Habitat

The room was dark and filled with fine smoke and peeling wall paper. The curtains that hung from the windows were made from a frayed red velvet material and blocked out what little moonlight there was to have that evening. It was filled with broken furniture and shattered mirrors. Upon inspection, the room could of once been decorated quite beautiful but had since been ruined. A tall man with board shoulders loitered in the entrance to the room, taking in the rather sordid surroundings. He sniffed and made a face of disgust as the smell of smoke burnt his nose and eyes. He lifted a hand to his mouth and let out a small cough. The man started to walk over to the window. He was unsure why he had been sent to this place. Why the postcard he had received in the post had instructed him to come here, alone. He considered ignoring the invite, but what had been said on that postcard had concerned him enough to risk it. His heart filled with dread remembering the inked words that had shocked him into sobriety that night.
He wasn't entirely stupid though. is hand was currently clutched around a small pocket knife.. He was starting to wonder whether this was a practical joke being played on him from one of the lads at the bar when the small red light of a tip of a cigarette lit up the lipsticked mouth of a person lounging across the sofa by the window.
'Please, do come in,' a female voice spoke, breathing out a swirl of thick smoke, teeth flashing with a sinister smile. 'Do take a seat.'
The sound of a chair being pushed over wood unnerved him but he puffed out his chest and walked through the pitch black and blindly found the damp wooden seat that he assumed had been pushed over to him. He squinted, trying to adjust his eyes in the darkness to see the face of the mysterious woman. He found he could only see her outline, in which looked like she was naked.
The woman took another pull on her cigarette and blew the smoke directly into his face. He could smell the strong sickly smell of the foreign cigarette that she must have been smoking. Once again her mouth and teeth flashed with the light. He was starting to think she was a Madame, a female pimp.
'So what am I doing here' he snapped, breaking the silence, irritated that he was being scrutinized. The woman laughed. It was a sinister laugh rather than a girly giggle that he was accustomed.
'You are here for all the right reasons. I summoned you and you came. You stuck around for far longer than a normal person would. A normal man wouldn't have ventured into this broken down building unless their life depended on it. And now you're wondering if we know each other. Well I can tell you I have passed you on the street 14 times and even bumped into you once. I know that you're at your wits end and I also know that your drunk at the moment and would have drunken yourself into a coma at that rotten little bar O'Neil's if you hadn't of come today. Well I am here to give you a second chance at your pathetic existence. There is an envelope on the table in front of you with a task. The reward will be great if you accept. If you decline, only death will await you.'
The man sat there and listened at first with shock and then with anger. He stood up and kicked the chair over.
'Really? Screw you and your sick games. Who the fuck are you?' he snarled at the woman. '
'I am Annabelle, Anna for short. And you my friend are Mathew. Now we are done.'
Matt heard the sound of someone rising and darting out of the room. The darkness that surrounded him mixed with the drinks he had had at his apartment made his head feel woozy. He walked over to where the woman had sat and found the chair empty. He felt along the walls and found no other means of escape bar the front door in which he had walked through.
Strange he thought, mulling over the weird situation he had been put into. He was still wondering why he even came here tonight, whether it was madness or desperation, he was unsure. He stumbled and tripped over towards the table and saw the brief outline of the white envelope. He snatched it up and hastily ran from the room and building. The woman, Anna had both intrigued him and unsettled him. He was trying to think back to knowing anyone of that name. The voice was alien to him but then he did have a difficulty placing voices to names.
Matt walked out of the ally that lead to the building, hunched and collars popped. He charged through the busy street of Manhattan, barging people who got in his way. Matt was easily 6'3 with floppy blond hair and a grizzled appearance when he was on the whiskey. He ran the last few blocks to his apartment, punched in the key code to the main door and ran up the stairs two at a time. Once he was safely inside he locked the door twice and checked the windows. He threw his coat over the sofa and poured himself a large whiskey. He paced around the living area, feeling the weight of the envelope burning a hole in his pocket. He sat down and took a long slug on his drink. He fished the envelope from his pocket. Only death will await me if I decline? he asked himself, rubbing his eyes hard.
He took a deep gulp of his drink and savoured the beautiful taste and burn of it trickling down his throat. He sat down on his threadbare sofa and produced the envelope and held it up to the dim light flickering in his living area. He ran a hand through his stubble and upwards and through his hair.
He gazed back down at the letter and ripped it open with a sense of courage and determination.
'Oh fuck' he said to himself as he read and reread the letter. The words jumped around on the page and his head swam from the whiskey. The letter read:



Mathew.
I have been looking for a man like you for most of my life. A man that reeks of desperation and is prepared to do anything for salvation. I am your salvation. You have done terrible things in your young life, things that you drink to forget. I know all.
Below is a code than will gain you access to the following address. I will be waiting there tomorrow at 9pm. Your secrets are now mine to use against you how I decide.
Anna
He looked at the address at the bottom of the page and noticed it was not even three blocks from where he was staying. The slightly threatening note concerned Matt more than it should. He felt the paper between his clammy fingers and slumped backwards. He thought back to the life that he left behind in England when he was just 19 years old. He had been a violent testosterone fuelled adolescent. He drank and whored and sampled a classy selection of drugs that he could get his greedy hands on. His family was very wealthy. They owned a large London townhouse and due to the nature of his parents jobs, he hardly saw them. Attached to the townhouses rear garden was a garage of sorts. The garage was the size of a large apartment and was fitted and furnished with the highest quality gadgets. This was mainly so he kept the destruction of his wild lifestyle to his own little crack den. His parents had even soundproofed it to stop the sound of his music and band disturb the peace of the not so quiet neighbourhood. He lived off a trust fund and was made to eat dinner with them on occasions such as Christmas. He was known for throwing wild parties and having the hottest girlfriends in school. The memories where painful for Matt.
Matt threw an arm over his face, mainly to stop his tender head from swimming and to try stop a vile flash back from his youth resurface. His mobile phone buzzed in his pocket. He fished it out and glanced at the caller ID. He was in no mood for Stephanie tonight. She rang him twice more before she gave up and text him a sweet and simple 'Missing you baby ;) xo' text. Matt rolled his eyes and dropped his phone on the floor.
He took another deep breath and caught the sour smell of his shirt. How long had it been since he last showered. The think hair on his chin guessed it had been longer than five days. The idea repulsed him. He kicked a path through to his bathroom and turned on the shower. It spluttered for a few minutes before a regular trickle of hot water poured out. He stood under the scolding water and washed away the dirt and grime that clung to his every pore.
He held himself under the shower for longer than necessary. The water felt good cascading down his back. He lifted his face up to the water and hoped that the heat helped cure his splitting headache. By the end of his shower he felt clean and almost at peace. He wrapped a soft towel around his waist and quickly dried himself and dressed in boxers. He slumped down on his bed, poured himself a nightcap and popped two sleeping pills. He needed the dreamless sleep tonight.
The storm raged in London and knocked the power out in half of the city. Matt's backup generators had kicked in so there was no need for the party to stop. The music blasted throughout his apartment and his friends and school mates were slowly getting more and more drunk. Matt was sitting down on one of the corner sofas and doing shooters with his girlfriend Emily, his best friend Jacob and a few of other girls from school. One had their legs draped over Jacobs lap and kept feeling his muscles. Matt placed an arm around Emily, lent her back and poured a tube shaped shot down her throat. Her tongue flicked out and licked up a dribble of alcohol that had missed her mouth. She smiled and threw her arms around Matt's neck and kissed him passionately. Emily was the prettiest girl in the school. She had a cascade of long and thick red hair and bright green eyes. Matt wasn't interested in her until he overheard Jacob saying he wanted her. And that was the challenge right there, a competition he won. He was getting bored of Emily but it was good for his reputation to date the most popular girl in school. Emily moved her legs and stood up. She pulled her best friend Katharine to her feet and they both stumbled and fell to the music. Matt exchanged glances with Jacob and both their face turned upward into a smirk. It was all about the game. That's why Jacob was his bro. Matt leant back against the chair and looked around the party which was, of course, thumping. The keg that he had supplied was getting destroyed and the various grouped drinking games currently in progress. He made a motion with his hand and beconed a blond nerd over to him. The nerd pointed at his chest with a puzzled look on his face. Matt made a swift nodding motion and watched at the kid awkwardly stumbled over to him.
'I didn't know you was coming Terrence?' The kid flushed bright and mumbled something under his breath.
'The music is loud Terrence, you're going to have to speak up!'
'Um, my name is Mark.'
'Well I think Terrence suits you more. HEY EVERYBODY' Matt jumped to his feet and towered over Mark by a good foot. 'My good friend Terrence here is looking to get laid aren't you buddy?'
Mark flushed a shade of crimson, mouth opened wide.
'Any takers?' Matt shouted, looking round at the ladies in the room. Some stepped back and others had a look of disgust on their faces.
'You see that buddy? No one wants your greasy self here so do us all a favour and fuck off. And take your little groupies with you. Especially Mcfatfat over there, he is sweating onto my floor.' And with that, Matt shoved Mark hard in the back in the direction to the door. The music started blasting again as the group of gate crashers left the party. Matt shook his head in distaste and looked around at the awkward glances people was giving him. Jacob ran over and thumped him on the back, laughing and pulling him into a fist bump. Matt began to make his way over to Emily who was laughing with Katherine over the incident when the backup generator pinged and burred to a standstill. The room was plunged into darkness and a few of the girls screamed in shock.
'It's alright guys nobody move'
Matt began to make his way through the crowd of eerily blue lit faces from mobile phones to get outside to the generator when he tripped over something solid and heavy. Matt crashed to the floor and kicked the thing away from him.
'What the fu...'
Matt woke with a start, drenched in sweat. He could taste the tangy metallic taste of blood in his mouth and the inside of his cheek throbbed. He sat up and ran his fingers through his hair and rocked backward and forwards on his bed. The image burned in his mind like the flickering flame of a candle perched on its wick. He punched the sides of his head a few times in a desperate attempt to shift the vile image scorched into his brain. He leapt up and ran over to the cabinet where he kept his emergency whiskey stash and unscrewed the lid. He placed the bottle rim to his lips and poured in the golden liquid. No sooner had it touched his tongue he was coughing and spluttering. The familiar taste of his beloved drink burned his mouth like battery acid. Matt fell to the floor clutching his throat and gasping for breath. He ran over to the sink and ran the cold water and drank thirstily from the tap. His stomach churned and cramped under the grip of his hands. His head felt dizzy and the room swam around him. He gripped onto the side of the sink but the strength in his arms failed him. He collapsed onto the cool tiled bathroom floor and the room went dark.


***
A small smile played along Anna's lips as she drummed her fingers along the polished wood of the chair that she was sat at. The room was illuminated by the flickering of candle light. She loved the smell of the candles burning and saw no need in wasting electricity when nature gave her all the light she needed.
'Why do you need the man?' said a voice that erupted out of the dark corners of the room.
'He is an important part of my plan Alex. You will do well to remember that.'
The authority in her voice silenced Alex, but she could still hear him shuffling about. He was on edge. The thought of a new person to join them made him feel inferior. She could sense this. Mathews drinking would be problematic, but there was an easy solution to stop that. Anna needed a sober hunter. Not one that would tumble down the first flight of stairs that he came across. She leant forward and waved a hand across the flame in front of her and watched it dance along her finger tips. So beautiful. She took a deep breath and blew it out. There was work to be done.
Anna walked over to the bathroom, her movements were fluid and unnatural. She had heard people mutter that she moved like a snake. Silent across the floor and almost, in a way, wiggly. She looked at herself in the mirror and smiled in approval. The woman that previously owned this body was stunning. She knew the tricks of attracting beautiful women. Money and looks. Anna supplied the money and Alex had the looks, yet not the charm. That could be worked on. She dressed in a sleek black dress and short kitten heels. She pinched her cheeks to give them colour and applied a thick layer of lipstick to her puckered lips. She brushed a hand through her sleek red hair that shone like flame in the sun. No matter what she took over, she was always ginger. Strong chemical dyes couldn't shift the trademark of her people. Satisfied with her appearance, she strolled out of the bathroom and beckoned Alex to follow her.
The streets of Manhattan was always busy, no matter the time of the day. Cars flashed by her quicker than was allowed up the tiny streets and the sound of the horns was enough to drive any lady crazy. She walked a few blocks down and stopped suddenly. Alex lingered close to her side and followed her gaze upwards to the middle apartment with the lights still on. Anna would like to think that the occupant was up still mulling over his next task, but she knew that he had drunk the liqueur and was passed out somewhere.
'Is that where he lives?'
'Yes Alex it is.'
Alex let out a disapproving noise in the back of his throat and Anna spun round and slapped him square across the jaw.
'You know why I need him Alex. The same reason I needed you all those years ago. He is a hunter and must be recruited. Better I than HIM.'
Alex shuddered at the mention of HIM. His name was never uttered for fear that it would draw him into their lives again. Anna shook her head and held a hand up to Alex's reddening face.
'When will you use your normal body, this one already grows tired of being a habitat.'
Anna contemplated what Alex said and knew it was true. She could feel the heart skipping and beat and the strain of breath on the lungs. It was tiring finding young beautiful women to find habitat. This one had given her just over two weeks use before failing. She would need another soon or face the trouble of the habitat dying before finding another. That was the tricky part as she would then spend the good part of two weeks floating in limbo until Alex could prepare her original body and that was just time that she couldn't afford to waste. HE was getting stronger every day where as Anna weakened herself with habitats.
'Maybe your right Alex. Maybe I should just accept who I am. Change of plane. Back to the apartment. It is time.'
The process of leaving a habitat was painful and distressing. If it wasn't done right then she could end up dead or forever floating around, never attaching to a body again. Anna didn't know which prospect frightened her more. The only way in which Anna had described it was similar to childbirth yet the role taken was the child and not the mother. Alex had found the idea revolting yet after all these years, he still was as faithful to her now as he was when they first met. Anna likes to make an impact.
Alex dragged a long and heavy covered table into the living room of the apartment. He pulled back the covers and revealed a gold edged mahogany coffin. He lifted the lid and gasped, like he always did when he saw the real Anna. He took the crystal that was next to the real Anna in the coffin and placed it on the floor two foot away from the coffin. He then placed 7 large pillar candles around the crystal and shoved the small armchair behind him backwards a few feet. Anna walked into the room and swiftly glanced at the table. The candles blew to life as if someone had put a flame thrower to them. A cold tingle flew down Alex's spine as the hair on the back of his neck stood on edge.
'Really Alex, I thought you would have been used to it by now?'
Alex shrugged his heavy shoulders and clicked his tongue to the roof of his mouth. Anna picked up the crystal and felt the weighted stone in her hand. It felt warm and buzzed with a sort of energy that could not be described. She began to chant, slowly at first, the ancient words that had been passed down with each generation of her family. The flames from the candles began to rise, wrapping Anna in a fiery blanket. As Anna continued her chant, Alex stepped back and looked on with a concerned eye. The flame crept up her calves, burning any material that it happened to come into contact with. In no time Anna was encased in a cocoon of red flame. Slowly the flame turned blue at the edges that began to creep inwards, swallowing the red with vibrant blue. Anna began to scream through her teeth as the ball of blue fire began to shrink until it was no bigger than an orb. The strange light hovered in the air, casting flickering shadows around the room. Alex pushed the heavy coffin under the light and watched in fascination as the ball began to descend into the coffin. The light flickered on last time before sending the room into darkness. Alex checked the barely visible clock on the far wall and began to count out loud. When he reached 7 Alex heard a sharp inhale of breath like someone being let up after being held under water. Long fingers grabbed the side of the coffin and a woman, with eyes gleaming and hair ablaze, pulled herself up and screamed a blood curdling cry.