We all started sprinting in various directions. I went off the path into the woods, crashing through branches, bushes, and leaves. I stopped when I heard a scream. Whatever you are imagining now, I guarantee this was worse. It was a scream of pure terror, pain, and horror. The first thing I thought was someone was being tortured. Then I heard, “Help!” The voice was unmistakable. It was Jay. I turned and ran back the way I’d come. Back on the path, I saw the creature standing over Jay, who was lying motionless on the forest floor. I rushed forward. “Jay. Can you hear me?” I asked quietly. He groaned and rolled over onto his side. His eyes fluttered open slightly. “Elias. Get out of here; run. Run now while you still can.” I looked up at the figure. It seemed to be watching me. “You need to come with me. Get up, and we can get out of here,” I insisted. Jay’s face was painted with pain. “I can’t. I’m sorry. You need to run. This thing is a monster, it’s a-” Jay was cut off by a woosh and a thump. He winced. I looked down from his face. The creature's dagger was embedded in Jay’s torso. My eyes started to sting, tears threatening to spill. Jay squeezed his eyes shut, gasping for air. “-demon,” He breathed. It was barely audible, but I heard. “Jay. Please, get up,” I cried, my voice cracking. “Please.” Tears were streaming down my face. Jay shuddered, then was still. I placed two fingers on his neck, looking for his pulse. Time of death, 12:03, I thought. I slowly stood, turning to the demon. “You took my friend from me. You and whatever you stand for.” I felt the dark cloud of hate rising in me. “I don’t know what you are, but I hate you. I hate you!” I screamed. The demon pulled its dagger out of Jay’s body, turned, and ran away. My head started to feel foggy, and I felt a shadow rowing behind my eyes. The world started to sway. I fell forward, onto my hands and knees. The last thing I saw before I passed out was a small trail of blood behind the demon.
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***
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My eyes opened slowly. I was laying in bed. I turned over my wrist to check the time. 4:30 PM. I rolled over, burying as much of my upper body under my pillow. My head was throbbing, and my entire body hurt. I heard a few rapid pings coming from my night stand. Looking over, I saw I had a few messages from my friends.
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Maggie_Bates: Jay, Elias, where r u guys???
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Sammy_Tye: we’re really worried
Sammy_Tye: Please respond
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I quickly typed out a message.
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Elias_Hemsworth: my house, 15 minutes. I’ll explain then
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I got out of bed and pulled off my nasty clothes. I dragged myself into the shower, drenching myself in cold water. How had I gotten home? Neither Maggie nor Sammy had brought me here. Had I blacked out? Had I walked home myself? I intended to find the answers. As I showered, I cleaned all the small cuts on my face and neck from crashing through the trees. I washed away all the dirt and grime. I splashed water on my face, trying to wash away the image haunting my mind; Jay laying dead on the ground. I sat down on the shower floor, crying again. Why did he die? Why him? Why not me? What did Jay do to deserve to die?
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A loud knock on the door pulled me out of my thoughts. I jumped up. “What’s up?” I asked, trying to pretend I wasn’t just sitting in the shower, crying my eyes out. “It’s Maggie. Sammy’s here too. We’ll both be in the living room when you come to explain. Heads up, we’re both kind of upset about you ditching us.” I silently swore. “I’ll be out in a minute.” I grabbed my towel and started to dry off, I left the bathroom and ran to my room, leaving wet footprints on the wooden floors. I put on a white tank top and gray sweatpants. I dried my hair quickly and went downstairs. Maggie and Sammy were sitting on the couch. Sammy stood up and silently hugged me. When he sat down again, I said, “I thought you guys were mad?” I sat down on the table in front of the couch. Sammy cleared his throat. “We were, but just before you came down, after Maggie talked to you, I got a call.” I gulped. I knew exactly where this was going. Honestly, I was kind of glad I wasn’t going to be the one to tell Maggie and Sammy about Jay. “It was Jay’s parents. He never got home after we saw that thing in the woods,” Sammy started.
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“It was a demon,” I said quietly. “What?” Maggie asked with a laugh. “The creature we saw in the woods. It was a demon. Jay told me before he ...” My voice trailed off. Died, I wanted to say. “Before he, what?” Maggie prompted. I couldn't bring myself to say it. I didn't want to believe it. But I'd seen it. It happened, and the sooner I stopped denying it the better. “Before the demon killed him.” There were audible gasps. I clenched my jaw, willing myself to not cry. “How do you know that? Where did you go after we saw the ‘demon’?” Maggie put air quotes around the word demon. Did she honestly not believe me? I just told her that her friend was dead. “I know because-” I choked out. “-because I was there. I watched him die. I watched, powerless, as the demon threw a dagger into his chest. I watched as he bled out on the forest floor. I watched as his heartbeat stopped and he took his last breath. So don’t question me on what I know. Don’t question me on what I saw,” I spat.
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Maggie but her lip. “I’m not saying I don’t think you’re telling the truth, but I’m going to text him. Just to make sure.” Anger started rising inside me. Why didn’t she believe me? Why would I lie about this? I took a deep breath. Fine. Let her figure it out herself. I looked over Maggie’s shoulder as she thumbed out a message to Jay.
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Maggie_Bates: Hey! Where are you?
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We waited for a minute. A minute turned into two. Two turned into three. “Do you believe me now?” I asked. I knew he was never going to respond. Maggie held up a finger. Now I was just annoyed. She couldn't deny it forever. No one could. Maggie dialed Jay’s phone number and pressed call. The phone rang and rang and rang. Eventually, it went to voicemail. “Hello. You have reached Jay Keeth. I can’t answer your call right now. Or I’m avoiding you. Or I can’t find my phone. Or I’m locked away in some small hole talking myself out of doing something I'm going to regret. Anyway, call back later or leave a message. I’ll try my best to respond.” The pre-recorded message clicked off. I could see Maggie finally accepting what had happened. She called him again, and again, and again. On the fifth call, I was sure that Maggie was going to stop. The phone stopped ringing, and I waited for the voicemail. I could hear the beginning in my head. “Hello?” It sounded different this time. Looking at the phone, I saw it was different. Someone had answered.
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