Aftermath

 I slam the door. Charlotte is missing too. Maybe instead of making flyers she should be more focused on finding her body if she wants to so badly. I know that’s not fair. She’s created so many search parties. I did actually have brother keep an eye on her at night sometimes because she’ll just randomly decide to go out there to look for her when she can’t sleep. Still I don’t chase after her. Don’t tell her I know where the body is. Don’t tell her how she died. Because I’m angry. I’m angry. She thinks I would’ve turned on her. Betray them. For any reason. Also, because I’m selfish, power hungry, and ambitious. Even if a few people believe our story with evidence, like her body. It will be harder for me to run my Night Cult, and I simply want power. I won’t tell my best friend’s family where her body is because I’m just that selfish, but I wasn’t selfish enough to murder her. I debate between letting a few warm tears fall, or punching a wall for a moment before snapping myself out of it. I feel a second presence now. I could sort of sense her before, but I can definitely sense her now. I’ve been becoming less and less human. Becoming a monster of my own. They say once you start becoming a monster, you know you were never destined to be human in the first place. Though my brother is far older than that. He’s the reason why humans have instinctual fear of the dark. Him and many others. I’m not certain where they came from. Maybe he’s like a cosmic horror or something. From another dimension, or just really old. Like the Eldridge horrors in stories. Ghost have existed as long as animals have walked the earth though. Many don’t stay behind. She did. For herself, and for me. You see I was there. The day she died. It has been the three of us. It had always been the tree of us. I had always known there were presences in the woods so I could never see them. Though I had stopped telling people when I was little so people just thought I had a child’s imagination. Rachel was psychic and would rattle off different information, which didn’t exactly make her popular. Charlotte was the opposite of me. I was, and am a party girl. She was a stay inside with a book type, but she knew how to have fun. We are both charismatic. People always wanted to be around us. And we always wanted to be around people. Rachel had come into our group later. We had immediately clicked. I didn’t find her scary visions frightening. I even wanted to know more. We both believed her, and didn’t think she was lying for attention. That was the thing about Charlotte. She always listened to people. Really listen. I think that’s why when I told her we needed to run. She was the first to start running. I think she knew even then. That there was something off about me. We were night hiking. A hobby of mine. Just us, the dark, and the trees. And the tower and mountains that made you feel small. I loved waking the trails at night. I knew them so well, but I didn’t even need a flash light anymore. I knew ever rock, every root. We took a path to this creepy cave we used to hang out, and drink in. The girls were trailing behind me. Their flashlight’s would occasionally glare my black rimmed glasses when I turned to look back at them. To make sure they were keeping up. Sometimes I would walk backwards to talk to them. Rachel always looked a little impressed when I did this. Though she tried to hide it. Charlotte just laughed. Like she always did. Then I could feel it behind me. Like nothing I’d ever sense before. It was only then, to late, Rachel said,

“I got a bad premonition about this place. We should go.” I could feel it was too late. It was to close. It wasn’t like when I sense murderous humans. It was different. Like a hungry animal. It was close. Too close.

“Run.” I said with all urgency. Charlotte took off. That’s what killed her I think. In a way I did kill her. In running she kicked in its predator instincts. Making her its first target. Rachel seeing it now, started running too. They bolted in different detection. Ignoring me, and running past. Maybe it saw me at the time as a fellow predator. It chased after Charlotte. So I chased after both of them. I turned on my flashlight, jumping over tree roots. I was fast, but was still struggling to keep up. There was a ledge made of dirt, were the ground dropped off a foot. So I had perfect view of it clawing open her chest. She screamed, and I think I screamed too. It jerked its head to look at me. No longer seeing me as a fellow predator. Seeing me a prey. It ran, and leapt up at me. I tumbled back falling, and dropping my flashlight. It shattered on impact. I fell on my back, struggling to move back, to get up and run. The worst part wasn’t that I couldn’t see it. It was that I could sense it. So clearly now. It’s hunger, and it’s power. Then something ran out of the trees, and leapt at it. They fell off the dirt ledge with claws slashing. It took me a moment to compose myself. Then I got up. I could have ran away then, but I think we established I’m not a normal person. I walk forward. More curious than afraid. Nothing came at me. There was no more growling. I turn on my phone flashlight, and look out over the edge. He flinches when the light hits his face. Taking a few steps back into the shadows. He wears a veil. Has antlers, and long bloody claws. I look at the dead thing, already starting to be devoured by the Earth. As vines and roots weave their way around it and bugs buried themselves inside. I look back at the man. He steps back.

“Cult leader?” It talked me a moment to process his gravely words.

“Me?” I say point to myself.” Him;

“Yes.” He’s been protecting me like that ever since. That’s when I found people like me with murderous intentions. People who wanted to be protected from the monsters. We’re willing to sacrifice people for that kind of protection and power. We are the same way. I just gave them an offer, and took the lead. We sacrifice people now and then me, and my brother gets stronger. I will never be weak again. I will protect us.