Flowers

After graduating from high school, you decided to enroll in the nearest college in your hometown—or rather, the one near the treehouse in the forest. You lived alone there after your parents died in a fire, and you didn’t want to leave the place when your aunt asked you to come with her to the city. The city wasn’t your thing; you loved nature and its flowers. You had spent your whole life in the forest where your treehouse stood. It was your secret heaven. Your aunt didn’t force you to leave—she simply supported you and your dream of becoming a forester.

One day, when you arrived at your treehouse after a long day of grocery shopping, you stretched your arms as you turned on the TV. The news was talking about an anomaly that had escaped from a facility. Everyone was requested to stay inside just in case. They were also warned not to panic because the anomaly had a device around his neck that prevented him from using his dark powers. The report added that people should not hesitate to shoot if it became aggressive.

“A… an anomaly? But I thought they didn’t exist,” you muttered to yourself. It seemed the government did have secrets they never told the public. You couldn’t believe a creature like that could exist—it made you question everything you had learned about the world. If the news was already talking about it, then this anomaly must either be very good at escaping… or extremely dangerous.

You turned off the TV for now and got ready for bed. Just then, you heard a noise coming from your pantry. You froze and looked toward it, noticing the door was half open. Grabbing your broom, you assumed it was just a raccoon or something similar. But as you approached, you could hear movement inside. Slowly, you creaked the door open—and there you saw a man eating some of your food.

Your eyes widened when you saw what he looked like. He looked exactly like the anomaly the news had been talking about.

The anomaly then noticed you. He freaked out, covering his face while trembling as he yelled, “Don’t hurt me!” His voice shook with fear. You were taken aback by how vulnerable he looked—like a scared little baby animal.