Owen stepped between Kellan and I. He leveled his eyes with me. "I don't give a shit about your damn parents. Madison is dead! We need to get back and tell everyone. There could be more of those…things."
"Are you crazy? I asked. "We can't tell anyone what we saw out here."
"Tess is right." Kellan interrupted.
"Who the hell are you anyway? Owen shot at Kellan. He began to pace, pulling at his wild hair. "I mean, what was that back there?"
"Owen, there's nothing you'll be able to do to convince anyone what you saw. Trust me."
"We have to tell them something. Madison is…" Roe choked up, more tears flowing down her cheeks.
"We say it was a bear or something. That none of us got a clear look at it." I said.
"No. Screw that. I'm telling them everything. If there's more of those things they could kill someone else." Owen argued. I stepped up to him, running into his as he tried to pace around me. "What makes you think they'll listen?" He studied my face for a moment. "If you remember I was like you. We dated, hell Madison was my friend, and not one of you believed me when I said that a creature like this killed my parents. Look where it got me. Do you want to get locked up in the Institution?"
His glare was murderous as he stared me down. He didn't speak, and his face softened for a moment when he broke eye contact with me. He knew I was right.
Kellan stepped forward. "Can we please discuss this on way back. We really need to leave."
We all filed down the path back to the party. My phone battery was almost dead, and Roe's flashlight served as our only form of light. The silence was broken by Owen. "So we tell them that it was a bear?"
"What other animal would you suggest?" I asked.
Before he could answer, a melody of voices sounded in the distance. Different voices called out each of our names in unison. Roe broke out into a run taking the only light with her. We had no choice but to follow or be left in the darkness. We're over here." She shouted.
Whole crowd of people came into view ahead of us. "There's a bear in the woods it hurt Madison. We…we think she's dead." Roe said falling into the arms of Mr. Evans's wife, her sobs coming in gasps of breath. Everyone in the group broke out in nervous chatter. Everyone asked questions over one another, and I couldn't understand anything they were saying.
Kellan stepped forward, "I'll show you were we found her. I don't think anyone else wants to go back there." He told Mr. Evans.
"I'm going with you." Owen said.
Several people guided us back to the backyard where the party looked to be broken up. Freddy was sitting on the top of a picnic table holding his head in his hands. He looked up as we approached and sprinted to Roe, trying to take her in a hug. She smacked him in the face, calling him a few colorful names for abandoning us in the woods.
I took a seat in an empty lawn chair. The night was colder then before, and my entire body shook with force. There hadn't been a moment for me to process what happened. The monster was real. For so long everyone I knew told me that my mind made it up as a coping mechanism to deal with my parents dying. But out there in the woods, I came face to face with the truth. My truth. I wasn't crazy, and now I had witnesses who'd seen the same thing. Now they knew the same fear that I'd been carrying around with me all this time.
What I couldn't figure out was Kellan. He knew the monster was there. He even knew how to fight with moves I'd never even seen in a kung fu movie. It seemed easy for him to kill.
The police arrived with flashing lights and sirens. Several firetrucks and ambulances pulled up to the side of the house. Things were happening in a blur. Clusters of students huddled together, some crying mother Rushed into the woods lead by a group of parents who'd been attending the party.
Roe came to sit with me at the picnic table. "I need to apologize to you," she said.
"For what?"
"When you used to tell me stories about what you saw that night…your parents. I didn't really believe you." She held her hands up. "I knew that you believed it, and I felt bad for you. But tonight…I'm just…" Her head shook as she wiped the tears from her face.
"It's ok. I still can't believe that I'm not the only one that saw it this time." i said studying the scar on my hand.
More parents began to turn up at the party to collect their children. The police advised Roe and I to stay so we could make a statement about what happened. Mike and Joni showed up right before a fit middle aged officer took my statement.
I told the best version of the truth that I could. My story was exactly the way that it happened aside from the description of the creature. I described it as a bear and I hoped that the rest of them did the same. If I ended up back in the Institution, there was no way I'd make it through that again.
Joni held me so tight through the whole ordeal that my ribs were sore. Roe wasn't able to get ahold of her parents, which wasn't anything new. Mike decided to drive her truck back to our house, let her stay the night with us.
Roe and I rode with Joni, and on the way home i hd noticed the look on Roes face matched the look Joni gave me the night i came home late after i had been talking about the monsters again.. A look so pitiful and worried. I didn't need any more of their pity. I need to talk to everyone who saw that.. monster in the woods today, we cant tell anyone what happened in the woods or else the police will think were crazy and i can't do another sentence back into the institute. I can't let roe or owen or kellan(whoever he really was anyways), get locked up too. They had saw the same thing as me so unless we were drugged and had the same trip as everyone else?
"Can you grab the bag of cat food at your feet please, Tess?" Joni says snapping me back into reality.
"Sure," I say my voice shaky and hoarse. "Roe you can go inside and get the bed ready im going to talk to Joni for a minute." She scrunches her nose at me and going inside.
"What is it that you want to talk about hun?" She gave me a look that i couldn't quite read. I wanted to tell her that i'm not crazy and what happened tonight proves that but she'll just send me back to the institute and if the others who were there say something they might go with me.
"C-can i use the extra comforter for tonight? Me and roe are absolutely freezing i don't think just one blanket will keep us wa.." Im cut off by a blood curdling scream coming from the house. Me and Joni run towards the door but the handle was burning hot. It reminded me of the day my parents died. I went to grab my brother from his bedroom when the door handle burnt my hand. I rub the scar on my hand and look up.
"Jodi i think the house is on fire!" I point to the upstair bedroom, my bedroom. "Roe is in there." Tears stung my eyes but i quickly made it stop. I grabbed Jodi's arm and she followed me to the back door.
"Tess call 9-1-1. NOW!" but just as i grab my phone out the side of the building crumbles right in front of us and another scream sounded from the inside sounding further away this time. I tell Jodi to stay put and i run inside the house and even though i hear Jodi yelling at me telling me to stay with her i keep going. I can't lose anyone else, this time it's going to be different.
"ROE!" I yell praying for her to be okay and let me know where she is. I turn the corner of the kitchen and there she is lying limp in this monsters arms. The same monster i saw the night 3 years ago when i lost everything. His mouth dripping with blood, his nasty yellowed skin bubbling from the fire. A scream escapes my mouth and i hear Jodi not so far away, i warn her to stay back but it's too late. She already sees what i'm seeing.
"W-what is that?" her face in shock i guide her to the island is the kitchen and crouch her down and tell her to stay there. I grab a knife from the drawer and run full force at the monster. I scream at him and just as i get close enough he drops Roe on the bloodied carpet and kneels down in front of me. Confused i stop and stand there before this monster that hurt my best friend, and by family so many years ago. Sirens sound in the distance but i don't want them to come and help. I want to stay here before this monster that seems the be at my command. When i finally break by eyes away i grab Roe and yell for Jodi to take her outside. When i know their gone and getting help i go back to the monster but amidst the heavy smoke he's gone and my vision starts to go dark. I let out a cough and fall to the ground.