["It's not human."]

The shrill cry of Julia's phone jolted her from her slumber. With a groan, she stuck out a hand from beneath the warm sheets and unceremoniously plunked her hand on the buzzing device. She squinted at the luminesce of the screen in the dark.

Incoming call: Serah

In her drowsiness, she slightly fumbled around, before her thumb finally slid over the green button. "Serah, what's up?" she mumbled, eyelids already drooping shut. The alarm clock on her nightstand flashed 2.46a.m.

There was no response from the other end for some time. Then, a feeble voice whispered: "Julie...h-help..."

All sleepiness dissipated in an instance. She bolted upright, a wave of premonition beginning to loom over her. "What's wrong?"

The only thing she could hear were heavy breathings and whimpers. "I-I-I..." and she broke into soft sobs.

"Serah, what happened? Talk to me," she urged, already ready to leap from bed and dash over to her cousin's house. Through gasps and sniffles, she patiently waited for her to form her words: "R-Remember I told you... about th-the stalker since... a-a month ago?" she managed to muster out. Julia briefly nodded, then realised she could not see her over the phone. Before she could reply, Serah's faint voice continued: "H-He came into my house... I heard him...break down the door...a-and..." her words faded into another sob.

"You're going to be okay, Serah, I'm coming, and I'll call the cops. What are you doing now?" Julia sprang into action, practically ripping off her nightwear and shoving all her necessities into a backpack. With the phone on speaker, Serah's trembling exhales echoed in the room, and she could practically feel the terror lurking in her cousin's voice.

"I'm... hiding in the closet... oh god, he's coming up...!"

"Okay, don't panic, I'm coming right now." A curse slipped her lips when her penknife clattered to the floor. She noticed the subtle shaking in her hands. She took a deep breath and steeled her nerves, before swiping the penknife up, although she knew, no one would be able to stand against her if she used that.

No one except... under unusual circumstances.

The line crackled to life again by a gasp. She swiftly picked up the phone. "Serah? Serah?"

"Oh my god, Julia... Don't call the cops...I-it's..." her words were choked up. For a moment, the line was completely silent, sending a new wave of trepidation over Julia. Don't call the cops? What was she saying? Would speaking right now only bust her cousin's hiding spot?

She didn't have to worry, because a soft voice continued:

"It's not human."

There was a thud, and the line went dead.

"Serah? SERAH! NO!" She couldn't care less anymore. To hell if anyone saw her. She couldn't lose another person, not again.

She threw open her window and leaped.

The wind whipped past her hair as she sailed through the night sky with gravity-defying strength. She landed on the roof of the house across the street with a light crouch, immediately springing into a sprint. She ran past skeletal streets and over the sleeping city with unhuman agility, the one goal in mind pushing her to unleash all the paranormal strength she had kept hidden for the past decade.

When she finally landed in her cousin's yard, slightly out of breath, the world was unnervingly quiet, yet the front door was torn at its hinges the way no mundane strength could've done. Julia brandished the penknife in her hand, before she inched towards the entrance.

The house was in a state of disarray: furniture overturned, ornaments smashed to the marble tiles, fragments scattered everywhere... her clean-freak of a cousin's abode had never been in appalling state. Julia edged past the obstructions and immediately headed for the stairs.

She was halfway up when something rolled down the steps. It was a plastic bottle, the one that Serah used to keep her flowers, but this was empty.

It tumbled past her all the way down. She watched it drop step by step, before it finally rolled to a stop on the flat ground.

When she glanced up, at the very top, a lanky figure slinked by, and she had to clamp a hand over her mouth to stifle herself, but when she saw a familiar peach cardigan in its bony fingers she couldn't help the sharp inhale.

The creature stopped, and gradually turned it's head to stare at her with one, veiny eye.

It dropped into a crouch and lunged down the stairs on all fours.

Julia jumped onto the banister just as it zoomed past. She pulled herself upwards and sprinted upstairs. She could hear the ghoulish cry of the creature, and then rapid poundings against the floorboard behind her. Her eyes darted around. There was a window near the door of a room. She could-

She barely had time to spin around, before the repulsing sight of a large mouth, rowed with fangs and drool greeted her.

With a shriek, she instinctively threw her hands out just as the creature's jaws slammed downwards.

The force sent her crashing into the wall. It was a battle of strength, the ghoul against her. The fangs pierced deep into her flesh; hot pain shooting up from her palms. Her muscles burned at the crushing weight; her legs were trembling beneath her. Sweat dripped down her chin in a continual flow.

Her mind was churning with a myriad of thoughts. No. She was not going to lose. Not here. She can't. She had to find Serah. She needed to attain her sworn goal. She wasn't going to die anytime soon.

With a strangulated war cry, she pushed her body to it's breaking point and tore the creature's jaws wide open.

There was an unearthly screech, then a sickening squelch, and the flesh of the creature split all the way to its midsection.

When she let go, the carcass of the creature slumped to the floor.

She stood there, swaying slightly, before her legs gave out and she crumpled to the ground.

Black spots danced in her vision; her ears rang; the world spun. The adrenaline was gone, and all she could feel was stinging pain all over as her body failed to even lift a finger. In her bleary vision, she made out two pairs of feet approaching her. One bent down in front of her, the ever-lustrous blond hair and forest green irises with eyebrows furrowed in concern, yet completely unharmed.

"Serah..."

Julia slipped into the ever-floating realm of darkness.

♧[13/5/2020]♧