《Suitor》


 Part 1

    A cool breeze traveled through the quiet night. Most buildings had gone dark, very few still had dim lights in their windows. A lone figure walked down the street, visible in the streetlamps and disappearing in the shadows as he moved down the road.


    A dark jacket and hood concealed him from the world. No one knew his name, not his real name. He traveled a distance up the road, approaching an empty parking lot. He crossed the open lot, towards the large building.


    Suddenly he stopped, listening intently. He turned slightly, heading in a new direction.


    He took one step, and she bolted. A young woman, clutching a spot of dark crimson on her torso, fleeing for her life. He smiled, watching her for a few moments before pursuing and quickening his pace.


    She ran towards the now abandoned building, disappearing into the darkened interior. Carefully, slowly, he stepped into the building and scanned the large open room. He made his way across the space, carefully examining each of the store fronts he passed by.


    In his hand he turned a stained knife impatiently. Soft, rapid footsteps echoed in the darkness, revealing his way. The sounds steadily got closer, suddenly stopping.


    He slowed to a stop as well, waiting patiently. Within a few moments, the footsteps started up again as she crossed his line of sight. She saw him too, wasting little time in fleeing the opposite direction. He continued his pursuit, strolling at a casual pace.


    She was slowed by her wound; he knew he could catch her.


    She turned into a store, by the time he rounded the corner she had vanished from view. A clothing store riddled with mannequins and displays everywhere. He pulled the security gate closed behind him, cutting off the only escape route.


    Eerie silence once more. He crept into the dark room, listening, watching. False human shapes caught his eye, but he knew better. He carefully monitored the limited visible area for movement.


    Slight shuffling. He stopped.


    Silence.


    He waited, knife turning and turning within his grasp. Suddenly he whipped around and flung the weapon across the room, shattering a glass display case. The shuffling he''d heard instantly ceased.


    He waited a moment before he crossed the room carefully, still analyzing his surroundings closely. He knelt and reached forward to reclaim his weapon. She grabbed it first, turning it on him. He ducked backwards to avoid her attack. She was determined. Afraid. She swung wildly at him, so frantic she wasn''t worrying about aiming.


    That was her mistake.


    Her first and second swipes missed by a good distance as he stepped backward to avoid them. Her third swipe tore at his jacket sleeve threateningly, but her fourth was caught. With the weapon and victim both secured in a tight grasp, he held his free arm out behind him, the sharp sound of metal scraping against metal cutting through the dark room.


    A long, thin blade extended from his sleeve. Nearly 3 feet of steel with a smooth, narrow shape, sharpened and polished like the prized possession it was. He thrust the blade into her stomach as far as it would cut in a single strike, then rocked the blade back and forth, twisting and working it deeper into her flesh until the entire length was soaked in blood.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    She cried out in pain, scratching at his twisted mask in desperation. A malevolent false face, an even vertical split between a sorrowful, ghostly white frown and a malicious looking sleek black grin.


    The blade was retracted as she was released from his grip and fell to the floor. Groans of pain were cut off by choking as she spit up blood. Her arms trembled as she struggled to move them, pulling herself along the floor in a desperate attempt to reach the discarded knife.


    He watched her, mostly curious as to her intended plan, as she managed to reach the previously shattered glass case where the knife lay at the feet of the display''s mannequins. He took note of a particularly large shard of glass in perfect positioning, stepping forward.


    She was spurred forward, making a final attempt to reach for the weapon as he stood over her. A heel dug into the base of her neck tauntingly, but she refused to back down. It wasn''t until he thrust his heel down on her that she finally fell still, the glass shard piercing her throat as it was forced downward.


    Just as swiftly as it had appeared the blade retracted, concealing itself under his sleeve as he retrieved the knife and took a step back, admiring the result of his night''s work. Strolling through the abandoned building and out to the parking lot, he removed his mask before lowering his hood and messing with his hair briefly, casually walking up the street.


    Now, he was just another guy, taking a midnight walk through town. And he would be until the next night. He always had more work to do. Moving his trek to the sidewalk, he folded the mask and slipped it into the pocket of his jacket, tossing the knife into a pond as he walked by. Finally, he removed the incriminating gloves and tucked them beside the mask in his pocket.


    He removed a small case from the other pocket, taking out the contents. Prescription glasses, which he unfolded and situated in their place. Trading out one mask for an entirely different one. A fa?ade he was forced to uphold to keep his true nature hidden.


    As he entered the residential part of town, looking around at the houses nearby put a smile on his face. Props and decorations covered just about every house in the city. Halloween. The best time of year. He always loved this season, and the whole city seemed to share his infatuation with the fright themed holiday.


    It was the one time of year he could be himself, his true self, if even for a few fleeting hours. A few blocks into the neighborhood he reached his intended destination, climbing over the fence and dropping into the backyard of a quiet home. He crossed the yard silently, tracing along the house to find the window he was looking for. Unlocked, as he expected it to be.


    The window slid open with a few soft creaks before he carefully crawled inside, touching down in the dormant living room. He slowly slid the window closed again, locking it before making his way across the room.


    It was a path he''d mapped out so many times before, making it simple to navigate even in near total darkness. Reaching a flight of stairs, he climbed slowly to ensure he made little to no sound as he moved through the silent home. At the next floor he turned down the hallway and came to a door left unlatched, pushing it open gently and stepping in.


    The risky part of the process was over, as he gingerly pushed the door closed and clicked the light on. He made his way to the closet of the room, sliding the doors open and kneeling down. He ran his fingers along the wall, pressing lightly.


    A panel was pushed out of place, allowing him to grip the newly exposed corner and pull it off the wall, revealing a small hidden cache. He rolled up his sleeve, revealing the homemade contraption strapped to his arm. A thin mechanism held together by metal rods each roughly the width of a pencil, secured to his arm by leather straps.


    An adjustable hand grip designed to slide up to his palm or retract under his sleeve connected to the mechanism by a strand of fishing line. A simple squeeze of the handle''s trigger set off the mechanism, extending and retracting the regularly sharpened blade from its resting spot along his forearm. He unhooked the straps and removed the homemade weapon, setting it within his hidden space, taking the mask and gloves from his pocket and setting them beside his weapon.


    Lastly, he replaced the panel, smoothing the edges until the grooves were nearly invisible. With the deed done and evidence properly disposed or concealed, he took off his jacket and sat on his bed, stretching and letting out a quiet sigh.


    Damn, what a holiday.

 Part 2

    It''s that time of the year again, and this town is going strong with the Halloween spirit. Though this morning we bring sad news, as it appears local legend Casper is back at it for the fourth year in a row.


    For those unaware, Casper is the name given to an unknown assailant responsible for at least 14 murders, spanning the past three years. All cases linked to this masked man occurred within a few days of Halloween, so understandably law enforcement is on edge this weekend.


    A body was discovered early this morning and is believed to be victim number 15. Police have issued a curfew of 7pm, so it may be a good idea to relocate any party plans to your homes tomorrow night. It does appear though that the Carnival is refusing to close down, so there may be some hope for the festivities yet.


    "Will you turn that off? I told you my car radio is specially reserved for Panic! only, and on occasion, slightly catchy pop music." Abby reminded her friend, turning the volume down. "It''s always the same anyway. ''This just in, the world is still going to shit. Weather at 5.''" she added.


    "Hey, we might actually reach ''shit'' status one day, and I for one would like to be a witness to such an event." Maddie retorted, "Besides, you didn''t let me stop for coffee, so I need something to keep me awake."


    "And you picked the News Station?" Abby questioned, "Is my Spotify really that bad?"


    "You play the same songs over and over. By this point, Brendon Urie is basically a lullaby for me." Maddie responded, flipping through radio stations.


    "Oh, is that so?" Abby returned, "Shall I enter your playlist into evidence for the court?"


    "Sabaton is a different story entirely, I''m studying history and jamming out at the same time." Maddie explained.


    "Lot of history in all 5 songs, is there?" Abby asked rhetorically.


    "Yes, yes there is. A lot." Maddie answered unconvincingly.


    "Ladies and gentlemen of the Jury, I rest my case." Abby declared jokingly.


    The two girls laughed softly at their ridiculous banter as Maddie read over the flyer once more. Abby had found the ad in question, which displayed a photo of an unusual looking suit head. It was advertised as a Sergal head, and definitely looked the part.


    An emerald green wedge-shaped face with a pointed snout and long floppy looking ears, and a white jaw fixed in a permanent, mischievous looking grin.


    In basic shape it looked like an average Sergal head, the unusual part, and the reason it warranted Abby''s enthusiastic interest, was the overall macabre theme of the head. One eye was painted bright red while the other was milky grey, and several spots all over the head were stripped of fur and sculpted as though bone was showing.


    "So why are we going to see this thing again?" Maddie questioned, looking at the photo.


    "Look at it, it''s perfect for tonight! Plus, that price is an absolute steal, do you know how much these usually cost??" Abby explained as their car entered the parking lot of an abandoned looking strip mall.


    Three of the four store fronts were partially or completely missing their signs, the windows dusty, moldy or some combination of the two. Following the address, Abby pulled the car up to the last store on the line, arguably the most underwhelming of the line.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Maddie glanced up, the old looking pawn shop only adding to her unease. The two girls got out of the car, Maddie checking the address before they entered. The interior of the tiny building was somehow even more unsettling than the outside.


    The place looked at least a few centuries old and had the layers of dust to prove it. Piles and piles of old trinkets and atrocious looking items covered most of the floor space and shelves. Grimy, worn furniture could barely be seen among the clutter stacked over it.


    A gramophone sat near the back of the single room store, turntable spinning slowly as a somewhat haunting violin melody played softly. As soon as the tainted glass door slowly opened, the girls found a conversation taking place between an uptight looking businessman and a withered old woman.


    "This is the last time I''ll tell you, stay away from me, my family, and my property," the old woman declared. Her vision snapped to the two as she heard the door creak open, lingering for a second before returning to the man before her.


    "I will have what belongs to me, even if I have to wait for you to keel over." the man responded harshly, trying to be hushed as the sound of the door and the woman''s darting glance told him the conversation now had witnesses.


    "I have a store to run, if you don''t mind." the woman responded slyly, fully aware of the social immunity she now had, "Have a good day, Mr Craine."


    The man stood still for a second, his mannerism indicating he had more to say, though he nodded flippantly and turned to head for the door. He side stepped to let Maddie and Abby pass him by, giving them a far more respectful nod before exiting the store. Abby glanced back, watching as the man got into his vehicle and drove off.


    "What do you think that was about?" she whispered to Maddie.


    "Simply a business exchange, nothing to worry over," the woman answered her question, speaking with a slight Romani accent.


    Both girls returned their attention to her, Abby fumbling over an embarrassed apology before the woman stopped her with a gentle wave. "It''s alright, young people are naturally inquisitive," She moved over to meet them in the middle of the room, limping lightly on her left steps, "I''m Nadya Valarys, what can I do for you?"


    "We saw the ad, wanted to stop by," Abby answered, taking the flyer from Maddie and holding it up for the woman to see. The old woman took the paper from her and looked it over briefly before returning it.


    "Ah, you''ve come for Syth," she mumbled, smile growing.


    "Yeah. Is she still up for sale?" Abby questioned.


    "Yes, yes. Come," the old woman beckoned them, shuffling her way to the far side of the small room. Abby followed her, Maddie looking around. Mrs Valarys pushed open a door that sat ajar, revealing a side room and waving Abby in.


    The cramped room was entirely empty, aside from a single table that housed only one object. The suit head. Maddie attempted to follow her friend, the two of them barely able to stand in the tiny room at the same time.


    She backed out and watched from the doorway as Abby picked up the head and examined it. Instantly she was enthralled in the creature''s design, resting the head in one arm so she had a free hand to run her fingers through the fur of its snout, across one side and down to its jawline.


    While her friend was completely infatuated, something immediately caught Maddie''s attention. The suit head was shockingly well-kept compared to the rest of the shop. Its long fur was neatly brushed, soft and smooth to the touch as if it were regularly tended to, even the table it rested on was perfectly clean and dusted.


    "Isn''t it wicked looking?" Abby looked to her friend for a response. Maddie stared at the head, something about it just seemed off. It was different from any other suit head she''d ever seen, not just in the macabre theme. As she stared into its eyes, which eerily appeared to return the gaze, a heavy feeling of discomfort set in. Something just didn''t feel right about it.


    "So, the ad said 50 bucks, right?" Maddie asked, blinking a few times to break the staring contest with the suit head and turning to face the old woman. Mrs Valarys watched Abby for a moment before replying.


    "Call it 15." she answered.


    "15??" Abby echoed. The woman nodded to verify her response.


    "Syth will love you. In fact, I think she already does." She smiled, stroking an ear of the head gently before shuffling over to the glass counter at the back of the store and sitting down. Abby and Maddie exchanged glances before returning to the center of the room. Maddie stepped over and placed the predetermined amount of cash on the counter before joining her friend in exiting the building.


    "Take good care of her, young miss," Valarys called to Abby as they left.


    "I plan to, don''t worry! Thanks again!" Abby replied. The old woman watched as the two girls drove off with the suit head. When the car was out of sight, she sighed softly.


    "I told you I would," She murmured to herself.

 Part 3

    The door was unlocked, fortunately for him. It crept open with silent ease and closed just the same. The room had one single occupant, who was engulfed in the TV.


    The college level teen laughed quietly at the comedic programming, flicking his lighter back on and holding the flame to the end of a steel pipe, burning the green substance resting in the bowl.


    He took a deep drag from the pipe, holding it for a few seconds before exhaling a cloud of smoke. This was just too easy. He didn''t even have to try to hide, simply walking up behind the unsuspecting student. The teen lit the bowl once more, taking a longer drag this time. Casper clicked the trigger, the hidden blade extending from his sleeve.


    He grabbed his victim''s head, holding back against the couch and running the blade through the side of the teen''s neck. Quickly he grabbed the pipe with his free hand, retracting the blade and watching plumes of smoke billow from the freshly created holes on either side of his victim''s throat before the student slid to the floor, twitching and choking on blood.


    With a second click of the trigger, the blade retracted back into its hiding place and he walked over to the window. Noticing the bowl still glowing with embers, he lifted his mask and took a drag of his own. After a long few seconds, he exhaled slowly, watching the scene below through the cloud of smoke.


    Countless students wandered about the campus, most showing up in cars. One vehicle caught his eye; as he focused on it, he watched two attractive young women step out and cross the parking lot. They would have been lost in the sea of similar looking students, had it not been for the fact one of them carried a strange looking object.


    He focused on the object in question, making out a peculiar looking suit head. Such a strange object, something usually so soft and friendly twisted into an unnerving image. He watched the two, easily keeping them locked in his gaze even as they entered the swarm.


    Finding the lighter and taking another drag from the pipe, he made note of which building the girls entered before returning to the couch and sitting down comfortably. His victim pawed at his leg helplessly, breaths growing shorter and fewer.


    He simply moved his leg to rest on the coffee table in front of him, out of reach of the blood-soaked fingers desperately pining for any kind of lifeline. As he exhaled a puff of smoke, he chuckled lightly. Tonight would be his biggest night yet.


    <hr>


    Abby kept looking down at the head as they walked, still caught up in her excitement. Maddie practically had to steer her awestruck friend through the hallways.


    "Are you two gonna kiss, or what?" she teased.


    "You know, we just might." Abby retorted with a chuckle, finally paying attention to where she was walking as the two girls made their way up a flight of stairs. They reached a long hallway lined with apartment doors on either side, one standing open. Adam held the door as his friend, Drake, wheeled out to the hall.


    "Whoa whoa, the brake is the middle one Dr Speedster," Abby joked as they approached.


    "Oh, is that what the middle one does?" Drake played along.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    "I''m sorry, did I hear that correctly? Dr Speedster?" Adam questioned, pulling the door to the apartment closed.


    "Forgive her, she''s operating on three hours of sleep," Maddie explained.


    "That line was unforgivable, sorry Abb," he returned.


    "I know, I know. I''ll come up with something better next time," Abby replied.


    "Or how about we just not make fun of the wheelchair friend?" Drake offered.


    "Where''s the fun in that?" Maddie chuckled. They all laughed for a moment before Drake took notice of the suit head.


    "Where''d you find this thing?" he asked, wheeling closer to examine it.


    "That would be the culprit of her sleep-depravity," Maddie explained. "We drove to Westminster this morning to pick it up."


    "How much did Sam Raimi want for it?" Adam questioned, only half kidding.


    "Swift 15." Maddie answered.


    "For this? Seriously?" Drake questioned, looking over the suit head in awe.


    "One, five," Maddie solidified her answer. "The old lady just dropped her price out of nowhere, soon as we got there. It was kind of weird."


    "Hey, don''t stop and examine your Gift Horse''s dental hygiene, just get in the saddle and ride away while you can," he responded, running his hand along the head''s jaw and face.


    "Honestly, I''m not sure he''s speaking English half the time," Adam spoke up. Muffled beeping broke into the conversation, Adam fishing his phone out of his pocket.


    "Chem''s in 5, let''s roll out," he announced. "We''ll catch you three later," He and Drake turned and started down the hall, Abby and Maddie starting in the opposite direction.


    "Oh hey," Abby called back to them, stopping and facing them again, "Either of you seen Ian around?"


    "He and Colby were studying in the library last I knew." Drake answered as he and Adam continued on their way.


    "Shit," Abby muttered before turning to face Maddie. "Would you mind taking Syth the rest of the way? I have to go track down Ian before classes start."


    "You''ve got 20 minutes, I''d start running," Maddie pointed out, taking the head from her. Abby turned and took off down the hall, leaving Maddie alone with her new treasure. Maddie looked down at the thing, its eyes seeming to stare back.


    She rotated the furry face in her grasp, pointing the eyes down the hall as she continued on and located the correct apartment door. Once inside the tiny apartment, she set the accessory on a table near the door and made her way to the kitchen.


    Digging through the fridge she found her target, an open Crush from the night before, and crossed to the living room, which in the microscopic college dorm room basically translated to the designated corner of the room that had a couch and TV. She collapsed onto the sofa, slumping down until her head rested against the back cushions and allowed her eyes to close.


    Due to the tiny size of the living quarters, when Abby was up all-night surfing social media, Maddie was usually up as well. She sighed softly and opened her eyes, staring at the ceiling. A sound interrupted the silence, a slow exasperated exhale, barely audible, just enough to be detected.


    Maddie lifted her head back up, looking around. The sound seemed to stop just as abruptly as it had started. She scanned the room, her gaze resting on the suit head. The blank, motionless eyes were aimed directly at her. Of course, she knew of a type of eye used in the creation of suit heads like this, a trick that caused the eyes to appear as though they followed the observer.


    But this was different. It felt off. She stared back at the head, growing more and more uncomfortable with each passing second. It was like she was mesmerized, frozen in place, locking gazes with the suit head.


    The uncomfortable feeling festered, yet she remained still. Almost a full minute passed, when she finally managed to force herself to blink. She stood up quickly, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.


    Something wasn''t right with this thing. She re-opened her eyes, finding the mischievous face was still watching her. She moved rather quickly, crossing the room and picking up the head, placing the thing on the top shelf of a closet.


    Stepping back, she slid the doors shut. She simply stood there, staring at the closed doors. They were closed, but she could still feel those eyes watching her, staring, motionless, lifeless. She returned to the couch, switching on the TV to distract her spinning mind. She was playing tricks on herself, freaking herself out with a costume head, aided by sleep deprivation.


    That''s all it was. A head.

 Part 4

    Colorado was known for its bitter evening temperatures, especially around this time of year. Abby zipped up her jacket, her heavy exhale quivering lightly in reaction to the temperature change as she, Drake, and Maddie reached the outside.


    "Are you going with Ian and Colby?" Maddie asked.


    "Who else is gonna make sure they get the good stuff?" she responded jokingly.


    "Just come back in one piece, will you?" Drake returned with a chuckle.


    "Even if I don''t, I think missing a limb or two would guarantee I win the costume contest. Total slam dunk." Abby giggled at her dark sense of humor. Maddie shook her head, laughing softly as her friend departed.


    "Where did you say you found that head again?" Drake questioned as he and Maddie continued down the sidewalk.


    "Some little no name shop in Westminster. The place looked like a total dump; I mean the other stores around it looked like they''d been abandoned for a while," Maddie explained. "It was just...weird. That head was the only thing in the store not covered in a decade''s worth of dust."


    "At least the old bat kept the merchandise in good condition. Good Marketing?" Drake responded.


    "No, I mean..." Maddie paused. "That thing was spotless, groomed, like recently. The damn table it was on was sparkling. It was the only thing in the store she seemed to really care about. How is it good business to leave 99 percent of your goods piled up in the corner covered in dust and cobwebs?" Drake thought for a moment, joining in on the conspiracy for a minute.


    "What if you''re right? What if the head was the only thing she actually cared about, the only thing she really wanted to sell... you even said she dropped the price, right?" Drake pointed out.


    "So, she let the rest of her business go to shit just to get the head sold?" Maddie questioned.


    "Or it wasn''t her business at all," Drake suggested. "You mentioned the other stores around it were abandoned, what if that one was too?"


    "But why would she find an abandoned store to set up shop in just to sell an old costume head?" Maddie asked, more to herself than to her fellow theorist. She thought for a moment, trying to connect the pieces she was creating to form a solid explanation. There was something off about it all.


    "What was the name of the place?" Drake broke the silence.


    "Uh...Temperance Trinkets, I think... something like that. And the woman said her name was Nadya Valarys," Maddie answered, trusting her memory.


    "I''ll Google it, see if it''s legit," he offered.


    "That would help, a lot. Then I''ll know for certain that I''m paranoid," she responded.


    "That will make two of us," Drake joked, starting down the hall. "Stay sane until tonight, alright?"If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    "I''ll try my best," she called after him, turning and heading to the dorms. Down the sidewalk, Abby moved the opposite direction. The parking lot was almost completely void of people, a stark contrast to the rows of cars and sparse free spots.


    Everyone was already inside, preparing for the grand holiday celebration that night. Holidays were typically a big deal, but in this town, nothing compared to Halloween.


    It seemed the entire town went completely insane on this yearly night, probably helped greatly by the annual arrival of the traveling Carnival. That bizarre attraction found its way to the town of Parker every year on this night, generating surges of excitement for the duration of its week-long stay.


    Abby and Maddie had planned to spend the next day exploring everything the Carnival had to offer this time around. It was somewhat of a holiday tradition for them to attend each year, they had kept a successful streak of attendance for the past 8 years.


    As she drew near to the sea of vehicles, signs of life caught her glance. Two familiar people were conversing near a rusty old Dodge truck. One faced away from her, though she recognized him by the shirt he wore.


    She had bought it for him two years prior. A devious smirk spread across her face as she crouched down to move quieter, picking up her pace a bit. The second in the conversation, a close friend to both, spotted her but quickly shifted his glance to avoid giving her away. She fought to suppress a soft laugh, slowing to a stealthy crawl as she drew close to her oblivious target.


    "Got dark pretty fast, about time to head out, if we want to get there and back in time." Her target''s conversation became audible. He moved to turn, her accomplice slyly distracting him.


    "Hey, you got my keys?" He asked, causing the target to stop and face him again.


    "I gave them back to you, didn''t I?" He responded. Now within optimal distance, Abby lurched forward and leapt at her designated mark, wrapping her limbs around him to cling to him. He yelped in surprise, quickly turning to soft chuckles as he realized who his attacker was.


    "Oh yeah, I guess you did," Said accomplice replied as he twirled the keys on his finger.


    "My dear Ian, were you trying to sneak off without me?" Abby questioned in a jokingly accusing tone.


    "An attempt was made..." he responded, looking up at his girlfriend''s accomplice. "Though I was tragically betrayed by my most trusted ally." They all shared a joyful laugh as Abby dropped to her feet and released her victim.


    "I heard you were up early this morning, so I was trying to give you time to relax before tonight." Ian explained.


    "Are you kidding? I''m so pumped about this I couldn''t even sit still in class today!" Abby replied.


    "As opposed to...?" Colby questioned lightheartedly. Abby jabbed him in the side in response.


    "Oy!" he grunted as he recoiled exaggeratedly. "Ok ok, I withdraw my last, no need to shank me with those jaguar claws!"


    "I''ll contemplate your apology," Abby joked. "Now let''s get going." Colby got into the driver''s seat, his girlfriend Emma already in the passenger seat, Ian and Abby got in the crew cab as the truck pulled out of its spot and began navigating the maze of parked cars.


    "So, I heard you got a suit head Abb," Emma spoke up, looking back at her.


    "Just went and picked it up this morning," Abby replied, unable to hide the giddy tone in her voice. "She''s a Sergal too! All nasty and bone showing and stuff."


    "A Sergal, and as macabre as you are? Quite a find," Emma responded. "Are you wearing her to the party tonight?"


    "That would be why I''m about to go nuclear," Abby answered.


    "Can you hold off on that until we get out of the town? Minimize the casualties?" Ian questioned playfully.


    "No promises," Abby replied. "I''m literally so happy, I could kiss someone just because."


    "That is kind of what boyfriends are for, isn''t it?" Ian responded with a small smile. Taking the hint, Abby leaned over and pulled him into a kiss. He returned the gesture, gently running his hand along her neck. Suddenly the vehicle jerked to the side, disrupting the tender moment as the two bounced off each other.


    "Oh, sorry guys, thought I saw a raccoon in the road or something," Colby attempted to play it off, getting a playful whack across the head from Abby. All four friends shared a laugh as the truck traveled down the road.

 Part 5

    Maddie sat on her bed sketching in one of her notebooks. Abby was out with Ian, as she usually was on Friday nights. Most everyone on campus was prepping for tonight''s party, creating a special kind of silence that wasn''t very common.


    It felt like it truly was just her, alone in the huge building, with her friend''s new fascination. Even through her headphones blasting Sabaton, the same subtle sound infiltrated her mind. A tortuously prolonged, rattling exhale, as if someone were straining to breathe.


    Maddie removed her headphones and looked up at the closet. The breaths suddenly ceased just as suddenly as they had started. She stared at the wooden doors, as if she were gazing through the wood panels to meet the glassy stare of the head.


    The uneasy feeling had returned not long after she had sat down with her book and pencil, a knot in her stomach, an alarm in her brain frantically screaming about an unknown, unseen danger. She had tried to ignore it, focus her mind on her sketching, but it lingered heavily.


    With silence reforming, she looked back to her sketches. She hadn''t even been giving much thought to what she had been drawing, desperate to keep her mind elsewhere. The images she had sketched were normally bizarre and random, though the images she had just created were lacking the usual vibrant emotion.


    These images displayed grisly scenes. Lines of corpses floating down a stream, faces melding into screaming abominations, severed limbs forming some kind of ritualistic symbol. She flipped through the pages, horrified by what she had drawn, even more so by the fact she had no memory of doing so.


    It was unlike anything her imagination could come up with, even at its most bizarre. Where had these vile desires come from, to create such dark and grisly imagery? It scared her not knowing the origin, even more so to consider thinking about an answer.


    Another hiss filled the air, but this one was different. It sounded like a voice, someone struggling to form a word, forcing out disjointed syllables carried by raspy exhales.


    "...M...mad...ie..."


    She jumped up from the bed, sending pencils scattering over the floor. The voice continued, slowly becoming a chilling hybrid of low animalistic growling and human-like groaning. She wanted to leave, run for the door and never return to this room. But she was frozen in place, physically anchored by fear. The voice croaked and grumbled, fumbling over half words and raspy grunts.


    "...Mad.....ie......" It managed to groan in a strained whisper, "...Maddie..." As if in response to her panicked predictions the closet doors trembled lightly, creaking open at a tortuously slow pace until they quietly tapped to a rest against the walls.


    Maddie could only watch, petrified as three long claws slid into view, a large hand gripping the door of the closet. The voice continued choking out a symphony of random syllables, a towering figure stepping out of the closet, concealed by shadows. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    The thing was hunched over, three limbs touching the floor with its second arm still clutching the closet door. Two eyes shone through the darkness, one bright red, the other milky grey; a gaze Maddie was all too familiar with by now.


    It reached up with its other arm, claws gripping the frame of the bedroom doorway. The creature turned to fully face Maddie, rising from its crouched position. Even with its knees visibly bent, it took up the entire doorway, sealing off any hope of escaping. Another raspy hiss filled the air, louder than ever before.


    "...Feed..." the voice croaked. A sharp, scratchy howl broke out as the thing suddenly rushed at her with terrifying speed, claws outstretched to reach for her. Maddie jumped awake, nearly falling backwards out of her chair.


    Quickly she caught herself, her eyes squeezing themselves shut as she gradually pulled herself out of the false panic. She slowed her rapid, sharp breaths back to a calmer pace and gently lowered her chair back to a stable resting position.


    Nightmares were nothing new to her, but this was something entirely different. The image of that horrible creature, the unnatural sounds it made, all still replaying in her mind on a loop. She willed her eyes to open, turning and looking out to the hall.


    The closet stood closed, just as she had left it. She sighed heavily, the sight relieving some tension. It was just a terrible dream, the result of the knot in her stomach and alarm in her mind running rampant in her overactive mind as she dozed off. She took a few deep breaths, calming her frantic thoughts and racing heart. The dream had felt so real, the fear, the sounds.


    Nagging paranoia refused to back down so easily though. Terror still gnawed at the back of her mind until she gave in and got up from her chair, slowly approaching the closet and reaching for the knob. She stood there for a moment, locked in place as panic and willpower battled.


    Finally, she snapped the door open. The head sat as she had left it, cater-corner to the doors with its glassy eye staring back at her. Brushing off her thoughts, she reached up and shoved the snout of the head to turn the thing until it faced the wall and its gaze was no longer aimed at her.


    Across the room, one of two windows sat ajar, unlike how she had left it. Two hands reached up, followed by an arm, and a person, falling through the window and rattling the table nosily. Maddie jumped at the sound, her attention snapping to the intruder, who she quickly recognized.


    "Jesus, Sam..." she muttered, taking a moment to recover from the sequence of unnerving events.


    A hand waved at her from behind the table. "Hi," The younger teen clumsily got to his feet, closing the window he had entered. "Not too late, am I?" he questioned.


    "About 2 hours early actually," Maddie answered. Confused, Sam got out his phone and read the text again.


    "Oh... I swear that 8 was a 6," he admitted.


    "Told you that font was dumb," she retorted with a half smile.


    "Well, I already used my get out of jail card, so... Unless you''d rather a 15-year-old adolescent boy wander a college campus alone for a few hours..."


    "Sit down," Maddie interrupted, chuckling softly as she closed the closet doors before making her way to the kitchen. She and Abby always liked having Sam around, and right now she was somewhat grateful.


    Maybe having someone else present would help quell the strangeness, even a little. As Sam took a spot on the couch, Maddie dug through the pantry, tossing a resealed box of Oreos to him and claiming one of her own.


    "It''s a wonder you don''t go totally crazy with how quiet it is here," Sam commented.


    "Feel like I am already," Maddie replied, sitting next to him and flicking on the TV. She glanced back at the closet, sighing quietly.

 Part 6

    Three students were left outside, finishing the task of hanging a very oversized banner above the entrance to the library to mark the location of the big party. Two of them balanced on unsteady ladders, struggling to hold up the two ends of the massive sign, the third watching from the ground to direct them.


    "Little higher, you''re blocking the doorway still," he instructed.


    "About here?" One called down after adjusting her placement slightly.


    "There''s good, tack it in!" he responded.


    "Colby, you''ve got the hammer, right?" she questioned the other ladder bound teen.


    "Yep, coming at you," Colby replied, tossing the tool to her. The trajectory and power were both significantly off target, the hammer not even covering half the horizontal distance and clattering to the ground.


    "Good toss," she remarked sarcastically.


    "Sorry Jess, trying not to die here," he retorted, ladder wobbling lightly as his one arm was outstretched to its maximum to hold the banner in place.


    "I got you Jess," the third interjected, walking over to pick up the wrongfully discarded tool.


    "Thank you, Devon," Jess replied, struggling to hold the massive banner in the correct position. Devon snickered, picking up the tool. No sooner had he looked up at Jess, when someone exited the doorway in front of him, brushing past him.


    The newcomer''s dark hood caught his eye; as he watched them walk away, he noticed they were holding a hammer. It was then that he realized this hammer was in fact the same tool he had been holding before this person arrived.


    "Hey, what the hell??" he called after them.


    "What? What happened?" Colby questioned.


    "Some dude just swiped the hammer from me," he explained, jogging after the stranger. He watched as they rounded a corner, following not far behind them. Before he even passed the corner, he was struck in the eye by the grip of the tool.


    He stumbled backwards into the wall, staggered by the impact. Before he could even muster a pained cry, the face of the hammer collided with his jaw and then the back of his head.


    Casper stood over his victim, twirling the hammer flamboyantly before bringing it down on the teen, in heavy blow after heavy blow. Not a single scream, not even a yelp of pain was ever heard by anyone. Exactly as planned.


    <hr>


    "And so it begins," Abby declared, stepping out from the bedroom to show off her outfit. Tattered, cut up, jet black jeans and a bright green T-shirt with the lower half sloppily torn off in a very rough inverted V shape, exposing her midsection.


    Over the torn T-shirt she wore a denim jacket, also riddled with cuts and tears and left hanging open with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows. In addition she slipped on a pair of black leather fingerless gloves. Sam and Maddie observed as Abby modeled her costume for the party.


    "Well, if you were aiming for the world''s sexiest hobo, you''ve got it nailed," Sam noted jokingly.


    "I actually don''t know whether to be offended or flattered. Well played Jr," Abby responded. "But you''re missing the key detail." She crossed the room, sliding the closet doors open. Maddie glanced up at the head warily.


    It had strangely gone quiet not long after Sam arrived; whether it was simply because she was finally able to drown it out or if it had truly fallen silent, she didn''t know for sure.


    Sam never mentioned it, maybe because it was too strange to bring up in conversation, or maybe because she was indeed going crazy and there never were any sounds. Abby took the head from the shelf and reclaimed her modeling space as she slid the head on.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "Presto! Syth lives!" she announced, doing a pirouette.


    "And now you''ve upgraded to outright nightmare fuel," Sam commented, examining the macabre suit head.


    "Why thank you," Abby responded. This was the reaction she was aiming for.


    "What about you guys? Party''s already started," she questioned her friends.


    "Oh, I thought it was obvious," Sam replied, posing dramatically, "I''m going as a handsome runaway teen, undercover to avoid being seen by his older brother," He explained facetiously.


    "Amazing," Abby retorted. He sniggered lightly, taking a white mask with purple streaks running down both sides over the eyes out of his jacket pocket.


    "That''s better," Maddie commented. "I got something last minute, don''t worry." She disappeared into the bedroom for less than a minute before returning with a plastic Five Nights at Freddy''s mask and a purple jacket which she zipped up a little more than halfway.


    "Simple, and classic. Nice," Sam noted.


    "Alright party people, let''s hit it!" Abby announced, leading the way. Most everyone on the campus was already packed in the library, flashing lights and deafeningly loud music blasting away.


    A huge majority of the costumed crowds bounced and flailed away shamelessly in a section of the large open room marked as the dance floor. A scattered few lingered around the outer walls and the library, observing the crowd or mingling with friends.


    Abby went right to the dance floor, pulling Maddie along with her. The suit head wobbled lightly as she bounced around but stayed more or less in place. Sam skirted around the mass of people, keeping a watchful eye out for his brother Adam. The night went as expected, the buzz of alcohol and deafening music replacing any worries about education.


    About an hour into the evening, Abby made her way over to a vacant spot along the wall, leaning against it in a sort of daze. An unusual sound had started to become audible over the blaring dance music. An awful sound.


    It was like a person straining to breathe, only producing a raspy, crackling hiss in prolonged bursts that steadily grew longer and more frequent. She couldn''t tell where it was coming from, it didn''t seem to have a direction of origin.


    It was like the sound itself was in her mind. There was a distinct difference between a sound created by an overactive imagination and a sound originating from grounded reality. Still it didn''t feel like the work of her imagination. She felt an off-putting presence from within her own head. Something was there, prying at her mind and clawing relentlessly at her sanity.


    "Hey, feeling tipsy already?" Maddie joked, approaching her friend.


    "...Some...thing......something isn''t right..." Abby mumbled, the sounds growing louder. She could physically feel claws digging into her temples, piercing through into her brain. Maddie spoke again, a slur of muffled words blending into one long, wavering sound.


    The horrible hissing wormed into her mind, flooding out any other sound. An unpleasant sensation built in her stomach; a slight dull pain that festered until her entire midsection went numb.


    It was hunger, ravenous starvation, as if she had gone years without any kind of sustenance. Her vision swirled and swayed, quickly becoming unfocused. Her line of sight reduced to a blurry patch of merging color that slowly faded to black.


    Her eyes squeezed shut as she began sliding down the wall. Her legs felt weak, everything went numb. She couldn''t see, couldn''t hear. She felt herself falling, sinking into nothing.


    Then it stopped.


    She opened her eyes. Two people now stood in front of her, Maddie and Ian. The suit head was removed, now held by Maddie. With a few blinks her vision was completely normal, the feeling returning to her body an inch at a time.


    "Abby? Everything ok?" Maddie repeated her frank question.


    "...Yeah...Its fine now," she answered, slowly standing upright again. "...I don''t know what happened...everything just..." She rubbed her temple gingerly as she trailed off, unable to explain what had just happened.


    "I think you should leave this off for the night, ok?" Maddie suggested, referring to the suit head. Abby nodded quietly, not even able to look at it anymore. It felt different now, she could feel that something wasn''t right with it.


    "Take this up to our room, will you?" Maddie whispered to Ian, handing him the head. "Just put it in the closet."


    "Yeah, no problem," he responded, before turning to Abby. "Don''t party too hard without me, I''ll be right back." Abby chuckled weakly, Maddie nodding in thanks as he turned and walked out of the crowded library. Maddie supported Abby for a few steps before she steadily regained control of herself and returned to the gathering.


    Unknown to them, a third witness was present. Casper walked freely among the crowd with a pale white theater mask in place of his own. He watched Maddie and Abby disappear into the crowds, then his gaze followed Ian.


    His focus was drawn to Syth as he made his way after Ian, focusing on the suit head. In the orientation it was being carried, its eyes stared blankly back at him. Two gazes meeting. Unblinking.


    Something about this peculiar object transfixed his attention, even more so after what he''d just seen. He was drawn to it; he could almost feel some invisible force tugging him towards the head. It was an intriguing mystery too bizarre for him to pass up. Ian traveled down a short hallway before turning up a flight of stairs.


    Casper removed the theater mask, dropping it in the lap of a student passed out against the wall as he followed Ian''s path, heading up the stairs after him.

 Part 7

    So many hours went by in the controlled chaos. It was dark when they had arrived, so for all she knew it was already tomorrow. Maddie made her way through the bouncing crowd to where her friend had ended up.


    Abby had lightened up almost instantly after Ian took the head away, within a few minutes she was right back to jumping around carelessly alongside another of their friends, Jess.


    "I would hate to pull you away from whatever is happening here," Maddie began, watching her friends'' attempt at dancing. "But I think I''m gonna hit it for tonight."


    "But it''s so early!" Abby replied, not breaking her stride.


    "Yeah, it is. Early morning by now," Maddie replied. "Don''t be out too long, sleep is a thing." Both girls laughed as Maddie battled through the crowd over to one of the exits, leaving the library and returning to their building.


    The place was starting to show signs of life again with a few students wandering home, some drunk or high, or both. Maddie climbed the final stairs to the hallway, slipping the plastic mask off her face and unzipping her jacket.


    A short distance down the hall, Ian stood conversing with a few others. When he saw her, he bowed out of the conversation and moved to walk alongside her.


    "How''s Abb doing?" he inquired.


    "She seems fine, it''s like nothing even happened at all," Maddie answered, opening the door. She entered her apartment, tossing the mask to the table and resting against the counter. It took a minute to recover hearing and sight, now clear of the college madness.


    "Yeah, it''ll be a while before you can hear your own thoughts again," Ian noted.


    "We''re a few batons and shields away from a damn riot down there," Maddie joked. Ian smiled softly before his expression slowly fell back to concern.


    "Any idea what happened with Abby?" he questioned softly.


    "Not a clue. It looked like she was about to pass out or something, but after you left, she was totally fine," Maddie evaluated. Her gaze wandered about the apartment, settling on the open closet. A familiar face stared back at her; half-hidden behind the closet door.


    "Think she''d be pissed if I threw that thing out?" Maddie wondered aloud.


    "You saw how excited she was about it." Ian pointed out, "But... I don''t know. I''m thinking about doing it myself. That thing gives me bad vibes." Maddie walked over and closed the doors before collapsing onto the couch in exhaustion.


    Ian went to the kitchen, digging through the fridge. The tiny living space fell into near silence, apart from distant music from the library seeping through the walls and windows. Maddie closed her eyes and laid her head back, attempting to sooth the headache that had befallen her.


    The closet doors rattled lightly. Both were unaware as the doors slowly slid open, the head once again staring her down. It moved, sliding out of its half-hidden position. A form stepped out of the closet, silently moving to the center of the room. Ian shuffled a few things around in the fridge before closing it and turning around. The room was empty.


    "You guys need to expand your beverage palates, like, bad," Ian commented. Maddie smiled and opened her eyes, starting to respond before freezing. The closet doors were open, the head was gone. Ian looked confused, until he realized what she was staring at. Silence once again settled over the room, heavier.


    They each scanned the visible sections of the apartment, too afraid to move. Faint rustling turned their attention to the bedroom. Maddie cautiously rose from the couch, slowly side stepping across the room.


    Her gaze was locked on the bedroom door as she slowly moved towards the front door. Ian kept his sight on the doorway as well, slowly backing towards their escape. Maddie reached out with one hand, feeling for the knob.


    She got a good grip, turning it slowly to maintain silence. She felt the latch release, starting to pull the door open, when she heard it. The sound of metal grinding, ever so subtle, but it was there.


    Right behind her.


    She jumped forward, narrowly avoiding the strike. Casper stepped out from the cover of darkness, the Syth head held in his off-hand as it pierced Maddie with its motionless stare. He made another lunge with his makeshift blade, Ian yanking Maddie backwards protectively.


    Before Casper could follow up, Maddie grabbed a chair and flung it at him. The attack was easily deflected but gave Ian an opening. He shoulder rushed Casper, forcing him right out the now open front door and into the adjacent wall in the hallway.


    The Syth head tumbled to the floor, sliding a few feet and resting on its side. Its eyes seemed to follow the scene as it unfolded, its never ending grin enjoying the scene. Casper recovered remarkably fast from the double impact, kicking Ian back and immediately striking out.


    Ian managed to duck backwards, going for a right hook. He put all his strength into the attack, which Casper took advantage of. He thrust his arm up to block the swing, then made an upward strike. Maddie locked up at the sight.


    The blade pierced out the back of Ian''s head, twisting back and forth lightly before being yanked back out. Blood sprayed across the hallway, a line of dark red splattering across the suit head. Ian seized up, falling limp on the floor. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Maddie wanted to scream, but all that came out was a shaky breath. Suddenly she snapped out of her daze, seeing Casper turn his attention to her. Instinctively, she bolted down the hall, the masked assailant in close pursuit.


    The Syth head lay on the floor, staring blankly ahead, a streak of red dashed across its face. Ian twitched for a few minutes before going completely still. The head seemed to watch him slowly die, a permanent smile giving an eerie illusion of joy.


    Gradually, the blood spatter started to disappear, soaking into the suit head until it was gone. Not a speck of red remained on the motionless costume face.


    Abby reached the stairs, trailed by Jess. Both had decided to follow Maddie''s example and get some sleep while it was still possible. They climbed halfway up before stopping as sounds of screaming came from the hallway above.


    A handful of fellow students came rushing down the stairs, some sporting spots of dark red smeared on their hands and clothes. Alarmed, they quickened their pace as much as possible without tripping on every step. A short distance down the hall, Abby abruptly slowed to a halt and fell to her knees.


    "...Ian...?? Ian!!" she cried helplessly, completely stunned by the horrific scene before her. Jess covered her mouth, taking a few backwards steps.


    "Abby...I..." she stuttered, not able to form a sentence. Abby didn''t even care about the pool of red soaking into her jeans, overcome with devastated sobs. Her whole body went numb, shuddering and quivering uncontrollably.


    Her hand fell to the floor, slipping in the crimson substance. She jerked away instinctively, just then noticing the pool of red she knelt it. She inched backwards, staring at the scene in shock. It was then she saw the Syth head.


    The suit head sat near the middle of the crimson pool, yet it remained completely clean. A neat circle separated the head from the blood, a perfect ring of spotless floor, as if the substance had run against some invisible barrier.


    Abby leaned forward, examining the head in confusion. Suddenly, it began trembling. Ever so lightly, like a faint vibration. The girls watched in awe as the suit head slowly collapsed in on itself, shriveling and shrinking down to a pile of green and white fur.


    Then nothing.


    Abby sat petrified by not one but two ghastly events back to back. The hallway sat in profound silence until a few students poking out from their rooms to investigate the previously heard commotion.


    Finally, Abby sat up and slowly got to her feet. Faster than she could even process, the fur lunged at her. She shrieked in surprise as the material suddenly seemed to come to life, coiling around her torso like a snake trapping its prey.


    Jess backpedaled, terrified of what she was seeing. The green and white material slithered around Abby''s body, appearing to grow and spread until it covered her entire torso. It then sprouted along her limbs, spreading to envelop her head as she struggled to let out a shout of terror before being silenced.


    Jess fell backwards, watching as a new shape was formed, changing and shifting in shape and size until It took up the entire height of the hallway. Abby''s muffled cries gradually merged into animalistic grunts that filled the hallway as a twisted creature took shape. An actual living Sergal, exactly matching the Syth head. Only now It had a full, complete body. She was free.


    Syth let out a raspy groan and stood upright, taking up the narrow hallway with her towering height. Her long fingers stretched and twitched, a long tail curling around her legs. A dull crackling sounded as the creature''s torso split itself open in a bloody inverted V, exposing muscles and innards that flexed and writhed with her every movement.


    Patches all over her body and face rotted down to the bone within seconds, one eye fading to a milky grey color while the other remained bloodshot, active and aware. Fearful chattering caught her attention, the looming creature stepping forward and erupting a deafening, scratchy howl that sent everyone scattering.


    The creature darted forward at terrifying speed, catching up to the fleeing spectators in mere seconds. She lashed out, her jaws latching onto an unfortunate soul who was just barely slower than the rest. Rows of long fangs ripped through flesh as powerful jaws locked onto her first victim.


    Jess managed a brief backward glance as she reached the stairs and nearly tumbled down. Once the rush of warm crimson fluid slowed, Syth released her prey. The now lifeless form collapsed to the floor as Syth pressed onward after the screams of fright echoing through the building. She needed more.


    More.


    Jess rounded a corner, moving faster than she ever knew she could. Awful sounds chased after her, screams of terror and cries of pain accompanied by gut wrenching sounds of flesh tearing. She didn''t know where she was going, only that she had to move forward, escape the horrible scene behind her.


    Just run. Just run. Not daring to look back, she turned another corner and ran right into Maddie. She too looked panicked and frenzied.


    "Jess, thank god. We need to get out of here!" she reported. Jess was so consumed with fear she tried to respond only coming up with slurred mumbling between sobs. She moved to continue down the hall, Maddie stopping her.


    "Not that way, that Casper guy is down there!" she explained.


    "Well there''s a fucking monster down here!!" Jess finally spat out, tugging Maddie the other way. At that moment, Casper rounded the corner. He slowed to a casual stroll as he saw them, holding out his arm so his blade scratched along the wall as he moved.


    Grating scrapes shot through the hall, both girls snapping their attention to the masked man. Maddie took a few steps backward, though Jess was reluctant to move in that direction. Suddenly a scream came from behind them, all three stopping in their places.


    A lone teen stumbled backward into the other end of the hallway, eyes frozen in an expression of horror. A sharp snarl cut through the scream as the Sergal lunged into the hallway as well, snatching the teen and forcing him up against the wall.


    Her long fingers coiled his entire head as she held him at her level, his legs scrambling helplessly a good few feet off the floor. Maddie stared at the creature in awe, recognizing the colors and patterns of her fur. But it couldn''t be. How could it be?


    The Sergal''s ears twitched lightly, causing her to turn her gaze towards the two girls. Her sight locked in on them as she flung her current victim downwards against the wall with a sickening crack, the awkward position his head rested in as he collapsed to the floor confirming his fate.


    Casper stepped backwards as Syth turned towards them and let out a raspy, rattling hiss as a threat, causing him to back out of the hallway. Jess tugged on Maddie fearfully, snapping her out of her shock.


    She glanced backwards briefly, merely having to confirm the layout she remembered. Jess must have seen it too, as they both started moving at once towards the double doors halfway down the hallway.


    Syth started to follow them, stopping as a sound caught her attention. A human voice, shouting repeatedly. Her ears perked up, focusing in on the sounds and picking up multiple voices, a crowd of chattering and hollering from nearby. She glanced back to the doorway the two girls had vanished into, then turned the opposite direction and started down the hall, the cacophony of voices steadily growing louder.

 Part 8

    Throughout most of the night, Sam patrolled the outer perimeter of the gathering, struggling to maintain a line of sight on his brother. Adam spent the night mainly talking with Colby and Ian, though the three kept moving around the crowded area.


    After Ian had left Colby and Adam moved closer to one of the windows and remained there for a while as they talked, which made defensive surveillance far easier.


    "Did you hear what was going on with Abby?" Colby questioned.


    "No, but she seemed fine when she and Jess left," Adam answered.


    "They left too?" Colby realized. "Are we the only ones left standing?"


    "Did Em call it too?" Adam questioned.


    "Yeah, she had to get at least some studying in," Colby explained. "So should we call it a night?"


    "I guess so, just let me get my delinquent sibling first." Adam responded, knowing full well Sam was present. He made his way across the crowd to get to one of the many tables used to house refreshments and such.


    Sam had seen his brother approaching and ducked down behind the table, using the cloth as cover. His stealth attempts proved futile as Adam rounded the table, leaning over to meet his brother face to face.


    "Time to hit the road Jr," he declared.


    "How long did you know I was here...?" Sam questioned, getting up.


    "I saw a teenage looking numbskull climbing into a second story window, and I have the only little brother in town who thinks he''s Ezio," Adam answered, half joking.


    "Fair enough," Sam responded simply. A scream broke out from outside the room, bringing everything to a sudden stop. The pounding music gradually lowered in volume as everyone looked around in concern.


    "What...?" Sam started, waved to silence by Adam. Without warning the double doors erupted open as a limp human form was propelled through, sliding a distance into the room and leaving a streak of dark red on the floor.


    He was alive, barely, coughing weakly and struggling to move himself backwards, his terrified gaze locked on the now open doorway. A soft growling filled the silence, followed quickly by unintelligible mumbling as a second bloody young man stumbled through the doorway, turning to look back from whence he''d came.


    With startling speed, Syth lunged through the doorway and caught him in the gut. Her long claws ran him through with ease as she raised her arm above her head, lifting him far off the floor.


    She watched him struggle helplessly against her for a moment, blood dripping from the fresh wound down to her face, before tossing the victim to the side, sending him crashing into a flimsy table that buckled under the weight.


    The Sergal then stepped further into the room, two strides covering the distance her first victim had crawled before she brought the third down forcefully upon him, finally finishing him off with a nasty crunch to cut off his pleas for his life.


    The entire room had been brought to staggered silence, no one was brave enough to move so much as an inch. Syth looked over the frozen crowd, her twisted mind overwhelmed with the possibilities that lay before her.


    Sam peered out from his hiding spot, pulled back by Adam. A long, slimy tongue slipped between Syth''s lips and stroked across her snout, cleaning the blood streaks from her face. The Sergal then stamped her foot sharply, erupting a startlingly loud screech and kneeling to a ready position.


    Her provoking had worked, as the petrified students were jarred from their trance and had begun panicking. Two were separated from the cluster, catching her eye. She darted forwards, ripping into both targets simultaneously and forcing them to the floor before raking her claws down their torsos in massive gouges.


    Movement again caught her attention, instinctively she lashed upwards. Her claws tore into the straggler with enough force to fling him backwards a good distance. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    Almost instantly she lurched forward and snapped her jaws shut on yet another poor soul, thrashing her around violently before releasing her and sending her bouncing off the wall before tumbling to the floor in a bloody mess.


    With the Sergal now a good distance from the doorway and focused in the opposite direction, Adam urged Sam through the doors with Colby not far behind. Adam went to follow them, stopped as another body was tossed across the room, rolling to the floor at his feet. He traced the trajectory of the corpse, finding the Sergal now looking in his direction.


    "Colby, get him out of here!" he called to his friend, who spurred Sam along down the hall. Syth advanced on Adam, who bolted into the rows of bookshelves for cover. The beast was determined to pursue him, though quickly found the paths between shelves was too narrow.


    She squeezed through sideways, slower but still catching up rather fast. She made a lunge to catch him, her jaws snapping shut just inches above his head as he ducked to avoid the attack. He turned a corner and sprinted full speed, the Sergal lurching out from the tighter space and charging after him in the more open row.


    Attempting to repeat the nearly successful tactic, Adam turned into another narrow path. Syth turned a row earlier, squeezing her way fast enough to strike through the shelf at him. Her claws swung just in front of him, causing him to skid to a stop as books went flying everywhere.


    He then shoulder rushed the shelf, tipping it over onto the beast. Syth yelped in surprise as she was buried under books and an entire shelving unit. Adam took the opportunity and bolted for the main area, the Sergal erupting from the wreckage of books and clambering over the fallen furniture.


    Adam returned to the open area just as Syth rammed past the bookshelves in close pursuit, causing rows and rows of shelving to fall like dominoes. She snarled in anger and darted forward, Adam ducking into a roll under one of the tables.


    Syth flattened the table just as he slid under it and quickly got to his feet again. Feeling quite enraged by now, the Sergal picked up the table and threw it at Adam, who swerved to the side as the improvised projectile missed him just barely.


    He made it to the doorway, grabbing the frame to turn sharper and maintain speed as he headed into the hallway. He could hear the beast howl in rage, glancing back to see her tearing after him down the hall at terrifying speed. Suddenly he collided with something, almost falling over as Colby and Sam caught him.


    "What are you doing?? I said get out of here!" he scolded them.


    "Run now, yell at me later!!" Sam yelped urgently as the Sergal stomped towards them. Colby directed them to a door a few steps down the hall, the three of them rushing in and slamming it shut.


    They found themselves in a large room lined with tables and chairs, often used as a study area for the students on campus. Currently the room was dim, the only light source coming from outside and constantly alternating between red and blue.


    "Is that the cops?" Colby questioned.


    "Either that or a second rave right next to ours," Sam answered, peering through the window. Several police cruisers sat in the parking lot, lights flashing around. Someone must have called in what was happening, law enforcement most likely assuming it was Casper.


    "We just have to get outside," Adam declared, picking up a chair.


    "Whoa whoa, you''re just going to bust the window out?" Sam questioned.


    "Unless you have a hall pass to get past Chompy out there," Colby responded.


    "I think the campus will understand," Adam added, pulling back to swing. The door to the room suddenly blew inwards, Syth crouching down to fit through the smaller doorway. Adam instantly turned and lobbed the chair at her, giving them time to flip up a table and use it as a shield.


    Adam and Colby braced as Syth dashed into their makeshift defense, staggering them both. They both fought against the beast in a reverse tug of war match, pushing to keep her at bay as Sam took a chair of his own and began beating on the window.


    Syth snarled in determination and jolted against the table. Adam and Colby stumbled backwards, struggling to keep the shield upright as the creature fought against them. Sam swung at the window with all his strength, making steady progress.


    With her height advantage, Syth was able to reach an arm over the table and claw blindly at them. Colby had to move lower to avoid the repeated attacks, allowing Syth to gain a few steps on them. With one final attempt, the window shattered.


    Sam used the chair to sweep away the shards of glass and climbed through. Adam and Colby struggled to keep their grip, nodding in silent agreement.


    "Go!" Adam signaled, both men moving backwards at once, allowing Syth to push the shield for them. Colby leapt through the window first with Adam right behind him. The table hit the wall and bent inwards as Syth lunged at them.


    The broken table covered the window as Colby and Adam fumbled to the sidewalk. Syth bellowed and yanked the table away from the window, stopping suddenly. She looked past them, gazing blankly as if mesmerized by the flashing light for a few moments before unexpectedly backing away and disappearing into the dark room.


    Adam watched the beast retreat, puzzled, until Colby tapped his shoulder. He was extending a hand helpfully, Adam taking it and getting pulled up to his feet.


    "What was that about?" he questioned.


    "Don''t tell me you''re disappointed the killer monster turned tail," Colby commented.


    "No, but..." Adam hesitated, finding he had other priorities.


    He turned to his brother, confirming he was unharmed, then started towards the police cruisers as more pulled up. He waved the two to follow him, Sam glancing back at the broken window before joining is brother and friend in making their way to safety.

 Part 9

    An unsettling quiet had taken over the building, occasionally broken by distant screams of terror and raspy howls. The two girls crept through hallways vigilantly, now having two threats to watch for.


    Maddie lead the way, Jess clinging to her arm. They both had spent enough time in the building to know where they were going, the nearest exit was close by. Maddie approached a corner, stopping and cautiously peering around the corner to ensure the way was clear.


    At the far end of the long hallway stood Casper, slowly retracting the blade weapon from a fresh victim''s gut. Maddie stepped back, silently signaling Jess that exit route was not an option. She thought for a second; the next closest exit was across the hall.


    Maddie slowly peered around the corner once more, watching thankfully as Casper stalked away in a different direction. She nodded to Jess and they pressed on down the hall, passing a window that caught Jess''s attention.


    From their position in the building she could see the parking lot outside, where two SWAT vans were sitting idle, no doubt responding to the threat of Casper. She tugged Maddie''s sleeve to get her attention, pointing her to the window.


    "There''s an exit right by there." Maddie realized, "Come on, let''s go!" She and Jess picked up their pace down the hall, Maddie slowing up as she approached the corner. There was only one way of knowing what lay ahead.


    Warily she leaned forward, inching closer to the wall as the next hallway crept into view. To her dismay, the Sergal crouched close to the floor at the far end, jaws latched firmly around a young girl''s neck. Two other bodies lay sprawled across the corridor, victims she was through with.


    Just behind the grisly scene were the double doors they had been searching for. The creature''s eyes were closed, as she nursed the fresh bite wound for every drop she could get. The sight was horrifying to witness, aided by sickening sounds, Maddie finding herself so disturbed she couldn''t look away.


    Shattering the eerie silence, a door halfway down the corridor suddenly drifted a few inches. Syth''s eyes snapped open as a sharp creak echoed through the small space. Maddie quickly ducked back out of sight, motioning Jess to stay silent.


    Syth froze in place, her milky grey eye darting around in search of movement as her ears twitched, picking up the slightest sounds around her. Maddie watched the glass trophy case adjacent to them, a faint reflection of the creature just barely visible.


    A low growl slithered through the enclosed area as Syth dropped the lifeless body and scanned her surroundings. Her ears pinned back; her snout twitched with investigative sniffs as she gradually rose to a standing position.


    The beast had to be close to 8-foot-tall, her head easily rising above the frame of the doors. Maddie fought to hold her breath, maintaining total silence to avoid detection. Syth let out a soft, rattling hiss as she stepped forward.


    Her eyes analyzed the corridor before her, raking for any hints of movement. She stalked forward, catching movement in the glass''s reflection. She crouched down to move quieter, picking up her pace a bit and licking the blood from her lips.


    She slowly approached the movement source, slowing to a stealthy crawl until she reached the corner. Speeding up a bit, she rounded the corner and made a quick strike before anything had a chance to avoid her attack. Rather than flesh and bone, her claws found a blank wall.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    Maddie and Jess backtracked and followed a second hallway to the doors, moving quickly but carefully. Their exit was within reach. Maddie glanced down the corridor, ensuring Syth was nowhere in sight. Safety secured, she reached for the handle of the door.


    Suddenly both doors flew open, a sudden barrage of bright lights entered the room. Three heavily armed officers stepped into the corridor, one of them immediately spotting the two girls.


    "Got two more civilians here." She reported, catching the attention of the other two, "Do a quick sweep, I''ll secure these two." The other two officers started down the hall on command.


    "Wait, you can''t go down there!" Jess stopped them, "That thing is still down there!"


    "Ma''am, I need you to calm down. We''re with Douglas County SWAT, we''re well equipped to handle this Casper character." the officer responded.


    "It''s not just Casper," Maddie explained, "It''s this... thing... some kind of monster. You guys have no idea what you''re dealing with here!"


    "Movement!" one of the officers called out. Everyone turned their attention to the far end of the corridor, silence returning once more to the dreary building. Maddie and Jess backed towards the door, the officers moving down the corridor slowly.


    One officer turned the corner, freezing in place. Suddenly, long claws pierced her torso, ripping right through the heavy body armor like flimsy paper. The officer seized up, dropping the rifle from her grasp as she was raised off the ground and tossed against the wall.


    She lay twitching face down on the floor, torso ripped open. Syth stepped into view, brandishing her claws and barring her rows of fangs. Both remaining officers rapidly fired on the Sergal, to no effect. Syth charged forward, barely even flinching with each bullet tearing into her.


    She closed the gap between them, lashing out with both arms. One officer was stabbed in the throat by the ridged talons, the other grabbed and lifted off the ground as the first was flung into the wall and sprawled to the floor.


    Syth raised the final officer to eye level, taking in the expression of pure terror on her face. Finally, the beast snapped her jaws around the officer''s helmet. With shocking ease, the reinforced helmet crumpled between her teeth, a gut-wrenching cracking sound sealing the officer''s grisly fate.


    Jess fumbled backwards through the doors, pulling a petrified Maddie with her as Syth tossed the limp corpse aside. Maddie locked gazes with the creature, the same unsettling gaze she had seen before so many times.


    Syth started to pursue them, stopping as blaring sirens drew close. From the doorway she could see dozens of Police Cruisers pulling up to the building. She met Maddie''s gaze one last time, confirming that no humanity was to be found in the Sergal''s animalistic eyes, turning and prowling back inside in search of an alternate exit.


    A few officers had come up to meet Maddie and Jess, directing them away from the building and taking them over to an ambulance. As Syth skulked away down the hall, the drifting door opened all the way.


    Casper stepped out from his hiding spot, checking that no other law enforcement were nearby before heading a third direction. He made his way through the building opposite the direction the Sergal had traveled, using a side exit to reach the outside.


    From within the cover of the building, he removed his mask and gloves, sliding them into his pocket and unzipping his dark jacket before pulling down the hood.


    He took out his glasses and placed them on his face, then traversed the outer edge of the building to get to the road without being detected. Once there, it was simple to reach the nearby apartment building.


    He climbed the stairs to reach the apartment he''d been hiding out in, shutting the door and letting out a soft exhale. Hearing more sirens approach, he went over to the window, watching as Police Cruisers and Ambulances showed up in droves, emergency responders swarming into campus.


    A third SWAT van had arrived, a new team filing out. He smirked lightly, if what he''d seen was any indication these officers were just as doomed as the last team was. But the center of his interest wasn''t on the SWAT team currently entering the wrong building, but on the most significant event of the night so far.


    That twisted creature that had interrupted his planned spree. Such an intriguing beast, a formidable one at that. But he knew what he had to do. He would find it; he would kill it.


    No one was taking Halloween away from him.

 Part 10

    "Just insane. One guy did all this." two officers conversed nearby.


    "How many have we found?"


    "Hard to keep track. Calling it 46, and that''s the first four floors of the building. Haven''t even gotten into the library yet."


    "Jesus. And still no sign of him?"


    "Nothing." Emergency responders had started escorting dozens of students from the buildings, some taken right to Ambulances. Maddie watched the scene unfold, still unable to believe everything she''d witnessed that night.


    Her blank stare was finally broken by a surprise hug. Maddie blinked back to the present, finding Adam had appeared next to her. She sighed in relief, returning his hug as Sam rested against the cruiser and slowly slid to a seated position on the ground.


    "You guys ok?" Adam questioned, holding Maddie close. Jess mustered up a slight nod, Sam staring back at the building with an unwavering expression of pure disbelief.


    "I''m not." he muttered as he pulled himself back up off the ground, "I mean... What just happened in there? What the hell was that thing??"


    "I don''t know." Adam replied quietly, discouraged to not have answers. They reverted to troubled silence for a few minutes, until more familiar faces made their way out of the building to join them.


    Emma, who was quickly met with a relieved hug from Colby, and Drake not far behind the rest. The seven of them took a moment to recover from the night''s events, moving away from the chaotic scene to rest around Colby''s truck.


    "Has anyone seen Abby yet?" Maddie asked urgently.


    "That thing... that was Abby." Jess spoke up, "The suit head...it...it just came alive....grabbed her...it turned her into ...that..."


    "...w...what...?" Maddie stammered, fumbling over her words. Jess took a second, confirming her own memory before repeating the statement.


    "That...was...Abby." Everyone fell silent. The thought of that horrible creature, such a twisted beast and such a dear friend being one and the same, it was unthinkable. The creature had acted with such violent drive, such an instinctual lust for killing. It couldn''t be true; it couldn''t be her.


    "How...I mean...How is that even possible?" Emma questioned, "It''s just a suit head..." The second part she mainly directed to herself, a pitiful attempt at reassurance after what she''d seen not long before.


    "Then what was that thing?? Just an exotic pet on the loose?" Sam retorted sarcastically; a bit harsher than he usually was.


    "I don''t know!" Emma fired back, "All I know is that Sergals aren''t real! They''re...they''re just...fictional...just drawings..." she trailed off, not even believing her own words.


    "Well that was one seriously life like sketch." Sam muttered, slumping down again.


    "It did look like the head. I mean exactly like it." Colby spoke softly, looking to Maddie, "...where''d you guys even get that thing anyways?"


    "This weird little shop... place looked ancient, and the head was the only thing that looked like it was from this century." Maddie answered. She started thinking back to that morning, what the old lady had said.


    ''Syth will love you. In fact, I think she already does.''


    "The woman that sold her to us... I don''t know, something seemed off about her." Maddie explained.


    "Off?" Adam echoed.


    "I don''t know...the way she talked about the head...the way it was kept..." Maddie rambled softly, piecing together a conclusion from her jumbled thoughts, "She treated it like a living thing."


    "What, you''re thinking she... knew?" Emma questioned, "That she wanted this to happen?"


    "I mean, she talked about the thing like it was alive and now it is." Maddie responded.


    "It''s at least something to go on." Adam stated, "We should start there."


    "Start?" Sam questioned, "I''m sorry, are we launching a full-on investigation now? Cause that''s kind of the exact reason the police exist."


    "If you''d like to go over there and tell them about the Sergal suit that came to life and slaughtered half the school, I won''t stop you." Drake retorted.


    He had a point, it wasn''t likely anyone would believe such a crazy sounding story, and by the time they could get enough evidence to convince anyone, who knows how high the body count could get. They were on their own, for the time being.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    "You remember the address?" Drake asked Maddie.


    "Yeah, I think." she responded, "But we have to make a stop first. I have to check on Shel."


    "That''s another few minutes that thing gets to go kill happy on the town." Colby replied.


    "So, go without me." Maddie responded, "I''ll text you the address, once I know Shel''s ok, I''ll start looking around here."


    "I''ll come with you. No one should be going anywhere alone with that thing running around." Adam added, "Sam, you''re staying with me."


    "No arguments there." Sam mumbled.


    "I''ll call you guys if we find anything." Colby assured Adam, "You guys stay alive until we get back, alright?" Maddie nodded, heading down towards the street with Adam and Sam trailing behind.


    The others got into Colby''s truck as he drove them down to the street as well before pulling to a stop. A soft buzz caught Emma''s attention, causing her to take out her phone and flick the screen on.


    "Got the address from Maddie." she said, typing it into Google Maps and setting it on the console between her and Colby.


    "Least there won''t be much traffic." Colby commented jokingly, pulling the vehicle onto the road and driving off in the opposite direction the others were heading.


    Everyone sat in silence for a few minutes, still taking in the situation they suddenly found themselves in. In less than an hour they''d gone from enjoying a Halloween party to watching countless friends be taken away by medical personal or carried off in body bags.


    "You think it''s really her? Abby?" Emma questioned, breaking the silence.


    "No. It can''t be." Colby answered, "Abby wouldn''t do this. She couldn''t." Jess gazed out the window, lost in thought until something caught her eye. Something moving along the road beside the vehicle.


    She focused on the thing as it gradually came closer, realizing what it was a second too late. Before she could even alert her friends, something impacted the vehicle hard enough to nearly knock them off the road.


    Colby struggled to keep the vehicle steady as it jerked around unpredictably. The roof of the vehicle bent inwards, something crawling around the truck. Without warning, Drake''s window burst inwards, a long grisly arm reaching for them.


    He ducked away from the attack, Jess pulling him closer to her. Syth snarled in rage, groping around wildly with those razor talons and tearing the seats to shreds with each missed reach. After a few failed attempts, she retracted her arm, moving around on the roof and leaning over the side to get her head through the window upside down.


    "Emma, glove compartment!!" Colby shouted frantically, swerving back and forth in attempts to shake the creature off. Syth let out her rattling hiss, an awful crackling sound filling the air as her neck twisted and mangled itself, turning her head completely around to reorient her sight to the inverted angle.


    Drake and Jess pressed against the door of the truck, desperately trying to escape the repeated snapping of the Sergal''s jaws. Emma dug through the glove compartment, knowing exactly what to look for.


    Colby always kept his revolver stored there. She found the sidearm, frantically loading the cylinder. Syth made a few lunges at Jess and Drake, crawling further and further into the vehicle. Her shoulders crunched loudly as they dislocated themselves and buckled inwards to allow her to fit through the window.


    Emma quickly located the sidearm and turned the weapon on the creature, firing a shot directly into the contorted neck. Syth yelped in surprise, retracting from the window.


    The Sergal shuffled around on the roof, suddenly breaking through Emma''s window in a single attempt, her snapping fangs digging into Emma''s shoulder. The force of the unexpected impact knocked the revolver away from Emma, Syth thrashing Emma around violently, gradually pulling her out the window with her.


    Emma screamed in pain and terror, thrusting her fists against the creature''s snout helplessly. Colby kept one hand on the wheel and caught Emma''s waist with the other, he and Drake struggling to keep her in place as Syth tugged forcefully against them, her fangs digging far enough to scrape against bone.


    Jess recovered the revolver, pressing the muzzle against Syth''s head and firing. Syth screeched loudly, slipping a bit but refusing to let go. Jess took no hesitation in cocking the hammer and pressing the muzzle harder against the beast''s snout, firing again and causing Syth to recoil and release Emma.


    Colby held Emma close, glancing ahead and noticing a parked van. He quickly swerved the truck to the far side of the street and jammed on the accelerator as Syth hissed and made ready for another attack. She pulled back to lunge at them, abruptly impacted by the van as the speeding truck brushed against the parked vehicle.


    The twisted Sergal took a heavy blow, tumbling to the street and laying still as the truck sped off. After a few seconds, the driver''s side door of the van whipped open as an older gentleman clambered out of the vehicle.


    "Damn college kids..." he grumbled to himself, watching the truck disappear into the distance before looking over the damage to his van. An entire side of the rear bumper had shattered, a huge dent covering about a quarter of the vehicle itself.


    He side-stepped around the vehicle, so caught up in the disbelief at the state of his prized van he failed to notice the mangled Sergal until his foot came down on her tail. Startled by the sudden uneven ground, he stepped back and took notice of the lifeless creature laying in a bloody heap behind the vehicle.


    "What the hell...?" he murmured in confusion, examining the unfamiliar creature. He knelt beside the creature''s head, reaching out and jabbing her snout with a single finger. The creature still showed no signs of life, which caused the man to lean in further, getting a closer look at her mangled corpse.


    He again reached out, this time his fingers tracing one of her crimson stained fangs. Many thoughts ran through his mind as he stood back up and turned to return to his vehicle. He took two steps before the Sergal''s tail jolted to life, sweeping his legs from under him and collapsing him to his back on the road.


    Just as fast, the creature lurched towards him, her jaws clamping shut on his throat to silence his shout of surprise. Within a few minutes she''d drained enough from her victim to release him, her ear twitching sharply as she let out an angered hiss.


    Her mangled form shifted around clumsily as she gradually stood. Her neck crackled and crunched to correct itself as her head rotated back to its proper orientation. Her limbs snapped softly, bones resetting themselves and mending the fractures from the brutal impact she''d just taken.


    She stared down the road, growling softly to herself. She ran her long tongue across her lips and resumed her pursuit, stalking down the road.

 Part 11

    The door opened, with key and latch turned almost in perfect sync.


    "Shel?" Maddie called into the house in a hushed voice. She and Sam entered and peered around the dark, empty looking home while Adam watched the streets from the doorway. A flashlight clicked on from the top of the stairs, Maddie''s 14-year-old sister stepping into view.


    "What are you guys doing here?" she questioned.


    "I just needed to know you were ok." Maddie answered, "Where''s Mom?"


    "Probably off getting shitfaced, but why would I not be ok?" Shel answered.


    "Sam can explain it to you, he''s staying here with you." Adam jumped in.


    "He is?" Sam questioned, "Why is he?"


    "Cause his responsible older brother wants to keep him far away from the 8-foot monster, as you can understand." Adam replied.


    "Uh...Monster? Wait, what''s happening out there?" Shel questioned.


    "Like he said, Sam can explain." Maddie responded, "Both of you, lock every door and window in this house, close all the shades, barricade the door."


    "Just stay out of sight and lay low until we come back for you." Adam added. He and Maddie exited the house again, Maddie re-locking the door behind her with her key. Understandably confused, Shel looked to Sam for an explanation.


    "Monster...?" she echoed her last question.


    "Halloween, huh?" Sam commented in reply.


    Across town Colby pulled the truck to a stop, not caring about actual parking spaces, and everyone filed out. Jess supported Emma and helped her to the door, Colby helping Drake get his chair set up.


    Not many stores saw much activity on Halloween night, but one was thankfully open. Even better, there wasn''t a single person in sight. The four of them rushed into the store, Drake and Colby taking separate routes to scan the isles.


    Drake moved row to row, desperately searching for anything that resembled makeshift medical supplies. He knew very little about actual medical procedures, so he went on basic knowledge and scooped a forearm''s length of bandaging rolls onto his lap and kept searching.


    Jess and Emma rested against a counter, falling to a sitting position. Emma fought to muffle her sounds of pain, Jess attempting to use her jacket to suppress the profuse bleeding. Massive teeth marks had been gouged into her shoulder, having been torn further by the violent shaking and tugging.


    Drake soon returned with a lap full of bandaging and random medical supplies, he and Jess combining their limited medical knowledge to figure out what to do.


    "Peroxide! Did you find Peroxide?" she questioned.


    "Yeah, here." he answered, handing her the bottle.


    "God that shit stings." Emma commented through pained wincing, "Just pour it on fast." Across the store, Colby combed the isles, finding a glass counter with ammunition on display. He rushed around the counter, finding shelves packed full of different ammo types.


    He searched the labels, finding the correct type and stuffing a few boxes into any open pocket he had. He then took one more box and ripped it open, dumping its contents onto the counter and clicking the cylinder of his revolver open.


    "What are you doing?" a voice interrupted his frantic thoughts. One employee stuck working this late at night. It was then that Colby realized how crazy he must look.


    "um...it''s for a good cause...?" was all he could muster up as a response. The clerk crossed his arms, looking skeptical. "Look man, I really don''t have time for this. You need to find somewhere to hide, and stay out of sight, understand?" Colby explained rapidly, clicking the loaded cylinder into place.


    "I really don''t care dude; I hate this job anyway. At least just tell me you''re not gonna go shoot up a theater or something." he responded.


    "No, of course not." Colby answered. Just then, an agonized wail tore through the store. Colby leapt over the counter and took off, the clerk pursuing out of curiosity. Emma screamed into her arm, trying desperately to muffle the uncontrollable sounds. Jess dabbed the freshly cleaned wounds, Drake rummaging through the pile of supplies.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    "How is it looking?" Colby questioned, kneeling beside them.


    "Not good. A lot of these are pretty deep." Jess reported.


    "Shit...I think I''m seeing bone...We need to get her to a hospital or something..." Drake added.


    "We''ll stop there first, then I''ll go get Maddie from her place. Where''s the nearest one?" Colby questioned.


    "What the hell am I seeing here?" the clerk jumped in. A soft clatter came from behind them, stopping all exchanges and dropping everyone into instant silence. The sound of something falling off a shelf.


    Colby raised his revolver, slowly standing up. He glanced over the shelves, able to barely see tops the glass double doors of the store, one of which was slowly drifting closed. A low growl took over the silence, slowly turning into a human sounding groan. A scratchy voice croaking and muttering, struggling to form a word.


    "...J...eh...J...Jess...?" It whispered softly. Jess stood up.


    "...Je...ssi...ca...?" the voice repeated her name. It bore striking resemblance to Abby''s voice, though distorted by a raspy tone. The whisper rattled off into a soft croak, followed by several more objects hitting the floor.


    "Get to the door. Now." Colby whispered sharply to the girls. A hushed giggle kept them frozen in place. Colby slowly stepped away from the counter, moving cautiously along the shelves away from the door.


    Jess helped Emma stand, inching closer to the door while keeping a distance from the aisle that stood between them and the unsettling sounds. Colby tossed the truck keys to Drake and moved down the aisle, silently waving the others towards the entrance.


    Drake hesitated, knowing what Colby was thinking. Reluctantly he started moving towards the doors, gesturing to Jess to convince her to go as well. With Emma injured, they had to. Colby was buying them time, and they were wasting it by standing there thinking it over.


    Colby moved down the line, glancing up. He''d worked in retail stores long enough to know many of them had mirrors hung near the ends of aisles to help spot shoplifters. He scanned the ceiling along the aisle to find one, catching movement within the circle of glass.


    Syth crawled along the aisle like a predator ready to pounce. Even knelt close to the floor, her height was still imposing at over half that of the shelves she moved past. The Sergal''s ears twitched lightly, causing her to stop and shift her glance back towards the entrance.


    She started moving in that direction, where the girls were moving as well. Thinking fast, Colby grabbed a piece of Tupperware off the shelf and lobbed it down the aisle.


    The ensuing impact sound snapped the Sergal''s attention away from the entrance, causing her to move faster down the aisle, out of the mirror''s range. He followed her from his side, trying to find another mirror to keep watch of the beast. He was focused in, until the clerk hobbled up beside him.


    "What are you doing??" Colby whispered nearly silently.


    "I''m staying with the guy that has a gun!!" he replied. Colby waved him back towards the others, silently but assertively.


    "I don''t want to!" he responded. Without warning the shelves suddenly flew forwards, Syth erupting from between them and catching the clerk by the wrist. Just as fast as she''d appeared, she retracted back into the shelves, dragging a screaming clerk with her.


    It was like watching a snake strike a passing rat with inescapable speed. Horrible screams of terror ripped through the store, cut off by a sickening crunch. With the Sergal distracted, now was his chance.


    Colby made a dash for his escape, stopped after only a few strides when a freshly severed arm flew past him. He slid to a stop, pressing up against the shelves. Cautiously, he peered around the debris.


    Syth crouched over her latest victim, her long tongue cleaning the blood from her claws. There were blood splatters all over her face and chest, spots of crimson smeared on white and green. The beast tentatively cleaned every visible speck of red from her fingers, seeming to relish in the taste as her tongue coiled around her claws and flicked along each finger.


    The larger spots of red on her face slowly dissolved, absorbing into her fur and vanishing completely. Colby watched curiously as the crimson colors simply faded from existence. A tiny box that had been clinging to the displaced shelves finally succumbed and slid off its resting place clattering to the floor.


    Colby backpedaled at the sound, the Sergal''s ears perked up, her attention now on a new target. Colby scrambled backwards, rounding a corner just as Syth re-emerged from the entrance she had created. That rattling hiss filled the air as her ears twitched, picking up subtle sounds of movement. Colby held his breath and froze in place, Syth crawling closer to his location.


    "...why...hide...?" Abby''s voice rasped from the creature''s jaws. She slowed a bit as she approached the corner, a soft rustling sound confirming her prey was there. Quickly she lunged around the corner, jaws snapping violently.


    A lack of contact caused her to glance around in brief confusion, the rustling sound drawing her attention to a small windup toy rolling around on the floor. She''d been tricked. Instantly she turned and bolted toward the door.


    Colby had just exited the store, sprinting for the truck as Syth crashed through the store window. Colby jumped into the bed of the truck as it sped off, Syth howling in rage but only taking a few steps after them. The vehicle was too fast for even her to catch up to.


    She growled as her thoughts raced, a realization coming to her. She didn''t have to chase them, because she knew where they were going.


    The beast watched the truck drive off, an animal''s equivalent of a devious smile coming to her. Colby instinctively aimed his revolver, stopping when he saw Syth turn and crawl away in the opposite direction.


    "That was way too close." he sighed in relief.


    "Where do you think she''s going?" Drake questioned.


    "No idea, but we''ve gotta get to Maddie and Adam." Colby responded, a thought coming together, "I think I know how to kill this thing."

 Part 12

    The streets had gone eerily quiet. No doubt news stations had begun reporting what had happened at the campus, putting the town on high alert.


    People were prepared for a disturbed man like Casper but had no idea what twisted threats prowled the night. Maddie and Adam retraced the path they had taken from the college, passing by abandoned looking storefronts.


    "Looks like the whole town''s on lockdown." Adam commented, looking around.


    "Good." Maddie responded, "The less people wandering the streets, the better." It was almost uneasy seeing the town in such a state, so void of life, so unnaturally quiet. They walked the sidewalk in silence as the cool breeze grew bitterly cold.


    A faint clicking snapped Maddie out of her empty stare, causing her to look up ahead of her once more. As she blinked back to reality, she made out movement ahead of them. Something moving towards them as they moved towards it.


    She slowed her pace a bit, which caught Adam''s attention. He too slowed his speed, glancing questioningly at Maddie before looking ahead to locate the source of her focus. The movement drew closer to them, a shape made out in the shadows cast by the line of buildings.


    Merely a pedestrian, silhouette made obscure by the black, western style hat tipped towards them, the person watching the ground as they ambled carelessly. As they got closer and stepped into the dim moonlight, details about them became clear.


    It was in fact a she, an alluring figure attempting to hide under a charcoal blue leather jacket left only partially open. She looked up at them as she approached them, revealing an equally captivating half smile and bright hazel eyes like beacons in the cold night.


    "Excuse me," Maddie spoke up, "You''ve got to get inside, as fast as possible."


    "So I''ve heard. Heading there now actually." the stranger responded.


    "Might want to pick up the pace, a lot''s going on out here lately." Adam added, "It''s not safe out on the streets." Her eyes moved to him, searching him up and down briefly.


    "Thanks for caring." she finally replied, flashing him a slight smile as she moved around them. They watched her walk away for a few moments before continuing on themselves.


    The woman continued down the sidewalk for a while, getting to the right building and stopping. She glanced back, ensuring the two hadn''t been watching her before entering the building. It was a smaller empty lot, only lit by a single LED lantern place on the floor.


    "Guess it''s time to move camp." she mumbled softly, making her way to the center of the room and picking up the lantern.


    She held it up as she turned and moved towards the far wall. Dried blood painted half the dusty old wall, a fresh corpse laying in the corner with a small pool of crimson gathering under the slashes on his wrist. T


    he woman clicked the lantern off, dropping it lazily next to the corpse and moving towards the rear exit. As she left, she picked up the one thing of value to her in the room, an unusually macabre lavender pink suit head.


    <hr>


    Up the road, Maddie and Adam continued until dim headlights caught their sight. A battered old truck was heading their way, pulling up alongside them. Colby jumped out of the bed and caught his two friends in a brief, open armed hug, Emma practically falling out of the vehicle to join the group hug as Jess and Drake rounded the truck to join them.


    A moment of relief, safety among friends, that lingered as long as possible before the group broke and stepped back into their dire reality.


    "What the hell happened?" Maddie questioned, noticing the damaged state of the truck.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    "Our fuzzy friend decided to pop in." Drake answered, "Nearly forced us off the road, then followed us all the way to the store we stopped at."


    "What, was she getting hungry?" Adam jokingly asked.


    "Must have been. She snacked on the clerk then grabbed a Hershey and dashed." Colby responded.


    "Jesus..." Maddie murmured, glancing to Emma and noticing the makeshift bandaging, "Emma, are you doing ok?"


    "I''m fine, it''s not as bad as it looks." Emma replied confidently.


    "No, it''s not. It''s way worse." Jess added.


    "Did you get her to the Hospital?" Maddie questioned, already figuring she knew the answer.


    "On the way there." Colby responded, "Hop in." He helped Emma climb into the passenger''s seat before reclaiming the driver''s seat for himself. Maddie and Jess assisted Drake into the crew cab as Adam volunteered to ride in the bed.


    "Guys, it''s not that bad." Emma insisted, "I''m not leaving this thing roaming the town just because of a little bite."


    "She has a point." Drake jumped in, "I mean that bite''s not very little, but it shouldn''t take us all out of play. I don''t see anyone else figuring out what to do with Miss Claws and Teeth."


    "He''s right, we''re it right now. We can''t just sit around hoping someone else will step in." Maddie responded.


    "Let''s just get Emma taken care of," Jess spoke up, "And then we figure out how to kill this bitch."


    Shel sat in the middle of her bed, gazing at her laptop screen. After Sam had explained what he''d seen that night, she was understandably a bit skeptical at first. A story of some fictional creature being real was, in itself, hard to believe.


    Said creature suddenly appearing in a crowded campus and subsequently disappearing with only a small handful of witnesses sounded even more unlikely. Though Sam was thoroughly shaken, looking like he didn''t even believe his own recounting of the night''s events.


    Adam was the first to mention a monster roaming about, and Maddie was visually anxious about something. If it were only Sam spinning a tale like this, she might have brushed it off much easier.


    But to have the other two react as they had made it difficult to dismiss completely. She had found reports of the campus event, reading through the articles that had already been written and posted online.


    The reports all talked of animalistic violence in the attacks and evidence suggestive of imposing physical power that no human could even come close to, stating the death toll was estimated to be close to 63.


    Accompanying the articles were several sketches, explained to have been the result of eyewitness accounts. Each one was almost the exact same, despite being from various testimonies.


    Even more so, the sketches matched up with Sam''s own description of the mysterious creature. She studied the sketches, struggling to imagine something like this creature truly existing.


    Sam sat in a desk chair at the foot of her bed, slowly turning back and forth in a feeble attempt at soothing his still racing mind. A soft sound from outside drew his focus to the window. He slowly got up and pushed the curtain aside, straining to see in the dark night.


    "What is it?" Shel questioned, stepping up next to him.


    "Thought I heard something." He mumbled quietly. Suddenly a large area became spontaneously well lit. Motion triggered lights had been activated, revealing the backyard of the neighboring house.


    The Sergal was hunched over the yard''s large pool, her snout partly submerged as she gently lapped up the cool liquid, the fresh corpse floating a few feet from her creating a gradually expanding cloud of crimson beneath the surface.


    As the light flickered on, she gazed around for its source, licking her lips and shaking her head briefly, much like a canine. In her search for the light source, her gaze passed over the window they watched her from.


    "Don''t move...maybe she won''t see us..." Sam whispered, both of them locked in place. Syth growled softly, rising from her crouched position and covering most of the pool''s length with two strides, the third becoming a lunge that easily cleared the fence separating the two properties.


    "She sees us." Sam mumbled, pulling the curtain closed as they both backed away. For a few minutes, an uncanny silence took over the darkened home. Shel got out her phone rapidly typing until soft scratching became just barely audible.


    It seemed to move, working its way up the side of the house. The sounds slowly moved above them, abruptly stopping. Sam and Shel watched as the hallway window was slowly forced open almost a full inch.


    Long claws wedged themselves between the wood panels, bending the frame until the lock popped off with a sharp crack. Shel leapt from her bed and whipped the door closed, slowing the last few inches to silently click it shut.


    She then backed away slowly, both she and Sam frozen in terror as footsteps settled heavily in the hallway. Soft growling breaths approached the door, Shel retreating to her bed and Sam stumbling backwards into the chair, falling back into his seat.


    Everything paused for a few seconds, but his heart practically exploded out of his chest when he saw the doorknob twitch. Tortuously slowly, the knob creaked as it rotated bit by bit. Finally, with a click, the door drifted open, a haunting resemblance to Abby''s voice hissing and croaking softly.


    "....why.......hide........?"

 Part 13

    The door tapped against the wall, a piercing gaze meeting his own. The towering creature knelt to fit through the doorway, prowling into the room like a jungle cat about to pounce.


    She seemed to completely ignore Shel; her sight was transfixed on Sam without so much as a glance in her direction. Sam wheeled the chair backwards until the wall blocked his escape. All he could do was shrink against the wall as Syth approached him.


    Even crouched on all fours she was nearly equal to his current height sitting in the desk chair. The Sergal snarled softly, flashing rows of long, curved fangs inches from Sam''s face, her tongue swiping lightly over his neck.


    She leaned in closer, the tip of her snout brushing along his face. Her sounds gradually quieted to a soft murmur, sounding closer to inquisitive while naturally maintaining a threatening edge. Shel desperately searched the room, catching sight of a bat propped up against the post of her bed.


    She quickly got a hold of it, bringing it down on the Sergal with as much force as she could muster. Syth yelped in surprise as the blunt weapon slammed into the back of her neck, lashing out instinctively in response.


    Shel was backhanded across the room, bouncing painfully off her dresser and rolling to the floor. The attack gave Sam enough breathing room to stand up, quickly he thrust the chair upward into the creature''s chin before she could return her focus to him.


    He then raised the chair over his head and brought it down on her head, the backrest snapping off from the impact, and took the opportunity to get around the beast.


    Barely affected by the hit, Syth whipped her tail upwards, catching Sam in the chest as he made a break for the door, and sending him sprawling to the floor beside Shel, who had gotten back to her feet. Shel took Sam by the arm, pulling him with her as he scrambled out of the room and yanked the door shut in front of them.


    "Shel!!" Maddie called from outside, testing each window until she found one unlocked and opening it to enter the house.


    "Maddie!!" Shel responded as her sister entered the foyer below, "It''s in the house!!" The Sergal in question bellowed and lashed her claws through the door, ripping it from its hinges like tearing a page from a book.


    Sam lead the charge down the stairs, Syth darting forward and leaping over the banister, landing at the base of the staircase. Sam and Shel skidded to a stop as the Sergal was now suddenly in front of them again.


    They backpedaled up the stairs, Syth lashing out and catching Sam''s hood with her talons. As he was jerked to a stop, she reached up with her free hand and wrapped her claws around his throat.


    She held him off the floor, snarling in anger. Shel swung at her with the bat she still held, landing a hard hit to her side, Syth instantly retaliating with a sharp snap of her jaws to scare the teen away.


    In response, Shel tossed the bat over the railing to Maddie, who caught it and immediately made a heavy sideways swing at the Sergal''s leg, sweeping it from under her and causing her to slide down the stairs as Sam was dropped from her grip.


    Syth growled and flipped around with a quick swipe at the new challenger. Maddie ducked backwards to avoid the swing, giving the Sergal the split second she needed to close the distance between them.


    Maddie fell backwards, swinging twice with the bat before it was caught and wrenched from her grasp. With a simple squeeze the weapon crackled in the beast''s hand and splintered as it was tossed aside in pieces. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    The front door of the house jolted slightly, held in place by the chair that had been wedged under the handle as a barricade. She then took hold of Maddie''s ankle, yanking her back towards her and pulling back to strike.


    Maddie thrust her heel into the creature''s snout forcefully, refusing to back down, which only spurred the beast to move in for the kill. She crawled over Maddie, holding the struggling woman in place with one hand and lowering her head so they were face to face.


    Syth then let out a deafening, prolonged bellow as her fangs inched dangerously close to Maddie''s face. Maddie pushed against the massive creature in a feeble last-ditch attempt to save herself.


    She was pinned beneath the creature''s grasp, completely incapacitated from the waist down. Fear began to take over, her hands trembling as they put all their strength in the hopes of forcing the beast away from her.


    Syth growled softly, staring down at her newest target in triumph. She reached up with her free arm, lightly running her claws down the side of Maddie''s face. Though even the Sergal''s best definition of ''lightly'' still drew blood.


    She carved long streaks of fresh blood as Maddie groaned in pain, turning away from the beast as much as her restricted state could allow. It was all she could do. Syth slowly raised her arm above her head to strike, savoring the moment.


    "Abby, it''s ok..." Maddie whispered softly. The Sergal stopped cold, her victorious growl trailing off.


    "You didn''t do this Abby," Maddie continued, bracing for the attack, "This wasn''t your fault." Her eyes were shut, awaiting the inescapable fate of claws ripping into her flesh. To her surprise, no such act transpired, instead the room fell oddly quiet.


    She slowly opened her eyes, finding that the Sergal stood completely still, arm still raised in a ready position, but slowly starting to lower. The creature''s eyes studied her, unwavering even as the beast slowly tilted her head slightly.


    Eyes that had always held malicious intent and primal desire now seemed to house something very different. Sorrow. True, deep sorrow. For a moment, she thought she saw her friend within the creature''s eyes, a faint glimmer of the gentle humanity that was overcome by animalistic blood lust.


    Without warning, Sam ran up on the beast and stabbed the splintered bat handle into her shoulder. The glimmer was lost as she erupted in a furious snarl and lashed out at him.


    The instinctive reaction caused the Sergal to unknowingly release her grasp on Maddie, who wasted no time scrambling towards the door and yanking the chair from under the handle.


    The door swung open, Adam stumbling into the room. Syth snapped her attention to the sound of the door being forced open, hissing and standing upright. Colby stepped in right behind Adam, revolver at the ready.


    As Adam ducked to the side to tend to Maddie, Colby fired three quick shots at the beast. Syth was undeterred, kneeling down to lunge at him. But Colby was faster, bringing up his second hand to keep his aim steady and firing a fourth shot that tore into her bright red eye.


    An inhuman scream of pain exploded through the house as the Sergal recoiled backwards and fumbled to the floor at the base of the stairs. Shel and Sam climbed over the railing to join their siblings.


    Adam filed everyone out the front door, Colby ushering his friends forward as he remained at the ready as he backed towards the truck. Syth growled aggressively, slowly getting to her feet as her injured eye twitched, squishing and writhing around to reform itself.


    The mangled bullet was pushed out of her socket, clattering to the ground. Now recovered, Syth lunged through the doorway and pursued them, one swipe catching Colby with enough force he landed on the driveway shoulder first. The Sergal immediately pulled him back and took hold of his throat.


    "Go!! Just go!!" he called to his friends with seconds to react, tossing his gun. The side arm slid to a stop before being picked up by Adam, who worked to correct the bullets that had been jarred loose of their slots.


    Syth lifted Colby to eye level with her, seemingly reminding him of what he had just done to her. She then reached up with her free hand, thrusting two of her claws into Colby''s eye. Maddie forced herself to look away, knowing it was beyond prevention, and pulled Adam into the truck.


    She knew it was too late to save their friend, he had given his life to ensure they had time to escape. If they remained any longer, that sacrifice would be rendered pointless. Adam reluctantly fumbled with the keys as Syth jerked her arm towards them, a sharp crack spraying blood over the windshield.


    The engine turned over, Adam yanking his door closed as the vehicle pulled backwards onto the street and peeled off. Syth watched the truck speed away, dropping Colby to the ground as his light twitching slowly stopped.

 Part 14

    "This has to stop." Maddie spoke up after an unbearably long silence, "No more." Her voice was shaky, much quieter than her usual bright tone. Everyone in the vehicle felt the weight that night carried. So much death, so much pain, so much loss.


    "What are we going to do?" Adam questioned quietly, "We can''t even hurt this thing, much less kill it. Bullets don''t even work, they just piss her off. What else is there?"


    "Fire?" Shel suggested.


    "A nuke?" Sam added.


    "Starve her." Drake spoke up. The others fell silent in confusion.


    "Colby brought up the idea earlier. I mean, think about it. What''s the one thing she''s been doing all night?" Drake finished his thought.


    "Killing everything that moves." Maddie answered.


    "And going all vampire." Drake continued, "Jess even said the suit head absorbed Ian''s blood right before it went psycho supernatural. So, what if blood is like food or something for her?"


    "So...we trap her? Starve her?" Adam started to follow his train of thought.


    "Starve her." Drake echoed, solidifying his solution. The vehicle went quiet as everyone pondered the idea. The more thought they put into it, the more it started to make sense.


    Suddenly bright flashing lights appeared behind them. A police cruiser had pulled out from the station they passed and had begun following them, flashing its lights and siren. Adam pulled the vehicle to a stop, the cruiser pulling up behind them. The lights and siren switched off as an officer stepped out of the cruiser and approached the truck.


    "Evening officer..." Adam mumbled as he rolled the window down to speak to her.


    "Where do I begin?" she responded, looking over the ruined state of the vehicle, "Mind explaining what happened here?"


    "Honestly...we could try...But you probably wouldn''t believe what we have to say." Sam replied. The officer understandably looked confused, somewhat skeptical. The radio hooked to her belt chirped lightly before a voice came from the speaker.


    "Hey Chelsea, you catch up to that truck?" they questioned. The officer turned from the window to respond, "Just a couple college kids, James. Looks like they''ve had a rough night."


    "You gonna bring them in? That truck looks like it''s about to fall apart." James responded.


    "Probably should. I''ll be right there, stand by." she replied.


    "Copy copy." James signed off as Chelsea released the button and turned back to face them. She started to speak, hesitating as her eye caught movement behind the truck.


    She tried to focus her sight on the thing, when out of nowhere vicious jaws lunged through the broken window of the truck and latched onto Drake. The Sergal''s massive jaws completely encased Drake''s head as she violently yanked him from the vehicle.


    With only a moment of hesitation from the shock of what had just happened, Adam floored the accelerator. The truck jolted into motion, Syth lashing her long arms out and stabbed her claws through the roof of the vehicle.


    She bellowed in effort and pulled against the truck, tipping the vehicle over as it accelerated forward. Everyone braced as the truck flipped to its side and skidded a short distance. Chelsea, now face to face with the beast as her cover had unexpectedly moved, quickly drew her weapon and fired on the Sergal.


    Syth snarled and slashed her claws across the officer''s chest to knock her to the ground. She watched as her victim desperately pulled herself along the road in a feeble attempt at an escape.


    Adam pushed his door open, boosting Maddie through the opening before he and Sam helped Shel climb out of the vehicle. Maddie watched as Syth stamped down on Chelsea''s back, holding her in place as she reached down and took hold of the officer''s shoulder.


    As everyone dropped to the road from the turned vehicle, Adam herded them towards the police station. The Sergal growled in twisted delight, one swift pull forcing her victim to fold backwards until a brutal crack shot through the night air. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    She let the officer get out a prolonged scream of gut-wrenching agony before slicing her throat open with her claws and dropping her. She then turned her attention to the four fleeing her once more, letting out a sharp howl and starting after them.


    Shel reached the station first, just as a second officer had exited. Adam turned back briefly to fire a few shots at the Sergal as she quickly caught up to them.


    "You''re fucking joking..." James muttered to himself upon seeing the creature. He shook off his disbelief, quickly making a dash to a nearby parked cruiser. Syth was gaining on Adam fast as he fired backwards at her once more.


    The Sergal lashed out, her claws raking across his back. The sudden force was just enough to trip him up as he stumbled to the ground, rolling to face her and immediately firing the last two shots into her torso as the gun clicked empty.


    With little more than a faint flinch, Syth approached Adam with an arm raised to strike. Adam pulled himself backwards as the beast neared him. Out of nowhere, the cruiser plowed into the Sergal as James steered it backwards into her.


    Though caught off guard, she caught the vehicle and quickly steadied herself from the staggering impact, pushing back against the cruiser.


    James jammed on the accelerator, the beast beginning to slide as she was overpowered. Thinking fast, she changed up her grip and lifted the back end of the vehicle off the ground, stopping its advancement.


    The officer bailed from the vehicle as Syth heaved the back end to the side, spinning the cruiser as it bounced to the ground. James scrambled to his feet and bolted back towards the station, passing by a pair of parked cruisers.


    Syth lurched forward, driving all her momentum into one of the vehicles. The cruiser was forced forwards, pinning the officer to the side of the building as he yelled out in pain. He struggled to pull himself free, the vehicle pressing against his waist to keep him in place.


    The Sergal leapt atop the vehicle, caving in its roof and causing the whole vehicle to jolt sharply. James yelped as another surge of pain rocket through his body, gazing up at the beast that crawled down to the hood of the car, crouching down to look him in the eye.


    With the last remaining bit of strength he had, he raised his sidearm and fired an upward shot directly into the Sergal''s chin. Syth snarled lightly, lunging forward and snapping her jaws around the man''s face.


    Inside the station, Adam ushered Sam and Shel to a hallway that led deeper into the building, Maddie stopping and rushing over to the desks and searching the drawers frantically.


    She found what she was after, a ring of keys, and hurried after Adam just before Syth pushed her way through the glass door of the building. A short distance down the hall, Maddie started stopping to check each room they passed.


    "What are you doing?" Adam questioned.


    "Armory." she responded, opening the correct door and finding the room in question and using the keys on the locked gate. After a few tries she found the right one, whipping the gate open and looking around the weapons array before her.


    Adam slid the empty revolver into one of his pockets, picking up one of the sidearms and sliding in a fresh magazine. A predatory growl turned both of their attentions to the hallway as Syth appeared. She hunched to fit through the door, Sam and Shel backing into the far corner.


    Maddie quickly grabbed a shotgun and loaded a single bullet before jumping in front of Adam and shooting the Sergal point blank. Syth screamed in surprise, fumbling backward as the buck shot tore into her torso and shoulder.


    Adam passed Maddie a second shell, which she loaded as Syth started to recover. Maddie stepped closer to the beast, firing directly into her face. Syth howled in pain and collapsed to the floor, crawling away from Maddie in an unexpected display of desperation.


    Maddie hesitated for a second but reached back and signaled Adam. He handed her two more shells, which she loaded and fired into the beast one by one as tears welled in her eyes.


    The Sergal writhed in pain, inching to a corner of the room and filling the air with drawn out screeching and moaning. Her wounds weren''t healing like usual, instead festering and bleeding profusely.


    Maddie and Adam watched the creature skeptically as she weakly swiped at them a few times, less as a means of attack and more a means of defense, trying to keep them at a distance. Syth moaned softly, growing quieter and quieter as she slowly curled up on the floor.


    Her sounds became more human, gentle cries of pain and fear gradually fading to a final quiet exhale. The beast lay there, motionless, unblinking. Lifeless. Maddie dropped the shotgun, exhaling heavily as she finally had a moment to relax. It was over. The Sergal was dead.


    Maddie turned and pulled Adam into a tight hug, sighing shakily. The relief of removing the threat was clouded by remorse, the awful memory of the night''s events. So many friends had been taken from her, so many times her life had come dangerously close to ending. But it was finally over with.


    "Is...Is it dead?" Shel questioned softly, looking over the lifeless Sergal before them.


    "Did we just win?" Sam added, reluctant to let excitement set in.


    "...We should go..." Maddie replied simply, slowly breaking the hug and wiping tears from her eyes. She led the way out to the hallway with the others following close. A soft clattering halted them after only a few steps down the hall.


    Maddie turned and watched the doorway they had just left from, all four of them backing away slowly. Shel turned and ran back to the main room, finding a radio as Sam joined her.


    Adam stood beside Maddie protectively, aiming the pistol towards the doorway. Light shuffling came from the room, followed by a very different sound. Crying. Soft, heavy sobs.


    "...Maddie...?" a voice called out gently. Maddie perked up, recognizing the voice right away. She couldn''t believe it at first, maybe it was her mind tricking her, feeding into a hopeless wish.


    "...I''m so sorry..." the voice continued, a hand gripping the door frame. A young woman stepped out from the armory, leaning on the wall for support. Maddie froze, overwhelmed by what she was seeing.


    It was Abby.

 Part 15

    "...Maddie...I''m so sorry..." Abby whispered between quiet sobs, "This is all my fault..."


    "Don''t...Don''t say that..." Maddie responded gently, slowly stepping out to the hallway. As Maddie moved closer Abby backed away.


    "No...no...Stay back." she whispered, "S-she''s not dead....she can''t die....she''s just using me...to get to you..." Maddie stopped, forcing herself to stay where she was.


    It killed her to see her best friend in such a state, scared and isolated, but she couldn''t help her. Abby leaned against the wall, her eyes drifting to Adam.


    "Adam...you have to do it." she whispered, looking to the revolver he still held. He too gazed down at the weapon, realizing what she meant.


    "...It''s the only way to stop her..." Abby continued, her voice trembling, "Please...you have to." Maddie began to speak in protest but stopped. She didn''t want to accept it, but she had to.


    It was a crushing choice, but in terms of lives they could save over preserving only one, it was a simple choice. Adam looked to her, getting a silent, slow nod. It had to be done. His hands trembled but he forced them to steady as he raised the revolver.


    He struggled to correct his aim, his gaze constantly catching on Abby''s face, her terrified and sorrowful expression, her pleading eyes. His arms faltered and fell to his side, a sharp exhale escaping him.


    He couldn''t do it. He couldn''t look his close friend, in her vulnerable state, in the eye and pull the trigger on her.


    "Please Adam...Do it." Abby pleaded through gentle sobs.


    "...I''m sorry Abby..." he whispered in response, shaking his head slowly. He knew it had to be done, but he couldn''t do it, he didn''t have the strength.


    "...Adam..." Abby started, "...Please..."


    In a flash, an axe came down on Abby from behind, the blade burying into her back.


    Casper.


    Maddie yelped her friends name as the masked man yanked the weapon from her back. Abby buckled to her knees, falling silent. A rattling hiss echoed through the halls, and within moments green and white fur coiled around Abby''s body as Syth reformed.


    The Sergal stood and turned to face the masked man, growling aggressively. Adam pulled Maddie back a few steps as the two killers stared each other down. Casper twirled the axe flamboyantly, Syth barring her fangs with a sharp snarl.


    The Sergal attacked first, Casper dodging backwards to avoid the swipe and quickly following up by slamming the axe down on her arm, lodging the blade down to the bone. He quickly jerked the weapon free and swung hard, burying the blade into her midsection and ripping it back out.


    Syth screeched and swung back, catching him in the chest and sending him sliding backwards. Before he could recover, she lunged forward, grabbing hold of his leg. Casper extended his hidden blade, stabbing it into the creature''s neck and twisting before forcing the axe into the opposite side of her neck.


    Syth bellowed in pain and rage, taking the masked man by one shoulder and slamming him against one wall, forcing the hidden blade free of her neck and the axe from his grasp. She then tossed him against the adjacent wall for good measure, yanking the axe out of her neck and throwing it backwards to keep it away from him.


    Casper staggered a bit from the heavy blows, attempting to stand only to fall back to his knees. He watched as Syth''s wounds struggled to heal, the tissue shivering and straining only to remain damaged.


    He smirked beneath his mask, knowing the plan was working. Syth growled sharply, giving the appearance of strength to hide the inkling of concern sparking in her mind. Abby''s wounds were too severe, she couldn''t sustain her and heal her own wounds at the same time.


    She had to end this, fast. The Sergal lurched forward, Casper ducking to the side and stabbing rapidly at her sides as he stepped around her. He jumped back as she swung backwards at him and turned to face him. He reclaimed the axe and made a quick uppercut, but the beast was starting to learn from her mistakes, jerking backwards to avoid the swing. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Casper made another powerful swing for her torso, the creature reacting fast enough to catch the handle and force it upwards, allowing her to reach his throat and slam him into the wall, holding him at eye level with her.


    He jabbed at her with his hidden blade, the Sergal catching his arm and forcing it against the wall, pressing it firmly in place. She snarled in triumph, staring down the masked man. Casper stared back, slowly letting his free arm drop to his side.


    The two killers silently observed their foes, Syth coming to a quick realization. She knew what was about to happen, she had to think fast. Even if she could get to them all, it wouldn''t be enough to hold her for very long.


    Her host was dying too fast. It was inevitable at this point, so now it came down to a matter of preference. And to her, that decision was quite simple.


    Her form twitched and shivered, shrinking into itself. Casper was dropped to the floor as the Sergal reduced herself to a writhing pile of fur that shifted to form the suit head. Abby collapsed lifelessly, the head falling from her and rolling to its side.


    Casper stared down at the head, puzzled by the beast''s apparent surrender. He picked up the head, looking it over before a gunshot got his attention. A bullet tore into his shoulder, Adam already taking aim for a follow up.


    Casper fled down the hall with the head in his grasp, Adam chasing after him a short distance before stopping. With the hallway now vacant of threats, Maddie was free to reunite with her friend at last, kneeling beside Abby as she coughed lightly, blood dripping from her lips.


    "...I...I''m...sorry Maddie..." she managed to speak through escalating coughs. Maddie pulled her into a close hug, fighting back tears.


    "...Don''t be...You didn''t do this. You didn''t do anything wrong..." she whispered, pulling her into a close hug and fighting back tears, struggling to speak as her throat grew tight. Maddie held her close, trembling lightly as sobs began to break through.


    Abby''s coughing steadily grew softer, until they just stopped. She stared unblinkingly at the ceiling, her chest slowly falling before going still. Shel hid her face in Sam''s shoulder as he offered her a comforting hug.


    The only sounds to be heard were Maddie''s escalating sobs as she cradled the lifeless body of her closest friend, not caring about the crimson pools staining her clothes. Flashlight beams shinned upon them, police officers making their way down the hall towards them.


    Maddie didn''t even look up as they addressed her, refused to let go of Abby as they tried to get her to stand. Even as Adam knelt beside her and attempted a consoling hug, she didn''t respond, holding her friend close, trembling in silence.


    Abby was gone.


    As cruisers now swarmed the station, Casper was forced to stay in the shadows. He crept around the back of the building, able to move more freely with all the attention directed inside. He glanced down at the suit head he carried, taking off his mask so their gazes were unhindered.


    After studying the head for a few moments, he folded his mask and stuffed it into a pocket of his jacket along with his gloves. Everyone would be looking for him after tonight, but no one would find him.


    He made his way across town, taking out his glasses and situating them in their place to complete his everyday disguise. The streets were quiet that night, aside from the soothing sound of crickets.


    He soon turned down the sidewalk a short distance before reaching the fence he was looking for, taking a quick survey of his surroundings to ensure he was undetected before climbing over the fence into his backyard.


    He approached the house, able to keep a casual pace as he noticed no lights were on. He found the window he left propped open partially and pulled it all the way up. Slipping into the dark room, he made his way upstairs and down the dark hall.


    As he entered the room he was searching for, he clicked the light on. He placed the suit head on the bed, taking one last glance at it as he unzipped and slid off his jacket and tossed it beside her before turning and sliding the doors of his closet open, kneeling down and pressing lightly on the side wall.


    The panel popped out, allowing access to his hidden stash. He placed the mask and gloves in their usual spot, then began unstrapping the blade, stopped when a door closed elsewhere in the house, causing him to jump up and slid the closet doors closed.


    He crossed the room, peering over the banister from the doorway, discovering the sound had come from the front door. Able to relax, he rested one hand on the banister and tucked his weapon clad arm behind his back, looking down at the four young people that had entered the house.


    "Hey dad." Sam called up to him.


    "Hey guys, doing alright?" He responded.


    "Alive I guess..." Sam answered, "Hey, you mind if Maddie and Shel hang out here for a while tonight?"


    "Of course not, they''re as much a part of this family as you two are." Casper replied, "Maybe even more so." He smiled teasingly to his sons, Maddie almost breaking a slight smile for a second.


    "I appreciate it Mr Hodges..." she mumbled quietly; the kind gesture highly welcomed in her current state. He noted the different clothes the girls now wore, peering through the downstairs window to see a police cruiser drive away.


    "Don''t wander too far, I''ll order something for dinner." He called to them as they wandered to the next room. Once they were safely out of sight line he returned to his room and shut the door softly, the gaze of the suit head seeming locked on to him as he rounded the bed and knelt to examine her closely.


    "Aren''t you just beautiful?" he murmured softly, gently running his fingers across her snout and down her chin. He smiled lightly, picking up the head and sliding it into the hidden space before unstrapping his weapon and placing it beside her.


    "Sweet dreams, darling." he whispered tauntingly to the head, covering the space with the panel and closing the closet.