After showering, Rosa re-entered her room still shaken by her recent nightmare. She felt more exhausted than before she'd slept.
'Why had it felt so real?' Rosa questioned disturbed. Even as she got dressed into her school uniform her body trembled and uncomfortably tingled. It was like it remembered the pain and sensations of being ripped apart. It remembered being butchered.
Rosa, discretely, threw her sweat drenched pyjamas into the washing basket but left her bedsheets. She didn't want to explain what had happened last night to her parents and instead just prayed they'd be dry by tonight.
There was a knock on her door and her sister entered the room.
"Are you decent Rosa?" Emma questioned but she was already inside before Rosa could've possibly answered. "Oh good" Emma said relieved seeing her younger sister fully dressed.
"What's up?" Rosa asked unbothered by the intrusion, grabbing her backpack out her wardrobe. When she was she younger she'd have probably screamed at her sister to get out. Funny how things change.
"I'm all packed and thought I'd come and see you before I left" Emma told her.
Rosa stopped in her tracks, she had completely forgot Emma was leaving for a week. That night terror had really scrambled her brain.
"Are you going to be okay?" Emma asked.
"I'll be fine" Rosa stated as confidently as she could. She didn't want her sister seeing her in this state, especially not before she was leaving on an important trip. Emma didn't need her career opportunity ruined by a week of constant worrying that her sister was going insane.
"There's no schoolwork you want help with?" Emma asked, like she was trying to prolong the conversation.
"Nah, I'm pretty certain I've mastered year nine" Rosa boasted.
Emma laughed. "It wouldn't surprise me. But don't act so cocky it doesn't suit you. Only me" her sister joked. She then pulled Rosa into a hug. "I'll see you in a week".
"See you in a week, Em" Rosa said holding her sister tightly and for a moment all her fear disappeared. Once they separated, Emma gave her one final wave before vanishing.
Rosa sighed, she begged her sister hadn't see through her facade. The last thing she wanted after that nightmare was to also ruin her sister's career progress. Rosa glanced at the clock on her bedside stand.
'Damn'. She had no idea it was already that late. Rosa rushed around her room and filled her bag with all her school necessities before then dashing down the stairs and into the kitchen where her parents were sitting.
"Morning Sweetie" her mum greeted.
"Morning mum, morning dad" Rosa said. Her eyes locked onto the pile of toast before her father. "Can I nick a piece of toast?" she asked, putting on her best puppy eyes. "I really need to get going". With a curious and amused glance, her dad pushed the plate of toast towards her.
"Thank you" she said grabbing a piece. "I'll be home a little later today, I've got swimming".
"Alright kiddo, see you later" her father said. Rosa rushed out the kitchen and put on her school shoes.
"Enjoy work!" Rosa called out before slipping into her coat and leaving the house.
Once at school she headed straight to the library. However, when she reached their usual spot, Sam was nowhere to be seen. Nor was there any indication she'd visited their spot, the table and chairs untouched. Strange, she was never late. Rosa sat down and pulled out some of her own work. She guessed she could do some independent study, until Sam got here, save herself doing homework the night before its due. Time continued to pass but Sam never appeared, even as it was growing very close the first bell.
Rosa's phone pinged. It was a message from Sam. In simple terms without her friend's flare it stated.
'Sorry I'm telling you so late, but I'm feeling ill and won't be in today. Sorry again'.
Rosa was a little stunned, Sam was never ill, in fact she'd told Rosa she'd never even had a single day off school. Guess her streak had to come to end on someday. Shrugging off her curious and worried thoughts, Rosa continued with her work until the first school bell rung and she headed off to her form room.
Thankfully in contrast to her bizarre night experience, the school day went as normal and before she knew it the final bell rang. However, unlike the previous day Rosa didn't head home. Instead she made her way to the gymnasium block, specifically the swimming pool. Every Wednesday she had swimming club, a requirement since she was on the school's swimming team. She entered the changing rooms and got ready for the pool as fast as possible. Many of her club mates quickly joined and greeted her as they all assembled in the changing area before gathering in the pool.
Out of all her school clubs her favourite was definitely swimming. It always succeeded to clear and soothe her mind. Plus she was also really good at it which helped. The school also possessing a lovely, maintained, crystal clear fifty metre long and twenty five metre wide Olympic swimming pool helped her enjoyment as well.
After over an hour of vigorous training, swimming club came to an end. For the final length of the club, they always made it a race. As the final whistle echoed, Rosa mustered all the energy she had left and secured herself first place. Enhancing her streak now to five victories, she hadn't suffered a defeat since the end of year eight. With a satisfied grin, she clambered up the ladder out of the pool and headed back into the changing rooms, everyone she passed congratulating her and each other on a training session well done. Once in her stall, while drying her soaked hair and skin, she looked at the time.
'Damn'. The club had run over its usual time, she'd be late at this rate. Ever since it had started getting dark earlier, with the seasonal change, her family had started to grow increasingly worried whenever she never got home on time. And Rosa was in no mood for a lecture from her dad today. Then again when was she ever?
She hurriedly towelled down her body and got dressed into the spare outfit she'd brought, before hastily and roughly drying her hair enough so the weather wouldn't give her a cold. Content with its condition, Rosa quickly gathered her belongings and left, saying goodbye to any club members she passed. As she rushed across campus, through the hallway windows she could see that the light was already being drained from the sky by tendrils of the maturing night. She was screwed.
The frosty air clung hold of her the second she left the building and, as if god was trying to spite her, rain began to powerfully pelt down upon on Aldock, like an artillery barrage of tiny, liquid pebbles. The weather hadn't forecasted any rain and therefore she'd not believed an umbrella was necessary today. Releasing an irritated groan, Rosa threw up her hood and rushed across the school grounds and entered the courtyard.
'Grrrr'.
The sound made her heart leap. Rosa spun almost slipping on the icy stone floor, its poor traction improved by the bombardment of rain. Nothing was there just an empty courtyard. She could've sworn she heard a beastly growl. And it sounded familiar, strangely familiar, grimly so. In the corner of her eye, at the edge of her peripheral vision her gaze caught a shadow moving. Her head snapped to the right, with such force the movement strained her neck. The shadows on the roof looked completely ordinary, no abnormal movement or anomalies in sight. Rosa let loose a long breath. She must just be exhausted and seeing things. That dream had really shaken her. She'd hoped the swimming session would put the nightmare far behind her, but it was clearly more stubborn than she predicted. Chuckling to herself about her own delusions she kept walking and left the school grounds. Then it clicked, that growl was the same one from last night. It really must just be her imagination. Her exhausted mind playing tricks on her soul.
'Monsters. What am I four?'. The school faded into view behind her and night consumed the sky as Rosa walked home
'Grrr'.
The growl came again. On instinct, Rosa's head spun round. Nothing. Of course there wasn't, she told herself. Rosa carried on home but with a slightly quicker pace than before. That time it sounded very real and a hell of a lot closer. Even if was just her psyche, she was finding zero enjoyment in the game they were playing.
'I really need to get home and rest' Rosa told herself.
She turned a street corner and then suddenly remembered, the nightmarish scenes flashing in her brain like a PowerPoint slideshow. This was exactly where her dream had started, in fact everything was the same she realised as she looked up at the black, starless sky.
'Grrrr'.
Before her consciousness even realised what was happening, Rosa's body burst in a full powered sprint on its own. She wasn't in control herself and it was like primal instincts had claimed her body. Something pounced behind, striking the ground were she'd once been. Something sharp and heavy scrapped the ground and a vicious, demonic bark echoed through the street. Rosa's body never slowed.
"What the fuck!?' Rosa screamed inside her head, with the rapid realisation her mind couldn't be simulating that. Unless she'd awakened latent telekinetic abilities which she was very confident she had not.
What was happening? How had her night terror weaved itself into reality? Unless this whole day was another nightmare she wondered, maybe she'd never woken up.
'No' Rosa thought. She could feel the cold biting against her skin, the rain assaulting her clothes. Her lungs and muscles screaming, as adrenaline coursed through each cell forcing them to their limits. This was real.
'Oh god this is real'. Fear raced up her spine and along every nerve in her body. If she wasn't running at a maximum power before she definitely was now.
The rain battered her body and seeped into her attire and to her horror they soon began feeling like a weight slowing her down.
'Keep going' she told herself, ignoring her body shrieking for air and her muscles crying as lactic acid filled their every orifice. If she could get home everything would be fine, it didn't matter if a monster was chasing her because her father would save her. James Elacti would resolve everything. Just like her father always did.
Rosa couldn't explain it but it was as if a sixth sense began speaking to her, bellowing that the monster was about to attack. Deciding to obey its orders, she took a sharp left turn almost tumbling over in a deep puddle. The creature pounced, slamming down exactly were she'd have been if not for her detour. Rosa didn't dare look back but heard something large skid across the road and slam powerfully into a car, setting off its alarms. Hopefully that would buy her even a little bit of time. Despite seemingly saving her life her detour it had cost her getting off route. She was no longer heading to her house but to the park instead.
'No, this is fine. I can cut through park and try and loose it in the trees' she quickly thought.
She felt the monster was back on her heels, and quickly darted across the flooded grass field and in a leap of faith hopped the playgrounds fence without hesitation. Her prayers were answered as she splashed down perfectly inside the playground with no issues, as if she'd transformed into a professional athlete. With no time to admire her performance, Rosa sprinted across the wet rubber and once again leapt across the fence. Her feet slammed down into the grass.
She slipped.
'Mierda'.
Fear flooded her mind. She scrambled around in the mud and rain but, in her panic, kept falling back down. She was going to be ripped apart. Every passing moment, she dreaded the feral growl emerging behind her and the machete like claws tearing her body apart. Giving up on her recovery, Rosa tucked herself into defensive curl.
Defeated and on the edge of tearing up she waited for her demise. But the growl never came. Neither did her impalement and dismemberment. Why was she still alive? Despite every part of telling her not to, she looked back … Nothing.
She was alone. Wet, muddy, cold and … alone, no murderous monster in sight.
Cautiously and trembling, Rosa stood. Carefully, she listened to her environment but the only sound she heard was the howling of the wind, not of a beast. The car alarm from earlier was also nowhere to be found.
It must of went off she told herself. This couldn't have all been in her head. She wasn't going insane. Was she? No, that had definitely happened no matter how powerful the human brain was it couldn't do that.
She took a step forward. However, if that was true it meant that creature was still out there. She glanced back towards the houses.
'Should I head back?' she wondered, conflicted in her next plan of action. Now that she was here it would be faster to cut through the park but, if there was still a creature out there, wouldn't being near the houses be safer, maybe someone would take her in. Her mind raced. But what if the monster is back there waiting for her? She glanced the other way, towards the woods that lay between the park and her house.
"But what if it's in there" she whimpered. Growing conscious of the darkening sky and the growing ferocity of the rain, Rosa chose to favour time and sprinted further across the park. She just needed to get home, Rosa told herself.
Removing all hesitation, she dashed into the woods, entering its shelter from the rain. It was pitch black but she knew the way like the back of her hand. Rosa would always cut through here when she was younger, whether to avoid people, seek solitude and serenity, or just play in the woods with Emma. However, despite her confidence in her knowledge of the pathway, the darkness and pitch shadows put her on constant edge. It was a lot more terrifying at night and, if you were a humongous bloodthirsty predatory, it was the perfect place to ambush your prey. Shaking away the unhelpful thoughts, Rosa carried on running, the adrenaline rampaging through her blood keeping her body moving.
'Not long now' she told herself. 'Almost home'.
She tripped on something thick and solid, hidden inside the blanket of darkness. Rosa hit the ground hard and let out a breathless pained gasp as her body tumbled and rolled. She tried to stand but winced as pain radiated from her leg. She didn't remember any exposed roots around here, what did she hit? … Or what hit her?
Terror struck her like a train as realisation set in. She hadn't tripped accidentally, she'd been tripped up. Fresh adrenaline rushed, and Rosa scampered up, her leg's pain vanishing in an instant. She spun behind her. Her heart stopped.
In the pitch blanket ahead, between the soft shadows of trees were a pair of beaming eyes. Two white glows that hovered ominously in the air.
Slowly and steadily Rosa tried retreating away towards her house. Something hit her back, completely halting her movement. Her eyes never leaving the creature, too worried that it guarantee a predatory reaction, Rosa felt behind. A tree, she was trapped. Any sudden movements and she knew it would attack.
The monster stalked forward on all fours and Rosa finally got a true look at the beast. It reminded her of a werewolf from the old horror films she'd seen. Like a wolf had been combined with a giant ape. Black fur, muscular body that rippled with every movement and not to mention long, razor sharp claws and teeth that could quite easily tear Rosa apart. It loosed a guttural growl that shook her very core and prepared to pounce.
She was dead. Rosa closed her eyes, her body paralysed, too afraid to move. If she was going to die she didn't want to see it happen.
Something tore through the air. Rosa heard metal tear flesh and the monster roared.
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!