When the night falls

Unpleasant Encounters - Part 2

I wake up drenched in sweat. I must've seen some terrible nightmares last night. Or maybe my dad's yelling did the trick.

Lazily I roll out of bed. Today I'll go see Christian, the virgin boy. I don't bother showering, I'll get dirty anyway by the time I get home. I also plan on going outside the city today, of course, after I'm done with that sucker. The last thing I want is an unpleasant encounter. Before that, I'll have to deal with another problem. My outfit. My clothes are all dirty, covered in dirt and sweat. All I manage to find is a black tank top, black ripped jeans and my old converse sneakers. They used to be normal jeans but I ripped them accidentally while running through a bush while I was chasing a Squeaker.

I suck at girl stuff.

Anyway, I sneak out of my house through my bedroom window. It's still early morning, more like dawn, so everyone's asleep. Perfect time for talking with someone you don't want to be seen with or avoiding unpleasant encounters. Before leaving home, I take my dagger with me. Better safe than sorry.

The priest's house is not far away from mine. Father Joan lives inside the town's church along with his family. I'll be there in 15 minutes max.

The streets are so silent, peaceful. That's something Leiden lacks. Peace. We're always in danger, we risk our lives everyday just by getting outside. Our houses are not safe. The only safe place is the church. Only there dark souls don't dare to go.

To protect ourselves from these evil creatures we built The Walls, which are barricades of electrified wires that prevent monsters from entering the city. Somehow, The Walls have become weaker lately, because more and more fucked up shit are getting inside.

I can see them from where I am walking, the wires. They shine brighter as sunlight hits them more and more. It's kind of fascinating.

The neighborhood looks nice though. Trees are blossoming. There's a lovely scent all over the place, birds chirping all the time. It's spring and everything is coming back, every nice thing that spring always has offered us. But spring is bad news for me. I'll have to make a decision or they'll make it for me. As much as I hate it,it's a lovely day. Sparrows fly all over the sky chirping . I wonder, where are they now? I remember seeing sparrows yesterday.

Suddenly, the chirping stops. Everything is quiet. Dead silence.

What the hell is going on? Is...Is there a monster here? That's why they stopped?

I slowly pull out my dagger. I hear voices, more like murmurs I can't make out. Where is it coming from?

Then, I see it. A black figure staring at me from 15 meters away, hiding behind a house. Its skin's like a crocodile, a wide smile on its face, too many teeth in its mouth. Why is he standing there? If he wants to attack me, why is he just staring at me?

I don't dare to make a move, but I'm ready for action. Then, he shows himself clearly to me. It also has a giant tail, which he whips on the ground threateningly. Its legs are way longer than mine, starting where its arms end. He obviously must run faster than me, so there's no point in doing that. I freeze as it starts to come closer.

Closer.

Til it's facing me.

The whispering becomes clear now.

"Why so alone? Aren't you afraid of death?" he says emphasizing the "death", rattling like a snake.

-No,- I answer truthfully. I've seen worse.

-You're also very brave I see.- he says, coming closer to my face.

- You have no idea,- I drive the dagger right into its forehead, slowly twisting it, while the monster shrieks in pain and falls onto its knees. Just when I let go off the dagger, he looks up and bites my thigh hard, making a chunk of my leg come off. I scream. There's blood everywhere, mine and his. I grab the dagger again, yank it of his head and start hitting him with it as hard as I can. The monster bites my wound again, making me scream. More blood. I decide to finish him quickly: I slice his head off his body. It falls on the ground, rolls around him and stops, while I throw his body away from me. I scream again. I can't walk, I can't make a single move. No one's around... No one heard me? Or maybe they're hiding for themselves, saving their lives? There's the church, I can see it's not that far away. I have to get there. Just a few steps.

One.

Two.

Three.

Then everything blacks out.

Am I dead?