After showering, Rosa re-entered her room still a little shaken by her nightmare. She felt more exhausted than before she’d slept.

‘Why had it felt so real?’ Rosa questioned. Even as she put on her school uniform her body trembled and tingled. It was like it remembered the pain and sensations of being ripped apart. It remembered dying.

She’d put her sweat drenched pyjamas in the washing basket but had left her bedsheets. She didn’t want to explain what had happened last night and instead just prayed they’d be dry by tonight.

There was a knock on her door and then her sister entered the room.

“Are you decent Rosa?” Emma questioned but she was already inside before she could’ve possibly answered, “Oh good” Emma said relieved seeing her younger sister fully dressed.

“What’s up?” Rosa asked, 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 I wanted to see you before I left” Emma told her.

Rosa stopped, 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 like this, especially not before she was leaving. She didn’t need her trip ruined worrying that her sister was going insane.

“There’s no schoolwork you want help with?” Emma asked.

“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” Emma 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 didn’t see through her. The last thing she wanted was her trip being ruined by worrying for her little sister. She glanced at the clock on her bedside stand.

‘Damn’. She really needed to get a move on. She rushed around her room and packed her bag. She then dashed down the stairs and into the kitchen where Mary and James were sitting.

“Morning Sweetie” her mum greeted.

“Morning mum, morning dad” Rosa said. Her eyes locked onto the pile of toast before her dad. “Can I nick a piece of toast?” she asked, “I really need to get going”. With a curious 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” James 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.

She made it to the school and headed straight to the library. However, when she reached their usual spot, Sam was nowhere to be seen. Strange, she was never late. Rosa sat down and pulled out some of her own work. She guessed she could do some work on her own until Sam got here. More time passed and Sam never appeared.

Rosa’s phone pinged. It was a message from Sam.

‘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 sick in fact she’d told Rosa she’d never had a day off school.

Shrugging it off Rosa continued with her work until the first school bell and she headed off to her form room. The school day went as normal and before she knew it the final bell rang. However, she didn’t head home and instead made her way to the gymnasium, more specifically the swimming pool. Every Wednesday she had swimming club, in fact 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 her and they got into the pool.

Out of all her school clubs her favourite was definitely swimming. It always succeeded to clear her mind. She was also really good at it which helped.

Swimming club came to an end, for the final length the club always made it a race. Rosa mustered all the energy she had left and secured first place. She clambered out the pool and headed towards the changing rooms, everyone she passed congratulating her on a training session well done. Once in her stall, she looked at the time.

‘Damn’. The club had run over its usual time, she’d be late at the rate. Ever since it had started getting dark earlier her family had started to worry whenever she never got home in time. Rosa was in no mood for a lecture from her dad.

She quickly towelled down her body and got dressed in the spare clothes she brought, before then drying her hair enough so the weather wouldn’t give her a cold. Satisfied, Rosa quickly gathered her belongings and left, saying goodbye to any club members she passed. Through the hallway windows she could see that the light was already being drained from the sky.

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The winter air clung hold of her the second she left the building and, as if a god was trying to spite her, rain began pelting down on Aldock. She rushed across the school grounds and entered the courtyard.

‘Grrrr’

Rosa spun around slipping on the icy stone floor. Nothing was there just an empty courtyard. She could’ve sword she heard a bestial growl. And it sounded familiar, strangely familiar. In the corner of her eye a shadow moved. Her head spun to the right. The shadows on the roof looked completely ordinary, no abnormally large shadow in sight. Rosa let loose a long breath. She must just be exhausted and seeing things. That dream had really shaken her. 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 must just be her imagination.

‘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. Rosa carried on home but with a quicker pace than before. That time it sounded very real and very close.

‘I really need to get home and rest’ Rosa told herself.

She turned a street corner and then suddenly remembered. This was exactly where her dream started, in fact everything was the same she realised as she looked up at the black, starless sky.

‘Grrrr’.

Before her mind even realised, Rosa’s body burst in a full powered sprint. She wasn’t in control herself and it was like her instinct had claimed her body. Something pounced behind, striking the ground were she’d once been. Something sharp scrapped the ground and a vicious and demonic bark echoed through the street. Rosa’s body never slowed. What was happening? How had the monster from her nightmare came to life? Unless this was another nightmare she wondered, maybe she never woke up.

‘No’ she thought, she could feel the cold biting against her skin, the rain drenching her clothes and her lungs and muscles screaming. This was real.

‘Oh god this is real’. Fear raced up spine and along every nerve in her body. If she wasn’t running at a maximum speed before she definitely was now.

The rain battered her body and drenched her clothes and to her horror they soon began feeling like a weight slowing her down.

‘Keep going’ she told herself, ignoring her body screaming 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.

Rosa couldn’t explain it but she felt as if the monster was about to attack. She took a sharp right turn into a new street, almost slipping in a deep puddle. The creature pounced, slamming down exactly were she’d have been if she carried on forward. Rosa didn’t dare look back but heard something large skid across the road and slam into a car, setting off its alarms. Hopefully that would buy her even a little bit of time. But it had cost her getting off route. She was no longer heading to her house but to the park.

‘No, this is fine. I can cut through park and try and loose it’ she quickly thought.

The monster was back on her heels, she 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 inside the playground with no issues. She sprinted across the wet rubber and once again leapt across the fence. Her feet slammed down into the grass.

She slipped.

Fear flooded her mind. She scrambled in the mud and rain but in her panic kept falling back down. She was going to be ripped apart. Every moment she dreaded the feral growl emerging behind her and the machete like claws tearing her body apart.

But the growl never came. Why was she still alive? Despite every part of telling her not to, she looked back.

Nothing.

She was alone in the park. Just wet, muddy, cold and alone. No murderous monster in sight.

Cautiously and trembling, Rosa stood. She listened but the only sound she heard was the howling of the wind. The car alarm from earlier was no where 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. 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 near her house.

“But what if its 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.

Without hesitation she dashed into the woods, entering its shelter from the rain. It was pitch black but she knew the way well. She would always cut through here when she was younger, whether to avoid people, find peace and quiet or just play in the woods. However, despite her confidence, the darkness put her on constant edge. It was a lot more terrifying at night and, if you were a humongous murderous monster, the perfect place to ambush your prey. She carried on running, the adrenaline coursing through her veins, keeping her body moving.

‘Not long now’ she told herself, ‘Almost out’.

She tripped on something thick and solid. Rosa hit the ground hard and let out a breathless gasp as her body tumbled. 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 and she realised she hadn’t tripped accidentally, she’d been tripped. Fresh adrenaline rushed, and she scampered up, her leg’s pain vanishing in an instant. She spun behind her. Her heart stopped.

In the darkness between the soft shadows of trees where 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. Her eyes never leaving it, she 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 were wolf 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 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 strike flesh and the monster roared.

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!