***please read the description at the bottom***

Sienna approached the bottom of the stairs. Her footsteps were steady and her breaths betrayed no nervousness as she glared into the dully lit corner were she'd seen the irregular shadow. It seemed empty now but she was certain it hadn't gone far.

"Well?" She moved into the centre of the room, hands clenching and un-clenching as she turned in a circle, scanning the walls for anything out of place. "Are you gonna face me or not?"

A depressive gloom crept over the room, and the light flickered before it died down to a mere spark of light. Darkness enveloped the room as the tiny pinpoint provided by the globe was insufficient to do more than highlight the cord it hung from. Sienna froze, listening to the quiet squeak and dull thud from the top of the stairs alerted her that her only escape route was cut off. More than that, Mrs Graham wouldn't hear her, even if she screamed for help.

But she wasn't going to do that.

She pulled her anger tighter around herself, creating a shield against the cold fear that tried to possess her. She would deal with that later. At that time, anger was Sienna's best defence.

Planting her feet, Sienna closed her eyes and listened intently. A light scratch on the wall behind her. The scuff of a box jostled in the corner. Tapping on the workbench along the wall. Finally, what she'd been waiting for. Movement as something knocked the table in front of her. She opened her eyes. If she strained she could maybe make out a deeper darkness slightly to the left in front of her.

"There you are."

A tiny speck of light reflected off of a clawed hand as it reached for the small girl. This was the only warning she got but it was enough for Sienna. She moved to one side and twisted, reaching behind her for the waist band of her jeans. It took less than a blink of an eye for Sienna to pull the bread knife and slash at the grasping hand. The knife made contact and the serrated blade tore at the fore arm of her attacker. Sienna, eyes having further adjusted to the dark room, watched as it drew it's arm back against itself. A bony chest heaved, and inky blackness oozed from the wound. The sightless face drew into a scowl. A round opening, a mouth of sorts, opened to reveal a row of small pointed teeth, gleaming silver like the steel she held in her hand.

It jerked towards her, snapping its teeth together and growling a low decibel growl. Sienna struck at it with the knife again. Her blade flashed in front of it as it recoiled from her. She crouched into a more defensive stance and held the knife between them. It swiped at the blade, only for her to parry it easily. The monster pulled it's hand back, more dark blood flowing where the knife had hit its unprotected flesh. A loud yowl tore apart the bubble of silence that had seemed to engulf them and the creature suddenly stretched out long limbs...

and ran.

It was almost animalistic, the way it ran for the corner. Gambolling on four legs, like a rabbit running for it's warren, the dark entity scuttled away in fear. It was fast too. Almost too fast for Sienna.

Almost.

Sienna turned with the creature and rushed it just as it started to fade back onto the wall. She hit it in a flying tackle before it could disapperate completely, knocking it down as they both smashed into the wall. The crash of their bodies hitting the ground marked the end of the spell of darkness. Light flooded the room as the bulb worked better than it had all day. Every corner was revealed by the bright golden glow. Every corner accept the small space behind the water heater.

With the creature finally revealed in full, Sienna could see that this creature was slightly different from the inky black humanoid that had haunted her bedroom and her nightmares. This creature was older. It appeared almost dusty as its silver grey pelt shone like mercury. The bare bulb picked out every contour as the jutting bone and sinew were showcased in its gaunt, skeletal frame. Black, oily blood welled from the two gashes she'd caused, and left a trail as it ran for the corner.

"Oh no you don't!" Sienna lifted the knife and ran towards it, trying to stop it from reaching the safety of the water heater. She needn't have bothered though. Whether from the injuries it had sustained, or the bright light overhead, the creature couldn't meld with the shadow. Cornered, it turned its eyeless face back to Sienna. It crouched low and again snapped its razor teeth. It became even more feral as Sienna watched, it's body morphing and changing though it held its stance. She knew it would have had its hackles raised if it had any. She also knew what was to come, and that she would only get one chance.

It sprang suddenly!

The girl's eyes widened in shock as its flashing teeth flew towards her face. She twisted again, but wasn't fast enough this time. Sharp pain tore through her as it's teeth sank in to her cheek, cutting with far more ease than the knife she'd used against this terror. Shock stole her voice as the warmth of her own blood ran down the side of her face and stained the collar of the borrowed shirt.

She looked at the bright crimson drops that fell onto the limp grey beast that now lay at her feet. It had let go almost as soon as it had bit down, throwing its head back in agony. As it had leapt for her, Sienna had instinctively lifted the blade. Braced with both hands, the force of the creature lunging for Sienna had resulted in it impaling itself on the knife, the forward momentum dragging the the weapon along its chest and halfway through its torso before it was ripped from the girls grip.

Sienna looked at the heap that now lay at her feet. It was still alive, if you could call it that. It twitched slightly and whimpered, but didn't seem able to move. Sienna had severed something vital. Organic matter and viscera oozed from the open cavity. Sienna stooped to get the knife out. The serrated edge however did not want to move. She placed one foot on the panting corpse and twisted the handle as she pulled it free. The creature flinched and let out a noiseless yelp. Still crouched, she looked back at its face. It now lay with a long purple tongue lolling out of a mouth decorated with flecks of dark bloody foam. She could see droplets of her own blood, having followed the contours of its skull, had pooled on the taut skin stretched over the eyeless sockets.

She straightened and stepped closer to its monstrous head. It must have sensed her as it reacted, scrambling its feet slightly and attempting to lift its head. This just served to increase the flow of blood from the chest wound and caused it to bite down on its own tongue, spewing the dark liquid into a puddle under its head.

Sienna felt more warmth on her cheeks. This time it was tears. The warm, salty liquid burnt the exposed flesh of the bite mark, and her eyelids felt tight and swollen as the tears continued a slow, steady flow. Looking down at the beast, she couldn't help the pity that welled up from her heart until it spilled from her eyes. While she'd known she'd have to kill it, this was not what she'd expected. Actually thinking back she didn't know what she'd expected, but it hadn't been this. It whined again and scraped at a fore leg that still oozed blood. No, it hadn't been this.

Knowing that this had to be done, Sienna moved til she stood over its head. Thinking quickly she tried to estimate the best way to do it, trying to pinpoint the most vulnerable spot so she could end things quickly. She looked at the tacky blood that marked its nonexistent eye. She knew that if it had eyes, they would be watching her with distrust, fear and pain. That is, if they hadn't rolled back in pain. But no, she could feel it watching her. Watching as she raised the knife. Watching as she thrust down into the unnecessary socket. No longer watching as she buried it to the hilt.

The creature opened and closed its mouth a few more times as it twitched. Sienna twisted the blade as she pulled it free, and the creature lay still, finally relieved of pain. She watched a moment longer to be certain, but it was gone.

"Sienna! Sienna Dear, is everything alright? Sienna? Why is this door locked?"

The shrill voice and rattling door brought Sienna to her senses. "Uh, I'm fine. I- um, I don't know. The wind must have caught it?" She clattered up the stairs and reached for the handle. It twisted easily in her hand and swung open.

"What-, how-?"

"I don't know. Guess I must have the magic touch?" Sienna shrugged with a cockeyed grin. The smile caused the wound on her cheek to start oozing again.

"Sienna!" Mrs Graham grabbed the girls slight frame and yanked her into the kitchen, gasping as she examined the blood smeared face, "What happened?"

"Oh, it's just a scratch. A spider ran across my hand and I dropped a box and something bro-"

"Sienna, that is NOT just a scratch! There's a flap of skin and..." Mrs Graham went pale as she tried to process the full extent of Sienna's injury. "I- I think it best we get one of the boys..." Mrs Graham started to sway a little.

"Mrs G!" Sienna threw one arm around the elderly lady and led her to a chair. "Maybe it's best if you stay here. I'll get Mr Teddy."

Sienna left her friend sitting quietly as she went for the door. She took of the over shirt and, after ensuring it was inside out, held the cleanest part against her face. Blood had soaked through the over shirt and had coloured the collar of her own shirt a vibrant red. The tacky blood stuck to her neck, cold and clammy, and matted in the stray wisps that had worked free from her pony tail. She started to screw up her face in disgust but it caused pain to radiate through her cheek. Instead Sienna put on a burst of speed as she raced for Mrs Graham's next door neighbours.

Mr Teddy, as Sienna called him, was one of Mrs Graham's boys. Having grown up in his home, Mrs Graham had been his baby sitter, Sunday school teacher, and surrogate grandmother. They were more family to each other than friends. Sienna knew he'd do anything for the old lady. She just hoped he was home.

She pounded on the door and it was soon answered. Seeing the blood, Sarah, Teddy's fiance, called out to him and they were soon racing Sienna and Mrs Graham to the emergency department. No-one was surprised by Sienna's quiet demeanour. That was, after all, standard behaviour. They had no way of knowing that instead of suffering shock, as Mrs Graham was, Sienna was instead plotting, Racking her brain, she attempted to come up with a way to either explain away the body, or better still, remove it with no-one the wiser.

She didn't even want to think of how she was going to explain this to her mother.