I throw wooden spoons and ladles from the drawer I ripped off the hinges. Adrenaline rushing through my veins causing my hands to shake. Then I snatch the large kitchen knife and whip around, terrified I'll get a knife to the back. I only had a glimpse of Adrien's knife, a flash of silver and icy emeralds stuck in the carved silver handle. I could have sworn I saw blood crusted on the edges of it.

The cold metal handle is heavy in my hands. I'm going to use this as self-defense but it feels wrong and awkward. My heart racing as I scan the living room realizing he didn't run after me. I quickly whip out my phone and worriedly glance out the back sliding glass door, instantly reminded of the howl that made the two boys come into my house in the first place. I glance down at my phone finding nothing from Mom and I struggle to tap the call button because my finger is trembling.

"Put the box down!" Adrien screams suddenly, already in front of me. I scream and jerk back, thrusting the knife out but trying not to cut him. Gideon, soaking wet, jogs out from the hall looking more curious than anything. His golden brown hair slicked back against his head with a couple locks dangling down, still dripping with water. Shiloh follows close behind, wearing his ripped and oversized shirt again. He's also dripping with water but isn't bloody anymore. He holds his shoes as he runs out, his bare feet slapping loudly on the hardwood.

"I told you already!" Shiloh groans from behind Gideon and eyes rested on Adrien, "It's just a rubber duck! I had one when I was little! It's not dark magic! You guys are just reacting-"

"That's impossible," Adrien spats giving him a dark look, "you may react but we won't, we aren't from here so we-"

"It affects everyone!" Shiloh screams suddenly, his voice shaking because he used so much force. Too much force for his small body. "You know that!"

"Fine, but so what?" Adrien growls, eyes still trained on me, "She knows too much-"

"She doesn't know anything, I didn't tell her anything. Look, there's no point to killing her," Shiloh argues sharply, his onyx eyes darkening spending shivers down my spine. "Unless we want to add to the body count today," he adds as he flicks his gaze to Gideon. His eyes narrowed with a knowing look, blaming Gideon for adding to the body count.

Gideon notices and raises an eyebrow at him, "Why're you looking at me? I held back, I swear!" He throws his hands up in surrender but smiles that crooked smile again. "But how could you expect me not to take that chance at the border?"

I suddenly realize it's a good thing I don't know anything. Shiloh never answered my questions because he knew. I would be dead right now if he had answered me. I'm still confused and upset, but slightly grateful for Shiloh to hold back like that.

"Just let her go," Shiloh drawls out before meeting my gaze with an intense stare. "She won't be a problem," he continues slowly as his eyes bore into mine. "Won't you, Eve?" He tilts his head to the side in a menacing way that makes my stomach twist. I take a wary step back, still holding up the large but dull kitchen knife. I swallow trying to wet my dry throat as I stare back at Shiloh. The threat is clear in his child-like voice. If I tell, I'm dead. The word "tattletale" enters my mind in a childish sing-song voice. His stare is unsettling to begin with, but the way his high-pitched voice sounds when he's threatening to take my life is even more creepy.

Everything in this situation is wrong in some way or another, and I no longer want to find out why. At least for now.

I nod quickly as I glance back at Adrien. "Y-Yes, I promise, I swear I won't tell anyone," I rush trying to keep my voice from shaking. I slightly lower the knife trying to show that I'm not an immediate threat.

Adrien's piercing green eyes narrow for a moment as if he were trying to read my mind. After a long moment of silence, he finally drops his gaze and lowers his silver knife, relaxing his tight grip. "Fine. But only because it isn't logical to kill her if she doesn't know anything." He spins around and points at Shiloh with the knife, "And don't think I don't notice you being nice to her," he adds sharply. "Just because you were born here and was a human, doesn't mean you owe anything to her."

Was human?

Shiloh remains silent and stares down at his bare feet instead of replying.

"I don't know," Gideon breaks the silence in a cocky voice. He takes a couple steps towards me with a strange look in his eyes. One that I didn't know a child was capable of making. He grins at me, tawny eyes glinting under the lights, "She's pretty cute for a human, I'll give him that much for having good taste in his girls."

My jaw drops and I suddenly feel sick. Appalled by his response, I can't stop myself from scolding him.

"Excuse me?" my voice rises from embarrassment and pure confusion.

Gideon only shrugs, completely ignoring me.

Right before I explode at him, I hear that haunting howl in the distance. Past the walls of safety that is my house, the danger of the forest is drawing near. My stomach drops realizing the howl could very well be the thing that is mercilessly murdering so many who go into the forest. The thing that murdered my father. I jerk my head towards the doors, absolutely terrified to see the monster behind the woods. The creature our town has feared for years.

"It followed us," Adrien mumbles as he stares at the door distantly.

I turn on them realizing they brought it here. Towards the edge of the forest. No one's ever escaped the forest, but they did. Now it's hunting them. "What do you mean it followed you!?" I scream at them, scared for our safety and everyone in town. If it crosses the border, what's going to stop it from killing everyone in town?

"It must have caught our scent..." Gideon trails off before looking at Shiloh strangely. "Wait..."

Adrien gasps, eyes widening with realization, "The blood. It's following the blood."

"Shiloh's blood?" I step in, briefly forgetting that they wanted to kill me literally five seconds ago.

"Not mine," Shiloh mumbles, crossing his arms and lowering his head. The dark shadows of the room cause his dark scar across half his face to grow. His scars seem to deepen in the darkness causing him to look older and wounded.

"Fine, whoever's you fell in," Adrien waves him off and jogs over to the doors. But his foot is caught under his ankle and he trips over himself. He yelps and hits the ground with a loud slap because of the wood.

Gideon stifles a laugh and watches amused. "Jeez Adrien, clumsy much?"

Adrien throws him a look of murder, still laying on the ground. "It's not my fault my shoes are too big."

I shuffle my feet feeling anxious and terrified. My heart thumping loudly in my chest as I quickly check the doors, scared the creature will come bursting into the house ready to rip us all apart. I bite my lip trying to get control of myself but I can't help but imagine our deaths play out in my head. I glance back at the strange young boys who now are all standing in somewhat of a huddle.

"We can't possibly kill it..." Shiloh laments sounding like he's complaining about something as simple as putting the dishes away or cleaning his room. He tosses his head back spending droplets of water everywhere.

Gideon just grins, "I think we can take it."
"You always say that," Adrien points out boredly, raising an eyebrow at him.

"And we win don't we?"

"That's people, not limbo monsters."

"Let's call it a new challenge."

"You're a challenge."

"Focus ladies." Shiloh rolls his eyes at them.

Meanwhile, I stare at my phone screen at my mom's contact. I'm at a loss. Do I call her and tell her what happened? Tell her to meet me in one of the towns nearby? How do I explain these boys? She'd believe me because it has to do with the forest. Everything about it is strange and mysterious. I bet she wouldn't be surprised if it were some kind of monster. But what about the boys? Are they still a threat to me?

"Hey," Adrien snaps at me, giving me a look.

I look back up at them to find them all staring at me with an incredulous look.

"What?" I ask flatly, gripping the kitchen knife in my other hand.

"What are you doing?" Gideon asks in an accusing tone, taking a step towards me. His thick golden brown hair is shoved back revealing his forehead and creates almost a lion's mane. It's messy and getting frizzy from the water, dropping to his shoulders making him look like a wild child. He has a long nose with a slight tan to his skin making him look bronze compared to the other two boys.

I notice a faint three claw mark scar across his right eye as well. It goes right over his eyelid as well which makes me wonder how he didn't lose his eye. And what's with all the scars? I lost track of all my questions and now I'm just filing them away for a later time. We're being hunted.

"Trying to decide if I need to call the police on you or the monster," I retort sharply and slightly raise the knife as a threat. Don't you dare come near me. I don't care if you could be vampires. I'm not letting you walk all over me again.

"Feisty," Gideon makes a growling sound and smirks at me.

I glare at him.

"You're not contacting anyone," Adrien states obviously, then spins his engraved knife around in his hand. It flashes in the light showing off the bladed edge that is definitely stained red. His eyes glinting with a taunting malice that would be seen in the eyes of a serial killer stalking his defenseless prey. He's obviously showing off his skill with the knife because he keeps twirling it expertly between his small and nimble fingers.

I swallow and stand up straight, meeting his gaze and hold my knife tighter, "Are we just going to stand here until it comes or are we going to try escaping?" I ask bluntly feeling my throat tighten to force my words out.

"You know what it is?" Gideon asks curiously, slightly leaning forward as he breaks from their group.

"No," I admit trying to hold my ground, "but I know it's dangerous. It's the thing that kills everyone who goes into the forest."

"Ohhh," Gideon runs his hand through his thick mane of hair. "So that's why there were so many bodies at the border," he draws out with a calm expression as if he just learned how a mixer worked. A realization that makes my stomach churn.

I gasp and stare at him horrified, "What?"

"That means I fell..." Shiloh cringes before shuddering.

Throw up begins to rise up my throat when I realize where that blood came from. I cover my mouth and stare at Shiloh horrified but also with pity.

"Now that's what I call a bloodbath," Gideon laughs happily like he made a clever pun.

I've been trying to ignore all their morbid and unsettling comments because that means I'll ask questions and I'll know more, then they have an excuse to kill me. But I can't stop myself.

"If you guys don't want me to know anything, then stop saying stuff like that!" I snap at the little boys, trying not to feel guilty.

"Like what?" Adrien asks as he peers out the sliding glass window, the bloody hand still stained on the glass. His back turned to me as if he forgot I was there and that he wanted to kill me.

Before I answer, another howl cuts through the dead of night. Even though it's only seven-thirty, it's still pitch black outside. The howl is much closer than before.

I shake my head and turn my attention to Shiloh realizing he may be my only ally in this situation. "Should we get going then?" I ask instead.

"Going where?" Shiloh makes a face at me, a predicted reaction now.

"To escape! That thing is going to rip us apart!" I freak throwing my arm out with wide eyes. "It's been killing people for more than a decade! It's coming out of the forest for the first time and I don't think it'll simply go back to the forest when there's far more fresh meat beyond the fence!! It killed my father and plenty of others, it'll have no problem killing a teenage girl and three little boys!!"

"Did you just call us little boys?" Gideon growls, giving me a dark look. Now he's standing by Adrien by the door, both seem to be keeping a look-out.

I let out a frustrated growl, throwing my head back for a moment, on the verge of screaming and cussing. But I don't. "You sure look like ones."

Gideon lets out an animalistic growl, "Call me that one more time and I-"

"Gideon get control of yourself," Adrien cuts him off and smacks his shoulder. "Pay attention, we only have one shot at this."

Gideon huffs loudly and gives me a long and hard glare before returning his gaze outside. Shiloh just shrugs, "Ignore him, he's just upset he's little."

"I SWEAR-!" Gideon begins to scream, turning on us, but Adrien grabs his arm roughly and jerks him towards the window again.

I take a step back from a reflex knowing I shouldn't be scared of him. But I am. These guys aren't normal and they sure aren't little kids. Gideon growls at Adrien but Adrien keeps quiet, forcing Gideon to stay by the door and watch for the monster.

"We need to get out of here," I tell them again, not wanting to stand around for any longer. I start moving towards the door, "Or at least, I'm leaving. I'm not taking any chances."

"It'll just come after you, this town is already dead," Shiloh counters as he begins to shiver. His big dark eyes meet mine with shadows cloaking his small body. His dark mark and scars almost disfiguring his face in the darkness. As if he were the monster I feared.

"N-No, I can save them," I argue shakily, "we can escape and leave this place-" I begin but he cuts me off.

"Nothing escapes a Masser. That's the point, Eve. If you want to survive, you need to save yourself. Running back to town won't help you," Shiloh states in an almost sympathetic tone. My heart squeezes painfully feeling tears form in my eyes.

"No! M-My mom is back there, I'm not going to lose her too!" I begin to yell, taking more steps towards the door. "I'm not leaving her!" Thoughts of being an orphan flash through my head. I already lost Dad, I can't lose my mom to the monster of the forest too. A Masser, he said. Panic surges through my veins as I grip the knife tighter, then I quickly start texting my mom.

"Hey! We said no contacting people!" Adrien yells angrily from the window. I whip up my knife and take a step back, settling into what I think is a defensive stance.

"If we're all going to die, I can do whatever I want!" I yell sharply, "You guys aren't the boss of me, I'll do whatever I want!"

The three boys stare at me shocked, seeming caught off guard.

I glare at them and take another step back, "I'm telling my mom to meet me in another town, and if you try to stop me I'll do better than the 'Masser' in ripping you apart," I threaten, finally finding my voice. Then I hit send on my message and pray these boys won't try killing me again. I told her to get out of town and that the monster of the forest is coming, I would meet her in Edwards very soon. Then I slip on my shoes that sit near the front door, keeping my eyes on the three boys, no longer wanting an adventure.

Adrien watches me skeptically for a moment, "What did you do?"

"I texted my mom to meet me in another town and I'd meet her," I answer tightly as I begin slipping on my winter coat, moving quickly. "And I don't need to justify my actions to you," I add spitefully.

"Feisty," Gideon says again, his eyebrows raised seeming impressed.

"For a human," Adrien retorts sounding snotty.

I open the door greeted by the icy wind. I glance over my shoulder one last time realizing I'm just leaving them. They could die too... Shiloh winces and steps back, rubbing his wet arms still shivering violently. He watches me for a moment seeming worried, revealing an ounce of normal human emotion. Gideon continues to watch me with curious eyes as Adrien returns his watch to the door.

"Are you staying then?" I ask trying to keep my sympathy from blinding me again. They can handle themselves, right? They obviously aren't human...

"We're not staying, we're waiting until we know where it is," Adrien replies boredly, pressing himself against the glass to see better. "When it comes, we'll run back."

"Back?" I ask shocked, "Into the forest? But-"

"I wouldn't expect you to understand," he cuts me off in a rude tone.

"But Addy," Gideon smirks at the name before continuing, "I like Eve, she's fun. Why let her die?"

"Because she's no worth to us, now shut up and-"

"Manners Adrien," Gideon interrupts in a scolding but joking tone. Then he flashes me a crooked smile, "Why don't you stay here with us? You won't die that way."

"Who's to say you aren't the monsters?" I retort as I stand in the doorway, desperate to get out of the house and drive far away from this god-forsaken town. "Why should I trust you?"
"Insightful," Gideon only says, grinning at Shiloh this time.

"Let her go if she wants to go," Shiloh mumbles with a slight shrug, "it's her choice."

"I-I can't just leave you to die here," I stammer, struggling to keep my sympathy under control. But the image of their tiny bodies being ruthlessly ripped apart continues to flash through my head creating a sense of responsibility and fear for them.

"Then stay here," Gideon answers simply as he runs his small hand through his thick golden hair.

Another chilling wind blows from outside. Sparkling particles of snow float into the living room seeming surreal. The lights still on in the dining room and kitchen making the situation seem less dangerous and calmer. But as I stand in the dark living room area, the lights turn the boys into shadows. My gut twists as I glance back outside to see the long driveway up to our mailbox. The tall pines dressed in thick snow that bends the branches low. The waning crescent moon glowing faintly in the sky almost like a sliver cut through the night sky.

It was calm. Until the silence

                                                               was

                                                                             shattered.

〰✷〰

The monster outside came. The monster that the town had feared for years and hid from. The monster of the dark forest. There was time for me to escape and I regret those wasted seconds. I could have escaped. Or died trying. The bitter reality came crashing down around me in those few moments.

The silence broke from the rageful howl.

But I never saw the monster.

No.

It wasn't because it was too fast or that I closed my eyes.

It was because it physically, to me, wasn't there.

But I knew it came because the entire back wall of the dining room where the glass door exploded. As if a bomb had gone off in the walls, wood exploded from the wall and glass shards sprayed through the air like glittering diamonds. I screamed. I know that not because I heard myself over the deafening roar, but because my throat tore itself apart when my mouth opened. My eyes already wet with tears of terror. My heart may have exploded too.

I fall onto my back, screaming and kicking trying to scoot