The table was shaking like a troubled child when Lunette finally came back to the present. She let out a gasp and backed up, bumping into her chair. Though it remained blank for a few moments, her mind began to spin, a muddle of her contradicting thoughts and emotions. Nothing made sense, yet everything did. Or at least it made sense in a twisted sort of way that made anyone rethink their sanity.

“Well then,” Walter spoke after enduring a time of silence. He clapped his hands together but made no sound as he did so. “I think it’s safe to say our secular needs some time. Silas, please take Lunette home. I’m sure this evening has caused her to go into mild shock.”

“You’re a lawyer, not a doctor.” Jerrard’s words seemed to erase his amusement “But, allow me to entertain our guests for the rest of the evening. Vera, shall we show them the greenery?” The group of vampires took a few moments to silently agree, eventually following their escorts.

All but Silas and Lunette remained in the room. His face looked up to hers until he stood, towering over her height. “Bring me home.” Lunette spoke, her eyebrows slanted inward, and her mouth twisted to the side.

Irritation seeped out of her pores as she followed him. Silas was careful to stand in front of her until the area was clear before he walked towards the front. Lunette viewed his back, a familiar sight, and focused hard as she thought over the dinner’s dialogue. There were many details she didn’t know, but she could tell they were hidden, waiting to be found. Lunette entered the Moore’s slick black vehicle once more, sitting in the back again, thankful she wouldn’t have to ride on the young demon’s back.

Silas entered the car after closing the door after her and revved the engine. “Put your seatbelt on.” Silas glared from the rear-view mirror. Lunette shot a distasteful glance to him and clicked the strap into the buckle. He was consistently treating her like a child, even now. It was as if he were oblivious to her current feelings.

“You could be nicer. Especially if you want me to work for you.” Lunette sneered. Her eyes squinted at the back of his head as he pulled out of the driveway and onto the road.

“What makes you think I want you to work for me?” He retorted, getting as equally frustrated.

            “I’m not dumb.” Lunette rose her nose into the air by an inch, “It doesn’t take a lot to know Walter and your family are only interested in me because you think I’m this all-powerful witch.”

            “I wasn’t referring to my family.”

            Lunette raised a brow, challenged by his words. “What?”

            She heard a small chuckle escape his lips, “I thought you weren’t dumb.”

            Lunette bit her inner cheek; her gaze flew to the window as she crossed her arms across her chest. She fell silent, unwilling to communicate with him any further. He was insufferable to be around, yet it was this same annoyance that drew her closer to reality. Something that seemed to be lacking lately.

            “Sorry.” His voice spoke quietly.

            Lunette turned her vision to his seat. “Huh?”

            Silas released a slow flow of air, and his hands gripped the wheel tighter. “I said I’m sorry.”

            “For what?”

            Silas sighed once again, shifting in his seat. “I don’t know.”

            Lunette’s eyebrows knit together, perplexed by his confession. “What do you mean you don’t know?” She spat with annoyance.

            “I don’t know!” Silas took a hand away from the wheel and smoothed his hair away from his forehead. “You’re different from us, I don’t know how to act. You’re complicated, and you were angry when I told you I was following you.”

            “Any sensible person would!” Lunette unfolded her arms and let them fall to her thighs. “You can’t just go stalking someone and expect them to swoon over it.”

            “If I didn’t you would have been dead.”

            Lunette’s mouth parted to speak but no words escaped. In an ironic set of events, if Silas had not been following her, he might have never saved her from the monster. “That doesn’t excuse it.” Her volume had lowered considerably.

            “Noted.” Silas’ hold loosened on the wheel.

The rest of the car ride continued with silence. Lunette fumbled with her otherwise ordinary necklace as they drove closer to her residence. She mulled over the thought of her gift from her mother being anything but a gift. As they approached the town of Eastport, Lunette started to experience an uncomfortable sensation grow inside of her stomach until she was overridden with nausea.

The closer they came to her home, the worse the feeling was. “Something’s not right.” She choked out. Silas looked to her in the mirror once again, confused by her sudden change. As the two pulled up to the apartment, Lunette felt as if she were ready to vomit.

Indeed, something was not right. She looked out of the window and to her family’s shop. The interior of the store was dark, and with the city’s streetlamps, she could barely make out the bottles that sat on display. But it was not the darkness that caught her attention, instead, it was the flickering of the lights from the next floor up. Lunette could hear panting in her head. And suddenly, she began to gag. Get away! A woman’s voice shrieked within Lunette’s head.

“Tatiana!” Lunette called out, opening the car door and stumbling to the curve. The voice was irrefutably her aunts.

“Lunette –” Silas called after her, stepping out of the car with one foot before stopping in his tracks. Lunette stumbled to the front door and heaved it towards her; relieved that it was open and ran inside. Silas breathed in heavily, his mouth agape, there was a foul stench in the air. “Wait, stop!” He called after her, finally understanding she made her escape. Despite his inhuman speed, he had missed her by a hair. He slammed his fist on the thick glass of the door, unable to enter.

Despite her nauseated body, Lunette ran to the back of the store, ignoring Silas’ calls. “Tatiana? Grandma?” She called out as she climbed the stairs. She heard something break followed by a scream. She halted halfway up the flight and stared at the open door above her. She was terrified. Had someone broken in?

“Stop it Lunette! I can’t protect you; you have to let me –” Silas’ voice started to fade from her hearing as she slowly climbed the steps. She swallowed hard and pressed her back against the wall, continuing to ascend sideways.

She could barely make out the sight of her kitchen. It was in disarray, and the lamp swung relentlessly from the ceiling illuminating only bits and pieces of the room. The table was knocked over and the food Tatiana had been preparing was spilled across the floor. Lunette stepped into the kitchen with a crunch underneath her shoes. Broken glass spread across the surface and a red streak led from the kitchen to the living area.

“Ugh!” A grunt erupted from the living room.

Lunette felt her muscles twitch upward, and she turned to the sound. Gasping when she saw Tatiana backing up to one of the yellow walls, a large knife in her hands. She looked like she had been mauled, blood stained her now ripped and tattered clothes and her hair was in disarray.

Lunette heard clicking sounds and something moving from out of her view, blocked by the wall that separated the two rooms. Lunette gaped in horror at her aunt and covered her mouth and nose as soon as she realized the terrible smell.

It was like rotting meat had been hidden away in every crevasse of the house. Spoiled and decaying, the smell was unbearable and seemed to poison her passageways. Lunette heard the hiss and shrill cry of something moving once again. She took another step; her feet triggering the large shards of glass to break and snap from under her weight. Tatiana flinched and changed her attention to Lunette, away from whatever she was fighting back.

“Lunette no –” Tatiana cried out; her eyes widened at her niece’s sudden arrival. She tried to run to her but was suddenly slammed against the wall by a brown and grey figure. Lunette couldn’t breathe anymore as she stared at what looked like a large, emaciated dog.

But this dog had long antlers that came to sharp points after twisting around one another in a mess that resembled tree branches. She couldn’t see the face as the creature tore at Tatiana, but she could see the bones that pressed against the grey and brown spotted skin. Tufts of dark hair fell scarcely against the outlined figure of a spine. The creature had a hunched back and a rib cage that was a little too visible for comfort. It seemed like at any moment; the bones would pierce through the thin skin. Green veins ran down the network of the creature and to it’s elongated, thin arms and fingers. The limbs gripped and slashed into Tatiana’s flesh with the help of its lengthened claws.

“S-stop!” Lunette cried out. She couldn’t stand to see the creature tear apart her aunt any longer. Lunette picked up a ladle from the ground and threw it at the back of the creature.

The animal stopped and turned its lengthened snout towards Lunette in an instant.

Now she could see the sunken red eyes of the creature and its mouth. The eyes had no whites. Instead, it was like a red ball was stuck in the darkness of the socket. It looked like the head of a horse, with a narrow skull that led to the tip of two hollow holes for nostrils. Its wide jaw filled with sharp teeth that stuck out in from the bone. They were long and wild like the mouth of a dog or alligator.

The creatures long, bloodstained tongue flicked over to Lunette. Instantaneously, the creature had jumped to the wall like a frog. Its legs and arms looked like long and frail human bones, but the claws were far from humanoid. The creature gripped onto the wall, defying gravity. Lunette took a step back.

The creature roared, spit and blood flying from its mouth. The sound was ear wrenching, like a low-pitched tire screeching on wet pavement. Lunette screamed in return, moving out of the way just in time before the creature could sink its claws into her skin.

Lunette ran to the staircase that led to the final level of the apartment, gripping the banister with dear life, she rushed up the steps. The creature slid on the food and glass as it tried to turn directions after pouncing. The clumsy beast then gripped itself onto the wall next to the staircase and climbed after Lunette.

Lunette panted heavily, her heart was ready to jump out and leave her behind. She made it to the top of the stairs and to her door before she glanced back. The creature roared again and snapped its jaw. A hollow clamping sound reverberated into Lunette’s ears. She cried out again and ran into her room, slamming the door shut. Or, she would have if not for the creature pushing back into the wood. Lunette pressed with all of her might, her shoes slipping against the wood floors.

“Lunette!”

The girl turned her head to her window, where Silas was crouched on the fire escape, ostensibly waiting for something. But she couldn’t focus for long as the creature snarled, squirming a hand past the door. Lunette shrieked, clearly not winning the battle of might.

“Please! Let me in!” Silas called out, desperate. Lunette continued to push against the door, her muscles giving way. “I can’t protect you unless you let me in!”

“What?!” Lunette couldn’t believe what she heard. Here she was, fighting for her life and there he was, enjoying his time next to her open window. He could let himself in!

“Lunette!” The monster roared, drowning out his pleas. Lunette felt her whole body shake and be propelled forward to her bed. She screamed and rolled over to the other side, landing hard onto the ground.

The monster climbed from the wall of her doorway and into her room. Creeping its way to her ceiling and turning its head like an owl to view her figure, hissing. Help me! Lunette cried out in her head, unable to speak anymore. She was gasping for breath; the wind had been knocked out of her.

The beast leapt from the ceiling and extended its claws for her. Lunette scrambled on her hands and knees, trying to crawl away. She let out a grunt as the monster nicked her shoulder.

“Lunette let me in! I can’t come in! You’ve banished me from your home, I can’t enter until you let me. Please!” Silas continued to beg, his eyes were wide, but his jaw was taut. Despite the window clearly being open, it was as if there were another piece of glass preventing Silas from entering. His palms and fists meeting an invisible barrier, itching to get in.

Lunette couldn’t believe what she was hearing, just help me…please, she winced in her mind. She crawled back to the door but only made it far enough for the monster to pounce on her. Lunette screamed and fought back, wriggling from underneath the creature’s grasp.

It had pinned her down, its sharp, pale talons sunk into her. The creature lifted her up by her shoulders and slammed her back into the ground over and over. The sheer force caused her head to crack into the ground, whiplashing every time, trying to break her like an egg. Her ears started to ring, and her vision spun. She could faintly hear Silas screaming, which brought her to use the last bit of her strength to push the creature off with her legs.

Her hearing soon returned like a flood, “Are you an idiot?!” Silas rang out, slamming his hand against the exterior of the building. The creature roared again and went for her once more.

“Please…” Lunette muttered past her blood-stained lips. Tears filled her eyes as she watched the creature’s large mouth open wide and the fingers of one hand came together so the points of the nails met into one large dagger. She squeezed her eyes shut, the tears spilling down her face. She couldn’t do anything more, frozen, and ready to die.

She felt warm liquid spill over her face and a sharp pain emitted from the tip of her nose. When she opened her lids, she could see the tip of the creature’s claws meeting the skin of her snout. She traced the long nails to the hand, then the forearm, finally seeing that the creature had pierced through something.

“…Silas.” Lunette breathed out, her eyes widening in shock.