"Now pay attention to what happens after", Andres said.
Caryn nodded, as she continued to recall what happened, her goosebumps slowly withering away. Andres' presence calmed her and made her feel safe.
Days after that harrowing nightmare, she recalled hanging out with her friends more often. Binge drinking, cutting school, and missing basketball practice. Caryn was back to her old self again. It was another Thursday night. This time, Caryn and her friends decided to join another group's party at the field. There she met Francis, Sheila, and Bryan. Away from the group, they had their own conversation, having realized they had a common love of all things occult and supernatural. Caryn felt comfortable enough to share her nightmares with this small circle, with no fear of being judged or labelled as crazy. Bryan's eyes grew big and wide after hearing Caryn's story, held her hand and told her, "Please please please never walk home alone at night again, ever!"
"There's a black lady roaming Kanluran road", Bryan continued, "stalking her next victim". Apparently, Bryan was known for having a third eye. People with experiences like Caryn's would flock to him to ask for advice.
"Have you heard about the posession 3 years ago?" Bryan asked the group. All 3 shook their heads and asked Bryan to tell them the story. "Three years ago there was a freshman staying at the dorm, maybe 2 houses away from yours", as he looked at Caryn. "That incident was caused by the same black lady stalking you."
Caryn couldn't remember what Bryan said after this. All she remembers is that her newfound friends walked her home that night and she never experienced night terrors again. All she remembers is the feeling of loneliness as she slowly grew apart from her friends. They would walk past each other on campus as if they didn't know her. She would visit them at their dorms and apartments, hoping to have a heart to heart talk, but never seem to find them there. Until one day, as she was walking towards the Humanities building, she saw her friends walking up the steps with a girl she's never met before. As the girl turned around to face her, Caryn was shocked to see this tall girl with long hair was...her!
Caryn ran towards the group, wanting to confront this impostor, when someone pulled her hand. She wanted to scream when she realized the hand holding hers was that of a figure covered in black lace. The being swept her away and before she knew it, they were at the bridge behind the library. The black figure pushed her off the bridge over and over again. As if in a loop, Caryn screamed every single time until she felt nothing.