My legs punctured the ground with every step as I continued to run. Tears cascaded off my face as I sat under the nearest tree. I never wanted to go back. I looked around and saw that I had nothing—maybe I could break off some tree bark, make a fire, like I wasn't a child.
I screamed, feeling myself fracture, dragging my nails across my face until heat bloomed under my skin. Then—breathing. Heavy breathing. Not mine.
I stood up slowly and peered around the tree.
A monster.
Four-legged, black-eyed, teeth stained red, its reptilian scales flaring up its spine as it stalked forward. I grab a sharp stick from the ground—small, pathetic compared to what stood before me. It prowled, slow and deliberate, searching for prey.
I let it see me.
I let it roar.
That familiar pressure surged in my chest—fear, but twisted with something else. Something hotter. Something thrilling.
The beast charged.
I glitched—vanished in a burst of red static. It spun around and grabbed a stick from the ground. The beast looked around confused, and that's when I struck. I glitched back and shoved the stick into its right eye. It roared and thrashed in agony, its tail whipping me so hard I slammed into the tree. Pain exploded up my spine as the beast barreled toward me again—
Then hands grabbed my collar and yanked me away.
A girl, my age. Dark skin, deep purple eyes, thin black gloves on both hands, and a pair of black wings spread wide behind her. She darted behind a tree with me, panting.
She stared at me. My hands were trembling uncontrollably. My breathing is too fast.
It wasn't fear. I could tell. It was something else.
Excitement. That same pulse singing behind my ribs.
She didn't seem to notice.
"You okay?" she asked, glancing at my shaking hands.
"Yeah. I'm fine," I said quickly, forcing my breath steady I put my left arm to my right shoulder as we stand their.
Branches cracked. The beast prowled closer.
It pounced. Instinct took over—I glitched away. The winged girl wasn't fast enough. The tail wrapped around her legs, dragging her toward its open maw as she struggled.
Then blue and yellow flames slammed into the beast's side.
Another girl approached, fire bursting from her hands—long blonde hair, one eye blue, the other yellow. She fired again, and again, until the beast threw the winged girl aside and lunged for the blonde.
I glitched, grabbed the blonde girl, and dragged her behind a tree as the beast crashed head-first into the trunk.
"Who are you guys?" I asked, breathless, confused, adrenaline crackling under my skin.
"I'm Sha," said the winged girl, staggering upright.
"I'm Ava," said the blonde, catching her breath
They looked at me.
"I'm Ray," I said.
The beast snarled, turning toward us again. My stick still jutted from its ruined eye.
"Sha, go left. Ava, go right," I ordered, surprising even myself. "As soon as you see an opening—hit it."
They nodded, splitting off.
I blitzed forward. The beast charged back. Ava's flames struck its flank, knocking it off balance. I grabbed my stick and ripped it free just as Sha dove from the sky, shoulder-checking the beast's head.
It staggered, enraged, blind.
That feeling surged again, hotter this time—unstoppable excitement crawling up my spine, urging me on.
I shoved it down.
Mostly.
I stabbed the stick into its other eye.
It roared, flailed wildly. Ava blasted it again, flames engulfing its face. The beast collapsed to the ground, heaving once, twice… then still.
We stood over it, victorious.
"You guys alright?" Ava panted, dropping to the ground.
"Yeah… yeah, I'm alright," Sha said, sitting hard.
I nodded in agreement putting my arms together crossed around my chest as I bit my lip slightly
"Do you guys wanna meet up tomorrow?" Sha asked "At the market?"
"Sure, I'm free," Ava said, smiling faintly.
I stood slightly away from them my arms tighter around me forming a small shield between me and the rest of the world. I let my lip go and speak.
"Y—Yeah I can meet"
We stood. Ava brushed fall leaves from her jacket. "Should we tell people about this? About the monster?"
"No," Sha said immediately. "Let's keep this our little secret."
We stood there a moment longer—three strangers bound by a dead monster and something that felt dangerously close to friendship. The forest was silent again, thick and cold, but for once it didn't feel like it was pressing in on me. We walked out together. The treeline thinned, the scent of damp leaves fading into woodsmoke and distant lanternlight, and soon the shadows of Redwick appeared between the trees like a worn-out painting coming back into focus.
We left the forest together, three small silhouettes cutting across the fall leaves. For the first time all night, hope flickered inside me—small and warm, like a candle held cupped between cold hands.
Ahead sat Redwick.
A town so small that if it vanished tomorrow, not a single person beyond these woods would notice. A place forgotten by the world. Maybe that was why monsters chose forests like ours to nest in. Maybe the world just didn't look in our direction.
At this time of night, Redwick was almost silent. The only light came from the lanterns lining the streets—little golden halos glowing in the dark, swaying when the wind passed. The cold bit at my cheeks, but I didn't mind. Not compared to the ache waiting for me behind my front door.
My house was near.
And I didn't want to go back.
He would be waiting.
He was always waiting.
And when I faced him… well, I didn't want to think about that.
So I pushed the thoughts out of my mind with force, burying them deep. We walked in silence, boots crunching softly in the leaves. Everything felt different at night, even the ordinary sounds. Every rustle sounded like it had teeth. Every shadow looked like it was hiding something. Even other people walking home felt like threats—not because they were dangerous, but because the dark twisted the world into something you couldn't predict.
Maybe that's what made the night interesting.
Maybe that's why I felt so awake.
We turned a corner, and something darted out of an alleyway—fast, a streak of fur and panic.
Sha and Ava screamed.
I just stood there, watching the stray animal sprint down the road and disappear behind a crate.
"What the hell was that?" Ava breathed, hand over her chest.
"A stray," I said calmly. "Relax."
Sha blinked at me, confused. "Why are you so calm?"
"Because why wouldn't I be?" I shrugged. "It's not like they'd let a monster like that"—I jerked my thumb toward the forest we had just left
Ava shuddered. "Still… it freaked me out."
"That's because you weren't paying attention," I teased lightly, and to my surprise, she smiled a little.
My house came into view—small, squeezed between neighbors, dim light glowing from the window like a warning lamp instead of a welcome beacon.
"We're here," I said quietly.
The three of us stopped on the road. For a moment, none of us spoke.
Then Sha stepped forward first. "We'll meet tomorrow, right? At the market?"
"Yeah," Ava added, eyes bright. "Lets say ten o clock?"
I felt something warm swell in my chest. "Definitely. Tomorrow at the market."
Sha nodded enthusiastically. Ava reached out and squeezed my hand—not long, just enough to say I'm glad you didn't die today.
I squeezed back.
"Goodnight, Ray," Ava said.
"Goodnight," Sha echoed.
"Goodnight," I whispered, watching them walk away down the street, two silhouettes fading under lantern light. For a moment, everything inside me felt light.
Then I stepped inside.
The brightness of the house overwhelmed me—too sudden, too sharp. I lifted my hands to shield my eyes, blinking rapidly.
He slams the door behind me and I see that Sha and Ava jumped slightly but walked away. And then I heard him.
"Where the hell were you, Rayana?"
My glitch twitched across my vision like static, a red flash flickering in the corner of my eye. I muttered something—something meaningless—because my throat had closed up. He pushed himself out of his chair, footsteps heavy, forceful.
"Why were you out so late?" he barked, stepping toward me with his voice, so loud and so angry.
Another glitch—small, involuntary. My body reacted before I could.
I shrank back, a tear sliding down my cheek before I could stop it.
"Why are you doing this?" I asked.
A useless question.
A stupid question.
Because I already knew the answer.
I was the mistake who survived.
He ignored my words, like always. His face twisted, years of resentment hardening his jaw.
"You're a mistake. I wish Rasha never—"
He grabbed my ear.
Static snapped violently under my skin—I glitched away, stumbling up the stairs. Behind me, he roared and rushed after me breaking a glass on the way, I hear it shatter on the table an angry reaction—
But Zane was there.
He intercepted our father on the steps, shoving him back, arguing, yelling—voices overlapping. I glitched again, and again, fleeing into my room and slamming the door behind me.
The tears came immediately, my whole body fracturing with every breath. Static streaked across my vision like red lightning. My hands shook uncontrollably as I pressed them over my ears—
But I still heard the words.
"—doesn't involve—"
"—just stop—"
"—she's a monster—"
"—she's a kid!" Zane's voice cracked.
"I hate you—!"
I curled on my bed, pulling my knees close, hugging myself tightly. The room glitched around me—walls warping for a second, then snapping back. I rocked back and forth, unable to stop crying.
Maybe they'd be happier if…
If…
I was gone.
If I was—
I pressed my hands harder over my ears.
But the thoughts kept echoing anyway.