a faint whimpering in the bedroom. The sun peered through the window lighting what pieces of our living room it could reach. I slowly removed my scarf and out of my nervousness wrapped it around my hand. I wanted to say something. Anything. Just a syllable to stop the whimpering, but I said nothing as I approached the bedroom.

I clutched my scarf tight as I poked my head through the doorway. And then I saw him. Naked. My blue goat boy on his knees as this figure held his shoulders. It was whispering in his ear. I couldn't hear it, but I knew it was whispering. There was an evil in that room that I could not bear to remain in front of, but I could see Noah's life draining within moments.

Noah, I don't know what you expected of me. But I jumped in, grabbed his shoulders and yanked him from the beast. Only he didn't come with me. His head rammed into my belly, horns almost piercing me as I was thrust into the wall. I couldn't get back up. I didn't even know if I wanted to get back up. It was the first time he had hurt me like that. My eyes widened at the blue fur that hovered over me. I thought he'd kick me but he only went back to the bedroom.

As this beast took everything about him away from me, I lost what energy I had. Everything went black.

***

When I awoke, he was in our bed. Lying there as I see him now. The color of the sky doesn't last forever. Some days it's more gray than blue, and when it's truly blue there's still a sliver of decay hidden inside it. I've been sitting here for what seemed like days, but it was only hours; thinking he'd move but he never responded to my touch. He lie before me only a shell. A breathing body left in a coma by what has entered our home.

Rain tapped the roof of our home. Thunder was low, but audible. The silent rains are always the worst. They're always the ones that hit hard as they move inward. I don't know what the sky has in store for us tonight, but I knew it wasn't going to be an easy rain.

I wonder if that thing had come from our adventure in the graveyard, or if this spirit is the lingering hatred between us. But what good are answers now when the dead have woven your path? Like lavender traveling through a polluted ocean, I rub my hand across his thigh, ease it along his torso. The rest of my body followed, engulfed in the murky blue that was him. When I reached the headrest I pulled him into me. There was a longing to gain back what I had lost, yet a fear of what I would actually receive if he opened his eyes. And that's when I saw it.

This shadowy beast sat in the corner of our room, watching us intently. Lightning illuminated it every other minute. There was a craze in his eyes, as if it had been waiting for this. We were its prey and it had been hunting us for what seemed like forever. I wanted to move but I couldn't get my body to push away from my lover lying dormant. It was as if our bed were an ocean and the shore was too far to swim to. I was paralyzed in this room; stuck here to suffer whatever fate this beast had planned for us. Noah's arms started to wrap around me as if twine could wrap without help. A small groan left his throat as he squeezed me against his body. I was caught. Noah's grip kept me in place, his arms crushing my upper body. I had never seen sky envelop a purple haze in my life, but he was doing his best to swallow me whole.

"Stop" my voice finally let the words go. My lips pushed the letters out and before I could say anything else, his body was on top of me. His hands strangling my throat. Noah's eyes shot open, a swollen numbness hanging on his face as his grip got tighter. I thrust my hands up, grabbing his horns, then his face, struggling to break free from my lover's grip. I didn't want to hurt him. I didn't want him to suffer anything, though he was strangling me. It wasn't him; it wasn't really him. He was the puppet for this beast in our room.

This wasn't the Noah that I loved; the goat boy on his knees with the ring. When I saw him, really saw him, he was an ocean of love. I swam through his waves each night I was with him. This boy made my fur glow; a lavender neon light that could not come alive without his touch, as if he held the switch to my bulb.

I don't recognize the body above me. I don't know who has been living with me all these months. I could feel the air leave my body. My arms started to grow weak as I pushed them away from him. I felt along our nightstand, fingers weakly grabbing onto the first thing they could. A set of keys jingle violently as I thrust them up into his eye.

He wailed loudly, his hands leaving my throat. A rush of air punched me in the gut as I tried to roll off the bed. Lightning flashed outside, the walls lit up as it struck close to our home.

When I stood up I saw the beast behind him, his arms outstretched with Noah's. My future husband now a doll, they had me cornered. I grabbed our lamp from the nightstand and threw it hard at the pair. They dodged quick and I ran for the door.

My legs bolted through and ran into our kitchen. Shakily, I ripped open drawers and started searching for anything to stop the two from killing me. Silverware littered our floor, a parade of clanking metal on cold tile erupted throughout our home.

When he entered our kitchen, I threw a plate. Glass spewing from the impact. I started throwing everything, anything to keep him away. Like a soldier he made his way towards me in the narrow walkway. Trapped again, I grabbed a knife and shoved it into his belly. I pushed past him again and ran into the bathroom, locking the door.

I ripped open the mirror door and looked for the lighter we kept. He hated matches, but wanted candles. The one time I was thankful we didn't have a normal air freshener in our home. I grabbed the small device and a can of hairspray.

Loud bangs erupted at the door. He pounded furiously, trying hard to burst through. Slowly I could see the door break from its hinges. The wood splintered with each forceful punch. I could imagine he was thinking of punching me, or maybe the demon was thinking of it. I couldn't tell anymore. There was one thing I knew about tonight. The beast was real. My love was not as cruel; never as cruel as he had been. But that was never him. It was this thing. Twisting us. Controlling us, marionette puppets entertaining it when it wanted us too.

I was trapped here. There's only one thing left for me now. Blue skies still have to see another day. So I aimed the lighter and hairspray as the door flew into the wall. He screamed loudly, this blue angered body running in like a zombie. Before he could see me, I started the lighter. It took a few tries. Gas station lighters were the worst but they were cheap. The moment the flame lit he turned around, eyes narrowing at me. "Let him go," I tell whatever is inside him. There's a storm overhead, I hear the winds howling between us as I stand armed. "I don't know what you want, or why you're here. I don't care." The storm raged behind us now. The air was still as if time froze it. "You can have me instead. Let Noah go, and I'll give myself to you."

I could see the creature pondering the proposal behind my fiance. It's eyes narrowed as if thinking, but it wasn't long before Noah's body lifted in the air. I could see blue skies falling away from me as the creature flung towards my body. I struggled for a moment as it felt like it was trying to take control of my body.

Noah was slowly coming to, his body trying to lift itself from the floor. I tried fighting it; tried keeping it from taking hold of my arms. I wasn't going to be its puppet any longer. The lighter had blown out, but I struck it again, this time lighting it with two hits. I turn the can to me and I yell to Noah, "Babe! You need to get out! Don't look here, just go." Noah was still trying to regain consciousness. I could see him sitting up, but he wasn't aware of anything yet.

"What's going on?" I hear him ask.

I don't have time to waste. I scream out to him, as the beast holds onto me with more force than I could really handle. "I love you!" And I spray the can towards my face, my body lighting on fire. Flames engulfed my arms, my chest, my face, everything. My fur was burning, but I could hear its screams. It was in pain; like I was in pain. Like i've been in pain since it arrived.

As the fire took us both, I became the dawn. A purple morning preparing all for the storm that is heading for them. I'm slowly losing consciousness, but I see him in a blur. He's running for me, but babe it's too late. We are gone. We are gone. I love you.