CHAPTER ONE

-EMILY-

The screeching sound of the newspaper vendor’s old bicycle made me curl up from the bed, walking out with my pajamas to meet him.

My father had made it an obligation for me to pick up the newspaper from the vendor. Though he could read the papers through his electronic mail or on several magazines websites, he still concluded on it. I had seen this as a waste of silver pennies, which could accumulate into something better over the years, but his response each time made me wonder if truly it was worth it.

“Good morning, Mr. Hazel.” I said as I walked out of the house.

“Good morning, Emily,” he chuckled. I could see his curled-up mustache taking several shapes as he sang his morning devotions. I always thought of him as a blissful Christian under Father Timothy’s sacrilege, but then he never showed up to the church, let alone passed before it.

“Today’s Newspapers.” He opened the black bag behind him, a leather-coated bag strong enough to stop the flow of oxygen in it.

Countless grey papers crawled out of the bag, different imprints from different publishing presses on the headings. Though they mostly had the same news and sometimes copied themselves despite the copyright restrictions, it all felt different to my father.

“Thanks, Mr. Hazel.” I collected the papers from him, giving him the spare change Dad had left on the dining table before heading for work.

He nodded his head in the affirmative, grabbing his shorts up as he relaxed them on his laps. Even though he was in his mid-60s, he still acted like a youngster from the 1980s. His hair full and curled up like some old pop musician who pulled stunch parties in his times, the huge dollar sign necklace that he wore on his armless top made it look almost inevitable to call him an old man.

“One second, young lady.” He got down from his bicycle, searching the area like he was running from someone.

He walked up to me, a red stone in his hands. “Take this and keep it dire to you. You’re one of my favorite customers, and I would want you to have this in your possession.”

Though I wasn’t the type to accept gifts from people, I felt a bit of a pull to accept it. Despite his mysterious grin and his figured look, it looked like the right thing to do.

“Thank you, sir.” I flashed him a smile, heading back to whisk myself under the sheets.

“Take it wherever you’re going. It’s a protective jade.” He yelled behind me.

“Yes, sir!”

It was impossible to carry such a stone all around. It had edges that fit up to a hexagon and a weird drawing of a yin-yang symbol, supposedly. The whole school would definitely think I’m some shaman trying to hold the females into some kind of fraternity.

I walked past the monochrome-colored tiles, dropping the newspaper collection and the weird-looking stone on the dining table.

With a relaxed mind, I headed back to my room, rolling under the sheets for a nice sleep.

The sounds of wails and screams crust into my ears, my head banging with the interruption. What had happened to have caused such a peaceful neighborhood to be in shambles?

Well, Father Timothy might be having some deliverance program. He is a man of great

I grabbed my phone, checking the time. It was past 1 PM, and there I was sleeping. Being a member of the school’s chess club, I had to attend practice sessions that started around 2 PM. Inability to attend made me lose my stats, and I’d been on a winning streak for weeks.

After putting on my clothes, I grabbed my bag, prepared to head out. I grabbed my scrunches, packing my hair in a ponytail from.

I bolted out of the house; the door slammed shut behind me. The swiveling air outside seemed different compared to that which was inside. Not about the hotness or coolness, it had this impulsive impression, insanity and panic mixed.

“Help!!” The cries became louder.

I motioned towards the sound, my back held down by the numerous textbooks in my bag.

The sight of numerous adults tumbling out of their houses in order to get to the house merely two houses away. Between them was Father Timothy with his white staff. He carried it everywhere he went, regardless of the situation.

“Get back, everyone. Get back.” Screams began, everyone scrambling like they were being chased by a lunatic. Well, they were being chased, but not by a lunatic, by something more mysterious.

It was a man, walking on both his arms and his legs. Its bones were popped up in a way that made him look very much like an animal. Its teeth were like those of a wolf, but it had no claws to be named a werewolf.

“Blood!” The man yelled, running on his arms and legs, penetrating the building he had crawled out of.

Boom!!

He had smashed a pillar like a cube of sugar, the house barely balanced with the remaining two pillars.

A woman rushed out to the balcony, checking to see what had happened. Upon reaching the railings attached to the balcony, the man smashed the middle pillar, the woman falling right down.

“Blood!” He snatched the woman midair, his teeth piercing her neck almost immediately. She groaned, screaming as blood absconded from the marks.

“Mama!!!!” Sounds of little children emanate, the wind defying the laws of nature—moving in two opposite directions.

The ground felt heavy beneath my leg, vibrations coursing through me. I managed to grab a streetlight, holding onto it despite the screeching sounds.

Cars began to blare, roofs crumbling before me. I could barely see, my eyes shutting. Roars began to emanate, the temperature changing at different wavelengths. I hated the itchy feeling beneath my clothes, the nauseous feeling rolling in my head; I couldn’t help with it.

A beam of red light emanated, and suddenly it came to a stop. The ground back to its normal form. My eyes opened, my legs adapting to the regular ground as I stood straight.

Before me stood a disaster, streetlights broken into useless rods, but the most suspicious was the gathering of the elders, blood on their hands with the creature out of sight.

What had happened?