Page 235 of The Monster and the Masochist

I expected my monster to tell me so, but again, I was met with silence.

Coasting to a stop at a red light, I took the opportunity to sift through my mind, suddenly feeling slightly panicked.

For as long as I could remember, it had never been just me in my head. The absence of the sentient voice was unnerving, and for all the times I’d wished my monster away, the thought of actually losing it felt like losing a close friend.

A toxic friend, sure.

But still a friend.

I breathed out a sigh of relief when I found it, curled up and sleeping in a dark, shadowy corner of my mind.

‘Hey,’ I whispered, poking it in its scaly side. Slowly, it opened one large yellow eye, its translucent inner lid sliding lazily to the side as it rose from whatever deep slumber it’d succumbed to.

‘Hello, little killer,’ it purred, and I frowned at how tired it sounded.

‘You okay? I thought you’d be bouncing off the walls. You massacred three people today.’

Its great mouth lifted slightly at the corner, flashing its many rows of sharp teeth.

‘Yes. I enjoyed that very much. Thank you.’

My frown deepened, and I reached out a shaking hand, brushing my hand down its snout.

‘Then why are you so tired? Are you sick?’

My monster’s eyes fluttered shut, and it let out a long, contented sigh as I continued to gently stroke its great scaly snout.

‘No, I am not sick, Cassandra. I am resting.’

‘Okay… but you’ll wake back up, right?’

My throat felt tight, and my heart was beating unreasonably loud in my chest. Without opening its eyes, my monster smirked again.

‘If you ever need me again, yes, I will wake up.’

‘Wh–What does that mean?” I sputtered, and the creature peeked at me, though it seemed unable to keep its eyes open for long.

‘It means, little killer, that you are safe now. You have found your place in the world, and you no longer have any need for me.’

‘B-but… No! I didn’t agree to that! I still need you–I–”

‘You do not need me, Cassandra, and that is a good thing. It is all I ever wanted for you. It means you have found a safe place to rest your head.’

‘But… I don’t want you to go…” I whispered, and my monster opened its great, reptilian eyes one last time, that lazy smile still tilting the corner of its mouth.

‘But you must let me go, little killer. It was my job to protect you, but it is clear that I am no longer needed. And for that, I am grateful. I can rest easy knowing that you are surrounded by people who love you, and that you are now safe.’

A tear spilled down my cheek as my monster settled deeper into the shadows, its large eye closing again… though this time it felt final.

‘It has been an honor, Cassandra. I know that you will continue to make me proud.’

And that was the last thing my monster said to me before it drifted back into the depths of my subconscious, where I knew it would stay unless I ever needed to call on it again.

As I blinked back to reality, the light turned green, and my cheeks were wet with tears as I edged my way through the empty intersection.

My monster was gone, but the cage in my chest never faded.

Empty but open, it remained.