Uno Attack

A quiet dark veiled the night as college students went to their typical places at this hour. Some of them went like androids to their dorms, as if being lulled by the lullabies that comforted their souls after a strenuous day. Some went to the place where their bellies filled them with the big eye little tummy syndrome, causing them to become possessed with a childish impatience for their favorite late night treat. Two, however, who were not serenaded by sleep’s symphonies, who were not tugged by hunger’s aching, went to do more adventurous things. The snow that danced like prancing faeries, stuck fondly into the girl’s russet locks. The bitter wind, despite its reputation, held favor with the two, as it caressed their rosy faces. A slight chime sounded from the young woman’s mouth as her gentle companion romped in the snow as she strolled on the neatly shoveled sidewalk. The crisp crackle of crunching snow beneath the man’s feet was refreshing, almost soothing to both their ears. Consumed by the fire of mischief, she cupped her palms together, making a perfect round orb of glistening snow. An almost prehistoric laugh sparked from her lips as the snowball detonated on the man’s reddened nose. His whispered laugh followed his look of unsuspecting surprise of the snowy attack. Four eyes became glossed with smiles. The thought of lighthearted revenge entered the man’s mind, but never broke the surface. He bound up the tiled stairs that led into the library entryway ahead of his female companion. “Hey, you’re on the right side of the door this time,” she teased. The book conservatory appeared to be less occupied than normal, its strangeness made the room have an almost eerie taste. The quick temperature alteration made the snow blushing diminish that had a place on both of their faces. The balmy air thawed the once beautiful snow beings in the woman’s hair to be nothing more than rain drops, to go back in their evolution. As the woman looked about her surroundings, she found the gated indoor a fence a little discomforting. Suddenly feeling uneasy, like cat being cornered by her rival, the malicious next door neighbor dog, she looked around for her friend. Once seeing her companion try to get comfortable in a cheaply bought, ugly library chair, and then signaling her over with a smirk, her discontent vanished. She seated herself in the one across from him, and looked out the window behind him. He looked at her gaze through the windowpane.”1

“What are you thinking about?” She thought for a moment.2

“I want to live somewhere where all the nights are as captivating and as breathtaking as this one. I was thinking about moving to Alaska to teach after I graduate from here in five years or so.”3

“I’m sure you would find all the nights would be like this there. Maybe you would find some company that would make it even better.”4

“Hmm, the company tonight is excellent too; I’m not sure who would master your level of providing company.” She chimed, causing him tolaugh. “So, do you still feel up to playing the best game ever?” He nodded enthusiastically. “Are you going to shuffle?” He declined with a head gesture. None of her creative forms of peer pressure seemed to work on him, not even one. Not even a smidgen. She gave up and shuffled the vividly shaded cards. She dealt them slowly, purposely making the young man fidget while he waited. She smirked and her eyes grinned, mimicked her curving lips. The flipping of the cards was almost hypnotizing, so consecutive to the one before. Delays only happened if one of the players became stricken with misfortune, being caused to draw a ghastly number of options from the dwindling stack. 5

“Ha, draw four. Right now, I said right now!” He mocked. 6

“Fine, I will, I wanted those cards anyway.”7

“That’s right you did, why don’t you take two more while you’re at it. You enjoy those cards.” He guffawed as he played a “Draw Two” on the discard pile. “Hmm, then I think that I will skip you twice, you can draw two more cards, and then I’ll reverse it back to myself. Oh my, how I love green.”8

“Well I think I hate you.” She retorted. “So, I hope you enjoy some red, specifically some “Skips,” some “Reverses,” and then you can just eat this “Draw four, and then my yellow nine.” 9

“You and your yellow nine,” He said begrudgingly. “Well your yellow nine has met it match with my blue nine.”10

“Oh yeah.”11

“Yeah.” 12

“Well, since you like blue so much, take two “Draw Two” and a “Skip.”13

“Oh I see how it is.”14

“That’s exactly how it is.”15

“I hate you.”16

“Good. You already know I hate you.”17

“Hey, I think we’re bonding, all this hate I mean.”18

“Mister, draw your cards, why don’t you just pick up the entire draw deck? Looks like you need them all.”19

“No, because you will need them after I play my green six.”20

“You are abusing the telepathy. You goon, stop reading my mind and looking at my cards with your wiliness.” 21

“No, its perfectly justified.”22

“Go outside! Go outside right now. Just sit there for while, maybe I will just leave you there.”23

“Aw, you won’t even come sit with me?”24

“That would make it fun, it’s supposed to be a consequence for your unruly behavior.” She gamed. The cards continued to flip at an astounding speed. “Uno!”25

“What, already?”26

“I have mad Uno skills, what can I say?”27

“This puts me in a tricky dilemma doesn’t it?”28

“Indeed it does, choose your play wisely.” She teased. He thought for a bit and then played the card which he thought would be the wisest choice.29

“Foolish play,” The young woman laughed as she won with her blue seven. 30

“Fail!” He wailed feigningly. “Best out of three,” she nodded. Several intense games filled with vibrantly fluttering cards, some of which sprouted wings and soared across the room, due to a forceful play. Remarks and teasing were completely and inevitable and indisputable. The number of people who sauntered outside reduced to almost none. The window suddenly seemed to grow, inflating its width, due to the image it reflected in the woman’s sight. She eyed it circumspectly for a moment to realize the once locked gate enclosure was open a foot. The library was completely empty except someone who slouched like an effigy. She appeared to be looking at her, but her eyes were empty, unblinking, almost as if she was dead. “Uno!” Her companion crowed triumphantly, suddenly sitting up a little straighter in his seat. The woman was lured back to the game; she played a corresponding blue card unthinkingly. “Bam, I just won. One game out of ten, eat that. Your reign of terrorizing the game of Uno has officially ended.” He laughed heartily. Not paying attention to him, she looked around the library to see nothing there, but the gate was closed this time when she looked. She looked back to him, who quickly replaced her fear with a wave of content. She smiled.31

“Congradula…” She looked in the window and was instantly mortified, a wave of panic surged through her like a jolt of electricity. Panic rose in her stomach as it twisted and snaked into knots. She felt like acid was consuming her every cell. A pair of malevolent sinister empty orbs burned Grande Canyons into her soul. The beast continued to glower at her through the glass portal. A tanned devious hand slipped into a coat pocket to reveal a black Beretta awaiting its time to feed. It opened its jaws as she saw it cock in the reflection. She saw the gun was not pointed at her, but the one seated in front of her, unaware of the irreconcilable danger that lingered like shadow above his head. . The fiend’s eyes beamed nefariously, pulling the sleek curved trigger with ease and no remorse, unchaining the German Shepard and guiding it into the corner. Without thought, she dropped her remaining Uno cards and stood, whipping around with such speed that would have caused her to stumble if she was not sheathed in a blur of adrenaline. The platinum tiger-like shell roared at its newfound freedom. Steeped with bloodlust, the marauder sank its teeth in the soft flesh. Unexpectedly, the silver fang endured a metamorphosis, become a hurling spear, impaling a straight path through her entire being and beyond. Her world was sent into a concave tremor, her limbs contracting in the same motion as her torso, and then rebounding to normalcy. She froze, creating a damaged figurine. Venom flared through her spirit, growing like lethal ivy fire germinates. As soon as the gun ignited with life, her companion crashed into realization. Inferno raced with an impossible momentum through his core as he leapt onto the small coffee table and soared through the gunfire, heaving himself onto the assailant. The brute force of the defender caused the antagonist to be taken aback, causing him to be painfully strewn across the floor, disarmed. Once both were steady on their feet, the hero and the rogue cavorted like cobras, circling and waiting for the more imprudent to strike. Fiendishly, the opponent crouched and yanked a crude hunting knife out of his rugged black boot. As the villain made his strike, confident that his silver gleaming murderer would not fail him, he screeched like a dark raptor of the sky. He ravaged the air with each spiteful thrust and swipe he made, not catching even the fabric of Superman’s garments. The cruel huntsmen’s stiletto was beguiled by the protagonist as it clattered across the floor, close in proximity to where she was. Knuckles were garnished with blood as they met cheekbones and eye sockets. Ribs were painted violet, rouge, and cobalt with each well placed jab. Kidneys screamed out for help, but were left to defend against the agony alone.32

“You, you should have been the one shot, if it wasn’t for her, it should have been you.” The cretin roared. They tumbled in a heap of flailing fists, and lashing legs. Feeling a hint of strength, the wicked opponent launched the protagonist through the window glass, introducing him to the taste of trounce. The shattering of the clear redemptive portal caused the eyes of the fickle to become encouraged. He roughly grabbed the young woman’s now laying figure and brutally defenestrated her. She thudded into the winter grass and rolled down the slight slope onto the sidewalk. She wheezed as she tried to stand, but her feeble attempts were to no avail. Her protective companion stood and dashed through the snow to where she had fallen. He finally took note of this shoulder starting to throb, realizing that he caught the bullet that bayoneted his friend. The evil pursuer hurdled out the window, a newly found shard of glass in hand, he sauntered up to where they both. The girl opened her exhausted smarting eyes, and gave her steadfast companion an ice sickle. The heinous character charged at the lionized and cracked the ice sword on impact. The vile creature’s knuckles raked across the guardian’s shoulder wound viciously, sending a spasm of anguish across the his visage. Two more identical jabs followed in their precedent’s path, knocking the white knight to the earth once again. The rapscallion carried his piece of glass with dignity, its use perverted once he thrust it into the young woman’s hip impalement, mutilating the flesh that the bullet failed to reach. Once the paladin witnessed his kryptonite in distress, he jetted over to her deliverance. He seized the winter’s dagger and plunged it upward through the devil’s jaw. Sanguine tears melted his weapon as he pushed the leaning corpse aside, allowing it to topple over onto the pathway. Superman leaned over his fleeting companion, brushing the chocolate tangled hair out of her face. He laid a warm hand upon her cheek, waiting for the windows of her soul to open up to him once again. He sat with her, cradling her head, waiting for what seemed like eons for eyes to finally flutter open. She smiled a little smile as he knelt beside her. He eased his arms beneath her and lifted her into his tender care as she threaded her arms around his neck. He whisked her away to the dining common’s kitchen so he could evaluate her wounds along with his own. She opened the door enough for carrier to get a foot in it, and then they went in. It was an anomaly as to how no one on campus was around, no one stirred, the dining commons was unlocked, but no one occupied the space. The silence caused the young protector to be extremely cautious; he was in no condition to combat evildoers again today. The two of them had much healing to do before they would be up for something of that vigor again. He set her on her feet as she leaned against the kitchen counter. Its immaculate cleanliness amazed her for being in the college kitchen; it certainly was not what she expected, thankful none the less. Her bloodied companion scurried around looking for a first aid kit of some sort, once he located one; he heated water and added sea salt, creating a cleansing agent. 33

“We need to take that wicked piece of glass out.” He announced. She nodded. He gripped it carefully, but she stopped him with a quick intake of air.34

“Don’t twist it.” She warned, but her eyes pleaded. “Speed would be appreciated too.” Her makeshift doctor nodded. He yanked the clear alien straight out, obedient in its path. The sound it omitted made the young man wince; the slurping of flesh disgusted him. Sketchy breathing and a soft whimper escaped her lips. The fire was met with a stinging sensation that swam through her wound. Once he had the bleeding stopped, he cleaned her up and put strips of tablecloth around wounds until they could make it to a hospital. 35

“You cannot see your wound to get the bullet out can you?” She asked him curiously. He shook his head. “Ok, time to switch roles, you’re the patient.” she tried to smile a little. 36

“I’m not sure how to get the bullet out to be honest.”37

“Did you happen to see a baby spoon anywhere in the kitchen when you were searching for usable items?” He nodded, favoring his shoulder, he retrieved it for her. He stood in front of her as she ripped his sleeve off. “Hope this wasn’t your favorite shirt.” She apologized. He shook his head reassuringly. 38

“Just do it.” He said as her chilly fingers opened the wound a little. She sighed a sigh of relief. 39

“You are lucky, it’s only about a third through. I can see it.” She chimed. “Ok, bullet diving.” She warned as she eased the spoon into his wound slowly. Her stiffened, grimacing, he looked away. “Relax.” She encouraged. He tried his best, and soon enough he found himself gripping the counter on either side of his makeshift doctor. He could feel the capsule sliding out and with a slight popping sound it fell into her awaiting hand. She put a hot salty towel over his wound, causing him to cringe at the stinging a bit. She bandaged him up, like he did her and then evaluated her work. “I don’t think I’m...” He looked down at his right shoulder. 40

“I think you did a wonderful job.” He said, admiring her neat work. “But right now, I think I would give anything for some ibuprofen.” She nodded her head in agreement. 41

“I am so exhausted.”42

“Me too.”43

“I think we should go to the hospital.”44

“I think so too.” He said, as he held out his arms for her. She laughed, and then flinched as he tenderly scooped her up into his arms once more. 45

“Wow…watch the belt buckle,” She snickered a little.46

“Sorry.”47

“I don’t think I will be up for Uno in the library any time soon. We will have to play it somewhere else.” He laughed. 48

“I am so tired…” she whispered a little dazed. 49

“Just fall asleep then, it’s okay.” He whispered back. Her head rested on his fit shoulder and she was soon captivated by sleep’s sirens. She fell into a delicate sleep as the crunching of snow soothed her senses. 50