A blood-curdling scream pierced the night, jolting Lyka awake. Her heart pounded in her chest as she bolted upright, fear gripping her. She gripped her white stuffed rabbit close to her chest. A sense of dread washed over her as she scrambled out of bed and tiptoed towards her parents' room where the noise was coming from.
Peering through the slightly ajar door, a horrifying sight met her eyes. A colossal, shadowy figure, his eyes glowing an ominous red, hovered over her father, his clawed hand wrapped tightly around his throat. The demon's voice, a deep, guttural rumble, echoed through the room.
"Where is the girl?" he demanded, his voice laced with a sinister promise.
Lyka's breath caught in her throat. She was frozen, terror consuming her. The demon's gaze seemed to pierce the darkness, searching for her.
Lyka's eyes widened in horror as they met her mother's.
Her mother's nightgown was stained in blood, her hand clutching the gaping wound in her abdomen. She coughed as blood gushed out of her mouth. "Run, Lyka, run!" she managed to utter in a weak and raspy voice.
The demon's attention snapped to Lyka. A sadistic grin spread across his face, his red eyes glowing with malicious intent. Lyka watched in horror as he snapped her father's neck with one final squeeze and threw his lifeless body to the cold floor and slowly, he walked towards her.
Fear paralyzed Lyka, her legs trembling uncontrollably. The demon inched closer, its shadow looming over her.
A surge of adrenaline jolted Lyka back to reality as her mother shouted with her final breath, "Lyka, I said run!".
With a surge of newfound courage, Lyka turned and fled, her small legs pumping furiously. The demon pursued, its laughter, a chilling sound, cutting through the night.
As Lyka dashed through the moonlit woods, branches whipped at her face, and roots tripped her. Her breath came in ragged gasps, her heart pounding like a drum. She clutched her stuffed rabbit tightly, hoping to find a little comfort in the face of terror.
Lyka's small body could run no further. Her lungs burned, her legs ached, and her heart pounded in her chest.
Her legs gave out on her as she collapsed to the damp forest floor, sobbing, her tiny frame shaking with fear. The demon, his red eyes glowing menacingly, loomed over her.
"P-please, d-don't hurt m-me," she whimpered, her voice barely a whisper.
The demon leaned down, its rancid breath washing over her face. Its long, gnarled fingers lifted her chin, forcing her to look into its abyssal eyes.
Lyka felt his cold fingers underneath her chin, he felt so cold, he felt like... death.
"You're a bit of a runner for tiny legs little one" he hissed, its voice like grating metal.
Lyka's eyes widened in horror, taking a closer look at the demon, she noticed his sharp fangs, blood red eyes, his mouth was very wide like it was slit from one side to the other, his body a twisted mass of bulging, corded muscle, covered in thick, scaly skin that seemed to shift and writhe like a living thing and his otherworldly aura filled her with dread. She slowly closed her eyes, resigning to whatever fate awaits her.
"Don't worry little girl," The demon sneered, "I'm not gonna eat you...yet".
He roughly seized her wrist, pain shooting through her arm. Her beloved teddy tumbled to the forest floor, forgotten.
Suddenly, a chilling voice cut through the darkness, "Its thrilling just thinking about what I'll do to that hand of yours".
The voice was accompanied with slow and steady footsteps emerging from the dark corners of the woods.
"Who's there?". The demon, with his voice trembling, asked, fear glinted in his blood-red eyes as he scanned the dark woods.
As the steady footsteps were getting closer, the demons senses sharpened, he could feel the aura of the one approaching was extremely powerful, far superior to his. He's not seen who it is yet but he has never felt this much power coming from one person alone. His legs began shaking on their own, beads of sweat forming on his face.
"Why hide in the woods, coward?". The demon taunted, trying to mask his fear. "Show yourself!".
The next thing Lyka heard after that, was the agonizing cry of the demon, his cries and groans was so loud it woke the sleeping birds in the trees.
Lyka's big icy blue eyes were met with the back of a stranger, and clutched tightly on this stranger's hand, was the bloody arm of the demon. It looked like it has been painfully ripped off by him but how did that happen in just a blink of an eye.
The man in front of her was tall and imposing with his pale skin glistening in the moonlight. His hair was dark, long and wavy. Lyka's body began to shake involuntarily, the sight of the unknown man gave her shivers, his aura was unlike anything she's ever felt. She taught the demon who murdered her parents was scary but what she was felt then was nothing compared to this. Who was this person.
She tried to get a glimpse of his face but couldn't cause his hair covered most of his face and his back was turned to her.
The man threw the arm aside and spat on the ground, a look of disgust on his face, "How delusional of you to not have fled the moment you heard my voice".
He sneered, his voice filled with contempt, "Good thing you didn't though, cause running would've been pointless".
The demon was about to speak but before he could even utter a single word, in a swift movement, the man ripped his head from his shoulders.
"You're lucky I made it quick and easy cause of the little rabbit. Next time your kind won't be so lucky". He spoke as he watched in disdain as the demon's body wither away into nothingness.
Lyka gasped, her eyes widened in shock and horror.
A wave of conflicting emotions washed over Lyka. She recalled how her life was so perfect few hours ago until this demon came and crumbled her world to dust and now she's standing here witnessing the demise of that same creature who took everything away from her in the hands of a mysterious stranger.
She can't deny the satisfaction she felt watching her parent's killer suffer the same fate but she knows even if this scene was repeated over and over again, it still won't bring her parents back.
Tears streak down her face as she sobs, calling for her parents.
The man turned his attention to Lyka and began approaching her with slow and careful steps, afraid he might scare her away and his fear came to pass when Lyka slowly backed away from him once she saw him approaching her.
"You're still too young little rabbit". He squat in front of her and gently stroke her hair with an unreadable expression. "But when the time is right, I'll come find you. I promise".
A blinding light enveloped them and in an instant, Lyka found herself standing in front of a police station, alone.
She turned around, searching for the mysterious stranger but he was nowhere to be seen, it felt like he was never even there.