We started murmuring to ourselves.

"Did they get it?"

"It's gone. Just like last night."

"Come on, let's get out of here."

"I second that."

"I'm right behind you," I told them. When they started to run back inside, I ran towards Major Coleman. I have to tell him that this thing's not done yet.

"Major Coleman—" But before I could tell him, a soldier called out his attention. "Sir!" he said, pointing at something in front of him. "It's unharmed, sir."

I followed his gaze and saw it too. Its shadowy body was devoid of bullet holes. There's no way those bullets missed that thing. This time, the Shade floated still, before growing two, black legs and dropped to the ground. It raises one of its arms to its side at shoulder-length. Its arms and fingers elongated to a point before curving inward, thin and sharp, till it resembles the weapon of the Grim Reaper—a black scythe.

The image of the falling tree last night came back to my mind. The clean, smooth cut. It all fits. Now we know how the Shade did it. But what does that mean for us haunteds? I tried not to think about it, and focused on the Shade in front of me. It raised its leg and stepped forward. One foot after the other. Leaving a wake of stomped patches of grass where it walked. Wait, if it's stomping the ground, then...

"Major Coleman," I said. "Maybe another round?"

Major Coleman raised his eyebrow. "It didn't work."

"It will. This time." I said, covering my ears again.

He stared at me in silence. But rather than have me explain, he raised his hand again and gave the command to open fire at the Shade. It worked, all right. Bullets are hitting the Shade square on its head, its chest, everywhere. But instead of hurting the creature, its skin swallows up the bullets upon impact. Some remained stuck on its body. Some fell harmlessly to the ground.

"Switch to U.V.," Major Coleman ordered. Unnerved by what has unfolded in front of them, the soldiers swung their rifles around and turned on searchlights they were carrying. But the Shade already turned on its heel and retreated to the safety of the trees. "Follow it!" Major Coleman ordered. The soldiers started to pursue but the Shade swipes at a tree it passed by with its scythe-arm before disappearing into the darkness.

"Look out!" A soldier called. The tree slammed hard to the ground, stopping the soldiers in their tracks. Then, more slicing sounds rang from behind the trees. "Major Coleman, this is what happened to us last night. It's the Shade cutting up wood to throw at us." I said. 

He didn't give it another thought. "Pull back! Watch out for—"

The agonized scream of a man cuts him off. The night came alive with the sounds of missiles whistling through the air. Searchlights were broken in quick succession in every soldier's hands. I hid behind Major Coleman. The street lamps surrounding us and the wall lights on the dorm exploded in a burst of sparks. Men keep falling down, hit by flying projectiles. "Get inside!" He shouted at me. Keeping my head down, I ducked inside.

The rest were already gathered down here. From the looks of their faces, I can tell that they already have an idea of what's happening outside. I huddled up to them, keeping our eyes on the entrance. Panic was starting to build up.

"SHUT UP!" Eris shouted, stopping anyone from freaking out. "Panicking won't help."

"She's right," Leo said in a much calmer voice. "As long as we're inside, it won't reach us."

Through the glass sliding door, I could see Major Coleman's men, limping away from the entrance.

With the U.V. lamps outside and the U.V. wall lights installed around the dorm itself destroyed, along with their searchlights, he must have ordered them to bring out their spare from the trucks because they are leaving the entrance unprotected. 

But even if the Shade attempted to come after us here, the U.V ceiling lights inside will burn it away. It can't harm us. Not here. 

Then again, that's what we all thought last night.

But as expected, the Shade stopped in front of the sliding door, just out of reach of the violet wall created by the U.V. ceiling lights over our heads. It dropped on all fours. On its face, a slit appeared horizontally, opening up into a hole below its blood-red eyes. The base and the top part of the hole grew jagged, pointed edges. Then I realize, I'm looking at the Shade's mouth, and those were its teeth. Sharp. Deadly. Dangerous.

It threw its neck back and opened its mouth wide, letting out a monstrous roar. It was so loud that it shook the place. We covered our ears because it was starting to hurt. I can feel its roar resonating inside my chest. But what is it doing? Is it just frustrated that it can't get to us? Or is it trying to kill us by making our ears erupt? I've never heard of anyone dying from loud noise.

Out of the corner of my eye, something caught my attention.

A glass pitcher on top of a table. Water was trickling down from the crack on its side. Then I realize what was happening. I looked up and saw the same thing. The lights above were cracking from the vibrations of the roar. We have to get out. The moment the lights break, we're dead. But where can we go? The Shade is blocking our exit. If we hide in any room down here, we would only trap ourselves. There's only one option.

I pulled on Eris' shoulder, forcing her to face me. I pointed up to the ceiling lights. She looked up and got my meaning.

She took a deep breath and shouted above the noise. "Get upstairs!" I was already on the landing to the second floor when they started racing for the stairs. Darius was dragging her sister after him. I leaned a bit over the railing, looking for Cana. When I saw her, I gestured for her to run faster. She ran past me, safe upstairs. I would have turned and followed her, if only it weren't for those who were left behind, each one frozen solid where they stood. Like what happened to me last night. I shouted at my friends on the second floor for help and I went to the nearest one to the stairs.

Caprice. I grabbed her shoulder from behind and shook her hard, hoping to snap her out of her frightened state. But her rigid body wouldn't budge. I got to her face. With both hands on her shoulders, I rattled her entire body, shouting at her face to run. But instead of running, she cried. At least she's no longer frozen still so I turned her around and pushed her to the stairs. She stumbled down so I dropped next to her. "Go!" I yelled. Finally, my word reached her and she ran.

Soon, Leo and Eris came running down. The rest would have followed if Eris didn't yell at them to stay. It didn't take long before they finally managed to uproot the rest from their place and ran upstairs.

Caprice greeted me with a hug when I got upstairs. She was still a mess but at least she calmed down a bit. "Thank you!" she yelled, "for not leaving me!"

"Don't mention it!" I yelled back. The roar was still deafening, even up here.

"What are we doing up here!?" Eris shouted.

Okay, maybe she didn't get what I meant. I thought. "The Shade's trying to break the lights with its roar!" I explained, straining my voice yelling. "We stay down; we're stuck, with the Shade blocking our way out and all!"

Just then, the light overhead bursts, making us scream even louder. But the roaring stopped. Only moonlight from outside streaming in through the central window of the hallway served as our light.

"Okay," Eris said in now a hushed voice, brushing off the pieces of debris from her hair. "So what's the plan now?"

"We'll escape through the windows," I said. "We should split up. It's faster, and would buy some of us time to escape."

We heard footsteps approaching, coming up the stairs.

"Is-is it coming?" Demi asked.

We crept to the railing. Peeking down, we came face to face with the Shade. My entire body shook. "Light it up!" A dominant voice commanded. Before we could react, a wave of violet light shone through the stairs, cutting the Shade's body in half. Its upper torso thuds on the landing between the stairs leading up to this floor, shielded from the U.V. lights. It howled as if in pain. Can't really be sure since the handbook didn't mention if it can feel pain.

Then again, the handbook didn't mention a lot of things we were seeing. But it didn't wait for its lower body to regenerate. Its arms elongated and bent down into sharp points. It scampered up the rest of the way, towards us using its arms as legs the same way a spider does, if spiders bore holes through wood with their legs.

"Go!" Eris yelled.

I ran to my room. Caprice and Cana followed. I locked the door. "The window!" I told them. Cana slid the window open and Caprice helped her lower the ladder. They must have decided for Caprice to go first because Cana is helping her up the window sill. I backed away from the door, expecting the Shade to come slamming through it.

But it didn't happen. Through the closed door, we've heard Major Coleman's men, screaming on the other side, followed by the sound of something heavy falling down the floor, making me jumped every time. "Hurry!" Caprice shouted from outside. Cana went out next. I climbed out of the window. I was on my first step down the ladder when something slams hard against the door.

But the door held. That's when I saw black, knife-like fingers piercing through the wooden door. I didn't have to guess who or what was behind it. Cana was still halfway down the ladder.

"Jump!" I yelled. The moment I did, the Shade sliced the door in one downward stroke, its body whole again.

It sprinted towards the window. I kicked off the ladder and jumped. It tried to reach for me and clawed at me in mid-air. But the fall put enough distance so the tip of its razor-sharp claws barely missed my face. If I've jumped a second later, my head would have been sliced into three. We've hit the wet ground.

I've never got beaten up before but I imagine this is what it would feel like. My body was throbbing in lots of places. But my attention was on the Shade that was still on my window, howling in frustration, angry that his prey slipped him by. It started to climb over but beams of violet light burned it away.

From its chest, arms all the way up to its head disappeared under the U.V. lights, as if it was vaporized. Lying down on the grass, I cocked my head to the side and saw Major Coleman and his men keeping their U.V. searchlights pointed at the window. All the other haunteds were safely down as well. My friends came running down to our side.

"Are you okay?" Eris said. I propped myself up on my arms to a seated position. "I think so." Cana was groaning beside me. Caprice helped her up.

"Can you stand?" A voice interrupted – Major Coleman's, who was walking down towards us.

"So, U.V lights still work?" I said as I tried to do so. The pain was immediate. But I didn't stop to do a full examination, knowing that any minute now, the Shade would be back. Half of its body still remains sprawled in the darkness of my room. No doubt it will reform and come back to finish the job.

"As far as we know," Major Coleman said. Just then, the angry howl of the Shade shook the place. It must have regenerated its whole body again to be able to do so. With the only protection we have left are several soldiers with searchlights, I wondered how we will survive the night.