"The world is split into two places. Our world, where people and animals only worry about survival. Then, there's the vail, there, spirits, ghosts, monsters rome, hungry, blood thirsty, for any unlucky humans who crossed the thin wall. Yes, it sounds aberve, but it's no lie. No nightmare. You can't fake it, you can't wake up from it. Because, it's a dark reality." I stood before my friends dramatically pausing, letting the fire iluminate my face to a light orange.
"Really El . There's no such thing." Mark said skeptical.
"But, there's a chance, right?" Mara asked.
"Who knows, maybe there is. Or maybe this is just a story Eliz made up again." Lilian said, leaning back on her chair.
"Oh, it's real. I have the scars to prove it." I said and lifted my sleeve to reveal fresh looking claw marks.
"Wow." Mara said.
"These marks are from half human and half monster things called Livinals." I said.
"Really, that's not a real thing." Mark said.
"You can only say that, because you never saw one." I said darkening my voice dramatically. "You didn't see it's black as tar face. It's sharp colored fangs, replacing its teeth. And it's horrifying bloodshot hungry stare." I said.
Mara shook.
"El, come on, you're scaring my sister." Mark said.
I rolled my eyes at him.
"It's ok. I like it. Please Eliz continue. What happened next?" she asked excitedly.
"Well, after getting this scar, I ran aimlessly. Desperately trying to run from the creature. Then I saw a faint white curtain. I didn't know what it was, but I raced to it. Then going through, I was back on earth. Looking behind me nothing was there. The end." I finished.
"Wow." Mara said.
"Thank you, thank you." I said teasingly.
"Ok, vail girl, got any other stories to tell?" Mark asked.
"Nope, that's my last one." I said, sitting in my own chair.
"You guys, look." Lilian said pointing to a cluster of stars. "It Orion. The hunter." she said.
"Sweet. What else is up there?" Mark asked.
"Well, I see Leo, the lion, a little bit of virgo the virgin,"
I'm Eliz Kay, 16 years old, and am on a camping trip with my friends. The one talking about stars is Lilian May, she's basically the leader of our group. She comes from humble origins, not kidding. Her dad's an engineer, and her mom's a reporter. She has blond hair and blue eyes, she's basically a school girl model. She loves astronomy and nature. Mark and Mara are the twins. Mark's the oldest, and really protective of his 45 minute younger sister. Mara's the skittish one, and though she depends on her brother's protection, that doesn't stop her from having fun. And, I'm the entertainer. I keep everyone from getting bored, so it's only natural that I told the ghost stories.
"So, Eliz, on a serious note. Did you really cross through 'the vail'?" Lilian asked, making her voice hollow at the last part.
I chuckled, "No, I just made it up. I found an old book in the library on spirits and what-not." I said.
"Then, what about the marks?" Mara asked.
"Simple, I asked my sister to paint them before coming. They'll rub off in a few days." I said.
"Told you." Mark said.
We talked about the stars for a bit, Lilian explaining some of the myths about some of the constellations she saw. Then everyone tucked away in their tents, Mara and Mark in one, and me and Lilian in another. I think I was the only one still up at around 11:30, at least between me and Lilian I was. I couldn't seem to sleep, I just stared up at the ceiling, so I walked outside. The fire was out, but the dim light of the stars and crescent moon illuminated enough of my surroundings to see. I layed back in my chair letting the cool night air raise the hairs on my arm, and the forest sounds fill my ears. Then in awhile I started to doze off. Then I heard a whisper.
"Eliz, Eliz." I opened my eyes and looked around.
"Hello?" I said quietly not to wake everyone up.
"Hello." It whispered back.
I looked around but couldn't see who was making that noise. Then I saw a dim white glow.
"What is that?" I silently asked myself.
I followed it not too far from our campsite, in only a t shirt and sweatpants. As I got closer, I saw the light's source. A white curtain hung in mid air, and waved in the night wind.
"Woah." I thought as I approached it.
I reached my hand out to touch it, and it went right through, as if it were made of mist. I waved my hand around it, seeing how cool it was.
Then, something was wrong. It stopped, like someone grabbed my wrist. I pulled and yanked, but it did nothing. I started to panically pull harder.
"What's going on!?"
I dug my feet in the dirt, too scared to put them through the curtain. I opened my mouth to yell for someone, but then it let go. I stumbled backwards and felt my head bang against a tree, and everything went black.
I came to it when I heard screams coming from our campsite. I clumsily got to my feet and raced over to it. Getting there I saw Mark and Lilian desperately trying to pull Mara out of their tent.
"Mara!" I yelled and raced to help them.
Lilian had a flashlight around her neck for light, I grabbed Mara's arm with Lilian, helping her pull. Mara screamed in pain and agony. Then she stopped screaming, she stopped struggling. And, whatever pulled her, stopped pulling.
Mark pulled Mara onto his lap, "Mara! Mara!" he wept.
But, his calls were in vain. Mara's eyes and mouth were opened, frozen in the same fear and pain she felt as that thing yanked on her leg. I looked at her legs, new claw marks scratched up to her knees, and fresh blood dripped from her wounds. Mark gripped his sister, his painful tears falling on her cold shell. Lilian looked terrified, covering her mouth with her hands.
"W-what happened?" I asked.
"I don't know. I heard Mara scream, Mark yelled for help. I ran out here, and I saw Mara being dragged back into their tent." Lilian said.
"It was...terrible." Mark said still weeping. "It looked like a person, but it's eyes were bleeding, and it looked hungry." he said.
"Ooookay." Lilian said drifting around panicky. "Ok, this is not happening, it's not possible! I mean," her voice was thick with panic that it would be in vain to control.
She started to pace, "Lil, Mara is dead, you think I'd make this up?" Mark said irritated.
"I-I don't know." Lilian said.
"Guys!" I said silencing them. "Nothing's coming out of panicking." I said, surprised by my stable voice. "I think we should get some sleep and go to the police in the morning. It's too dark to travel and we only have one flashlight. For now we'll wrap Mara's body in a tarp." I said.
They looked surprised by my leadership directions, and so was I. But, we did what I suggested. We wrapped Mara's body in the tarp we brought for rain, and we all slept in the same tent. No one slept, everyone just stared at the ceiling, to scared to relax and sleep. My eyes started to twitch closed as I heard Mark and Lilian's breath deepen. Then, Mark jolted and yelled. Me and Lilian jolted awake, looking over to him, I felt warm molasses splatter on me. Only, I knew it wasn't molasses. Me and Lilian back up feeling the terrifying liquid pool on the sleeping bags. And, as my eyes adjusted, Mark fell silent, and still. It was just a minute, but I saw a black hand, like tar, leaving the recent wound on his chest. The exact place where his heart beated, but not anymore. Lilian covered her mouth in shock and terror.
"Oh my gosh!" she squealed.
"We need to leave, now!" I said.
We scrambled out of the tent, the moon starting to set, and I could see faint colors of day.
"Thank goodness! It should be enough light to travel on."
I started to pack enough supplies our journey back.
"Lil, come on we need to leave-" I said turning to her.
She stood at the opening of the tent, staring at me. Fresh blood slowly dripped from her eyes, that held no sanity, only hunger.
"L-Lil." I said, my voice cracking with fear.
She chuckled, her voice hollow and low.
"Wrong." She said.
I noticed a knife in her hand. "W-who are you?" I asked trembling.
"Not a who, a what." she said. "You should know. You told about me." She said. "I'm a Livinal, from the vail." she said.
"B-but, I just made that up." I said terrified.
"No, you made up your "adventure". But, you read about the vail." she said.
I thought back to what I told my friends. 'I read about it in an old book at the library.'
"It was… real?!" I said unbelieved.
"Yes, and you let me out." She chuckled.
I remembered the dim white curtain, when I put my hand through and something grabbing it.
"I guess I should spare you." She said, and brought the knife to eye level, then looked back at me. "But, where's the fun in that?"
She raced towards me, and I darted the opposite way. I ran so fast I couldn't believe it. I saw a tipped tree, dirt and mud still sticking on it's exposed roots. I ducked behind it, hiding.
"Eliz, Eliz. come out come out wherever you are." she called. I muffled my breathing, "Come on Eliz, if you come out now I'll make it quick." She said.
I kept quiet, and stayed still. It was a few minutes, and I didn't hear her, I thought she left. I sighed relieved, but then felt a sharp pain in my forearm. I yelled, clutching it and fell to the ground. I felt my blood drip from the knife wound. Using my legs I dragged myself back. She appeared with a hungry, evil, insane smile.
"Lilian, please! I know you're in there! You don't want to do this!" I pleaded.
"Correction." she said. "She hates you. And Mark and Mara." She said approaching. "Oh, did I mention I can read the minds of my vesels." She said. "Yeah, you see," she grabbed my hair roughly bringing me face to face with her. "Lilian doesn't care about you." she said.
"No, she's my friend. She's kind and would never do this!" I said.
"Then I guess you misjudged her." She said evilly, and pushed the knife in my stomach.
I fell to the ground, pressing my hands helplessly on the wound.
"See you in the vail." she said before my vision blacked out.
By the time my eyes opened, it was morning. I stood up and looked around. The place looked like the woods, but darker, and dead. And I saw it. By my feet was…my body. My eyes were opened, and my face was frozen in the same fear I still felt. My hands and stomach were covered in blood. I was…dead. I was looking at my dead body.
"But, would that mean that was in,"
"The vail." My voice ghostly echoed across the grey area.
It was a few days till someone found us. A hiker found Mark and Mara first, then after a search, the cops found me, or my body at least. And after months of searching for the killer, they found Lilian. She was found dead near a river in Cleveland, her eyes were splotched with dried blood, and her face was frozen in shock and…delight. Her lips were arched into a bone chilling smile that will forever haunt me.
Though I tried, I couldn't leave, nor did I ever find Mark, Mara, or Lilian. All I can do now, is stay in the same spot forever, and become one of them. Maybe, if I'm lucky one of the hikers will be stupid enough to put their hand through the vail, and let me out. Make the same mistake I did, only when they do let me out, I won't spare anyone of my deep hunger for flesh, and endless thirst for blood. I will not make the mistake that one did. But, if you're that unlucky person, don't think you can run, because, I will always find you.