Metal Heart

Cynthia caught it with her hands. The small metal heart, cold and bright, reminded her of life so far. Its presence was the only ray of light on her existence. She looked at the necklace and thought of how small and fragile it was.

She silently placed the collar around her neck. She knew that others wanted it, although this necklace has no special attraction. It was a simple heart-shaped necklace. But, she knew: soon others would come for it. Soon.

A deep breath.

She gazed at her apartment. A dark place. She was afraid of what might exist in the dark corners of that place. Its walls seemed to breathe slowly. A clock on the wall making a strange sound, a heart-like beating on each tic... on each tac. There were whispers in the breezes that rarely could reach the interior of the residence. The air was thick and heavy, but Cynthia knew that this was the least of their concerns, which, somehow, inside, she was protected, protected almost from anything.

She stood up quietly, then walked toward her room, opened the door and entered. She lay in bed and looked up at the shadows projected on the ceiling; shadows coming from the night street. From time to time, they formed a sinister figure, the image of some ancient horror, just to morph into something else.

And time passed. And the night got colder and darker. And Cynthia remained lain, trying not to think about anything. The memories that haunted kept getting stronger as the young woman tried to force them away from her mind. Tommy's face became increasingly clear with each second that passed. His smile fading was fading in the dark.

She tried not to pay attention to her own thoughts. She stood up and went to take a glance at the street. At that time of the night, no one dared to walk around downtown. She looked at the night sky, to the dismal moon, which was already heading to the other side of the world. She knew it was time.

Outside, the fog was denser

Quickly, she ran and closed all windows and doors, locking herself inside the room. She sat on the floor, next to the nightstand, and then waited. They would come soon.

First, the air lost its force and the entire house seemed to squirm in their presence. Cynthia grabbed a photo of Tomas and closed her eyes.

And it began. BAM BAM ... the noise was coming from the doors, all of them. Screams echoed in Cynthia's ears; Grunts and indistinct voices around the room, and cold was all she could feel, And empty was all she could be at that moment. The pain lasted for hours to the dawn. But Cynthia stood strong, never giving in to a moment of despair.

Everything was silent. Everything went numb.

Cynthia realized that they were gone. They could not take it. Never. She got up and pulled the collar from her neck. They shall never have it, they shall never get it. Cynthia remembered now how difficult it have been to convince Tommy. Cynthia knew from the beginning, when she first saw him that the two were soul-mates. But Thomas could not see the obvious. He just couldn't. Then Cynthia had to do something to help him understand. When she ripped the soul of her beloved and poured it in a simple metal heart she knew they would be together forever. And no god or devil will oppose to it ...