They look completely normal, until they’re not. As he parks, I catch sight of my dad's car, which instantly washes me in relief. Distracted, I don’t pay attention to Victor, and that is a foolish mistake.
He comes closer, his handcrawlingup my thigh as his fingers slide slowly higher between my legs—a slitheringsnakemaking me shiver with disgust. My body reacts before my brain can fully process the moment. I twist sharply, slapping his filthy hand and shoving him away, seeing red.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” I snap, my breath coming fast. Victor laughs, a dry, ugly sound. Like it’s all some big comedy show to him.
“Really? You’re going to tease me all night and then leave without giving anything?” He spits the words at me, his voice sharp, eyes flashing with a dangerous gleam. But I lock my eyes on him, anger steaming out of me.
“That’sexactlywhat I’m gonna do, good night.”
“Fucking tease,”Victor scoffs under his breath.
“Is that really the best you can do? The overused ‘provocative’ excuse? You’re pathetic. I don’t know what I ever saw in you.” I yank on the door and slam it shut as soon as I am out.
My date doesn’t waste a minute; his truck screeches away with a yelled, “Bitch!”
Dizzy, the adrenaline floods my veins as I climb the porch steps. I can’t believe I ever thought he was interesting. Exhaling in annoyance, I touch my forehead, hoping to relieve the tightness in my temples. Distracted by my thoughts, I don’t immediately notice the front door slightly open. Freezing in my tracks, an eerie sensation crawls up my spine. It's the same unsettling feeling I had earlier, in the car, with Van. My pulse quickens as I slowly push the door to the dark entrance. The air is unnaturally thick.
“D-dad?” My voice trembles slightly.
No response, no sounds to break the stillness.
The silence is deafening, and only the feeling of being watched lingers. Intensifying as the unease gnaws at my stomach. Phone in hand, I dial my dad’s number. Within seconds, a soft blue light flickers on the kitchen countertop, casting sinister shadows across the room. My head snaps up, drawn to a faint creak of the staircase. It’s a slight weight shift, but enough to make my blood run cold.
I’m not alone.
I feel it deep in my bones, something is horribly wrong.
Without taking my eyes off the staircase, my vision adjusts to the darkness. Hand shaking slightly, I set my phone down on the entrance table. Then I force myself to slowly move. I reach for the baseball bat, which is always kept in the corner. As my fingers tighten around the cold wood, my gaze locks onto a dark shape at the top of the staircase. It slowly moves closer,close enough for the moon that shines through the window to illuminate the tall figure.
Unnervingly tall.
What the hell is that?
The silhouette looms, easily seven feet in height.
My heart pounds in my chest, my face goes pale as a cold wave of terror crashes over me. I know, with a sickening certainty, that this thing is not human.
I am rooted in place. My eyes remain fixed on the towering figure. Its long arms hang limp, grotesque, barely brushing the tops of its spindly calves. The thing looks like something out of a nightmare. Skin stretched over a framework of raw muscle and bone, a haunting image that’ll forever be etched into my mind. I can barely breathe, the air heavy with fear, as the silence in the house deepens.
A shriek, sharp and piercing, rips through the quiet. Reverberating off the walls like the cry of some beast from the depths of hell. The creature’s cavernous mouth is now wide open, revealing gleaming rows of razor-sharp teeth, like a shark’s.
In an instant, the creature shifts, dropping onto all fours with terrifying agility, and in the blink of an eye, it’s charging at me, moving at a speed too fast for my mind to fully grasp. Snapping out of my daze, I let my instinct take hold. My body moves before I can register it, and I automatically fall into a fighting stance. There's no time for hesitation, no time to process what the hell is happening. One thing is clear: it's a life-or-death situation, and I can’t let fear take control.
Just as the beast lunges toward me, I swing the bat with every ounce of strength I have. The solid thud of impact rings through my bones as it connects with its head. The force of the blow sends the creature crashing through the wall, leaving a gapinghole in its wake. Regaining my balance, I snatch my keys from the floor where they had fallen and sprint toward my Jeep.
Every muscle burns as fear propels me forward. But as I run past the porch, another blood-curdling shriek slices through the air. The ground trembles. My footing becomes unsteady as the creature follows me. Halfway to my car, a sudden force slams into me, sending me crashing violently to the ground. The impact knocks the breath out of me, before blackness swallows me.
The shift in the air stirs me to consciousness. Blinking the darkness away, I stare up. The monstrous figure looms over me. Heart in my throat, a guttural snarl resonates from the demon. Its mouth drips with thick, viscous saliva. Droplets splatter across my left shoulder, burning through my shirt, leaving me screaming as it hovers closer. I can’t tear my eyes away from its dead gaze, two soulless pits.
I’m going to die.
This is it.
How the hell do I survive this?
My dad taught me how to fight, sure, but against other people, not...this.This is something sofarfrom human.
Fuck!
