Everything in the office was quite. The only sound you would hear is the soft ticking of the miniature clock that sat on the desk placed in the back of the small room. The man behind this desk had on a fancy suite and tie. His hair was slicked back and his eyes were focused on the young girl who sat upon him in a chair on the opposite side of the desk.
Her eyes were fixed on her hands, which were cupped together as she slouched in her seat. Her skin was a carmel brown. All except for a blueish-grey birth mark that covered the top of her right hand from under her knuckles to before the end of it. Her hair was long and a dark brown, almost black, color. Her bangs slightly hid her face from the world.
She was dressed up in casual clothing; a blue shirt and jeans.
“Izabela..” the man called
After hearing her name her head perked up.
“Y-Yes?” She answered
“How come you’re getting into all these disputes? I know you’re a good student, and this isn’t like your usual behavior.” The man said
Izabela sighed as she looked down at her hands once again.
“I don’t know Sir..” she said in a small voice
This was the third time she had ended up in the principal’s office for fighting. Due to the way she acted, allot of people would assume that she was a bit of a rebel or even troubled, but that wasn’t her. None of it was.
If anything she was a sweet girl; a people pleaser. It was her main objective to make everyone happy. But lately, people have been taking her kindness for a weakness. The principal sat up in his chair.
“Look, I called your mother and she said she was coming to pick you up. I think some time away would do you some good.” The principal suggested
Izabela took a minute to think about her mother. Her mother wasn’t really the best idea.. She’s what people in their neighborhood called a “train wreck”. She’s always drunk, always stressed and always had to point out everyone else’s flaws. Even when they seem not to have any.
A knock was heard at the door. The principal let out a small “Come in”. In came a women. She has long, wavy, black hair that framed her face quite well. She wore a peach T-shirt that slightly revealed the striped shirt she had under.
On her face laid a pink set of glasses. Izabela’s mother. She sent Izabela a disappointed look. Talk about red alert… Izabela looked away so she wouldn’t meet her mother’s eyes.
“Please, have a seat Ms.Weatherling..” the principal said as Izabela’s mother took a seat next to her
“Mr.Wallece, I am just so sorry about her behavior.” Izabela’s mother started
Izabela rolled her eyes at her mother’s “concerned parent” act.
“It’s just that we’ve been going through so much lately and-”
“It’s alright Ms.Weatherling. Kids are kids and they’re going to fight at some point in their lives. I completely understand the situation and the actions that will be taken are for positive outcomes.. Right Izabela?” The principal asked
“Sure..” Izabela answered sarcastically
After the small conversation, Izabela’s mother took her out of school early. The ride home was quiet. No one said a thing. Izabela rubbed her fore-arms and let out a shaky breath.
Hearing her child do this her mother spoke,
“What’s wrong with you?”
Izabela quickly looked up at her mother.
“W-What?” she said confused
“If you can “what” you can hear! What’s wrong with you!?” Her mother said in a more threatening tone
“N-Nothing mom! I started with those kids! It was an accident, none of this was supposed to happen!” Izabela answered quickly
“You should’ve told a teacher then! Don’t add on to the problem like an idiot!”
“Y-Yes mom..”
Her mother’s eyes narrowed as she fought the urge to engage in any argument.
Soon they were home and her mother placed her keys on the couch. Then she went upstairs to her room without another word. Izabela, feeling a little bothered, grabbed her mother’s keys.
“She wouldn’t mind if I went for a walk.” Izabela said to herself before taking them
Izabela exited the house. She began to walk down the side walk with her hands in her pockets. A few blocks away from home Izabela started to hear footsteps; like she was being followed. Turning around she saw a crouching figure. ‘What is that?’ she thought.
She didn’t know what to do so she just stood in her place, starring at it.
“Sir, or ma’am, are you okay?” she asked
They or it didn’t respond.
“Excuse me? If you’re trying to scare me, well you should wait ’till Fright Fest don’t you think?”
Still no answer. Izabela started to walk towards it.
“Hello?” She said reaching out to the figure.
All of a sudden the figure pushed her on the concrete floor with brute force. Izabela finally caught a glimpse of it. The creature was a pale color with dozens of pointy teeth. Its claws were long and its eyes were black voids with a dark red iris beaming out of each them. If anything it looked like a walking corpse.
Out of nowhere four red, tendril-like limbs shot right out of its back and loomed over Izabela threateningly. Izabela kicked, struggled and pushed the creature to get away. It was too strong. At one point she went to punch it. It caught her fist.
Izabela wasn’t sure if anyone can hear her struggles, but she hoped that they would. Her eyes came across a pipe that was conveniently lying on the sidewalk. Grabbing it, she gathered all of her strength and swung it at the creature. The pipe hit its mouth, making it start to bleed. The creature bit her arm drawing as much blood as it could.
Izabela screamed in pain. She felt its teeth tear through her skin. She then swung the pipe into the creature’s head.
A sickening crack was heard when she did. It fell on her, but Izabela just pushed it off and kept swinging. Finally realizing what she was doing, Izabela dropped the pipe. She couldn’t even mutter out any words to describe what just happened. Shaking her head, Izabela ran back home.
When she made it home, she took no time to run into her bathroom. The bite mark was horrifying. Izabela reached into her medicine cabinet and pulled out bandages. After that, she began to wrap the fresh wound, flinching here and then. Whatever that thing was, she didn’t want to see it again.
The next day rolled in. Izabela got ready for school as usual. She thought about having breakfast but decided to skip it and just head off to school. As she walked to school she had this strange feeling. Actually it was sorta like a great hunger.
Izabela tried to shake it off but it just kept getting stronger. ‘I really shouldn’t have skipped breakfast.’ Izabela thought.
“Izzy!” a somewhat familiar voice shouted
Izabela turned around. She smiled when she noticed her best friend, Jenny, running to her. But Jenny was so far away. How was she able to hear her? Izabela shrugged and waited for her to catch up.
Jenny came to a stop next to Izabela and gave her a sweet smile.
“Hey Jenny.” Izabela greeted
Jenny knew something was up just by her tone of voice.
“Okay, what happened? You look like a big bag of stressed..” Jenny pressured
“I got into a fight.. Again. My mother wasn’t so happy about it..” Izabela sighed
Jenny’s eyes were wide open at the news.
“Izzy, you’re joking!” she yelled
Izabela shook her head no.
“Why are they still picking on you?!”
“Jenny, it’s not picking. It’s just-oh forget it..” Izabela said as Jenny continued to ramble on
Soon they made it through the school doors.
“Hey, t****y!” a voice yelled
Izabela smirked.
“What!?” Izabela was engulfed in a hug by another one of her friends, Lillian.
“Hey Lillian.” She said
Lillian giggled before saying,
“Hello Iz of the dead. Wow, you look like you’ve seen some things.”
Izabela opened her mouth ready to say something but Jenny cut her off.
“Those punks were getting at her, AGAIN!” she said
Lillian turned to Izabela.
“You serious? Still?” she asked
Izabela rubbed her neck and looked away before letting out a small “Yeah”.
“Why? You’re 16 now, there’s no need for you to be scared! You should tell them off!” Lillian scoffed
“I-It wasn’t them bullying me, it was them just tapping me and me t-trying to make them stop!” Izabela stuttered
Lillian sighed.
“Izabela.. Were they tapping you or hitting you?” Jenny asked
Izabela became quite. They really were hitting her. But she was too scared to talk to anyone about the subject. She always was.
“Oh, Izzy…” Jenny said in a disappointed tone
“I’m sorry..” Izabela said
“Let’s just go to our lockers.” Lillian suggested
After that comment they went to their lockers. While getting their stuff they heard laughing. Izabela kept her attention towards her locker because she knew exactly who it was.
It was a small group of boys. The ones she got into a fight with. She didn’t want to believe it, but she knew they were trouble. To her demise, one of the boys walked over to her. In one swift movement, he punched her back.
Izabela let out a scream. She had a weak spinal cord so any hard blow to her back can have her paralyzed. She gasped and leaned on her locker to make sure she didn’t fall.
“Oops! Sorry Iz, I had some anger I needed to release!” They half heatedly said
Izabela grunted as she limply stood up. She groaned before saying,
“I-It’s okay.. Anything to help a guy out.”
Jenny glared at Izabela then at the boy.
“No it is not okay! Instead of punching her, how about you punch yourself!” She yelled
“Oh, shut up!” The boy said, pushing Jenny into her locker
This set Izabela off. She quickly grabbed the boy by his neck and pinned him up against some other lockers, chocking him. His feet started to rise off the ground. He coughed and wheezed as Izabela’s grip became tighter
“Don’t you DARE touch her!!” She hissed at him
The boy coughed out a small and raspy “please”.
“Izabela, stop!” Jenny told her
“Just let him go!” Lillian added on
Out of nowhere, Izabela started to breathe heavily.
“Stop..” was all she said
After that, she let go of him and continued to proceed with her day, Jenny and Lillian at her sides.
When school was over Izabela walked home. As she opened her house door, the stench of alcohol attacked her. ‘Are you kidding me?’ she thought. Izabela walked in. Her mother was on the couch drinking her life away. Of course..
“Mom..” Izabela started. “You okay?”
“Quiet…” her mother told her
Izabela nodded. She began to walk to her room when all of a sudden there was a knock at the door. Izabela’s mother quickly hid the bottles as she walked to the door and opened it. At the door stood a smiling Lillian.
“Hello Ms.Weatherling. Is Izabela home?” She asked
“Why yes she is..” her mother said looking into the house. “Iza, your friend is here!”
Izabela walked to the door. She smiled when she saw Lillian.
“Mother, may I?” Izabela asked as she gestured her arm towards the out doors
Izabela’s mother waved her off and Izabela walked out the house with Lillian. The both strolled at a steady pace together, heading no where in particular. As they walked, Izabela caught on to this sent. It was enchanting in a way and it made her hungry. Very hungry..
She looked towards the direction it was coming from. Lillian. It was coming from Lillian. ‘What the heck? Why is that coming from Lillian? And why is it so.. Good?’ Izabela thought. ‘Bite her’ repeated in her mind.
“Izabela you okay? You’re drewling.” Lillian asked, wiping the side of Izabela’s mouth
Izabela started to get the feeling again. Only this time, she gave into it.
“Lillian can you do me the favor?” She asked
“Sure.”
“Close your eyes.”
Izabela returned home after an hour. She seemed panicked. Her eyes were full of tears and her face had something red all over it. Even dripping from her mouth. She ran straight to the bathroom and began to wash her face, getting all the red stuff out.
After that she brushed her teeth, making sure it was clear of anything red. When she finished, she looked in the mirror. Everything was normal except for her left eye. Instead of its normal brown, her eye was a red iris surrounded by a black sclera. Just like the creature’s..
Izabela jumped back. She started to panic.
“What’s happening!?” She cried
Izabela’s head started to hurt, as well as her stomach. The feeling of hunger rose even higher than before. Due to all the pain, she screamed. Izabela then threw her fist into the mirror, shattering it. She looked in it once again.
It was like she was seeing a stranger. She shook her head, grabbed a sharp piece of glass, and lifted her shirt. She went to stab herself with the broken glass. It broke as soon as it came in contact with her skin. Izabela grunted in frustration and grabbed another piece.
Before she could stab herself again, she stopped.
“I can’t fix this..” she whispered
Izabela stood infront of the mirror. She took a hold of her hair and wrapped it around her hand. She placed the blade near it. Without any second thoughts she cut her hair to a shoulder length while rest of her hair fell limply.
Izabela then took out the first aid kit from the medicine cabinet, pulled out a black eye patch and placed it on her left eye. She looked at herself in the now broken mirror. When she did, she felt different. ‘Lillian was right..’ she thought. ‘There’s no need to be scared.’
A few weeks after Lillian’s disappearance, investigators had almost gave up on her case. They interrogated Izabela a few times, asking her if she knew anything about Lillian’s whereabouts. But she would always respond with a ominous “no”. She also began to act differently. She was more outgoing, more dark, more aggressive.
Crazy, actually. Instead of a innocent chipmunk, she sounded like one of those girls you’d see on shows like BGC. And it worried Jenny. What was happening to her best friend?
Izabela and Jenny sat together in front of the school at lunch. Jenny ate her lunch quietly while Izabela watched. Jenny noticed this and stop.
“Izabela..” she called
Izabela answered with a simple “hm”.
“What happened to Lillian?”
Izabela let out an obnoxious sigh.
“Look I’ll tell you what I told those pesky detectives. I was walking with Lillian and we stopped at the park. We were just chillin’. Then all of a sudden she said she had to go and ran off. I went back home.” She explained
“Then what happened? You cut your hair right?” Jenny pressured
“Yeah!”
“And that eye patch?”
Izabela rolled her one eye before saying,
“I accidently broke my bathroom mirror and a piece of glass got in my eye.. Why are you asking me all of this? Do you think I’m lying?”
Jenny just shook her head no.
“Look. I got this party going on in the woods tomorrow night. Wanna come?” She asked
“Hell yeah! A party!? I’m all in!” Izabela cheered
Jenny nodded.
“Well see you tomorrow then..” she says before walking off
The night of the party came. Izabela didn’t find anything “party material” to wear, so she just threw on some jeans, a pair of light blue vans and a dark navy blue hoodie. She took off her eye patch, making sure that eye was gone. Thank God it was. As she was digging through her closet to find some other clothes to wear, something very light fell on her.
Izabela looked at it. It was a mask. The mask was white. The eye holes were surrounded by dark rings, there was a red lightning bolt going across its right eye and it had a thin red smile.
“Where did you come from..” Izabela said out loud
‘This could be the BEST prank!’ she thought. Without further ado, Izabela left the house with the mask in hand. Sooner or later, she made it to the woods where she followed a trail of balloons. Then she walked to a clearing in the woods where people were partying and having a good time. Izabela put the mask on and ran into the scene screaming, scaring most of the people there.
She laughed as she took the mask off. Everyone yelled at her. Izabela shrugged and pretended to be sorry. The party went on normally. There was nothing wrong.
“Hey guys let’s play truth or dare!” Jenny yelled
Everyone murmured in agreement and joined in a circle. The game started. It started out normally, then it started to get down right crazy. It was Jenny’s turn. She looked around the circle.
“Izabela, truth or dare?” She asked
Izabela chose truth.
“Is it true that you’re a liar?” She asked
Izabela sent her a confused look before saying,
“Are you serious, Jenny? Stop messing around and ask me a real question!”
Jenny’s expression got serious.
“Oh you think I’m joking? Alright. Where were you the night Lillian went missing? Is there something wrong with you? Are you a murderer!?” She shouted
“Why are you even asking all this!?” Izabela screamed
“Because I know you killed Lillian!”
Izabela became quiet. She looked around for someone to help, but everyone starred at her with a harsh glare.
“I..didn’t want to.” she said in a small voice. “Jenny you know I wouldn’t kill Lillian purposely! T-This thing attacked me and I think it sort of changed me in a way! I don’t know! I keep smelling things, I can hear things from a far, I continuously get this urge to bite, and there’s something seriously up with my eye!”
Jenny walked up to her and pushed her, making her fall on her back.
“Get her..” Jenny ordered
People who were in the circle started to walk towards Izabela. Izabela went to run but one grabbed her by the leg. They started to beat her, mercilessly, the others following in pursuit. She was being kicked, scratched, punched. With every blow she let out a cry.
One of the teens through Izabela at Jenny’s feet and she landed on the ground with a small thud. She looked up at Jenny. Tears flooding her eyes.
“Please Jenny..” she cried. “I don’t want to die..”
Jenny raised Izabela’s face with her fingers so that she’d look at her.
“Oh sweetheart.. I don’t care.” she said before pulling out a knife and stabbing Izabela
The knife broke. Izabela giggled before pushing Jenny. Jenny fell backwards, skidding a bit. That’s when it happened. Something inside Izabela snapped. Her mind broke, all reason is gone, taken over by the creature’s hunger. The only thing she could think was ‘Fight, kill, devour’. Izabela stood up.
She was now on her feet. She was hanging onto a string of life. She let out a chuckle.
“You tried it.. Hahaha!You actually tried it!” She laughed
A boy scoffed.
“Do you not know when to quit!?” he yelled
He ran at Izabela. Izabela tackles the boy and pins him to the ground. She got on top of him and began to punch him in the chest. The boy cried and gasped for air.
Punch after punch, blood gushes from his chest until he finally took his last breath. He died. Quickly, she titled his head in a certain angle and bit down on his neck. Blood poured onto her as she ripped a chunk of his flesh off and swallowed it like a ravenous animal. Izabela laughed insanely as four bright red, tentacle-like limbs shot out of her lower back and her left eye became monstrous again.
Everyone was looking at Izabela now, shocked. Even Jenny. They quickly snapped outta their gaze and ran at Izabela. Izabela see’s this and starts taking them head on.
One by one she took them down. She grabbed a large tree branch nearby and met the others halfway. A girl rushes Izabela, who bangs the branch into her face. She immediately dropped and all that was left was another boy and Jenny. The boy ducked when Izabela swung the branch.
Thinking he had out smarted her the boy let out a snicker. But Izabela’s tentacles impaled him. Her tentacles got out of the boy and let him drop. Jenny let out a whimper. Izabela’s head whipped in her direction.
She ran over to Jenny so quick it looked like she teleported. Izabela growled in Jenny’s face as Jenny sobbed.
“Izzy.. P-Please don’t..” she pleaded
Izabela have her a bloody smile before saying,
“Oh sweetheart, I only have one thing to say to you.. Goodbye.”
The last thing that ever left those woods was Jenny’s scream.
Izabela’s mother sat on her couch reading the newspaper.
“Hmm.. Serial killer on the loose huh?” She said as she read the front page
All of a sudden she heard something drop in the kitchen. Her mother’s head perked up and she walked to the kitchen. A pot sat on the floor. Izabela’s mother sighed before picking it up. She placed it in its rightful spot.
Izabela’s mother turned around. She stopped when she saw a creepy figure standing in the kitchen doorway. They stared at her through this strange looking mask.
“Who are you..” her mother whispered in shock
The person let out a crazed laugh before growling,
“Lights out..”