That One Midnight

Ryan laid on the bed in the empty guest room. It had nothing in it except for a wall clock and the bed. He was lost in the book he was reading, but the doorbell pulled him out of the endless depth of the engaging story.  

"Who could that be?" he thought as he walked up to the front door. He proceeded to unlock the door and was frozen when he saw a girl standing in front of him. She looked scared, and her teary eyes begged for help.

"You have to save me, please! They're after me!" she said just before she fell on his shoulder.

Ryan was perplexed. It was almost midnight, and that stranger had fallen unconscious. He had no choice, so he carried the girl in the guest room. The bruises on her arms revealed themselves as the blood began escaping from the fresh wound on her head. 

He hurried to the kitchen and brought a cup of water. The girl's eyelashes fluttered as the water was sprinkled on her face. She gasped as she sat up with a jerk. 

"What's your name? And how did you get injured?" he inquired.

"I'm Leah," she answered, her eyes unleashing a tsunami, "They've killed my parents, and now it's my turn."

"Do you know who they are?"

"No." she wiped her tears. 

"I'm Ryan, by the way. And I should get some band-aid."

"Thanks for letting me in, Ryan."

"Don't mention it." he stood up and ordered his legs to move.

"Though you shouldn't let strangers into your house. Especially when you're home alone."

"How did you know I'm home alone?"

"I don't see anyone else except you."

"Touché," he said as he stepped towards the door, "Well, you needed help, didn't you? That's why I brought you inside."

"Bold of you to assume that I needed help," she mumbled. 

The first aid kit rested on the chair as Ryan filled a glass with water and plopped two ice cubes in it. He clutched the aid kit while holding the glass in his other hand. The lights flickered on and off and made him uneasy. He put the glass on the table as he reached for the switch. 

Off, on. Off, on. 

The lights went back to normal. Ryan smiled at his stupidity and at the fact that he was fearful for a bit. He proceeded back to the guest room and noticed Leah staring at him.

"You want water?" he questioned.

"Yes, please."

Their fingers brushed as she took the glass from him. 

"Your hands are cold," he stated.

"They are?" she said after she gulped down all the water in one go. 

Ryan sprinted to his room and gripped the blanket. The stench of rotting fish filled his nostrils on his way back to the guest room. He handed Leah the blanket and walked towards the window. 

Twinkling stars searched for the moon, but it hid in the clouds. The darkness had taken over the forest; a beautiful land full of different creatures. The roads were silent as if they would get punished if they allowed a single car to run over them. 

The disagreeable smell of the rotting fish was still present in the atmosphere. Ryan couldn't understand where that smell was coming from. Thinking that there might be a dead rodent, he looked under the bed. But there was nothing. 

"Do you smell something?" he queried.

"No. Nothing at all."

"Okay, that's weird because-"

The doorbell interrupted him. Ryan told Leah not to come with him, but she insisted. She encouraged him to peek through the peephole before opening the door. He peeked. Two men were standing there.  

"They're the people who killed my family." She said, stepping a few inches back. 

Ryan's body trembled with terror, but he built up the courage and took Leah to the kitchen. He frantically searched for his phone but failed to find it. Leah stood there in silence and observed everything he did. 

Ryan grasped two knives from the kitchen cabinets, handing one of them to Leah. Then he took her to his room and gave her the baseball bat.

They heard a loud burst which indicated that someone had broken into the house. They heard footsteps approaching. They both stood there, ready for whoever was coming for them. The footsteps came closer, and closer, and closer. And then they stopped. 

Ryan and Leah stood there for a while, ready to strike, but it felt like the men had disappeared. When Ryan was sure that there was no one standing outside, he peeked out. His knife ready in his hand just in case someone pops up. But nobody did. He turned around and beckoned Leah over. But as she came out, someone began shooting black blobs of paint. The culprit was invisible. They rushed back into the room and shut the door. 

Leah was calm. As if she had no problem in dying. While Ryan was utterly horrified. They again heard the sound of footsteps progressing towards the room. They planned to stand behind the door and launch at whoever comes in. 

The door slowly opened, making a squeaking noise. The smell of dead rats arose, making Ryan want to puke. The lights have again begun to flicker as the creature crawled inside the room. 

It looked like a pile of jet-black meat. The two different-sized eyes gazed at Ryan. Its mouth wide open as the long tongue moistened its sharp teeth that were too large to fit in its mouth. Its long human-like legs curled up and almost reached its mouth. A black inky substance dripped from its eyes. Its arms —that had sharp claws at the end— advanced toward Ryan. 

He was scared. Very scared.

He stabbed its hand with his knife. The creature absorbed the blade in his hand and spat out a black blob. It tilted its head and peered at the black substance which was releasing reddish smoke. Leah slowly forwarded towards its head. as the creature was busy inspecting the smoke. Leah smashed the baseball bat on its head. 

It screeched. 

Ryan pounced on its hand as he tried to reach Leah. The creature turned around and got smacked on his face by the door. The pile of black meat fell to the ground. Ryan leaped to the door but was seized by the creature's hand. It dragged Ryan towards its mouth.

Ryan struggled to free himself from its grasp. He firmly held onto the door. The monstrous being refused to let him go even after he successfully ejected various kicks at him. Leah hurled the frying pan towards the creature's head which she had brought from the kitchen. It let go of Ryan's foot as he snarled in pain. 

They both hasten to the kitchen but caught another black creature wandering around in it. Ryan locked the door and trapped it inside. 

They raced to the lounge as it was the nearest place and hid behind a sofa. 

"What is happening!" Ryan shouted, full of rage and confusion.

Leah didn't respond. 

The black creatures crawled towards the lounge. The flickering of the lights made Ryan capable of seeing their shadows. As well as making the whole situation more discomforting. The shadow of the creatures advanced deliberately towards them. The dreadful noise of dogs being beaten by someone increased, as well as the weird smell with every step they took. 

"We're going to die!" He whispered. 

"Not we. Only you are going to die."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm already dead."

"What! No, you're not!"

"I am." She said as she pulled her hand closer to her mouth. 

Ryan shrieked when he saw Leah bite off a piece of meat from her hand. She shoved her nails into her face and peeled the skin off all the way down to her lips. Blood covered her hand, and the peeled-off skin swung to the left as she bent her head. 

Ryan almost tripped over when he stood up and dashed towards the front door without thinking. The lights went off and made it impossible for him to comprehend. He fought to unlock the front door but failed. 

He darted to the guest room and locked himself up. He scrutinized the room as the lights turned on. The first aid kit was launched at the window by him as an attempt to break the glass. But it was hopeless. The aid kit wasn't strong enough. 

The door swung open. Leah was standing there. She enormously smiled as she licked her bloodied fingers. The creatures stood silent on either side.  

He nictitated and observed Leah a few inches closer to him. She snapped her finger, and the two creatures took a step forward. They transformed into a black blob as if they had just melted. The smell of rotting fish joined the environment. The black substance began to boil. It turned baby pink, then blood red, and then finally skin. The sensation of uneasiness caused Ryan's bones to shiver. It grew taller as the unpleasant sound of someone squeezing a mayonnaise pouch became louder and louder. It finally built up into two human bodies. Two men.

"They both weren't following me, Ryan. They are my protectors."

"What do you want! And what are you?"

"The thing that matters is what I want, not what or who I am. I'm here to take you with me. To take you to my world."

"What makes you think I'll come with you, you monster!"

An atrocious laugh spread across the room. And within a blink of an eye, she stood a few inches away from Ryan.

"I'm not a monster, dear. You are. You, humans, are the actual monsters. We relish devouring perfect souls, and you humans make us beg for them." She said, moving closer as every word came out of her mouth. 

Ryan was forced against the wall.

"Every single one of our kind starved to death because they couldn't discover the perfect souls to consume. Why are humans so self-centered? Why can't they sacrifice some souls for us? What are they going to do with those perfect souls? Sharing is caring, you know." 

She put her hand up in the air, and the glass drew towards her. She clenched her fist hard, forcing the glass to break.

"Come with me, Ryan. This hideous world doesn't deserve you. You're too precious." she leaned forward, "I assure you it doesn't hurt that much. Just close your eyes, and let me gently and delicately slit your throat." 

The stink of the garbage emitted by her mouth almost made him vomit. He didn't know what to do. He could just surrender himself. He snatched the broken glass from Leah's hand.

"I'm not gonna go anywhere with you!" he asserted.

"You can't kill me."

He smirked and stabbed his heart. The blood fountain poured out from his heart. Blood surrounded him as he fell to the ground. He heard Leah yelling just before he closed his eyes...forever.