Crickets Chirp and the spring night air smells like it’s going to rain. Gilmore Girls plays while I look back at my phone expecting another message from Em, my friend who’s real name is Emily. I am Luke, Luke Walker that is. We are talking about the guy I met on the internet, who ended up going to my school. Let me tell you it hasn’t been much luck talking to the guy. He seem interested at first but he has gone a little cold for some reason, despite the fact he still messaged me to hold on.

Outside my window I hear the rustling of the long grass and brown brush. This is something typical even during winter I’ll hear animals outside, after all my room is at the back of the house where the forest is. People often don’t go too deep into the woods here in Sacramentum, but there is those who will journey in. Most turn out fine, though there are those cases where someone is badly hurt, missing or killed. Not all of those deaths have been caused by man but some have been made by the victim’s heart just stopping. What’s odd is when bringing some of the dead out of that area, they have come back to life as if nothing ever happened and go about their daily lives. Growing up around something like this has made me see it as less odd and more normal, well at least something that I don’t bat an eye at. Another rustle comes through the window, a crash from something metal, I don’t even look over from the TV. My heart sinks for some reason. Deep down there is something wrong but I don’t know what. I catch the problem when I pause the tv, there is nothing; the sound the forest is often filled with is gone. The air is poison.

Madison my cat  jumps off my lap and runs into my closet. From there she stares at me like she is telling me to get into the closet with her. If I can sense something is wrong then that means she definitely would. A quite, gudderal and  wet growl comes through the window, something I have never heard before, it makes a tingle creep up my spine.

Madison hisses at me as I start walking to the window. I see why she does when I look out and lean over the window to see what’s going on, she was warning me of the thing outside. Out in the backyard:where the tall grass is just turning green again, stands a white deer. If you would want to call it that. It’s face is mutilated and grotesque, like something you might see on a zombie movie. Everything about it is wrong in so many ways, the first being I have never seen a white deer, the second being of course the fact it looks like it’s rotting. It turns up to look at me and I can see that the jaw is broken, hanging loose. The deer seems malnourished yet it’s moving around like it’s fine. It’s stares at me like it doesn’t notice if but for a second, then it’s makes that growl again. There is something much more wrong with this animal than that meets the eye. It gives me bad vibes, I should want to help it not run away from it. I have wanted to help animals before in the past ones that were blind and skinny, to frail to do much. Animals always give me good feelings but this one, this one has something really wrong with it. Another growl comes from its mouth causing me to turn my face to horror, it’s almost like it grins at that. I get a look at it’s teeth, they aren’t even close to a deers, they are sharp like a predator.

Madison hisses at me again making me turn around to look at her. It’s like she is telling me to get away from the window. I throw logic out the window where the deer is and decide to listen to my conscious. I turn the knob on the window to close it. In slams hoove thats fused with a claw. I smash it as I slam on the window and the creature hanging climbing in roars at me. While it’s stuck I get Madison out from the inside of my closet and grab my phone off my bed. Not even bothering to turn the light off I slam my door behind me. Glass shatters behind the door.

I put Madison over my shoulder like she is a baby and navigate through the icons on my phone looking for the contacts. Bang! It’s slams against the door in my bed room. It lets out a frustrated roar. I type in best as I can mom in the contacts, of course I type in mib, but it still brings up my mom name and her contact. I hit the call button and smash it close to my face, I can barely hear it over the roar of the creature and splintering of the door.. I run the down the stairs to the main level and try to get out the front, it won’t open. I look out a window and see someone has busted the door. I can get out of it if I pull hard enough, I have to smash the lock off first. I put Madison down while I kick at the lock trying to break it, you know because they do it in the movies so it must work in real life. I can’t tell if the crack are coming from this door or the one the creature is slamming against.

With one final swing of my leg; I kick the handle off breaking the lock. My bedroom door breaks open, the wood smacking against the wall making  wooden plunking noise. A gust of wind makes the front door fly open and I snatch Madison up before it hits her. Our guest howls as reaches the staircase, it’s cold evil blue eyes staring at me. I take no more time to waste as I run through the in front of our house onto paved street. The nearest thing that I can see that would even be open at this time is the town church. It would be open I wouldn’t have to beg to be let in and I wouldn’t be risking the lives of others, I mean who would be in the church at this time. It’s my best chance.

I slam into a church door throwing one open. It’s empty and dark. I put the bar lock on the door. Everything is silent that is until I hear a heavy breathing. Sounds like that thing is sniffing the air, how could it smell me with the stench coming off of it. I take that moment to breath in and try to catch my breath. My sweat soaking into the cat still over my shoulders. I set her down, probably not the best idea but I think it’s better than just holding her the whole time. She seems fine with me putting her on the floor.

A clap hits the door. Then it turns into a knock. “Help, please let me in. I know you are in there. I saw you walk in. There is something out here with me.” That voice sounded familiar. It’s Em.

I take the lock off and swing the door open. Em stands there on the outside, where it is now raining. Her face is pale and white, I can feel the fear on her. Something else as well. “What are you doing here?” I ask her as she walks into the building. “Where did you come from?”

“I was going to your house when I saw that thing chasing you. I hid in the bushes till the cost was clear. When I got over here though it started lurking around again.” She closed the door behind her. “I don’t think it can come in here. I watched it walk up and then grimace as if it was in pain.”

“I brought Madison with me but I don’t know where she went.” I hear her feet behind me. Clicking like a dogs paws. The reality hits me as the cat growls and hisses and the shadow looming over me. Her parents don’t let her out this late at night, on top of that Em has a car to use, why would she walk when my house if three miles away. I turn around to a mangled figure of a coyote behind me.

“I thought I saw your stupid cat with you.” Ems voice crawls out of the creatures throat. “They should put better wardings on this place. A simple cross did nothing.”

Straight through the heart, with nothing not even blood on it, a dagger with the oddest of markings pierces the creature. Turning it to ash before me. Spero stands panting and next to Em, behind them the rain smacks the ground and moonlight floods into the dark room. “He was right,” Said Spero, “This place does need better wards on it.”