The moment I met the gaze of the entity, I knew it would be best to run.
In a second flat, I'd escaped the hallway, slamming the door loudly as I entered an octagonal room. Three other doors were in view, one illuminated by a shining blue glow. Guiding Light hadn't failed me yet, so I knew to trust their judgement, especially regarding this.
Seek, as my guardian called it, was sprinting at me, its intentions impure. I couldn't tell what it was it wanted to do to me, but the soulless glare it shot my way didn't do any justice.
There was a momentary pause as my eyes flicked from crawlspace to crawlspace in the following room. I dove beneath the bookshelf, skimming my knees on the ground. No time to inspect the damage though, because it was a matter of life and possible death.
A second octagonal room to get my frenzied panic to increase. Intoxicated by adrenaline, I continued on confidently. Being too afraid to doubt myself, I followed whatever my brain was assigning me to do, trailing the lights as best as I could.
A final hallway later and I was free of Seek. Or, almost free of Seek, I guess. It was still chasing me for whatever reason. Maybe it was bored?
Sprinting leftward, I avoided the arms and flames in my path. Seek must've been feeling particularly destructive to tear up the room like it did; chandeliers dotted the centre, setting the narrow rug afire. As its arms waved to me, I stopped for a second to process it.
Terrible mistake.
It made a (very poor) attempt to snatch me and drag me to who-knows-where. I won't lie, I did have some pity for it. But then I remember it's actively seeking to kill me, dismember me or murder me in some gory way. How lovely.
I think it was getting really desperate, because it let out an ear-piercing scream, so alike to a human's. Seek's steps pounded heavy as it pulled out all stops. Unfortunately, I just swung through the door and slammed it in its face (eye? I'm not sure, it doesn't really have a face..).
There was a period where it hammered on the door so hatefully agitated. My success ignited a flaming fury in it, and the vibration of the door made me shake. I wasn't fearful of it, but I was curious how the door could hold after the heavy blows it took. Seek dealt a fair deal of damage to it, almost breaking it down entirely.
My question was why didn't it slither under the door like it had emerged? Its body was a fluid and it didn't have to stay in the humanoid form it had adopted. I don't know why it didn't do as I suggested.
Seek calmed its nonexistent nerves before backing down. A sigh-like sound came from it, and I heard it lean against the door. I think it slid into a sitting position, facing its back to me.
There was nothing to hear, nothing to see, nothing to do but wait. An intrigue pricked at me, and I felt obligated to see how the entity would react to me unlocking the door. Yes, a dumb idea on my part as I'd be unlocking the door to my death, but I was too beyond my wits to care or even acknowledge the dangers.
Firmly grasping the knob, I twisted it in a sturdy motion. Seek perked up, rearing its head around to look at me, not making any alludes to killing me.
Its elbows were on its knees, and its back was slumped forwards. Any previous signs of aggression were eradicated completely, a somber melancholy replacing it where it originally was. The way it acted so humanly was freakish to me.
Kneeling by its side, I sat myself on the ground besides it.
"You must get really lonely here, huh?" I mustered, a croak erupting from my throat. It wasn't fear, moreso the hoarse aftereffect of running for so long without any water to replenish my energy,"I take it you're just in need of a friend."
Its eye aligned with mine, and it pensively murmured in a weak voice,"Lonely...friend.."
There was a puzzled tone in its voice, as if it were questioning the words' meaning. The way its voice tripped over the words, slurring them slightly as if it didn't know the correct pronunciation but tried to anyway was a confirmation to my suspicion. I doubt it knows what any of what I said meant, considering it has only heard words said and it knows no language whatsoever.
My eyes scanned over its slanted form, admiring the way it was sat, as dumb as it sounds to say,"Yeah. You're alone, aren't you? I think you just need some company."
Without any signification, it leaned forwards, extending its forearms in an intimidating manner. Little did I know, it was making an attempt to embrace me, as it had seen children do to their parents when they saw it.
A bit reluctantly, I fell into its arms, my own securing it. Its chin rested on my shoulder as it made the cutest little sound, halfway between a satisfied hum and a comfortable pur. It was a weird feeling, as it wasn't exactly a wet substance and it left no residue behind, but it felt sludgy.
Timidly, I raised a hand and pet its head. Strings of its substance stuck to my fingers as I withdrew; it had gotten too comfortable in my grasp and could barely maintain its humanoid form.
Pushing all its weight onto me, it slammed me to the ground while its arms were wrapped around me still. I couldn't tell whether I should've been threatened or not.
There was a momentary pause as it took in the sight of me beneath it, as it was on its hands and knees above me. I didn't really understand where it was going, but I was buckled in for whatever ride this took me on.
Lowering its head towards mine, it laid itself on me, resting its head on my chest and listening to the beating of my heart. Its form was growing a bit sloppy, and smaller details like it's fingers became merged together as it lost itself in the moment.
"Warmth..." Seek stated, trailing off into a thoughtful spiral. This time it sounded more assured the word was correct, staying it loudly but averagely.
"Do you...like this? Are you comfortable laying here like this?" I pestered, raising a hand to stroke the length of its back.
Taking its arms and putting them around my neck, it leaned closer to my chest,"I...enjoy this closeness."
Its eye fought to remain opened, but it was growing weary. In a minute or less, it fell asleep on top of me, its form solidifying.
"Seek?" I asked, poking its shoulder,"Cmon, wake up."
Nothing woke it up, and part of me didn't want it to. The rarity of having an entity fall asleep (on me, of all places) was gob smacking to me. It wasn't the only thing; Seek was in a vulnerable state, resting directly on its prey. I could've done anything in the hours it slept if I desired.
I didn't want to bring harm to the entity, despite the long and irritating chase sequence. That was the past, whether distant or close, and I wasn't going to let it ruin the moment.
Hoisting Seek up in my arms, I took care not to wake it. I continued on through the rooms like normal, in search of a bedroom I could lay it in. It appeared it couldn't catch a break, and this nap was the most it had-had in a long time.
Spying a four-bedroomed room, I scampered forwards, the pattering of my footsteps against the boards not waking it. With upmost care, I set Seek on the bed, covering it using the blanket. Its head was rested on the pillows, and it let out a soft coo in its sleep. Turning over, it faced away from me and sighed,"...friend..."
A tiny bit of my heart ached, a sensation I didn't recognise. I couldn't believe what I was about to do, and I did it regardless.
Leaning forwards, I rested a knee on the mattress, dragging the duvets up. Shuddering in its sleep, Seek curled itself up, bringing its knees to its chest.
Crawling into bed alongside it, I embrace it from behind, spooning it. A contented sigh came from it, and I decided to let myself drift off, surprised by the outcome of the day.
It was oddly comfy, even if I was laid beside an entity who had tried to kill me earlier. I let the thought slide out my mind as I shut off.
