1 First Floor

I remember going up stairs with dad, he has told me to take an object with me, it can be any object as long as it's big and can be used to attack. My palms were beginning to sweat from the tight grip I had on it. I looked at the baseball bat in my hands before entering the first floor.

"Niam, look you have to be careful, no matter what happens don't let them touch you," my dad warned me before he unlocked the door and slowly pushed open the door.

'Attack before it takes shape, attack before it shape-shifts, no matter what if you see them attack them', I kept on repeating what dad has told me, in my head. We swiftly went inside the first room. It looked completely fine but the fact that it wasn't was enough to send shivers.

"Alright, there's nothing in this room right now. I will take the necessary things. Go and check the other room" I gulped at my dad's words. It was as if someone has tied weights to my feet, they felt heavy to move. I did not want to go inside a room alone.

I carefully opened the door and switched on the lights. I felt someone's breath on my head, I firmly gripped the bat and turned around swinging it with everything I had but I had to stop in the mid because when I turned around it was my dad. "I know you are scared Niam, let me go inside and check," he said as he patted my head. I stood at door to watch the first room.

"Niam?"

"Yes dad,"

"There's nothing in this room either, grab things you need and let's lock this place"

"Sure dad"

I searched through the cabinets at the other end for some food but unfortunately there wasn't any. I decided to go back to dad but on my way back next to the bed I saw a small white swirl on the ground, though it was small but it was quite fast. In a few seconds a spine formed out of it, "Dad" I called him as I stood there and watched in horror, my body froze when a few limbs formed out of that spine. From where I was standing the horrifying thing looked like a little girl, her backing facing me, it was quietly sitting on the ground, not moving, not crawling, just sitting there.

"Niam?! Go to the other room and stay there until I tell you to come," this was the first time I've seen the look of terror on his face. "Why didn't you call me earlier? Why did you let it take a shape? Why didn't you ATTACK?!"

"I'm so-"

"Go to the other room and keep and eye on the surroundings, this one does not come alone"

I stood silently in the room to watch the room and so that I could listen my dad who was now in a different room than me.

'But dad what If I'm not able to kill it on time? What's going to happen?'

'In most cases the creatures do not have a spine, therefore they are so weak you can hit them even after they have formed. But if you fail to hit one with spine. You DIE.'

'I-I... die?'

'That's why it is advised that no matter what, never let the creature take its full form.'

An old memory flashed before my eyes, it was a creature with spine and I let it shape shift. I felt like throwing up. A sudden rustling sound caught my attention, I saw something small, like a mouse moving from one place to another. It decided to rest behind the washing machine in front of me and all the noise stopped. I dropped low to see what it was and wished I did not.

A white animal, it had a shape like a dog but it didn't have any tail or fur, its head was more than thirty centimeters, it was a skull head connected to a spine. I ran to the room where my dad was, he was lying unconsciously on the bed a few spider-web like strings attached to his head and from the left of the bed came out the creature, it was the one I mistook for a small girl, it had long thin arms and pointed cone like structure for fingers through which the strings were coming out.

I tried to wake my dad but he gave no response meanwhile the four-legged creature followed me to this room and ran towards me, I swung my baseball bat shattering his skull but it only gathered the attention of the other one.

Scared, I ran towards the exit and locked the door before they could get me and then I woke up.