LEA

I hug my knees, shivering in the cold. I don't know if the monster chasing me can sense life forms, but if it can, I'm dead.

The closet I'm hiding in is cloaked in complete darkness, and I don't dare to move, worrying that I'll bump something that will make a loud noise.

The monster rolls by the closet door slowly, and I feel tense as a violin string. What if it stops? What if it knows I'm here? How long will I have to stay in here?

A light blue creeps through the cracks under the closet door, originating from the monster itself. It pauses just ahead of the door, and stands up from it's roll, unfurling tentacles that wave slow motion in the air. I force myself to shut my eyes. What if it senses me? Will I ever see another human again?

I take a shallow breath, careful not to make much noise with it. My lungs scream at me to take a large gulp of air, but I keep myself from doing so. If I do that, I'm doomed. Simple as that.

The monster rolls again, going further away from the closet, and I take another shallow breath. Just because there isn't imminent danger doesn't mean it safe to breathe deeply again.

I didn't have the presence of mind to grab my phone, and I think of it now, sitting on the counter. The calls had come through right as the monster had rolled up to the door. It had a type of shell, although its underside was soft, allowing it to roll with incredible speed if it wanted to. For the past hours I've been in the closet, standing up and ready to fight, or simply run.

I need a weapon. The thought has been crossing my mind for the whole time I've been in here. I won't be able to get away from all of the monsters. I need to have something to defend myself with.

A gun is my first choice, but when I run out of bullets I'll have to reload. And during a fight, that wouldn't be the best. Still, if I can find one, I'll take it with me. A bat would be my next choice. You can tell me I've seen too many apocalypse movies, but something solid that you can swing with force looks pretty handy.

The hard clacking of the shell on the hallway gets dimmer, and I bend my knees to make sure I'm not locking them. That's all I need right now, is to pass out. That would be the end of me. My chest squeezes together at the thought, and I take another shallow breath. It does nothing to relieve the knot.

I don't know whether it's one or three hours, but the time goes by agonizingly. Just as I'm about to decide to leave, I hear the hard clicking again as the monster rolls by the door again. Leave out the door. Just leave. I beg him inwardly, and relief washes over me as he doesn't pause, instead leaving out the front door, which due to its first entrance is reduced to a large hole.

I wait another hour--or maybe it was only half--until i open the door as quietly as I can. Slipping out, I go to the counter grabbing my phone and darting back into the closet, closing the doors again. I take a deep breath. You're okay. You're okay.

There are no more missed calls or texts after I told them to stop. Right after that, the monster broke through, and I didn't have time to explain. I just had to run.

I open his contact and hit the call button. As its ringing, I leave the closet again, and go into an area with both a window and a door. I need visibility. If I'm surprised, I won't have as great of a chance.

Brock answers, and he sounds like he just got out of bed. "Lea!" I can hear him moving, and a door handle open. "What's going on?"

I cover my face, feeling overwhelmed to hear someone's voice again. "I was going to ask you that." My voice sounds shaky, and I look blankly out the window. No more monsters are roaming the street, but my peripheral vision keeps sending me false alarms.

I hear Brock talking to someone else, and then my mom starts talking, sending a jolt through me.

"Lea, oh honey, what's happening? Where are you?" Her panicky voice does nothing to calm my own nerves, but before I can answer, I hear my dad talking to her.

"Calm down, Jess." His own voice sounds a little shaky. "Lea, are you there?"

"Yeah."

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I just had to hide and couldn't take my phone with me." I take a shaky breath, trying to calm down. The reality of everything hadn't stopped sinking in further and further.

"Hide from what?" This time it's Brock, and I can tell the phone is on speaker.

"From..." I hesitate, feeling like an insane person. "From monsters. They started coming out a couple days ago."

"What type of monsters?" He sounds hesitant, and confused. I don't blame him.

I shake my head, forgetting for a second that they can't see me. "I don't know, just... I haven't seen the same one twice, there always seems to be new ones."

There's silence on the end of the phone, and I don't know how to break it myself. I stare out the window vaguely, wishing they'd say something. I don't know what, just something: An idea on how to get me home, or just anything.

"Are you there, Lea?" I don't recognize the voice who asks the question, but it's deep and sounds older, so I guess it's Brock's dad.

"Yeah," I say, and my heart suddenly stills. The door to a house just opened.

"You're going to be alright, okay? We'll find someone who can help." Brock's dad continues, but I'm barely listening anymore. A boy just stepped out of the house.