ENTRY # 14

ARIA

They scurried inside, looking pale and shaken. Their clothes were ripped, dirtied with mud and blood.

I followed them in, jumping slightly as Carter slammed the door shut and started pulling the locks to seal the door. Teagan pushed Austin's wheelchair towards the living room, and ran to the kitchen to get some water. "Guys, what the hell happened to you?" I asked, completely confused and alarmed by the situation.

"Where on earth have you been?!" Teagan shouted, the glass in her hand shook as her body trembled with fear and anger. "We've been trying to reach you every day!"

"I'm sorry. " I said, "I was…busy. I had a lot to make up for, so I needed some space for a while."

Austin wheeled fast towards the back door and cautiously peeked out. "It doesn't seem to be following us here at the moment. Carter, use the drawers to fortify the doors. In the meantime, I'll draw down the blinds."

"You don't have to tell me that," Carter exclaimed. He moved so fast it looked like he was teleporting. And not a minute later, the whole house was sealed shut.

"Guys," I called. "What on earth is going on?"

"We're being hunted, that's what's going on!" Carter replied, breathing heavily. "That damn thing just attacked the cafe we were in. It killed everyone trying to get to us!"

I froze, "Y-you…" I swallowed, choosing my words carefully. "What monster attacked you?"

Three pairs of gazes turned in my direction. Teagan spoke first, "How did you know?"

"I'm asking. What monster was hunting you?"

Austin gulped, "I-it was a human-like monster! A-a thing with glowing slit eyes, sharp canines and equally sharp claws. T-t-they killed Noah and the others! I saw them rip them into shreds in front of me!"

Noah was the manager of the local cafe near the school. It is where we hang out most of the time when we feel like socializing. The others Austin was talking about must be Sandra and the other staff. I clenched my chest as I felt the same silence I felt when I felt hopeless. Like that time when I faced an evil thing that almost killed me.

But I thought there were no monsters in Forbidden Vale! Dad told me this town was a safe place. An attack while my parents were out? Sounds suspicious to me.

This isn't the time to be thinking about this. I remember Dad telling me during one of our lessons—when a monster is targeting a specific victim, it would leave a little bit of itself on the prey it chose.

I turned my gaze back towards them, "Did any of you get close to the monster?"

"One of them got me," Teagan said. She pulled her shirt up and showed me a claw mark dripping with blood on her abdomen. I inspected closer, there was a dark looking liquid–almost black, spreading through her skin via the veins and arteries in her abdomen. My fears were proven right.

"You've been marked," I said. Teagan watched me with terrified eyes. I continued, "The monsters will track her here. As long as the curse on her wound is not cleansed, they will be hunting her for the rest of her life."

Teagan went white and sat still, petrified.

"What?!" Carter yelled, "What are we going to do? We can't just abandon Teagan!"

"We're not!" I snapped, glaring at him. "How did you even think of such a thing! Of course we won't leave her."

"Then what do we do?" Austin yelled, "They will be here soon!"

"I know a place." I said, grabbing Teagan's hand and went for the back door. "We'll be able to catch our breath there. But we need to hurry."

Carter grabbed Austin's wheelchair and followed behind me, "Are you insane?! Why are we heading outside?! Those things are still out there!"

"Less talking, more running!"

I beelined for the barn, still dragging Teagan beside me, and grabbed the holster with the two blades on it that was perched on the table. After I secured the belt at my waist, I took Teagan's hand again and started running towards the forest.

As we ran as fast as we could, with me leading my friends as we made for the hidden dome, we started hearing roars and low growls behind us. Carter, despite the difficulty, kept up with me while he pushed Austin's wheelchair. Austin decided to make himself useful by reporting what was happening behind us.

"Oh my god! I see them crawling towards us! We're not gonna make it!"

"Austin," I called out, gasping for air as I ran. "Not helping!"

"We're going to die!" he continued, screaming like a girl.

We passed a familiar set of trees, we were almost there. "Aria, for Christ's sake! Where are you taking us?!" Carter yelled.

My friends and I finally passed the barrier. The waterfall greeted us, offering shelter. Teagan and the others were stunned at the discovery. "How on earth—" Teagan whispered. "Aria, where are we? We don't have a small waterfall in the middle of nowhere here in Forbidden Vale."

"I know," I replied, catching my breath. "I'll explain to you when we get inside. Come on, follow me."

They did. It's not like they had much choice. When we crossed the small lake and the waterfall parted, revealing the hidden door, their reactions were the same as mine when I first saw it. Their expressions became even more overwhelming when they saw the interior.

"Holy crap," Carter muttered.

"Are those weapons real?" Austin asked.

"This is impossible." Teagan exclaimed.

I gestured at everything, "This is where I've been these past two weeks. I'm really sorry I didn't reach out. I just thought you guys would forgive me faster if I brought the cures that would bring back your missing…parts."

"A cure? You mean you could bring my legs back?" Austin asked, eyes shining with tears. "You really mean it? Is it possible?"

I nodded. Teagan marched towards me and slapped me hard. "You idiot! We've been worried sick! I thought something bad happened to you!"

My head hung low, feeling ashamed of myself. "I'm sorry."

We were quiet for a while, the sounds of heavy breathing filled the space. Then Carter approached me and patted my shoulder, "Hey, for what it's worth, I'm sorry too. I knew it wasn't your fault this happened, yet I blamed you. But that was just me being an ass. I'm sorry, Aria. It was never your fault."

I blinked back tears that were threatening to fall. I nodded and made sure that I plastered a smile when I showed them my face.

"Thanks guys. I'll make it up to you."

The ground shuddered violently, we fell to the floor. The monster outside seemed to be trying to destroy the barrier. We scrambled to our feet immediately, and cracks started forming in the concrete walls. I gestured at the chained weapons straight away, "Go! Get yourselves armed!"

They didn't need to be told twice. Carter instantly dragged his hand on the column of weapons and grabbed the long sword that was secured nearby, Teagan went for the long bladed spear, and I threw guns at Austin's lap. His eyes immediately widened with panic as he held on to a weapon he had no idea how to use.

"Why are you giving me this?!" Austin yelled at me. "I don't know how to shoot with a gun!"

"It'll be just like archery, just use the laser if you don't know where to look for the target!" I said, facing the trembling door. "You can try shooting blindly until you get hold of it, just don't shoot us."

"Don't pressure me!"

Something hard and powerful slammed on the door. After the fourth hit, the hinges began to give and there were cracks spreading on the surrounding concrete of the sealed door. We backed away from the entrance, all the way to the opposite side where a shelf full of snow globes labeled with different countries and places was located. I had no idea why they were there in the first place. It doesn't seem right for a training dome to have a pile of souvenirs from my dad's trips to be stored here. I didn't have the time to ask what the snow globes were about because I was too busy trying not to get killed by my dad's lessons.

"Aria, it's breaking." Carter's voice trembled beside me, his sword also shook in quiet fear. "They're getting in."

"It'll be fine," I said, placing my hand on his shoulder and squeezing it. "We'll be okay, don't worry about it."

"Whoever goes to the LORD for safety, whoever remains under the protection of the Almighty," Teagan muttered, lips trembling at every prayer. "You are my defender and protector. You are my God; in you I trust."

The hinges gave in and the door smashed open, bits of metal flying everywhere. A chorus of growling sounds sent goosebumps down my spine. We all stepped back on instinct, my eyes widening at the sight of a real life monster in front of me.

A monstrous creature crawled inside the dome. Bits of flesh and blood dripped from its sharp canines down to their chins. One hand immediately covered my nose, with my enhanced senses, their foul stench hit me hard. They were hairless, their skin was sand-colored, and they wore filthy pieces of cloth covering their lower parts. Their appearance reminded me of goblins, with their similarity of traveling in groups and the way they ate bits of people's bodies.

I counted ten, maybe more, in front of us. We formed a defensive circle with Austin in the middle. We made sure we had enough space so Austin could fire without nicking us. I drew my blades, keeping an eye on both Teagan and Carter, defending my sides.

"A-Aria, what do we do now? Do we have a plan?" Teagan whispered beside me. She looked even paler than earlier, but she still wielded her spear despite trembling so hard.

"I'm not sure, I think we should see first how we'll do." I replied, all my senses fully heightened as I watched the monsters approaching. "We don't have an escape route either way. We're cornered."

"I knew it," Austin said weakly, "We're gonna die."

Carter let out a short sarcastic laugh, "Oh ye of little faith."

An idea occurred to me. It'll be the first time I'm using it, but it will be worth a shot. "I have an idea."

"Shoot." said Carter.

"Once I give the signal, you guys attack."

"What?!" Teagan shrieked in disbelief, "Are you crazy?!"

"One." I said, focusing on one thought, one image. "Two."

Two of the monsters lunged, Teagan and Austin shrieked. It was Carter who finished "Three."

I activated my power and commanded, "Freeze."

A burst of crimson aura surged from within me. The moment the word left my lips, the monsters all paused in their attack. They hover like time suddenly stopped. But it wasn't time manipulation. What I did was merely make them do whatever I wanted. Like Dad told me.

I rushed forward, leading the offense. "Charge!"