Soul Sucking

Whenever someone tells you that you “suck the life out of them”, you brush it off. For me? I literally suck the life out of people. Why? I have no idea.

It first happened with an owl that was outside my foster home. It was so beautiful. I was fourteen and bounced from foster home to foster home all my life at that point. I didn’t know my real family, and that was fine with me. Normally I am up all night, taking walks to nowhere in mind. Just walking and enjoying being by myself.

The night air was cold, still with snow covering the floor. No matter what I took to help me sleep, I was always wide awake.

Walking in the thick woods, with the black sky and twinkling stars. I see the beautiful wings flared up as if it is about to take off. I stand still behind the huge oak tree, watching the owl struggle in a wire stuck around its talons.

I inch closer, trying to breathe as softly as I could while my heart races. I feel my pulse thudding in my neck. Standing five feet from the owl, its head whips to look at me, hissing. Beak wide, it’s tongue going up and down; the heart-shaped face of this creature is breathtaking. So breathtaking that my hand covers my mouth to stifle my gasp.

It’s black wide eyes bore into my soul, I should have brought gloves with me on my walk but it escaped my mind tonight. Fingers cold and tingling, I reach out and slowly crouch down to help this owl.

It’s screeching and thrashing as I get closer. Panic and fear is coming off the owl in waves. Still, I reach out to touch one of the flapping golden, black, white and tan wings. As soon as my fingers brush against those silky feathers. The owl stills. It falls limply into the snow ground. I feel and watch something warm go up my fingers, traveling up my arm and into my chest. It was a faint glow. Startled I fall back onto my butt. Soaking my pants and underwear, my body though, is strangely warm.

Scrambling to my knees, I look down at the barn owl, its eyes wide and lifeless. I cry out in horror, tears blur my vision and streaming down my face.

Why is this happening?

Gently, I scoop up the bird into my arms and I feel the final breath leave its body and into mine. I untangle its talon and dig a hole nearby. I can’t get its lifeless eyes out of my head.

Suddenly I feel a slight pressure on my shoulder.

I am outside by myself. In the middle of the woods, late at night. My breathing picks up as my body stiffens and I slowly to look at what is on me.

I am faced looking at white feathers, and talons curled into my shirt. Going up, I stare into the black eyes of the owl.

That was six years ago, when I was fourteen. The owl’s name is Luna, and she is always by my side. She is not seen by anyone else besides me, her body has a soft glow about it. She can peck me, grip me, but she can’t hurt me.

During the six years I found out that whatever I touch with my bare skin dies, or I drain their energy/soul to dangerous levels. (I practiced on plants don’t worry) That is why I have not touched a single human being with my bare skin since that cold night.

I am a nurse in a hospital in Oregon. I am one of the youngest nurses in the state. It has always been my passion to take care of people, and with my added...“powers” it made me want to pursue this career even more. And to also see if I can cure myself.

Sorry about my manners, my name is Willow Adams, I’m just a normal twenty-year-old who’s touch kills. Great tinder profile right?! Finally being out of the foster system, I moved out here to this beautiful state. I jumped from home to home since I was five. I buried my head in books and got amazing grades and scholarships. I always made sure that I was covered head to toe in clothes so no one could touch my skin.

There were some unfortunate accidents with animals that I just couldn’t help myself after Luna. There was an all black cat, with gold eyes that got hit by a car. Screaming, I rushed over and saw so much blood, gasping; I didn’t hesitate.

“Shh, it’s ok. It will be ok, just take a deep breath.” I whispered to the golden-eyed cat. Cupping his face, I brought my forehead down to his and breathed his last breath with him, feeling his warmth seep into me.

He now follows me around like Luna, I named him Harlow. He cuddles in my lap and steals my mangos (even though he can’t eat anymore). Whenever he just pops up somewhere in front of me, sitting with his tail curled around him, I know that someone is on their last dying breath. Taking the hint, I turn in the other direction.

My other shadow is Cerberus, a large pit bull that I touched in my senior year of high school. He is all white with one blue and one green eye. He has cropped ears and scars all over his body. I was in a home in Atlanta and I was walking around at the dead of night like usual. It was so humid and still. Walking near some abandoned homes, I see Cerberus lying on his side, dark blood matted his fur. He looks up at me as I run to him, scraping my knee on the sidewalk as I inch closer to him. Luna and Harlow are standing behind him, watching silently.

Looking at his body, I see all the scars and bite marks. They used him for dog fighting. His breathing is labored and I feel pain coming off of him. Slowly, he moves his head from the sidewalk to look up at me. Gasping, I see his eyes for the first time, their stunning color in the moonlight.

“Oh my poor baby, don’t cry shh it will be alright. I will take care of you now.” At the sound of my voice, I see his tail thump slowly on the grass. He was over seventy pounds easy, all muscle, and his eyes begged me to help and love him.

Ignoring my scraped knee, I pull him into my lap, making sure that my skin was covered. Petting him softly, I push all of my love to him, his tail still thumps on the ground. I look down into those soulful eyes and see that he is at peace.

“Take a deep breath, my love. I got you now.” Bringing my forehead to his big thick forehead, I pull off my sleeves and touch his bloodied fur with my hands.

Now he is always by my side, softly glowing a green/blue and being playful or a protector. Cerberus comes up to mid-thigh on me, which isn’t much since I am five foot four inches. Luna likes to perch herself on his thick head or shoulders. While Harlow winds himself around, his legs purring. Since this happened, I have kept to myself. Making sure that I did not touch a single person. Even in nursing school, I kept my distance and got through my studies.

I work night shifts, where I have less contact with people. It is quiet, and I am always awake. The hospital is an old building that has a beautiful view of the harbor in Seattle. I mostly leave everyone alone, I am just here for my patients. I can touch them since I wear gloves. I am always cautious.

It’s a late Thursday night in the middle of October, the weather doesn’t bother me since I cover up my entire body. Harlow greets me in the elevator, meowing softly.

“Hello Lo, please, lets keep our patients alive today?” I ask him skeptically. He just stares and gives me a long blink of his golden eyes. A shiver goes down my spine. Something is going to happen. Something that I am not prepared for.