“When everything feels too easy, either you’re a genius — which we already ruled out because you’re kind of dumb — or the test was full of trick questions and you didn’t understand any of them,” Yara explained between laughs.

Maia grumbled, but as they continued walking through the mall, she suddenly saw a massive shadow dart across the opposite hallway.

She stumbled backward instantly.

Anxiety crushed her chest. Her palms turned sweaty. She couldn’t breathe. Her heart pounded violently. Her eyes widened in terror.

Whatever she had seen didn’t feel human.

Still, she convinced herself it was probably just exhaustion. After all, she had gone to sleep at 3 a.m. the night before.

“What happened?” Cristina asked worriedly.

“Nothing. I think it just scared me for a second,” Maia replied.

“You’ve been acting strange all day, Maia. If you want, we can hang out another time,” Yara said, sensing something was wrong.

“I want to stay,” Maia insisted.

The girls went back to enjoying themselves, looking at purses for the rest of the afternoon.

By five o’clock, Cristina had to go home. Yara and Maia headed to Yara’s house, which was close to the mall.

The two spent the evening talking about school drama while eating snacks together.

“No way he cheated on her? Wow, the gossip this month is incredible,” Maia laughed.

“I’m telling you, that guy is trash,” Yara replied, looking away.

“Guys like him are exactly why I don’t date,” Maia said bitterly.

“So how’s life going, Maia?” Yara asked curiously.

“It’s complicated. My parents argue all the time. I think they might get divorced,” Maia admitted quietly, missing the happier moments her family once had.

“That’s rough, girl… but these things happen.”

Yara’s phone suddenly rang.

“My parents are getting home. I think you should go now,” she said, since Maia had come over without permission.

Maia said goodbye and started heading home around 8 p.m.

Even though she felt like she was being watched, she kept walking. Her mother was probably worried by now.

On her way to the train station, the streetlights flickered overhead. She assumed it was just an electrical problem.

When she finally arrived at the station, everything seemed normal.

Then she looked down the stairs.

And saw it.

A horrifying creature stood there.

It was roughly her height, yet somehow seemed over thirteen feet tall in presence. Hidden beneath a black cloak that completely concealed its face, the thing moved with the sound of a cold breeze trailing behind it.

The smell of blood surrounded it.

Maia froze.

Pretend you didn’t see it.

She remembered reading somewhere that ghosts only chased people who acknowledged them.

I’ll pretend I didn’t see it. Maybe it’ll disappear.

But even without looking directly at it anymore, she could still feel it approaching.

The station was empty.

A girl hides in the bathroom of a train station. Her breathing fills the air. Her body trembles. Her teeth chatter.

My God… what was that? How did I end up here? My day was completely normal.

It all started today at 7 a.m. on a Thursday morning.

Maia was lying in bed, her wavy hair tangled with brown strands, her tanned skin illuminated by the light streaming through the window.

“Sweetheart, wake up!” her mother shouted, gently shaking her awake. “You have school today!”

Maia sat up and immediately groaned, pulling the blanket over her head as the sunlight hit her eyes.

“Mom, can I skip today?” the girl asked, her dark brown eyes still heavy with sleep.

“There’s a test today, and no, you can’t. You’re perfectly fine. Go take a shower already,” her mother interrupted, pointing toward the hallway.

Maia grabbed her phone and went to the bathroom.

After showering, the girl had breakfast and headed to school. On the way, a chill ran down her spine, but she chose to obey her mother and keep going.

As she entered the train, she spotted one of her school friends, Cristina. They traveled together every day.

When they arrived at school, Maia reunited with the rest of her friend group, and they planned to go to the mall across from the school after class.

“I want to buy a new purse,” Maia said excitedly.

“But wait, what’s today’s test even about?” one of the girls asked. They all suddenly froze.

“I think it’s math,” Maia replied, just as the bell rang and they headed upstairs.

After class, around 2:50 p.m., the girls were talking about the test while walking through the mall.

“So, what did you think of the test?” Maia asked with a smile as she walked toward a store full of expensive handbags.

“It was hard,” Cristina admitted nervously, though she laughed along with the others.

“I thought it was easy,” Maia replied casually while looking at the bags.

“You know that’s not a good sign, right?” said the third girl in the group, Yara, laughing.

“Why?” Maia asked, still fascinated by the purse.

With every step the creature took, Maia’s heartbeat accelerated faster and faster.

She finally turned and ran.

Her breathing became too heavy for her to escape far, so she rushed into a bathroom instead.

But your sweaty hands wouldn’t stop dropping everything.

In panic, she quickly locked herself in one of the bathroom stalls.

There’s no way that thing can get into the bathroom… right?

But why is that thing chasing me?

Terrified, Maia pushed trash cans, mirrors, and anything she could lift against the door. She even broke the mirrors with her trembling hands to stack them up and form a barricade.

What was that, anyway?

How did I end up here?

My day was normal.

I don’t want to die.

Maia cried in silence as her ragged breathing echoed through the bathroom.

She sobbed uncontrollably, her chest tightening with fear, while outside the stall she could hear only three sounds:

The whispering breeze against the creature’s cloak.

...and its claws scratching at the bathroom door. And her own crying. When the creature finally managed to break through the entrance, Maia's crying intensified. The entity located her by sound. Then it began to pound forcefully on the stall door. Each impact was like a stab in her chest. Her body trembled violently. Tears streamed down her face. She could barely breathe. Then the stall door burst open with an explosion. The creature grabbed her by the neck, lifted her into the air, and strangled her. Underneath the hood, the last thing Maia saw before fainting was the creature opening its mouth— —and a silver blade suddenly burst into her chest, as if something had pierced it from behind.