21 save me

Aria

My phone buzzed, a message from Dad. "Aria, come home now, honey. We have important things to discuss." My heart sank a little. "Maybe later, Dad, I just got here," I texted back. But a moment later, my phone rang. It was him.

"I need to take this," I told Aliyah, pushing away my plate. "Stay put, okay? Don't wander off."

Aliyah nodded, a playful smile on her face.

"Hello, Dad?" I asked, my voice laced with concern. "What's going on?"

"Honey, you need to come home. Your mom collapsed. I need you at the hospital."

My hand flew to my mouth, the shock silencing me. Panic surged through me, and everything else faded away. All I wanted was to get home, to see Mom.

*******
Aliyah

"Aliyah, wait for me here, don't go anywhere, okay?" Aria said, her voice tight with urgency, almost like she was talking to a little kid. I smiled and nodded, watching her hurry away. That call must have been really important, I thought.

I was just about finished with my meal when nature called. I stood up, scanning the crowd for Aria, hoping to either grab her for a quick bathroom break or at least let her know where I was going. But she was nowhere in sight. I decided to go alone.

Thankfully, Raige was busy deep in conversation with an older woman, their discussion seemingly serious.

We were in the middle of the school grounds, surrounded by students and visitors. I needed to find a restroom, and fast.

Our building, the art building, was a long walk. The agriculture building was much closer, so I headed in that direction.

I sighed, tugging at my dress. It was so uncomfortable. If only I could just rip it off!

I spotted the restroom and immediately went inside. Once I was done, I headed back to the party, trying to act like I was just passing by. But what they didn’t know was that I was on a mission. I was searching for something that could lead me to my sister's case.

As I walked back, I heard a faint sound, a whisper, a plea for help. My instincts as a good samaritan kicked in, and I turned towards the voice. I was careful not to make a sound, my heart pounding in my chest. What if it was trouble? Or worse?

I was standing right in front of a thick bush, the source of the voice. It was getting fainter, but I could still hear it: "Help…"

Taking a deep breath, I slowly pushed aside the branches.

My eyes widened in horror. A girl lay sprawled on the ground. She was wearing a dress, so she must have been from the party. I didn't know if she was a student or a visitor, but she was covered in blood. Was it hers? Or someone else's? I couldn’t tell. Panic welled up inside me, and I felt a wave of nausea. If I collapsed right here, whoever did this to her might do it to me too.

I tried to step back, but a figure emerged from the shadows. A woman, dressed in an expensive gown, was one of the people from the party, I assumed.

But as I looked into her eyes, a primal scream tore through my throat, but no sound came out. I tried to scream, picturing my mother's face, desperate to summon the strength to fight back, to run.

As the woman in the shadows slowly approached, I finally saw her face. But for the tenth time that night, my heart lurched in shock. Her face was nothing like I expected. Though her dress was exquisite, her features were... different. Her eyes glowed a terrifying red, and her veins, visible beneath her pale skin, were an inky black. Even her face, the very contours of it, seemed to be... wrong.

A monster, if I was being honest.

"Don't come closer, or I'll scream," I warned, my voice trembling. But the monster just grinned, a chilling, predatory smile that sent shivers down my spine.

My feet moved before my brain could even process what was happening. I ran, as fast as my legs could carry me, not daring to look back. I didn't want to know if that monster, whatever it was, was chasing me.


I could feel her following me. The snapping of branches, the rustle of leaves, all confirmed it. She was right behind me, that monster, her presence heavy and menacing. I pictured her face, her glowing red eyes, her chilling smile, and a wave of nausea washed over me. I thought of the victim, then my sister, her lifeless face, the last time I saw her, the police blocking me at the crime scene.


I could feel her behind me, the snapping of branches a chilling soundtrack to my flight. She was close. I pictured her face, those glowing red eyes, that unsettling smile. And then my mind jumped to the victim, her lifeless form, and then to my sister, the last time I saw her, the police cordoning off the crime scene. The memories were a tangled mess, a horrifying tapestry of fear and loss.

I was in a part of the school I’d never seen before, a thick grove of trees that felt more like a forest than a schoolyard. This must be part of the agriculture building, I thought.

Tears streamed down my face, and all I could think about was surviving. But who could I call for help?

"Someone, please help... God, help me! Raigeeee!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, my voice raw with desperation. But I knew, deep down, that my chances of being heard were slim. I was far, far away from the party, lost in the woods.

My knees buckled, fear turning my legs to jelly. A horrifying roar echoed through the trees, and I collapsed to the ground, like a lost puppy cowering beneath the shadows of the branches.