“Run!”Adrenaline rushed into Amilia’s body. She did as she was told. She runs. But where? She didn’t know. She just run. Away from the creatures. Away from him. She willed her trembling legs to put a distance with everything the best she could. But before she can get the chance to get to the other side of the park, the flying creature landed in front of her. She once again stared at the blackness of its orb. When the creature opened its mouth, it was as if she was facing a deep cave. Then it all happened so fast.She was mesmerized by its mouth that she had forgotten that it also had an arm. Just when Amilia felt the boney fingers clasp around her wrist that she got awakened. But it was already too late. Black spots consumed Amilia’s vision. She fought through the hazy sight to no avail. She felt herself flying. Then falling. It was dark. Not the darkness during midnight nor the blackouts. It was a different kind of dark. No eeriness and no peacefulness. Nothing was in there. It was j

“Over here!” A small child shouted at her friends. Her friends run over to where she had her finger pointed. She let them get through the hole first before following them. They all snicker while holding their mouths to suppress the smiles as they wait for IT to come to hunt them down. Minutes passed and turn into hours. The children’s arms are getting sore from being cramped up in a small space. Some of them are whining and some of them are just tired. Their leader, the one who led them there keep looking outside. “Aren’t we going home?” Said one girl, clutching her small teddy bear. “He’s not coming. He just tricked us!” Said the boy beside her. “Ssh! Quiet down! Sister said that he will come to find us before giving us gifts. We must stay here.” Said the leader. Everyone whined but remained inside. ✒✒✒ “Finally! Some alone time!” Amilia threw herself on her bed. Getting home after a few days away feels so refreshing. She spent the night at Lizzie too as her mother requested.

“Hey, hold it properly! You’ll drop them!” Amilia was stunned by a sight early in the morning when she was about to step outside and get breakfast. Lizzie was holding a Tupper wear while Zephyr was balancing a bunch of plastics in his hands. Some are slipping out of his grasp and he was trying his best not to let them drop to the floor as Lizzie was shouting at him. They both looked like an idiot. “What are you doing?” Amilia breaks the scene and they both turn their heads abruptly at her. Lizzie smiled her biggest smile and beamed. “Good morning! I figured that you will be skipping foods even though… anyway here are some foods!” She lifted the Tupper wear at Amilia’s sight. “And you?” Amilia asked the troubled Zephyr finally getting a hold of the pesky plastic and clutching it to his stomach. “Something was bothering me since last night and I met up with this woman at the lift.” He explained. “That’s not a nice way to pertain to a person.” Lizzie winced at the word woman and doe

Amilia rode a bus to her destination. She had that determined look on her face and a bag full of clothing and another handbag that was filled with food. Lizzie was unstoppable. She had packed everything she bought, cooked some, and buy some more for Amilia’s vacation. She had bought at least a year’s worth of supplies. She also sends her some more clothes and unnecessary things. Most especially, the guy who was now sitting beside her. Amilia can’t understand him. She thought that there was no way that he will agree to Lizzie’s idea but he did. He was now sitting comfortably beside her, in the center aisle. His eyes closed and his arms crossed behind his head. She watched his even breath. He’s not seriously asleep right now, is he? Amilia thought. He shifted to the side and opened his eyes slightly, eyeing Amilia. “What? Mesmerized by my beauty?” Whatever curse those ink had he still got them. He got a little more talkative now than he used to. He smiles a lot and was very jolly. He

Amilia went up to take a shower after an hour of dusting and cleaning the room. The Fallen, however, during the battle with the clouds of dust, had escaped to who knows where. Amilia didn’t care. She’s filthy and tired so a long shower will help ease her sore muscles. The room fogged from the hot steam coming from the shower stall. Amilia engulfed herself and let her body relax. She sighed. She had contemplated the events that had led to this. She didn’t know that she will be back to her hometown where she had collected a good number of bad memories. She thought of how her grandparents used to fight all the time. How her father would shout at her mother for no reason or when he was drunk. How the children around her age used to bully and treat her like an outcast. She tried to remember some good days but nothing would surface. It’s either she had nothing or she had forgotten about it at all. She decided to finish her shower when her hands started to wrinkle. She looked at her reflect