Best Friends

Prompt 19: Monster kills killer

When Sherry was a little girl, she had a best friend named Dot. Sherry’s parents always smiled and patted Sherry on the head when she talked about her adventures with Dot. They thought that Sherry’s best friend was imaginary, because they never saw her.

No one except Sherry ever saw Dot. She stayed in the shadows and little hidden places where no one else thought to look.

Sherry met Dot the first time in the tree house Sherry's parents built for her. The other little girl was hiding. When Sherry asked from what, Dot had told her there were monsters. But it was okay. Because Dot was a scarier monster, so Sherry didn't have to be afraid. Sherry shared her sandwich and apple slices. Dot caught a squirrel and let Sherry pet it. They decided to be best friends forever.

Dot didn't look like anyone else Sherry knew. She had long blonde hair on half her head, but the other half was shaved bald. There were pale lines there. Dot called them scars. Sherry thought they were pretty. Dot let her color them with her markers once. She used every color in the box, and Dot giggled the whole time.

Sherry didn't know where Dot lived. She didn't have a little house down the street like Sherry's other friends. She didn't go to school like Sherry, either. She just showed up sometimes, in the tree house or in the attic or one time in Sherry's closet. They played dress up until the clock said 12:02 and Sherry got so sleepy that she fell asleep in her princess dress.

She woke up in her own bed, and her mother chuckled about her vivid imagination when she told her about Dot's visit.

After a while, Sherry stopped trying to tell anyone about Dot. They never believed her, and Dot said that it was just fine. She didn't like adults much anyway.

Sherry didn't ask why Dot didn't like adults. She was old enough by then to have figured out that some questions made Dot go really quiet and sad. Sherry didn't want to make her best friend sad.

Sherry grew up. She went from elementary school to middle school. It was scary, because she was the smallest one in her class and everyone knew she was a little bit of a weirdo. But it was okay, because she had her best friend to talk to, when she could find her.

Dot gave really good advice, too. She helped Sherry figure out which teachers really wanted to help, and which ones were just there to get the paycheck. She helped Sherry navigate the school's tangled mess of social circles. Sherry brought her homework up to the tree house, and they did it together. She brought books home from the library for Dot to read. Dot loved reading. They were reading through the whole Oz series together. It was great. Dot's favorite character was Tik Tok, the clockwork man. Sherry's was Polychrome, the rainbow princess. When they finished all the books, they made up their own adventures for Polychrome and Tik Tok.

Sherry was growing up. She knew that Dot wasn't normal. Normal kids went to school and had parents and homes and they didn't move fast enough to grab a bird while it flew past. Dot did that all the time, just so that Sherry could admire their pretty feathers up close. Dot wasn't a normal kid, but she was still Sherry's best friend.

One night in late September, Sherry convinced her parents that she would be fine home alone without a babysitter while they went out for a date night. She was excited because she being alone meant that Dot could visit and they could hang out all night. They could watch TV and eat all the snacks in the pantry and have the whole house to themselves. She'd left a note in the tree house so Dot would know it was safe.

Sherry turned on the TV and started microwaving popcorn. She thought Dot would enjoy having a huge bowl of popcorn waiting for her. It was raining, so Sherry tossed a couple of towels into the dryer to wrap around her friend's shoulders.

A loud, high pitched tone filled the house. Sherry poked her head out to see the emergency warning playing across the television screen. The reporter announced that there had been a wreck, and a dangerous prisoner had escaped. Citizens were advised to stay inside and lock their doors, and to call the police if they saw anyone strange.

Sherry chewed her lip. She hoped Dot would be safe. There was no way to warn her, and she'd told Sherry that she did not have a television wherever she actually lived.

There was a knock on the back door, and Sherry slumped over in relief. Dot was here. She'd be safe in the house.

It didn't occur to Sherry until her hand was on the knob that Dot never knocked.

She opened the door. A man stood there. Lightning flashed behind him, illuminating his wide, frantic eyes and a trail of blood running down his chin. He wore a tan jumpsuit.

The man reached out, and his hand closed on Sherry's throat. He shoved her back into the house by the throat, and yanked the door closed behind him.

"Keep your mouth shut and I won't hurt you," he growled.

Sherry couldn't nod and she was afraid to speak, so she just squeaked.

"Your parents here?" he demanded.

Sherry knew she shouldn't answer that. The man looked around, jumping when the microwave beeped.

Thunder rumbled in the distance. The fugitive jumped again, squeezing Sherry's throat painfully. She reached up to tug at his hand.

The fugitive laughed at her. "Aw, does that hurt?"

"Let go," Sherry rasped.

"I don't think I will," he said. He shoved her further into the house. "This is a nice house. I think I'll just hang out here, wait out the storm." He grinned down at Sherry. "You'll keep me company, won't you, little girl?"

Sherry tugged at his hand and whimpered. Her throat hurt and she was scared. She didn't like the way he was looking at her.

Someone else didn't like it, either.

Dot never knocked on the door. She just came in. She'd done it every time she visited. She did it that night, too.

Dot was fast, and strong. That had never meant much to Sherry before. Dot could snatch a bird from the air and she could pick up a whole tree that fell over their favorite hiking trail.

Dot could break a man's arm with one hand.

Sherry saw her friend standing behind the fugitive. She saw her reach out, but she moved too fast to really see. One moment she was there, a shadow against the lightning. The next, her hand was on the fugitive's forearm.

Then he was screaming, cradling a broken arm. He wasn't holding Sherry's neck anymore. Sherry could see the bone sticking out.

"Get out of here," Dot ordered.

"But what about you?" Sherry asked.

Sure, Dot was strong and fast but she was also small. She was an inch shorter than Sherry, always had been. And the fugitive was big, and angry. What if he hurt her?

Dot smiled over her shoulder. "I'll be fine. I've got this."

Sherry backed out of the kitchen, and hesitated by the phone. This was definitely an emergency. She should call someone. The police, like the news said. Or her parents. She promised to call them if anything happened. Something was definitely happening.

But Dot didn't like adults. Sherry decided to wait, just a little while. Just a few minutes so Dot could hide or escape if she wanted to.

There was a scream from the kitchen, too low pitched to be Dot's. It cut off abruptly.

Sherry peeked into the kitchen. Dot was standing in the middle of the room. The man was on the floor.

"Don't look, Sherry," Dot ordered. "Go back in the living room."

Sherry nodded, and took a step back. "I warmed up some towels for you. Because it's raining."

"That's very sweet of you," Dot said. "I appreciate it."

"Maybe you should borrow my shower first?" Sherry suggested. "You've got a little, um. Blood. On you."

Dot looked down. "Yeah. Guess I do."

"I'll put the towels in the bathroom. You can use my shampoo and stuff."

"Thank you," Dot said. "A shower sounds nice." She paused in the door between the kitchen and the living room. "Don't go in there, okay?"

"Okay." Sherry paused. "Will he… what if he gets up?"

"He won't." Dot promised. "You're safe now."

"Thank you," Sherry whispered. "I was scared."

Dot hugged her. Sherry rested her head on Dot's shoulder. She'd have to change clothes, but it was worth it. She needed that hug.

Dot took her shower, and Sherry changed clothes and ran both of their outfits through the washer. She stayed out of the kitchen.

"Is he dead?" Sherry asked when they were both clean and dry, curled up safely on the couch.

Dot nodded. "Are you… scared of me?" she asked.

Sherry frowned. "Why would I be scared of you? You're my best friend."

"I, uh, I killed a man. In your kitchen," Dot pointed out. "I'm a monster."

"No, he's a monster. He was gonna hurt me. I'm gonna have to explain this handprint on my neck to my parents."

"It's a nasty bruise," Dot agreed. "He really squeezed tight. Does it hurt?"

"Not much," Sherry said. "Thank you. For stopping him."

"I'll always protect you," Dot promised.

"I know you will," Sherry said. "I wish I could help you."

"You're my friend," Dot said. "But I need to go. You have to call your parents. And the police."

"What should I tell them?" Sherry asked. "They won't believe I broke his arm, or… or whatever else."

Dot hummed. "You're right about that. Hm. Tell them he broke down your door. You hid in the laundry room, and you heard two men arguing and shouting. Then you heard a thump and someone running away. I'll bust the lock on my way out. They'll think someone saw him break in, maybe a late night jogger."

"A mysterious good Samaritan," Sherry said. "Okay. What about my neck?"

"Hm… I don't know…" Dot hesitated. "Do you have any make up?"

"Sure I do," Sherry said.

"I guess I get to teach you how to hide a bruise, then," Dot said. She paused. "But you have to promise never, ever to hide a bruise from me. Okay? If someone hurts you, you have to let me see. So I can fix it."

"Okay."

"And if your throat starts to feel swollen or if it burns or anything, if your head starts to hurt, you tell your parents the truth and get them to take you right to the hospital. Don't worry about me."

"Okay. I feel fine, though," Sherry protested.

"Being strangled is serious. I think you're okay. But promise."

"I promise." Sherry would promise anything Dot wanted, ever. She was, after all, her best friend.

Dot helped Sherry hide her bruises, and then she busted up the back door so it'd match the story. Sherry called her parents and then the police. She had to stay on the line with the police dispatcher until the officers arrived.

Dot smiled and hugged her and left, as silently as she'd arrived. She wrote a message on Sherry's hand, promising to see her soon.

Sherry obeyed Dot's orders, and told the police exactly what Dot told her to say. She kept her neck hidden by a turtleneck sweater, just in case. They believed her. Sherry was a good story teller. She gave just enough details, but not too many.

Her parents fussed over her and her mom cried and that made Sherry cry a little too, because she'd been genuinely terrified until Dot showed up. She wished she could tell her parents about Dot, but she'd promised.

The body was carried out under a sheet. The police helped her dad nail up a board over the door. Dot really had busted it. There was another news report later that night, telling people that the fugitive had been found and asking for information about the "good Samaritan" who'd saved Sherry.

It would be a long time before Sherry's parents were willing to let her stay home alone again. But that was okay. The tree house was still there.

One day, she'd be able to introduce Dot to them. They'd love her, she was sure. Until then, Sherry would keep her friend's secrets. She had to protect Dot, just like Dot protected her.

They were best friends, after all.