"Alright, darling," I whispered to Taki, kissing her forehead. "I love you so much. Just stay around here until in the morning."

Taki sat in between her puppies, snuffing. She was so cute. I never wanted to lose her.

Walking back up the stairs, I sighed,  but smiled as well. I had a plan. It was sure to help me win. It was my secret weapon, the only way to win against someone like Jeff.

I jumped as an alarm went off on my phone. It was Midnight. It was game time.

Running to my room bathroom, I walked in, cuddling Taki. She began getting anxious, and I knew why: He was in the house.

"It's okay, girl," I whispered. "It's going to be okay."

I heard footsteps stomping up the stairs, and I crossed my fingers.

"Where are you?" Jeff called, and I backed into a corner. Taki began barking loudly.

The disappointment I have in you right now,  I thought, tensing when I heard my bedroom door open. Here goes nothing.

"Didn't you read the letter at all, dumbass?" Jeff snarled, busting a hole in my bathroom door. I screamed in surprise. "You were supposed to avoid getting caught. My, you really are dumb."

Jeff unlocked the door from the other side before slamming it open.

"Lost on your first day," he teased. "You didn't even put any effort or fun in it for me. How . . . unfortunate."

He lunged at me, and I moved. Luckily, he missed Taki and the puppies.

I need to lead him away from them, I thought.

I ran out of my door, sighing in relief when I heard him follow me.

Right this way.

Right as I got to the middle steps, something tackled me from behind. I screamed as my attacker and I went tumbling to the ground, me landing on top of them. Looking down, I saw Jeff. He wasn't moving.

Yelping, I sat up on his stomach. However, he didn't throw me off. Was he dead?

"Get off of me," he suddenly groaned, and I jumped back. He sat up, rubbing his head.

Suddenly, I spotted something shiny by the sofa. His knife.

It seems we saw it at the same time, as he immediately went for it. I went for it, too -- and failed. A sharp pain shot through my side. I screamed out in pain. That fall down the stairs had hurt me after all.

"Well, would you look at that?" Jeff's gruff voice rang out. "Awe, are you hurt? Hell, if you couldn't take going down the stairs, you won't be able to take what I'm about to do."

I backed up as he walked closer, twirling his knife in his hand. He was teasing me because he knew I couldn't run.

"I don't want to play anymore," I said lowly. "Just leave me alone."

"Sorry, princess," Jeff sang, "but you agreed to play. Now, face the consequences of losing."

I backed up further, heading into the kitchen. I got up, attempting to run -- only to groan in pain and fall back down. I couldn't do it.

I felt Jeff yank my hair, making me scream. I swung back, but he caught my hand.

Let's get this over with, I thought, reaching into my hoodie pocket.

"You finally gonna fight back?" Jeff teased, and I smirked.

"No," I replied. "I don't need to fight. I have mace."

"Who the fuck is Mace?" Jeff asked, confusion on his face.

I didn't give him time to think. I pulled out a can of pepper pray, aiming straight for his eyes. Then, I sprayed.

"Ugh, you bitch!" Jeff screamed, backing up and holding his face. "I swear to God I'm going to kill you. You just wait! You got that shit in my fucking eyes!"

I didn't waist a second, and with the last strength I had, I jumped up and grabbed him by the waist, tackling him. He fell back, his head hitting the edge of the kitchen table.

I flinched. That wasn't supposed to happen.

Backing up a bit, I studied him. He wasn't moving. He didn't even look at me. Was he paralyzed? I hope so.

Standing up, my feet buckled beneath me, turning into jelly. I nearly fell. I stumbled over to him, falling next to him. I pulled his knife from his grip. I could just stab him in the face multiple times right now and end it all. Or I could stab him in the eyes. That would at least limit his senses to where he couldn't see.

I thought about it for a moment. The thing was I wasn't that comfortable with stabbing someone. Unlike this psychopath, I didn't understand the joy of the feeling of stabbing people and things, and I wouldn't be able to willingly kill someone like that, even if they were trying to kill me.

Call the police, I thought. He's down now. He's immobile. They can put him behind bars, in a mental institution, literally anywhere they want!

Then, I remembered the game we were playing. I couldn't go to any law enforcement.

Fuck the game! I thought angrily. If you don't do something now, you will most likely die! This monster is going to kill you! Kill him first.

How do you kill a monster, though? He obviously wasn't human. There was no way a human could live with a large smile carved into their face. Not to mention; where were his eyelids?

I heard the padding of paws. Looking over, I saw Taki trotting towards me. I had forgotten about her. The six puppies followed after their mother. It was a cute and completely innocent sight. I smiled, but my attention went back to my main concern; Jeff.

Do it, my mind told me. Do it to protect you babies.

As I raised the knife, I squinted at him. There was something I was overlooking. I didn't know what it was, but I was missing something.

Then, I noticed it.

His stomach slowly went up and down, the soft breathes escaping through his mouth and the cuts on his face.

I frowned, confusion taking over my features. He was breathing?

I put my hand on his chest, feeling around. I felt a steady thumping in the right side of his chest. There was a heart. He had a heart.

Wait, if he had a heart, that would mean . . . he was a human as well . . .

So, that would me he had the same weaknesses as other humans did.