I had to do something fast to save Stacy.

The pain in my ribs almost brought me back to the floor when I stood up next to the boy. With my movements being as sluggish as they were, I didn’t think I could make it to Stacy in time to help her. 

I looked at the boy, who was staring at me like I was some strange creature he’d never encountered before.

“You’re going to want to run now,” I grunted at him.

I walked over to the biggest shelf of candles, hundreds of them lined up like a tower, and put my hands on the base. I remembered how the demon had chased us after I’d knocked over the display case from earlier. They could clearly detect sound.

The boy looked at me in confusion. “What are you…”

I pushed. The candles tumbled to the ground in a loud cacophony of shattering glass. The shelf fell into other shelves, knocking them over like a dominos chain.

“I thought you wanted to hide,” he said, surprisingly calm. 

I’d expected him to freak out, but he didn’t look phased in the slightest. Unease creeped up my throat.

“Hurry and get out of here,” I said, cringing in pain as I tried crawling underneath the cutout of the checkout counter. Did hiding even matter at this point? The demon could walk on the counter and easily crush it, and me, with just its weight.

Do demons eat people or do they just want to kill them? I couldn’t remember what Rini had told me…

“What are you doing?” I said, not hearing his footsteps. I couldn’t see the boy from inside my cubby. “You need to escape. It’s coming.” Even now I could hear the whispers of the demon moving towards them from the hallway.

Relief and dread filled me, a strange combination. At least my plan had worked. The demon left Stacy.

I sent her a quick text.

“R u okay?” 

A reply came in almost immediately.

“Yes, thank you. Please be careful.”

Good. At least my death wouldn’t be for nothing.

I hadn’t told Stacy about my broken rib, so she probably thought I was running away right about now. That was better, probably. I hoped she wouldn’t feel any guilt.

Shatter.

The window to the store broke open as the demon barreled inside.

Crack. Crack. Crack.

The sound of broken glass being pushed to the side filled the store like a loud echo as the demon approached. My stomach knotted up in anticipation and I wondered how much this would hurt. Could I somehow force myself unconscious before it ate me? That would be preferable…

I peeked out from behind the cubby, searching for the boy, but he was gone.

There was no way he’d had enough time to sneak out before the demon appeared. And from the sound of it, the demon wasn’t pursuing him either. So was he still here, hiding somewhere I couldn’t see?

Okay god. If you actually exist, let’s make a deal. If I actually survive this, I’ll be a better person somehow. I’ll do whatever you want. A slave, if you will. You need more of those, right?

A thick tail suddenly shot out at me from the other side of the counter, wrapping itself tightly around my torso, its spikes digging into my skin. I screamed and dug my fingers into the surface, feeling a wave of disgust as the smokey slimy surface slithered up my fingers. I pulled and pulled, trying to free myself as the demon yanked me out from my hiding spot. I felt my body lift into the air, weightless.

Should I close my eyes? I gasped as the creature brought me above its gaping mouth. I couldn’t seem to force my eyes closed. I wasn’t sure why. I watched on in horror as it lowered me into its mouth. All I could see was darkness—too dark to be natural, like getting dropped into the nothingness of space. I couldn’t hear anything coming from inside the demon. Not bodily fluids, not blood flow, just… nothing.

A black hole.

They say your life flashes before your eyes when you die. But all I could really think about was wishing I could go back and fix some of the things I’d done in the past. I wish I’d been a better sister to Rini. I wish I’d told my parents how much I despised them for leaving. I wish I’d at least tried to open up to my friends and experienced life a little longer. There were still so many things I needed to do.

My legs dangled within the darkness, getting swallowed up and disappearing from the world. I suddenly realized I couldn’t feel them.

I couldn’t feel my legs.

So this is what nothingness felt like.

Another scream crawled its way up my throat. Tears started pouring down my face. I wished I could at least tell Rini I loved her one last time.

Suddenly, a bright light erupted from behind the demon, filling the room and blinding me. Below me, a guttural scream echoed from… inside the demon? I wasn’t sure where it originated. It sounded far away, yet close. It wasn’t anything like a normal scream. It sounded high pitched, yet demonic and deep, all at the same time.

Whoosh. Shnnng. 

Out of the corner of my eye I saw a glint of green-tinged metal fly by my head, easily slicing through the demon’s thick skin, and I heard something crack from within.

The inner scream faded into silence as I suddenly felt myself falling to the ground, hitting the jagged candles below, the glass shards digging into my skin. I winced as I felt my skin tear in several spots on my legs.

Millions of black particles rained down where the demon once stood, leaving a dark scorch mark on the floor.

The demon… was gone.

Was it really over?

I quickly grabbed my legs, squeezing them. Relief fell over me like a warm blanket. I could still feel them. They still worked.

“Are you alright? Wow, that was a close one.” A spunky voice jolted my attention away from my legs.

A Magical Girl dressed in a bright ruffled neon green dress stood above me. She held two short swords, one in each hand. They glowed like stars in the dimly lit store. Her hair was cut short, falling to her shoulders, and matched the color of her dress. Her face was angular, like a model you’d see on the runway, but her expression was soft and understanding. She was so beautiful that I couldn’t seem to pull my gaze away.

I recognized her from the TV channels Rini liked to watch.

“Ember?” I said weakly. The adrenaline was wearing off, and exhaustion hit me like a brick. The pain in my ribs had dulled now, but I knew I’d need to go to the hospital to get it treated.

The girl laughed, sheathing her swords and offered a hand to me, helping me up.

“Not even close! It’s Emerald. See all the green?” 

Well, that made more sense. 

I couldn’t believe my luck. I was actually alive.

“Thank you,” I said, not sure of what else I could say to convey my gratitude. How do you thank someone that just saved your life? And she killed it so easily, too. That was… a little annoying.

“It’s my job. Just happy I got here in time,” she said, smiling gently.

From outside the store, a crowd had started to form. A TV crew, onlookers, and employees gathered around the store. I guess word had gotten around that a Magical Girl had appeared.

A question suddenly popped into my head.

“Hey Emerald, demons don’t have a voice, right?” I asked hesitantly. 

“Nah, they make some noise when they move around, but they can’t speak.”

“Can they scream?”

Emerald paused, looking at me for a second. “No, they can’t scream.”

I opened my mouth to ask if she’d heard the scream, then closed it. I probably sounded crazy. I must have been hallucinating as I neared death.

The onlookers descended on us and I was left wondering if I was really going crazy.