My palms started to sweat, but not from the heat of the fire. The monstrosity that was drawn onto the sheet of paper was worse than anything I've seen so far.  I averted my eyes from the horrid thing before I could fully take in its terrible form.

Underneath the blood chilling image read: B-class Daimon, Corrupt Spirit.

Underneath that it read malevolent, which meant it was a hostile creature. I was scared silly, and trembled as I continued to gaze at the page. But somehow, Mikoto was able to smile. She had to be insane.

"This is the thing that guy was warning us about, wasn't it?! I told you we should go back!"

"We couldn't have gone back." She snapped, "We wouldn't have made it anyways. By the time we were have way up the side, it'd be night and we'd be troll bait. And Xias would be on our asses like a tramp stamp if we backtrack."

"Aw shit man! What are we gonna do!?"

"Don't piss yourself.  It ain't as bad as it looks. Since Ghouls are ethereal entities, it can't harm you unless you allow it to."

"I have no idea what that means," I cried, "do you not see those sharp ass bone swords?!"

Mikoto laughed, "What I mean is, they won't be able to harm you unless they have permission to do so." I still didn't understand what she meant so she explained. "Look, unlike those over the top badasses from Tokyo, actual Ghouls cannot do anything to you unless they are invited inside."

"So. . . the only way they can do anything is if I literally tell them they can come in? In what world would anyone do something as stupid as that?"

"Don't be dumb. There are ways they can get inside of your head; make you feel safe and coax you into letting them in. Then they'll slice you into pieces, and eat you; bones and all. How do you think that guy on the Radio fell for it?" A fresh wave of fear blazed anew at her grim reminder.

"Okay, so what're we gonna do?"

"Relax. It's going to be fine. From what the book says, Ghouls are drawn to light. As long as every light in the house is turned off, we shouldn't have a big problem. But that doesn't mean a Ghoul won't sniff you out. If, on the off chance, a Ghoul sniffs you out, it'll knock on the door three times. You mustn't answer it, because if you open the door to it, you'd be inviting it in.

"After it knocks three times, it'll try it's best to fool you into opening up for it. It might mimic the voice of a dead relative or someone you're close too. Again, don't answer the door. If you still haven't fallen for it's ruse, it'll begin to threaten you and try to make deals with you. This is where it gets most people. You can't trust it. It'll use lies and sift through your memories for things to use against you." She gave me a confident smile and closed the Bestiary, "But you don't got much of them anyways, so you should be good." She leaned back in the sofa and crossed her legs over one another. "For now we wait for nightfall. We can spend the night in here where the fire will keep us warm-unless you want to go up to the bed, that's fine too."

"You mean we both sleep on this couch?" I asked awkwardly.

"No, you sleep on the floor and I'll sleep on the couch," she said, her face flushed.

"Want me to go grab some blankets?"

"Good that."

Despite what she said, when I came back with a thick woolen blanket, she was more than happy to have me on the sofa beside her. We cozied up on the sofa and stared into the fire as we waited for the sun to set. I couldn't lie, I was terrified, but excited at the same time. Like that thrill you get when you're about to step onto the scariest rollercoaster in the park. If I were alone it'd be a different story, but with Mikoto here I wouldn't have to face my fears alone. As far as I knew, she had everything under control.

Ignorance is bliss.

 When the last light had finally disappeared past the horizon, Mikoto gave me a nod and separated the firewood. Once the flames died down some, she banked the ashes into the coals, plunging us into almost absolute darkness. The embers glowed faintly, but that was all the light we had and Mikoto reassured me that it wouldn't attract any Ghouls. I pulled the blankets over my shoulders and leaned back into the sofa. I made sure my arms were free and had room to breath so that it wouldn't fall asleep again.

As the minutes dragged on and an hour had passed, the embers were now totally invisible and the darkness was like a thick tar. I might as well have been blind. Despite the fact that my eyes should've adjusted by now, I couldn't even see my hand in front of my face. I peered across the couch to make sure Mikoto was still there. I couldn't see her, but I could hear the rise and fall of her breaths in the dark. Suddenly a hand found mine under the blankets and squeezed. It was unexpected and butterflies started throwing a party in my gut. I heard her move and the next second our bodies were pressed together side by side. The feeling of her soft thigh against mine sent waves of new sensations through my body; and none of them pure.

''H-hey, Mikoto, you alright?" I would have made a joke about buying me a drink first, but I knew that wasn't the reason for her behavior.

She was silent for a long time before answering. "I'm only doing this to make sure you don't go answering any doors, so don't get any ideas!"  Her voice cracked. I could tell that wasn't the real reason. We both knew I'd be to afraid to step foot out of the den. So keeping me from answering the door wasn't the reason she was squeezing my hand. I knew exactly what was wrong with her. She was scared, like any normal person should be. I felt like I had to do something. We were partners in this situation and her well being effected me in a way. If she were too afraid to act or think, what would I do? I was relying completely on her knowledge. So impulsively, as if I wasn't in control of my actions, I squeezed back.

"We'll be fine," I reassured, "As long as we stay on this couch, like you said."

"You're a brave kid, Little Fangs. You've been steadily changing from the first time we met."

"To be honest, I'm scared shitless," I admitted, "but what can we do except stay here? I've been trying to except our situation, and if there's a way to regain our memories, I need to get stronger to even make it there. Like you."

"I'm flattered," she teased, the fear in her voice dissipating "but now I'm certain you're changing. Not just physically, but mentally. If you're trying to get stronger, you're on the right route." She paused for a moment, as if picking her words carefully. "Last training session went badly. I'll admit, I was in the wrong, but if you really want to, we can try again tomorrow. I don't usually make promises, but my gut tells me I can trust you. So I promise you won't have to do anything that goes against your morals. I can't promise you won't come out of it without bruises though."

I laughed, "Sounds good." With her hand still holding mine, it didn't take to long to fall asleep. But as I've come to learn, in this world, good things don't last long. I was awoken from my sleep when I felt like my hand and ribcage were being crushed. In a panic, I felt around for what was bound around my torso. I retracted my hand in fear when I felt a thick, fuzzy object, but my fear died down when I realized it was only Mikoto's tail. She was also squeezing the life out of my hand.

"Yo, Mikoto," I whispered, "you are literally killing me right now. Ease up-" I knew something was wrong. I could feel it. No seriously, I could sense another presence close by. After being around Mikoto so much, I noticed that she constantly exerted a faint electrical pulse. Even now, I could feel her aura, like when you leave a TV on and mute and falling asleep. Even without looking, you know it's on. But I could feel a third presence. This one was a biting, bone chilling cold. I knew it wasn't natural because I didn't feel it on my skin. I felt it in the pit of my chest, slowly spreading throughout my body and limbs. I shivered and sudden realization of the danger we were in struck me like a lightning bolt.

Something evil was lurking in the darkness.

Something that wasn't human.

I whispered to Mikoto, trying to get her attention, but to my dismay she didn't respond. Then a sickening thought flittered through my head: what if this wasn't Mikoto beside me. Or what if it was her, What if she was dead? But my suspicions were proved wrong when she leaned close, so that her lips were almost touching my ear, and whispered, "What ever it tells you, it's lies." she was silent again after that. I was still lost in fear, but there was one thing that I've learned I can trust in.

There is a hostile entity somewhere to your right.

"What is it?" I whispered to myself. There was a long period of silence, my blood beginning to turn into ice water.  Even though the fire had been quenched and it was totally black, a Ghoul had managed to sniff us out.

As if on cue, a shrill knock rang out and echoed through the silent house. In the darkness, I could here the knocks coming from my far right, where the boarded up front door was. The Ghoul made three quick raps on the door, paused, and made three more quick raps. This went on three times in total. Three sets of three quick knocks. Then it was silent. The seconds waiting for it took speak seemed to stretch on for an eternity, but it finally spoke in a voice that surprised me.

"Eron! It's me." The voice that spoke was none other than the voice of the vampire Alpha herself, Xias Redblaed. But why would she be here? When I didn't respond it banged on the door, harder this time. I was afraid it might just force it's way in. "Hey! You remember the deal we made, don't you? Your safety for Susano'o. I know she's in there, I can smell her blood."

For the first time in minutes, Mikoto moved, and spoke, her voice low and sharp. "What is she talking about?"

I turned to her, even though I couldn't see her. "It's not really Xias," I exclaimed, " and I was never going to betray you and turn you over to her! It's the Ghoul, using lies to get in." The thing was, it wasn't lying. I had made a deal with Xias. My safe passage through the Eastern Spire in exchange for Mikoto. I had felt horrible for doing it, but I had thought we'd be safe long enough to escape the vampire for good. It really was Xias, coming to finally collect the debt I owed her. Then she said something that made my heart virtually stop.

"Do you know what happens if you don't fulfill your end of the bargain within twenty-four hours? Let's just say that once the sun rises, your time is up."

Mikoto had gone silent now, not uttering a single word. If the deal had to be fulfilled within twenty-four hours, it'd make sense that she come once the sun sets, since she couldn't be out in the suns rays. But even if it was really her, I couldn't bear to betray Mikoto. The shame I'd feel for giving her over to Xias would feel worse than death. That might be an exaggeration, but I was sure Xias wouldn't allow Mikoto to live. One on one Mikoto might win, but no doubt Xias knew this, and had her entire coven waiting in the shadows to attack as soon as she walked out that door. I would probably be a victim afterwards too. She might have said she wouldn't take my life, but whose to say the other vampires wouldn't savage me? I was trapped. I knew there'd be a full reckoning at some point, but I didn't think it'd come upon me so soon.

"Mikoto," I whispered desperately, "what do I do?" She kept silent. I didn't know if she was ignoring me or didn't have an answer. But then she did answer, she wasn't speaking to me. What she said filled my heart with terror like no other.

"Enter!" She shouted. It was quiet again. The coldness I had felt had gone away and I couldn't sense a third presence again. Had my end of the deal been fulfilled? Mikoto had allowed Xias to enter. Would it still make a difference if she gave herself in or if I did?

But then I remembered one thing. The one thing that told me how foolish I had been.

Twice I had encountered Xias, and none of those times. . .

 did I feel that chilling cold presence.

When the sound of wood being rended exploded through the darkness, I knew that we had been duped.

Instinctively, I reached into my pocket and withdrew the lighter. The Ghoul had already gotten inside, so the light didn't matter at this point. It wasn't much, but I could now see about five meters in front of me. I looked to the left to confirm it was Mikoto beside me. She squinted when the light shone on her face. I didn't waste time asking her why she allowed the Ghoul access, wanting to get her tail from around me as quick as possible. She released me without a word, and I went straight for the shelf against the far wall. I remembered the candle that sat upon it and fortunately it was there like I'd thought. I brought the flame to the wax and my field of vision extended much farther. I could now see a little ways in the dark foyer of the invaded home. I was making my way through the threshold then halted in my tracks. What the hell was I doing, I thought. I was terrified, yet I was about to head straight towards the danger. I turned around to Mikoto, who was right behind me, her Bestiary held fast in her armpit. I hadn't even heard her get up. But that wasn't what unsettled me about her. Her expression is what did. Usually, I'd see her with her chin held high and her eyes fierce, but now, I could see the fear written on her face. She was just as scared as me.

Then something in me changed, instead of total fear, I felt the urge to survive. But more importantly; the powerful desire to protect one of my partner. To protect Mikoto. I reached down with my right hand and pulled my revolver free of my belt. With my left I held the candle out in front of me to light my surroundings.

"We need to kill that Ghoul," I decided.  Fleeing the house, during the night, and into the unknown seemed like the worst possible course of actions we could make. The constant fear that I'd be doing the exact thing that the man had warned about kept me from even contemplating running outside, not to mention there were probably more out there.

I took a bold step forward. To my dismay, the boards that were once in the door were now splintered against the floor, and the door was left ajar, a natural draft blowing in this time. The Ghoul was most certainly lurking in the shadows somewhere, waiting for its chance to strike. My nerves were on high alert. Now that I couldn't sense the Ghoul's presence it had the advantage of surprise, and I doubt a gun would have much effect against a spirit.

I took another step forward and entered the kitchen area. Pots and pans were stacked messily in the rusted sink, just as it had been previously. As I walked past, the light from my candle flickered against the metal surface, creating weird shapes and dancing effects. I stopped and stared more closely at the lights in the metal, moving ominously as if they were alive. It was odd, that the lights continued to move even when I was standing still. . . 

The clattering of metal pots rang out  to my behind me, and I whipped around frantically.

Nothing.

I cursed. I must have been hearing things, I thought to myself. My fear was starting to give way to annoyance. I felt like I was doing everything on my own.

"Mikoto, how do you kill the Ghoul?" I asked, trying to get her to help me out.

"You can't, well, we can't." she muttered.

"What do you mean?"

"It has to be bound to a location using cursed blood, then a fire has to be set to the location of the binding. Unless someone feeds their blood to the creature, we're out of luck." Cursed blood? This made me think back to Xias's story and I saw a spark of hope. Xias carries the blood of the Alpha vampire, the cursed blood, and she transferred some of it into me when we made the pact. Maybe I could use my blood, and bind the Ghoul to the house. There I could set it on fire and kill it for good. I stuck the gun back down between my belt. It was useless. The only thing I needed was the candle, my blood, and a whole lot of courage. I didn't know what to expect when confronting the spirit, or how I'd get it to drink my blood without killing me, but I had to trust my instincts. I knew what I had to do and was prepared to survive the ordeal.

I advanced slowly back into the foyer, stopping when I noticed blots of red on the flagged floor that hadn't been there before. I brought the candle to them and swallowed hard. They were footprints. It seemed like the creature had been walking out the door by the way its prints were facing. They were elongated with four clawed toes, like that a dog.

"Hey Mikoto, I think it--"

I was cut off by the explosive sound of wood being destroyed. This time, it was real as Mikoto heard it too and followed my gaze up the dark stairs. I knew what I had to do.

 I followed the path of red footprints up the creaky stairs, Mikoto on my heels. When we reached the top, I could just slightly feel an unsettling chill. She didn't have to tell me that the Ghoul was close. As we pressed on down the hall, it got colder, starting in the pit of my stomach and expanding through my veins and nerves. Then suddenly the footprints ended. Confused, I looked above me in fear that the Ghoul was about to descend upon me from the roof like a giant spider.

Nothing.

 That's the sound of snapping and cracking echoed through the hall.

I looked to my right. Where, originally, a boarded up door would be, a splintered plank lay at the threshold. Pure darkness lay beyond. Right on the edge of the gloom, in the doorway, a red footprint sat, like an invitation to enter. Holding my candle outwards, I took a shaky step inside. Two things told me that I'd found the corrupted spirit. The first was the fetid stench of a corpse, a scent that I was very familiar with. The second was the sickening sound of an animal feeding. Mikoto hung back by the hall and stared at me like it was the last time she'd see me. It tore at my heart, the look of defeat that reflected in her normally victorious eyes. But now I had other things to focus on, and I was already bringing my thumb to my fangs, preparing to bind the Ghoul with my blood. When the beast came into view, it had it's back turned to me. It's spine, ribs, and skull all visible through its almost clear skin, stretched thin over it's skeleton.

 As soon as my blood had been drawn, the creature raised it's head from whatever it had been feeding on. It slowly trained its eyeless gaze on me. It took every fiber of my being not to drop the candle and run for dear life.

It had the body of an anorexic human male. It's ribs and spine could easily be seen through the thin layer of translucent skin. Its elbows and kneecaps swollen and almost protruding from the flesh. But that's all human similarities end. What should have been a face was nothing more than a gaping black hole lined with rows and rows of needle-like teeth. It had no other facial features. Instead of hands, jagged shards of bone jutted out at the ends of its arms like swords, and it's feet were backwards facing paws, like that of a wolf. It's entire body was completely hairless and naked save for stringy black strands that sprouted from its rotting scalp.

 Through its gaping maw, it let out a guttural cry that shook the foundation of the home. Without missing a beat, before it could take my blood straight from my body, I swathed my hand through the air, flashing my blood at it and the ground in front of it. For a moment it's head never moved, continuing to stare at me without being able to see. Then fortunately, it dropped it's head and got on all fours, it's bone swords digging into the wood as it went to lap up the blood. A black, forked tongue emerged from it's mouth and mopped the droplets of blood from the ground. I flashed more at it, not aware of how much it had to consume to be bound. Eventually it stopped licking the blood up, and set its eyeless gaze on me. My knees began to shake. I felt my courage ebbing away. I had to hope it was bound. I didn't fully know what binding was, but I assumed it meant to trap something somewhere. If the Ghoul was indeed trapped, It couldn't escape the flames. Now was the time to finish it, before it even had a chance to attack me, but as I drew my hand back to hurl the candle against the wood between us, I froze.

I know what you plan to do. I am more than a mere dull creature. You are foolish to believe your blood is potent enough to bind one such as me. As soon as you set fire to this place, you will be forced into the night, where me and my kin will feast upon your flesh and bones.

The Ghoul spoke in my mind, filling me to the brim with fear and doubt. This hesitation was what it was hoping for. In that second that I stopped, it disappeared, only to reappear several inches away. By the time I had come to my senses, it was too late.

I felt a heavy pressure in my shin that soon turned into a crushing pain. In seconds I was dragged to the ground, my head slamming hard against the wood. Stars flittered through my vision and for a second my body was numb, but seconds later an explosive pain ravaged my left arm, spreading through the limb like a poison. My vision blurred with agony. A choking scream erupted from my mouth. Muscle and tendons were torn asunder as the fiend pinned my arm to the floor with it's jagged bone. The candle flew from my hand, landing against a bundle of moldy sheets in the corner of the dark room. Now illuminated by the fire, I caught a glimpse of what the Ghoul had been feasting on before I had arrived.

I had no doubt I'd soon join them.

In pure desperation, I grabbed the creatures serrated blade, trying with all my might to pry it free of my bicep. It proved useless and I was only successful in slicing my palms wide open. The creature reared its head over my face, its mouth agape and drooling a black tar. Bits and pieces of flesh were caked between its many rows of teeth. It spoke in my mind again, the feeling of it's voice like barbed wire being dragged through my eye sockets.

Take your last breaths. Think your last thoughts. Let your fear flow freely so that it may sweeten the taste of your flesh! This is the last thing you shall see before your life is devoured--

With my one free hand, I smashed my fist into it's mouth before it's wretched voice could finish speaking in my mind. My fist grazed against its teeth, totally ripping the flesh from my knuckles. So much adrenaline was flowing through my body that I barely noticed the pain, but my plan had worked. My blood poured down its throat like a waterfall. I retracted my hand before it was bitten right off. In the seconds that the Ghoul took to savor it, I reached into my pocket and pulled out the lighter. I held it up to the beasts maw and flicked it on. At first it was no more than a small flickering flame and my hopes turned to despair. It wasn't enough.

The creature returned its attention to me, it's mouth widening, prepared to tear my flesh from my bones. I was going to die, and there was nothing I could do. It's funny, this feeling feels exactly the same as when the vampire had me pinned and was poised to tear my heart from my chest. I had thought I'd be able to survive, but then realized I was mistaken. Until Mikoto saved me. That was then. Now, Mikoto stood in the doorway, a horrified look upon her face as she watched the scene unfold before her. She had given up on me. She had given up in general.

Seeing the defeated look in her face ignited something inside of me.

 A bubble of power within my chest, expanding, its surface taut with tension. As I stared into the jaw of the Ghoul, I saw something else. A memory, maybe? They say when your about to die, your entire life flashes before your eyes. Well, it wasn't quite that. It was more like a faint memory that was in the back of my mind. But it was clear as day.

That girl, the girl that I've seen only in my memories and dreams.

I had to survive to find out who she is. To get back all my memories.

Dying wasn't an option.

 With a terrible cry, the bubble in my chest exploded. I felt the incredible heat surge through every inch of my being, finally reaching the finger that now held the lighter. My fingers grew hot and I closed my eyes.

"Burn you eyeless son of a bitch!" I could now feel the heat flowing freely from my chest, to my arms and fingers, then outwards through my pores. Into the lighter. I had expected the flame to merely grow large enough to burn its head, but what had just occurred was much more than that. The small flame seemed to condense for a fraction of a second, then like an exploding star, it erupted forth in all directions. Point blank right down the Ghoul's greedy throat. I felt it's blade pull free from my arm as it recoiled violently, convulsing on the ground. Half it's head was now missing, and the rest was nothing more than a blazing mass. Black blood and gore splayed the old wood. Burning chunks of brain now covered the far wall, slowly setting fire to it's surroundings. I was still frozen to the spot, my hand gripping the overheated lighter upwards. I was sickened by the sight before me, but at the same time triumphant.

I took too long to snap out of my trance. The Ghoul reared up on its hind legs and screeched, it's head was slowly beginning to reform. I was done fighting. Now was the time to run. With adrenaline still coursing through my veins, I sprang up and towards the door.

But my hopes were nearly destroyed when I realized that the candle that dropped had actually caught the wood on fire, and a wall of flames now stood between me and the door. I chanced it, and burst through the fire and out the door threshold.

The Ghoul released a terrible cry and hammered my mind.

You wretch! You human! Craven! You are doomed! I have foreseen it! You will become separated from your only friend, and die alone at the hands of an Alpha among demons! I've seen it all, I have! You will sacrifice your own life to the Dark, to save the one that is already doomed. That is how you will meet your end, boy! That is how you will-

I didn't stick around to hear it spout it's lies. Deaths couldn't be foretold. I darted past Mikoto, who remained glued to the spot until I grabbed her arm and tugged her away. We glided down the steps and out the front door into the brisk night. I was aware of my injuries as we ran at full pelt down the road, flying past old homes of the deceased. Despite the injuries to my leg, I ran along side Mikoto, not breaking stride. I took a look back down the road. In the distance I could just make out the orange glow of flames rising up above the roofs of the homes. No sooner did I look back that I got sight of many dark figures trailing behind, hunched over on all fours like a pack of deformed wolves.

I had used the cursed blood Xias had given me to bind the Ghoul to the house. It was now trapped in the blazing inferno. I had no doubt it was dead by now.  Burnt to a bloody crisp.  It had been successfully slain, and I was the one who slew it.

But I had made a mistake. A terrible, stupid mistake. We should have just left when we had the chance.

Because now I had done the exact same thing as the man on the radio.

And there was nothing ahead of us but that endless forest.