Searchterm Entry #12: Medusa’s House
The main character of this Search Term Challenge entry is a medusa, and I have to say I’m rather intrigued by the author’s take on this oft-maligned mythological creature.
For details of the challenge, and to see other entries, click here. Voting for stories will begin once all entries have been posted online.
The author of this entry is Pargeet.
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Medusa’s House
The dirty house lay before me like a stillborn animal. A lame figure, towering above me in the midst of the fields of echoing darkness. I wanted to run in the opposite direction, perhaps scream my head off, find some small trace of humanity. For what lay within this house, there would be no humanity there. No humanity, not even myself. The thought did not make me feel secure.
I took a deep breath, told myself to calm down. The ground was wet beneath me, mud and grit mixed together, forming a sludge that wrapped itself around the leather boots enclosing my feet. I could see the mud slowly working its way up my legs, clinging to the material, damn that would be a bitch to get off. The wind whipped my long dark hair into my face, one minute I was myself, the next I was the real Medusa; a hundred snakes on my head. I chuckled to myself, wishing those bellowing bastard brothers could see me now. How would they now perceive the innocent angel they had thought I was, once upon a time… It felt like a million lifetimes ago. Only five hundred years though, to be precise.
One step forward. Another. Again. Keep walking, walk, walk, walk. I took one determined step after another, a silent bull charging up to the house, of course I was much prettier than a bull, and also female! Often seen as being a weaker stature, boy would I show them what I could do. The house was the key to the mystery, all my rage, my anger was directed at this land and what was held within its boundary. I stopped my charge. Get a grip hun, I told myself. I couldn’t go in with a red flag waving, I needed to use my plan. Take some time to think. All of my careful preparations from the last few months would go to waste if I missed this opportunity.
Dee was the only one who knew I’d come here, although I’d come without his blessing. I wish things had been the other way round, I wish he’d come with me and offered some kind of support. But no, I had left him and walked out on him, right on out of the house. He had watched me go, I felt his eyes on my back but I didn’t look back at him. Cold hearted bitch. I thought I had been doing the right thing. So many wrong choices I had made in the past, would I regret the choice I was making now? I hated to admit it but I missed him. Things would have been so much easier if he was here. He made me believe and have faith in myself, something that did not come to me easily. It is so much easier to run solo, but Dee made me a human. Even though I was never human, he made me feel one.
I glanced up from where I was crouched. A sudden surge of adrenalin rushed through my body, a slight shiver passing down my spine that I knew had nothing to do with the chill. I could sense something in the field with me, something definitely not human. I remained in place, my eyes darting across the horizon. The good thing about being a Medusa, I could see perfectly through the darkness. This is why I had chosen this mission, the walls of the house might remain opaque but I could feel the darkness within it. Some would say I was drawn to the darkness because the darkness came from me internally; darkness attracts darkness. Darkness permeates light, suffocating it within its thrall. Thankfully, I’d gotten rid of the minority who had thought this about me. Any of those who still thought this way chose for it to remain within their brains, lest an unfortunate incident may occur to them also. I was extremely dangerous when I chose to me. Bitch-mode was a particular favourite mood of mine. I was lethal.
My eyes scanned the darkness and I saw a movement to my right. A figure of a person… a figure of a hunter. Damn, it was Zed. What was he doing here? He hadn’t spotted me yet. I didn’t know how to get him away from here. Had Dee sent Zed to protect me, to look after me?! I was insulted, claustrophobic, and felt like I was under Dee’s control. Rage soared through my body, every single molecule of my body felt pure and utter rage and I began to glow with the simmering fire burning deep within me. Zed spotted me right at that moment. Shit.
He made his way over to me, crouching low in the long grass yet he was still the height of a grown man. He was dressed in a similar outfit to mine, black from head to toe. Darkness attracts darkness, right? I chuckled to myself, a cynical chuckle. Zed was not my favourite person. “Hey baby,” he said in an amused tone of voice, and my body began to glow again. A few of the bad things about being a Medusa; bad taste in men and glowing when you’re angry. Not fun. We are a dying breed because of this flaw, we feel rage easily and are targeted because of it, and when we’re angry, the glow makes us easy to spot when we are undercover. I couldn’t ruin this mission. Zed would have to be included or silenced, and including him was definitely the easier option at this point in time. He brushed back his hair from his face, his body armour made up of black metal plates and another feeling passed through me when I saw his tanned face, the streak of grey in his hair, the stubble on his chin, those oh so kissable lips. Definitely not the time or the place. Stop.
He spoke again to me. “We need to get this done sweetheart, I’m here to help you get this out of your life.” He glanced at the house, nodding at it while he spoke. I paused, considering his words. I nodded and he smiled wryly in response. My glow had vanished at the thought of us going against this together, my mind completely focused on the task at hand. Two is better than one. We crouched side by side and I could feel Zed’s hand on my back. He spoke to me as to how he thought the plan should play out and I nodded in agreement. Had he read my mind for his plan to be the same as mine? Or was I simply that easy to read? I wondered what else he could read from me as his hand curled around my waist. He knew me too well. “Before we go baby, how about you give one to me? Who knows, it could be our last.” That amused tone came back and I reached down and took his hand from my back, held it within my own and nodded. He leaned forward and I whacked him, making him fall into the mud. I had to stifle a laugh and I could see his face break into a smile. At least we could be civil.
Things got serious. We made our way to the front door. My chest tightening with every step, I was ready and prepared for what was to come. Sword in hand, the blade glistening in the moonlight unlike his muddy armour, we both stepped forward. His heavy boots kicked down the door and we charged, ready for the fight when we had to stop abruptly. The house was empty. Nothing was inside. I could feel the darkness but there was nothing there. I gasped and a tear filled my eyes at the loss of so many months of work. I would not cry, I could not be weak. I would not break, this is not what a Medusa does.
Zed stood by me, “I’m sorry sweetheart. We‘ll get them, don‘t you worry.” I hardened myself against him in that second and made a vow to hunt them down until I found them, the people who had made me this way. What had I been expecting to find when I came in here? My creator, whose who had turned me into this. This inhumane state of mind was because of them. Zed looked at me for my reaction. I didn’t want him to have any involvement in this anymore, I could not deal with hurting people anymore. Especially him. Only him. He meant more to me than I let him know of. “Zed.” I looked up at him, dead in the eye and ran my fingers through his hair. He brought his head down and I kissed his cold cheek. I hoped he didn’t see the pain in my eyes. “My dear Zed, just leave me be. Don‘t follow me, don‘t come after me. This is my battle to fight. Not yours!” I turned my back to him and walked out of the house, every inch of my body shivering from the emotion of the night. He watched me go, I felt his eyes on my back but I didn’t look back at him. Cold hearted bitch that I was. I had to carry on chasing them, I had to try, even if they just turned out to be sideshow fables….
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