The glass shattered first. I felt my feet sink into the floor yet I stared at the door. One more push and door snapped into pieces. I gritted my teeth. There was no time to decide anymore. It was too late. The distance closed in. The bear lunged forward towards Ethan. I jumped. My body twisted and I clamped my jaw on the bear’s face missing his eyes. He bumped into my body and the force sent me crashing on the floor. Its hollow eyes were on me now. So were Ethan’s. He clutched the stake close to his chest. More shocked than the beast in front of him. I ducked as the beast’s arm went above me and lunged at it. My canine teeth dug into the thick rotting skin. A metallic and acrid taste flooded my mouth. The beast let out a deafening roar. Its pain, indescribable in words. I rolled over and teared on its skin with all my strength. It bellowed one more time and reached for me. Its claw grazed my skin, stinging my body. Ethan was right. There was something unsettling about its roar. Its movements were erratic as if it didn’t know where he was. Maybe who it was. Its roar held anger. An anger that comes after someone truly pisses you off. I swayed and escaped the  clutches of the bear. Out of the mansion, I made a beeline for the trees, my paws padded against the soft earth. Six more steps and I skidded to a halt, waiting for the beast. One. Two and three. The beast came close. Just before it raised its claws, I jumped and bit down on its neck. It stood on its two feet, taking me high into the air. The beast’s roar rumbled through my body. Down below, Nigel dragged on the bear’s leg. His grey fur moved side by side as he bit down. Ethan and Penny stood at a safe distance. Her blonde hair was visible from above. I clawed at the beast’s face. It rose higher and soon enough, I faced the ground. I clutched it face as it took its fall. A tree snapped and a loud sound spread through the woods. Its belly exposed out in the air. The ribcage showed the way to the heart. 

“Go Ethan!” Penny yelled at him. Ethan gripped the stake. Not moving an inch. The beast struggled against the two of us. 

He speared at the heart, digging into the liquid flesh. A dark liquid oozed out of the muscle as the stake dug deeper. It let out a one last roar and along with came a ear piercing scream. A wispy silhouette emerged from the beast’s body, crying as it departed. Penny held the mirror up in her hands. The spirit's face melted as its soul absorbed into the reflection. 

Glass shards bursted around the frame. The golden frame dropped from Penny’s hands. I finally uncletched my jaw. All the tension dropped from my body except my mind. I rushed towards the bushes. I sniffed the trail, remembering their scents at the back of my mind. My senses guided me towards the left. I heard Nigel call for me to wait. His footsteps were right behind me. I ran with all my might. The bush rustled and Izzy fell out from beyond the tree. Her hair frizzled like a nest. She gasped as she saw me and skidded back. She sat there against the tree frozen as her skin turned pale. Her eyes locked with mine. She slowly moved back, her hand moved towards a body laying down. A relief washed over me at the sight of Enzo being safe. I moved away. 

“Izzy!” Nigel finally reached us. 

“Enzo is over here.” She shouted.

I became human behind the tree, out of their sight. Nigel dragged unconscious Enzo from behind the bushes. Penny and Ethan also came running, checking if Izzy was okay. I was willing to move myself out of hiding but I couldn’t. Why did I freeze? Penny saw me. I turned right in front of Ethan. It did bother me but something happened. Something stopped me. Why all of a sudden I didn’t want to be seen?

“Jason, you’re here!” Izzy’s eyes lit up. All of us sat around Enzo. None of us spoke a word. We stared on the soft brown earth. At some point, I had started to count the visible grains of the dust. 

“Um, that was…. Adventurous.” Izzy commented.

“And enlightening.” I added.

“Why do you have a stick up your ass?” Nigel elbowed me.

“Nigel, how the heck are we going to go home in this state?” I gestured to Enzo.

“We came through the window, we will go back through the window.” he said nonchalantly. 

“Wise words,” Penny clapped with proudness. Ethan smirked. I even laughed a little.

“What the hell happened?” Enzo groaned as he woke up. 

“We got chased by a beast,” he announced. Enzo sat there with a confused face. He sneezed. His face stretched to his snout showing parts of dark grey fur on his face then turned back to his white skin. His eyes widened as he realised. We laughed as Izzy’s jaw dropped in shock.