"These damn kids...we need proper security. We can't keep having people seeing that thing," I hear.

I open my eyes. Everything is blurry. It clears up after a few minutes. The man who hit me stands in the corner. He's talking to another man. They wear the same black suit. I'm in a dimly lit room. All of the walls are grey. The man notices that I'm up.

"You're awake...any chance I can convince you that all that was just a nightmare? Nah, I'm pretty sure you know it was real," he mumbles to himself. He pulls a chair over and takes a seat.

"What you saw out there can't be mentioned to anyone. I don't care if they swear they'll keep it a secret. You keep your damn mouth shut," he says.

"Where are my friends?" I ask.

"In another room. They are getting the exact same talk I'm giving you," he replies.

"What was it?" I ask.

"That creature? It's the child of genetic experimentation. The scientist guys I work with made that. They took DNA from several different animals and humans. They made that abomination. I guess you can say monsters are real," he responds. "I shouldn't be telling you this,"

"You're telling me to keep my mouth shut when you can't even do it?" He slams his fist into the table before pulling out a gun.

"Don't you dare talk to me like that! Do you want to leave here alive? If so, you better shut up and listen to me,"

"When will you let us go?" I ask.

"When I'm sure you won't go blabbing our little secret to everyone you know," he replies.

"What do I tell my mother when she sees these scrapes, the gash on my back?" I ask.

"You won't show her your back. Here's your story, the trip went great and all of you had so much fun. If she asks about the scrapes you just say you fell," he replies. "If you tell her what really happened, we will execute the both of you,"

"Okay, I won't tell her anything. You can trust me," I say.

I hear footsteps behind me. The person behind me sticks a needle into my arm. Whatever they gave me makes me really tired. I pass out. I'm shaken awake by the same guy. I'm in the back of a car. I look out the window. We're outside my house.

"Remember our little talk?" He asks. I nod.

"You can go," he says.

I exit the car. I never thought I'd survive. I thought I would die and my mother would hear about me on the news. I walk inside. She stands at the sink doing dishes. She turns to the door with tears in her eyes. She wipes them away.

"Where have you been? You've been gone two weeks," she says as she holds me close.

"The trip went a little longer than expected. We had fun though," I say.

"You're covered in cuts. Are you sure you're okay?" She questions.

I can't lie to her. She'll know I'm lying. I'll make sure no one knows I told her. I walk towards the windows. The car is gone. I shut all the blinds.

"Is something wrong, Ellie?" She asks me.

"Look, there was something out there. Something absolutely evil," I begin to explain.

Gunshots ring out. My mother throws her body over mine to protect me. Glass falls on us. My mother was shot. Her body is lifted off me. The man from earlier stands over me.

"It was so simple. So fucking simple!" He yells at me. He pulls out a gun.

"After I silence you, I'll kill your friends. That way I know they won't say anything," he says before firing the gun. Everything goes dark.