TW: This update shows depictions of blood and violence and may trigger some viewers

I felt as the ancient car bumped along the uneven road, making strange unnatural noises. But I was used to it. I smiled as the engine groaned up the hill.

After 15 minutes, I turned into the gas station, and pulled into an open spot. The inside of the gas station was small, and lit with fluorescent yellow lights. The outside was lit with two lights jutting out from the roof over the petrol. It was already dark – anywhere away from the light was pitch black.

I opened the door to get out, then stopped short. Bellowing echoed through the night, and caused shivers to crawl up my spine.

I strained my ears to hear what the yelling was about.

"No! Dad!" It sounded like a male voice. It was calm, but had a very urgent edge cutting through it. "Calm. Relax."

A low growl rung through the night, causing the hairs on my arms to stand up straight. "Listen to me!" The voice called, getting louder. "Calm. Calm. Close your eyes, and calm. There is nothing wrong. Just relax." The voice was getting louder by the second. It was getting closer.

"No!" The voice seemed to pitch up an octave and reverberated through the night. I could feel chills, it was cold, yet I could feel sweat forming under my shirt.

"Dad!" The voice was practically shrieking now, losing its calm edge. It sounded dangerously close now, and I slammed the door to the Toyota. But the I didn't hear the loud slam, and instead, I heard a crunch and soft laughter.

Turning towards the door, I shrieked and pushed my back against the seat, clutching the steering wheel for support. Long, pale fingers peeked out from the crack where the door should have shut. The fingers crunched inwards, crushing the door with it. Then, with a sickening crack, the door was pulled clean from its hinges.

An unfamiliar scream pierced the night, and it took a while before I realised it was mine. Then, out of nowhere, the car started crushing inwards.

I quickly clicked the button of the seatbelt, and jumped out from the seat. I landed flat on my stomach on the road, scraping my hands and knees in the process. But I didn't have time to notice the pain.

What was happening? Whirling around to inspect the car, I noticed how it was crumpled like a piece of paper – if I stayed in their second longer, I would have been completely crushed.

My breathing intensified, and my lungs felt heavy in my chest. There was no way. Nothing could have possibly caused this much damage – it was like a magician used telekinesis to force my car to crunch that way. But magic wasn't real... right?

I didn't have time to think about it, and I rushed towards the inside of the gas station, swinging the door open with a loud creak before locking it behind me.

I pressed my face against the cool glass, my breath fogging up the surface. Outside, a figure stumbled toward this small sanctuary, their movements sluggish, almost defeated. In the distance, the man's voice rang out, sharp and insistent, cutting through the night.

I stayed frozen like that for minutes, my pulse hammering in my ears, my breathing the only other sound besides the distant, muffled shouting.

A slow, shaky breath filled the silence as the world outside remained eerily still. For a moment, it seemed like the figure had disappeared. Then—a shadow moved. Chest tightening, breath hitching, the awful realisation set in. The person hadn't left.

As I warily looked up, I fell back in surprise. There was a pale face pressed up against the glass, a large, almost theatrical smile gleaming in the light. But the eyes. Beneath the halo of messy, brown hair – not at all matching the rest of its appearance - the creatures eyes stood out like a sore thumb. Blood red, almost glistening, piercing into my face.

I stumbled backwards in shock as I took in the rest of the figure. It was a human. But with its red eyes, and paper white skin, it didn't look that way.

Despite its demonic appearance, it was strangely beautiful. Its whole body seemed to be carved from stone, a perfect sculpture stolen straight from a museum. It smiled wider, taking me in as a stumbled as far away as I could - towards the snack isle at the back of the store - just as the thing shoved its hand into the glass.

Before I could make sense of what was happening, the glass exploded with a deafening crash, shards slicing through the air like jagged daggers. A sharp, searing pain tore through me as something warm trickled down my forehead and legs—blood. The realization hit just as the agony surged, white-hot and unbearable, as if molten metal had been pressed against my skin. My eyes squeezed shut, and a scream ripped from my throat—not just from fear, but pure, unrelenting pain.

It was harder to move back now, with a strange darkness filling the corner of my eyes. I was going to pass out. No, no, no! I couldn't pass out. This inhumanly perfect, cruel, person would surely kill me if I did.

Against all logic, I forced myself to focus on the searing pain, using it to anchor myself in the present. Gritting my teeth, I pushed up from the floor, only for another scream to tear from my throat as the embedded shards shifted, slicing deeper into my wounds.

My legs trembled under my weight, threatening to give out, and with each unsteady step, fresh agony ripped through me as the glass dug in even further.

I hoped the person would feel some kind of remorse, but no mercy showed as his smiled stretched beyond what I thought was possible. Between the space of a second, he closed the few meters between us. I could feel its hot breath against my face, and I cringed away.

But it was too late. Helpless and trembling, I let out a raw, desperate scream as a crushing grip clamped around my arm. My body went rigid with terror as it wrenched my wrist upward. Then—agony. A pain so excruciating it made the glass feel like a mere scratch. It was fire and ice all at once, sinking deep into my bones, tearing through nerves like a serrated blade. My shriek shattered the silence of the gas station, raw and unrelenting, but the pain only grew sharper, consuming every inch of me.

"Help!" I screeched. I hoped the shop attendant would come and help me, but there was no one here. They must have left when the person was distracted on me.

It took every ounce of strength to keep myself from slipping into unconsciousness. Through the haze of agony, I forced my gaze downward. The figure was hunched over my wrist, its face tilted toward me. A strangled sound escaped my throat—half shock, half terror. Instinct took over, and I tried to pull away, but the fire only burned hotter, searing through my veins, consuming me from the inside out.

This wasn't just pain. It was something far worse. A torment so unbearable that, for a fleeting moment, I wished for oblivion—anything to make it stop.

This was a pain worse than pain. I wanted to die. I wanted to end this suffering.

The screams tore from me before I could stop them, each one raw and desperate. But strangely, with every cry, the pain dulled just the slightest bit—like screaming was the only thing keeping me from being swallowed whole.

"Please!" My voice cracked, hoarse and broken. "Someone! Anyone! Help me!"

Sobs wracked my body, but just when I thought I couldn't take it any longer, the weight vanished. The pressure lifted, and though the fire still licked at my skin, the unbearable, stabbing agony finally lessened—leaving behind only the slow, smoldering burn.

My vision was blurred from the pain, but I could still hear the clanking of glass on the floor, and items tumbling off the isle shelves around me.

"Just breath! This isn't you!" It was that male voice again – loud, and demanding, like an order sent from a king.

The clattering slowed, and softened, before the only sound was my staggered breathing and the sharp pants of whatever was happening in front of me in the background.

Footsteps pounded against the shattered glass, each hurried step crunching beneath fleeing weight. The sound trailed toward the door, then out into the night, swallowed by the darkness.

For a fleeting moment, I thought I was alone. My breaths came in ragged gasps, my body trembling from the lingering fire searing through my veins. But then—another presence.

This one was different. Softer. It didn't radiate that same desperate, suffocating intensity. Instead, warmth hovered close, cautious but steady. Someone was crouched beside me, and though I couldn't see them clearly, I could feel it. A presence that, for the first time since the pain had begun, didn't make me want to run.

"Kaitlin!" Oh. The same strong voice as before. Except now it sounded strangely familiar now. "Kay! Are you okay? Answer me!" A slight sob escaped from its strong voice.

I wanted to let the person know I was okay, but I couldn't talk. I couldn't move. I could barely even think. But then the body touched the deep gash in my forehead, and I cried out.

"No! Stop! Don't hurt me!"

"Shhh. It's ok, Kaitlin. I'm not going to hurt you. The person hurting you before is gone."

I had no strength left in my tired body, agony aching through me, but I managed to open my eyes to slits.

Familiar, wide brown eyes stared back at me, their warmth offering a fragile sense of comfort amidst the chaos. His face was inches from mine, his lips drawn into a worried frown. His hair, normally perfectly messy, was even more disheveled now, and his shirt—his hands—were stained with deep red. My blood.

"Jake!" I gasped, overwhelmed with a mix of surprise and relief. "Wh—what? I'm c-confused." I stuttered, reaching for him, but my body wouldn't cooperate. The fire inside me still raged, burning every inch of my skin.

"You're hurt," he said, his voice tight with worry, and I realized that he was holding my hand.

"Make it stop," I cried, tears staining my cheeks, mixing with the blood. "It hurts... it's like fire."

"I know," he whispered softly, his voice heavy with empathy. "I just called an ambulance. They're on their way."

"I don't know what... I was filling up my car... and then... crushed... red eyes... so strong..." My words came out in disjointed fragments, unable to make sense of the events that led me here.

"Shhh," he soothed, his thumb brushing over my skin in a calming motion. "I know. I saw it happen. Just relax. Please."

"I c-can't," I sobbed, my body trembling, my fear too much to control. "I'm scared."

Without a second thought, he scooped me into his arms, careful of my injuries, and placed me gently in his lap. His hand rested on my waist, and I could feel the electricity of his touch burning through me again, a reminder of the bond that was growing between us. His other hand cradled my head, pressing it against his chest, and I let out a shaky sigh, feeling the warmth of his body.

"You're okay now," he whispered, his voice soft yet firm. "Try to sleep. The fire will go away soon."

"Please don't leave me," I murmured, the fear still evident in my voice despite the comfort of his embrace. "I don't want to be alone."

"Of course, I won't leave you," he replied, his voice steady but there was something new there—something deeper, a feeling I couldn't quite grasp in my state.

"No, I mean after the ambulance gets here," I whispered, my heart aching with the thought. "Will you stay with me?"

"If you want me to," he said, his tone shifting, though I couldn't fully understand it. My head was too foggy, my pain too consuming.

"Yes," I whispered back, the word feeling like the only thing that mattered in that moment.

"Then I'll stay. Don't talk anymore, love," he said softly, and my heart skipped at the endearment, something simple but tender in the way he said it. Despite the searing pain, despite everything, I felt warmth spread through me, filling the cracks of fear and uncertainty.

I closed my eyes, my body relaxing in his arms, the steady rhythm of his heartbeat lulling me. His mint-scented skin was like a blanket, and I allowed myself to let go, to drift off despite the fire that still burned inside. His arms held me like a safe haven, and I finally let sleep claim me, my troubled thoughts fading into an uneasy slumber.