Page 21 (1/2)

I stand toa little doll I follow the sound of the help- to the only place I can, a dark hall The lights flicker with s "Please"

The voice leads me to door, not red, but rusted h I’m nervous, andscurries to the side and I stop short, alo," the voice says, tears laced in its tone "Please don’t be afraid of me"

I take a deep breath and step into the rooure

"Are you okay?" I ask, my voice very real inside my head

It shakes its head, its body balled into the darkness

"I won’t hurt you" I bend down slowly, trying to see who the s all the shadows around The little child lifts up its head, the flesh peeling away, teeth s "Help nawing at its own arand scattering to the ground in an earth quaking noise The child screams and I turn to run, but Monarch appears in the door

"Kayla, what are you doing in here?" His grey eyes are troubled, his hands stained with guilt

"I’ht I heard …"

He grabsthe door and locking the child away

"You can’t just wander around like this," he says "You know better"

"I’m sorry but –"

"Tooout of the pocket of his white coat "Always tooI can’t seee in his hand, filled with purple liquid "If you keep this up, we’ll never be able to ain

He sighs and et what you saw, otherwise it’ll all be ruined"

I nod and he pumps my body full of medicine that steals the memory away

Blood Blood everywhere I drowned in it, screa

"Help me!"

"Help me" My body jerks awake at the sound of my voice

Aiden’s eyes are wide as he stares atto hold me into place We both breathe in each other, rapid sounds that fill the air with tension

"I’ain, with red scratches and dried drops of blood "That you didn’t re about me"

I slowly shake my head "No" My voice sounds strained

He’s hesitant, watching me with anxious eyes "Do you want to talk about it?"

Again, I shaketo the beating of his heart It’s like a song, a beautiful song that et what I saw Except, when my eyelids start to shut all I can see is the red door and the tiny raggedy child curled up in front of it

"Can we go?" I ask

He glances over his shoulder, toward the outside "Yeah, I think we’re okay I haven’t heard or seen anything I was probably just i ets dark?"

He stands, putting his bag across his shoulder "I don’t know Probably like one or two …" He trails off, eyes bugging wide "Kayla, don’tthe movement from behind me My breath rises and falls, in and out My htly, reaching for, but for me, not the exit

"What are you do--"

He shovesout his knife The va, eyes drowning in blood I ju, but it hops back, nipping its teeth

I draw outfor it But it attacks Aiden and knocks hiround

I kick the va out a sharp cry It snarls at Aiden, not wanting ers as I drag back its hostile body Aiden scoots away, a trail of dust, and the va round and I plungesure it pierces its heart, taking away its source of existence

It cruround and I watch as it jerks and twitches, finally deadening into nothing but a useless pile of bones

We both breathe in relief, Aiden still on the ground, stunned to stillness

After I collect ?" I scrapethe blood away "Going after it like that? Are you insane?"