Staring Context

In the darkness, I catch a set of vaguely familiar eyes glaring back at me. Attempts at rationalization fail because I know my roommate is visiting his girlfriend's family on the other side of the country. Worse, as my eyes adjust to the darkness of the hallway I can make out its' form.

Despite the eye being all too human, the head was in more of a canine shape with human features. The creature, despite looking as if it may be several times my size if it allowed itself to spread out to it's natural shape, remained hunched over. Its' head, bowed yet not submissive, looked up at me - in expectant defiance. Had I seen those eyes somewhere before?

Accepting that I could delay no longer the creature's pursuit of its' expectations I turned on the light. There was no hunched, hulking brute. There was no face formed out of canine and human traits. There was nothing in the hallway with me, expect that pair of eyes - still looking at me expectantly. Simply hovering in midair, as if that was their natural state, the eyes remained.

"W-what do need from me?" I asked them. Mentally, I prepared myself to duck back into my room if they made a move in my direction. I don't know who I could call for help, but the thought of my phone being in there provided some comfort.

I called to them again. Unresponsive, they remained hovering, unaccompanied by any support or physical form. Then slowly, they began moving in my direction - bobbing as if in stride with an unseen creature. If only they would respond to me. Their lidless forms seemed unaware of stimuli.

And yet, they blinked.