"God damn it! I do look cute." I admitted to myself while turning around in the small dressing room to get a better look at myself in the mirror. The stupid floral dress actually fitted my figure quite well, even though I definitely lacked the chest proportions to really fill it out, but thanks to the light pink cardigan it was easy to hide that. I leaned closer to the mirror and tried to fix my shoulder length, auburn hair but no matter what I did it just ended up looking like a bird had tried to make a nest out of it. 

"Okay this isn't that bad but definitely don't let Preston know this!" I told myself, knowing full well that Preston would probably make me wear a dress again if he knew that i actually didn't minded it that much. With a sigh I gather up my clothes and exited the changing room.

But when I saw what state my surroundings were in I emidietley froze.

The store was completely trashed, old dusty clothes and garbage was thrown everywhere and most of the aisles were blocked by toppled over clothes racks and shelves. I walked a few feed, when the crunching under my shoes made me look down. There was a tone of glasschards from the smashed in windows and debri from the crumbling sealing covering the floor.

What the fuck is going on? Where is everyone?! I thought and then finally realization hit me. Even though it made no scene, because I hadn't experienced any of the symptoms I usually got when switching to this horrible, messed up world, there was still no denying it.  

I took a few deep breath to calm myself down and then slowly made my way towards the front of the store. It felt strange knowing that maybe this wasn't just my mind playing tricks on me but instead actual god damn time travel. 

Now that I'm here it's probably a good idea to take a closer look. Maybe I can finde something that could help me to figure out what the hell is even going on here. I told myself and scanned my surroundings, keeping my eyes open for any that maybe would give me an explanation to what had happened here.

To my dismay there wasn't much. The store seemed to have been abandoned for a long time but otherwise it didn't seem that much different from how it looked only a few moments ago. I almost gave up on finding any clues when I spotted something. 

Next to the cash register were some magazines and newspapers laying on the floor. Carefully I moved closer hoping to find at least some answers in them but when I was almost close enough to make out the writing on them, I saw from the corner of my eye something entering through the front door. Quickly ducked down, hoping that what ever it was hadn't noticed me.

I hadn't seen properly what it was but from what I could heard it seemed to be walk on two legs. At first I thought it could be a human but then I listened closer, noticing that it's footsteps were much heavier then an humans. 

So it's not a person. Great! Just fucking great!

For a few minutes I stayed hidden behind the shelves, listening to what the thing was doing but then curiosity got the better of me. Slowly crawled closer, the stupid dress making it unbearably difficult to move around.

I took a deep breath and then peeked around the corner to get a look at it. 

I had expected almost anything at that point. But definitely not some sort of ostrich! Well more like an ostrich on steroids, with a beak like a parrot but still.

Why was I so scared?! This is nothing more then an overgrown chicken! I told myself and then got up.

After dusting off my dress, I  then walked back over to the magazines and newspapers.

But as soon as the strange bird saw me it let out a high pitched screech, scaring me half to death with the sudden noise. Angrily I turned towards it and yelled back "Oh shut up you stupid turkey!" 

For a moment it seemed taken aback by my response but then it screeched again and took a sudden leap towards me.

Thankful it didn't have enough space to take a run-up, making it slower then it probably actually was and giving me the time to dodge it's attack by throwing myself to the side. Instead getting my head it's massive break bit into the wooden shelf behind me, causing it to the board snapp like a twig. 

It emidietley made me realize that I greatly had underestimated just how dangerous this enormous bird was.

Before it had the chance to attempt to kick me with it's massive claws I quickly got up again and slowly backed away from it while lifting up my hands in defense. 

"Wow! Listen I'm not food! I'm... sorry I called you stupid but Please calm down." I tried to persuade the beast but it seemed not to care one bit, because just a second later it turned his head towards me and got ready to snap at me a second time. "Shit!" I yelled, while ducking away from the oncoming attack. Panicked I looked around, trying to find a way out or at least something I could use for defense.

For a split second I considered taking the old, dusty broom near by as a means to defend myself, but then I remembered how easily it had bitten the shelf into pieces. I couldn't see anything else that might have helped me against this massive pigeon. Worried I looked in the direction of the main entrance. Even though it wasn't that close, and I definitely had my doubts that I would be able to out run this thing, I still gathered up all my courage. After quickly lifting up the dress so I wouldn't trip over it, I darted past the bird, towards the door.

As expected the thing immediately ran after me. But to my luck it stubble over some debri, giving me a little bit of a head Start. I had almost reached the exit when suddenly to my horror another one of those birds showed up in the doorframe, blocking my way out. 

As quickly as I could I darted down the aisle to my right, avoiding the second birds attack just by an inch.

I keeped running in the direction of the changing room, hoping that maybe I could at hide there, until I would be able to figure out how to get back.

While dodging yet another attack from the first beast I jumped over a clothing rack that had been laying on the floor. But being not use to wearing a dress fell flat on my face. I quickly made a mental note to myself to never attempt to run or jump in a dress ever again and got back up on my feet again. Just to see that one of the monster somehow had managed to get in front of me, it's huge body blocking my way forward. 

When I glanced over my shoulder I saw the other one was almost close enough for me to feel it breathing down my neck. Seeing no other way out I closed my eyes and tried to concentrate just like Peter had done. 

"Come on I want to go back!" I begged but nothing happened. Just to make sure I opened my eyes for a split second. The bird in front of me had gotten way closer and was in the process of snapping at my head. I screamed in terror thinking that this was the end. 

When suddenly I felt like I was falling into a bottomless pit until I heard someone yelling my my name. When I finally dared to open my eyes I breathed a sigh of relief and tears started to roll down my cheek uncontrollably. 

"Preston? Oh thank god!"

I sobbed and wrapped my arms tightly around him. My entire body was shaking and my heart was racing hundred miles an hour making me worry that it could explode any minute. 

Preston must have noticed how distressed I was because he put one arm around my shoulders and pulled me even closer against his muscular chest. "What happened? Are you okay?" He whispered while rubbing my back.

"Am I okay?! I almost got eaten by a god damn bird! Ofcourse I'm not okay!" I yelled back and took a step back from him, only to get pulled back in. "Sorry. Don't worry okay? You are save now." He reassured me and then added "But we should probably talk about this with less people around." His comment finally made me noticing the weird glances the other people in the store were giving us.

We walked towards the cash register I still clang to Preston's arm. My eyes darte around the room, halfway expecting those things to pop out again but to my relive everything seemed to have gone back to normal. Present quickly paid the elderly woman behind the counter for the clothes and other stuff he had in a shopping basket and then he rushed me out the door. 

Outside Peter was leaning against the car, seemingly already waiting for us. Seeing him emidietley lightened my mood and even made me chuckle a bit, because he was no longer wearing the asylum clothes but instead a pair of old light blue jeans, a red flannel shirt with a white tank top underneath and paired with some cowboy boots and hat. Even though I found it a little bit ridiculous looking I still had to admit that it didn't look bad on him, quite the opposite actually.

Preston who seemingly hadn't seen Peter in those clothes before either, started to laugh and when we where close enough for the blond to hear him, he jokingly asked, "Are you going to play a role in Brokeback Mountain two or what's up with those clothes?"

And there it was again, Peter's tiny, short lived smile that made him look so much more approachable and friendly then his usual blank expression. "Well at least I don't look like a wanna be gangster."  Peter joked back, making me take a closer look at what Preston was wearing. The blond was definitely not off about his comment. Because even though the dark-haired guy was still wearing the white tshirt and gray jogging pants from the asylum, he had now paired it up with some cheap looking sneakers, a oversized hoodie and a baseball cap, that he was wearing backwards. Making him very much look like some wannabe rapper.

"Anyway. The saleslady told me that there is a motel not far from here. We could lay low there for a few days." Peter said while walking around the car to get into the drivers seat. "Yeah sounds good to me." Preston yelled back. Then he turned to me and added with a soft smile, "We should probably also explain some stuff to you and work on your powers, right Felix?" 

"Yeah." I nodded, feeling still a little bit shaky from what had happened. When Preston held the car door open for me I finally realized something. "Wait a second! How are we even going to pay for a motel? And also how did you pay for the new stuff? I don't have any money and something tells me neither do you guys." 

"Well... I might have found some money in the glove compartment."

"Great! Now Eddy is definitely going to kill me."

_______

The 'bird' :