Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Metamorphosis: Genesis ❯ Chapter XVIII ( Chapter 18 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

It had been a few days since Lyrial’s scary happenstance while alone in her bedroom, and she had placed that night far in the back of her mind. She would get a chill down her spine when alone in the apartment, especially when changing for bed or getting out of the shower. The brunette would feel eyes on her occasionally, but Lyrial dismissed it as paranoia; she knew she had an over active imagination. Even so, sometimes she wondered how much of what she was feeling was fact rather than fantasy.

Nothing as apparent as the slamming door had happened in the days following. Even so, when without Sano or Kaya, Lyrial made certain that Sardinez was always in her arms or beside her. She drew comfort in knowing she wasn’t utterly alone when the feeling of unseen eyes would settle in. It was well into summer now and although the days seemed endless, a pang of sorrow would always overtake her when she watched the sun slip behind the city skyline. It would be at this time that Sano’s bedroom door would open; Kaya would look up from the book she was reading, look at Lyrial as she watched television, and then to the Vampire. The pair would exchange a knowing glance before Kaya would excuse herself quietly, patting Lyrial’s shoulder goodnight, before going to her room. Sano would then take her place in the arm chair, draping his legs over the side and sightlessly watch the television as well.

Although the Witch and Vampire had never made an announcement to her, Lyrial had noticed the distinct pattern in their behavior—they were standing guard. Lyrial felt bad, like a frightened child with parents forced to oversee bedtime to defend against impending monsters of the night. There didn’t seem to be a lot of obligation in their duties, only care. Still, their constant vigil had become apparent to the brunette and made her wonder as to the real reasons of their watch. While the wheels in her head turned, Sano looked at her from the corner of his silver eyes.

“Did she look a little tired to you?” He asked, breaking Lyrial’s contemplative mood.

“What?”
“The Witch,” Sano clarified. “Did she look tired to you?” Lyrial turned to look at Kaya’s closed bedroom door. There had been dark circles developing under the blonde’s eyes and she did look worn. Even in the early afternoon when the pair of girls went grocery shopping, Lyrial could tell her friend was dragging physically. Was she not sleeping well?
“Maybe she’s been having nightmares, too,” Lyrial replied and picked up the remote to flip through the channels. Sano frowned a little and turned to look at the girl sitting cross legged on the couch.

“Nightmares?” he asked.

“Maybe,” she said again.

“Are you having nightmares?”  There was a pause as Lyrial found the cooking channel.

“Just sometimes.” After another pause, Sano shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

“Do you…want to talk about them?” he asked awkwardly and she shook her head; he sounded like a father uncertain of how to quell the tears of a hysterical daughter but was making his most valiant attempt at sensitivity.

“It’s really fine,” Lyrial responded. “I’ve had nightmares ever since I was a child. There was one point when they were pretty severe. I remember being taken to a psychiatrist who said I suffered from night terrors and Nyctophobia.” When Sano frowned, Lyrial’s cheeks darkened and shame crept into her voice.

“An…unreasonable fear of the dark.”

“Pffffft!” Sano responded with a bit of humor. “What human kid isn’t afraid of the dark?” He asked and then sat up properly in the arm chair. He wagged his middle finger in a scolding manner towards the brunette. “It’s because kids are a lot smarter than human adults. They know what really lurks in darkness—things like me—“ he said while gesturing to himself with a grandiose flick of the wrist. “While adults have convinced themselves that ‘there’s nothing be afraid of’ and insist on fooling their offspring into thinking the same.” He announced. Lyrial laughed weakly.

“You were probably just more sensitive to what was watching you from the darkness than even other children.” Then he shrugged. “And maybe you still are.” The Vampire then stood up and extended his hand to Lyrial.

“Come on. Let’s take a walk on the wild side.”

“Sano, I don’t know. It’s really late,” the brunette balked.

“Please. I’m scarier than anything we’re going to encounter on an evening stroll in this city. Come on,” he insisted. With some hesitance and possibly against her better judgment, Lyrial took hold of Sano’s hand. The silver eyed creature pulled her to her feet and led her to the front door of the apartment. He had mind enough to slip a key into her pajama pocket before leading her away.

There was an acute weirdness of being out and about in pajamas and slippers, but there was something about the steady gaze Sano fed her that made her numb to the embarrassment. In fact, soon all she could see was Sano’s eyes. Gentle silver pools which she fell deeply into, lost among the quiet stillness they produced. It was as if she were sleep walking alongside the Vampire, dreamlessly journeying to a destination of his choosing and control.

Suddenly the eyes were gone and a hand replaced them. The fingers snapped and the trance shattered. Lyrial shook her head and looked around, horrified by its unfamiliarity.

“Where are we?” she asked breathlessly.

“We’ve arrived!” Sano announced with something of a smile on his face. “Look around but don’t be afraid. Remember, you’re not alone.”

“What are we doing here?” Lyrial begged as her eyes fell on all the ancient tombstones. The nearest graveyard was five kilometers out of town but she felt as if they’d walked for only a moment. “Why are we in a cemetery?!”

“Shhhh….” Sano hushed the worried woman and looked around himself. “Call it a little experiment. Just relax and tell me what you see. Feel the silence, the calm. This is a place of peace not panic, tranquility not trepidation.” Lyrial frowned at the response and despite the poetic nature of Sano’s words, her heart began to race. Reflexively, her hand reached out and grasped Sano’s firmly. The Vampire’s eyebrows lifted in surprise as he glanced down to their cupped hands. A small smile formed on his face and he wove his fingers between hers.

“You have to open your eyes, Lyrial.” Tentatively, one of her eyes peeked opened. Suddenly the gravity surrounding her hand vanished and she looked around in a hurry; Sano was no longer beside her. She was alone, standing in the poorly cared for grass which awkwardly grew in both long and short patterns around the cemetery. She gasped and spun around in a circle rapidly, searching for the man that was just seconds ago beside her.


“Sano?” she cried while the panic in her belly grew to unmanageable levels. “Sano! Where are you?!” Her hands began to shake and she took some feeble steps forward, stumbling over a loose piece of sod. “This isn’t funny!” she cried out again, a twinkle of anger bursting through her otherwise worried words. There was an eerie kind of silence that surrounded her and the air seemed to chill a moment, swinging from hot to cold and back again. A light fog snaked in around Lyrial’s ankles and underlined the headstones of the graveyard in a paranormal frame.

The brunette had the distinct feeling of being alone while being watched simultaneously. It was bizarre and unnerving until the alone part of the equation vanished completely. A low rumbling growl made the hair of Lyrial’s neck stand on end. She shivered and her eyes widened substantially. The animal like sounds grew in volume and alerted the girl to something lurking behind her in the tall grass of the garden of remembrance. Horrified, Lyrial slowly turned her head to look over her shoulder, all the while dreading to meet the source of the growling.

She nearly swallowed her tongue at the sight before her and she startled backwards suddenly at the creature a few hundred meters off.

“Oh my God,” she whispered while covering her mouth with her hands. Her astonished eyes worked their way up and down the animal with disbelief and terror. At first it appeared like some kind of dog, rabid or stricken with mange, standing almost as tall as she was. The massive paws sported iron claws which protruded intimidatingly from the slick looking coal fur of the digits. Powerful legs led to the gaunt torso of the animal, a macabre mix of bone, muscles, and tattered fur which made the hound look lost between death and life. The ribs were clear, exposed and without flesh; they showcased the tendons beneath and rattled as the hound howled.

A long whip-like tail lashed back and forth behind it, the sharp boney spear at the tip flicking in lethal display. But even that did not compare to the head of the beast; large like that of a horse, and highly domed, curving horns jutted out from its skull and curved backwards like a medieval battering ram. The muzzle was both wide and long to accommodate an impressive bite radius made possible by equally powerful jaw muscles partially displayed by missing patches of fur. The boney structure of the lower jaw, almost completely exposed to the world, harbored some of the fiercest teeth Lyrial had ever witnessed. They were long and jagged with alternating lengths and sizes; the girl likened them quickly to rusted razor blades which would mercilessly slice through flesh in the most brutal of manners.


The eyes of the canine sat deep in the skull, almost lost in the sockets. They were a sick yellow color which stood starkly in comparison to the relatively dark form of the beast as a whole. They drew Lyrial in and immobilized her. But the final eerie piece to the disturbing scene was the mysterious blue green flame that seemed to be growing from the animal’s back. It was translucent and flickered unnaturally throughout the coal colored fur and bone of the dog’s body.

It was then that Lyrial’s hand went from her mouth to her nose, trying to block out the powerful smell of sulfur. It stank and came directly from the beast.

“Sano….” The girl almost wept, begging for the Vampire to appear and defend her; he had bragged about being the most frightening thing they would encounter on their outing. He had lied.

“Please….” She cried weakly as the hound sniffed the grass around him before looking up and focusing in on Lyrial. Its upper lip curled as it growled; pawing the turf angrily with its claws, the animal padded forward a few steps before breaking onto a charge. Lyrial’s mouth opened into a scream but no sound pushed forth from her lungs. There was a moment of paralyzed fear where her entire body shook before her survival instincts kicked into overdrive and she broke into a run. The logically part of her mind knew she could never outrun an animal, especially not one like this, but she’d be damned for not trying.

Running had never been a hobby nor any kind of real joy for Lyrial, but as her feet flew in rapid tattoo over the uneven landscape of the cemetery, it was as if the brunette had made her living with her legs. Her breath came in ragged, heavy pants and her lungs burned from the sudden strain. She could hear the hound racing behind her, howling and slobbering in pursuit. A fallen tree became a hurdle as Lyrial swung over it, managing only a few scratches on the backs of her thighs in the process. They throbbed but still she ran, soon entering the nearby wooded area which surrounded the burial place.

The forest was strange and unfamiliar and proved a more terrifying place at night than the open field she had just abandoned. Suddenly the howling stopped and Lyrial glanced back over her shoulder to try and catch a glimpse of her chaser. Suddenly she felt the snag of something solid at her left ankle and she tumbled head over heels down a hill after tripping on an upwards bent root. She covered the back of her head with her hands and tried to roll into a ball as she toppled. Roughed up, heart pounding, Lyrial uncurled from her crumpled pile at the base of the hill and looked around quickly. Dirt and fall leaves decorated her entire person and her clothes had ripped a little in her escape.

“Where is it?” she whispered quietly and shakily stood up. Her ankle throbbed suddenly as weight was distributed and she limped a few steps further towards a crooked looking tree right for climbing. Glancing around again in a panic, she reached up and grasped one of the lower branches. Awkwardly she started to climb just as the sound of the beast echoed through the dark forest. Lyrial began to cry as she climbed like a lame animal up the base of the tree. This dog was big but hopefully it couldn’t fly as well. She looked over her shoulder to see its hideous form charging towards her once again.

“Leave me alone!!” she shrieked and jumped from her too low branch for a higher one. She clung to it with both arms, her lower half dangling helplessly. She kicked her legs and tried to pull her torso further up until her chest rested against the bark of the limb. The thundering of the hound’s gallop drew closer and with one final pull, mustering all the strength she had left, Lyrial hooked her right leg over the branch. Leveraging more, she heaved herself up onto its safety as the beast slammed into her arbor haven. The entire tree quivered from the blow and Lyrial wobbled on her branch, swinging her arms wildly before falling forward to hug the trunk of the ancient tree.

The hound backed up and looked into the tree’s higher branches, snarling angrily. It focused in on Lyrial and stood briefly on its hind legs, snapping its jaws at her feet. The girl tucked her legs under herself, sacrificing balance for distance. The massive dog braced its front paws against the tree and scratched angrily, trying to elevate itself to Lyrial’s level, all the while barking and biting at the air and empty space between its mouth and Lyrial’s body. The girl hugged the trunk of the tree with all her might, wincing as the rough bark scraped her skin painfully. The putrid smell of the hound wafted upwards and filled her nose, making her dizzy and nauseous.

Whatever happens, she thought, I can’t let go! But even as this warning was issued, she felt her grasp loosening. The hound snarled and dashed around the base of the tree, circling it and rubbing its sides against the bark. The ghostly blue and green flames reached out from the back of the animal to the tree and began snaking its way up the trunk. There was no heat from the flames, in fact it even seemed to be colder in the tree than when Lyrial first entered it. However, the choking smoke of the now burning arbor was adding to the girl’s vertigo.

Again the beast hurled itself at the tree, slamming its full strength into it. The tree shuddered from the force and Lyrial heard the distinct cracking of the wood. The fire and continued battering from the animal was taking a heavy toll on her safe haven. She watched in terror as the hound raced away from the tree a few hundred meters. It clawed at the ground and raised its ghastly head, letting out a howl that reached the very core of Lyrial’s being. She closed her eyes tightly as the animal charged. It lowered its head to bare its massive horns and crashed into the burning base of the tree one final time. Lyrial gasped at the collision and her sweaty grip on the tree trunk faltered.

“No!” she screamed as she slipped off the branch and fell towards the ground. The hound was waiting; it leapt upward to meet the girl’s fall, jaws open. Upon impact, Lyrial felt her body jerk forward suddenly. Her eyes opened and she inhaled sharply.

“Woah! Take it easy!” Sano said. Lyrial looked around in a panic, taking in the surroundings of her living room. She covered her eyes with her hands, then rubbed her face, the back of her neck, and finally settled on hugging her middle uncomfortably.

“Lyrial?” the Vampire asked, getting up from his lounging position in the arm chair. He moved over to the frazzled girl and knelt in front of her. “Lyrial, look at me,” he commanded gently and titled the girl’s face towards him with a tender grip on her chin. Her eyes were wild and unfocused, a tell-tale sign of a battle’s aftermath.

“You’re safe,” he said firmly. “You’re home and you’re safe.” Her face was an odd color, somewhere lost between white and yellow, and the hollows under her eyes were quite sunken in.

“I feel sick,” she said suddenly and lurched forward. It was only supernatural reflexes which enabled Sano to move to the side, sitting on the couch with his arm around Lyrial’s shoulders before the flood of vomit doused him. She covered her mouth and the weight of her embarrassment set in. She started to cry, powerful sobs racking her entire frame. It was the cry of someone who had reached their utmost limits and desperately needed relief.

“It’s alright,” Sano cooed affectionately and rubbed a hand over her back in attempts to soothe the reaction. “Let it all out,” he encouraged. “There is no room for shame here.” The tears came and went and soon Sano scooped Lyrial from the couch like a child in his arms and carried her to Kaya’s bedroom. He knocked on the door with his elbow and waited a moment. The door opened a crack and Kaya’s face came into view. Upon seeing Lyrial, the door opened quickly. The blonde was ready to question the Vampire but bit her tongue at the sight of Lyrial’s sleeping face.

“These are more than just night terrors,” Sano said quietly and transferred the brunette into the Witch’s open arms. Kaya looked down at the girl and hugged her closely; she then laid her down on the bed and tucked her under the covers. As she did this, Kaya hesitated at strange markings on the other girl’s skin.

“Where did you get these?” she asked quietly and lifted Lyrial’s arm to examine it. The other girl made a quiet protest in her sleep but little else. They looked fresh but not very deep—scrapes.

“Sano, can you come here for a moment?” Kaya whispered while knowing his unnatural hearing would pick up even the quietest of requests. Soon the Vampire was at her side, examining their friend as well.

“These are new,” he said quietly.

“Clearly, but how did she get them? And when? She didn’t fall today or anything,” Kaya added. Sano shrugged his shoulders and rubbed the back of his neck pensively.

“Dream wounds,” he deduced. Kaya frowned in a skeptical manner. “It happens to humans, sometimes. The reality of dreams can be very convincing, so convincing that sometimes that the body believes whatever happens to it in the dream state and causes it to manifest in reality. That’s why they say you can’t die in your sleep, you’ll wake just before…in order to save yourself.” Kaya listened and considered.

“Well we can’t deprive her of sleep,” she said. “But if she keeps having these kinds of dreams, what can we do?” Sano shrugged his shoulders.

“We find out what’s causing the night terrors.”


There was a different kind of mood in the apartment after that. The sentry continued, day and night, with Sano and Kaya trading watch over Lyrial. It made the brunette more and more uncomfortable, and sleeping came in tiny fearful increments. Kaya looked almost as bad as her companion. Though their vampiric partner awoke with sunset and guarded Lyrial throughout the night, Kaya still had not come full circle in trusting Sano completely. Though her distrust had diminished quite a bit since their initial encounter with one another, the suspicion of his kind was too deeply rooted in her DNA to ever allow full faith. Instead of falling asleep with Sano on post, Kaya had been keeping up and conducting her own investigations, intent on discovering the source of Lyrial’s nightmares.

This night was no exception. After Sano had taken Lyrial into his care settling for a late night cup of hot tea with the girl, Kaya sneaked out of the apartment. She made her way through the city which was now quite familiar to her, out to the outskirts where Jordyn lived. The fellow Witch had distanced himself from their home and way of life but still had a pretty substantial collection of important tomes on Magick hidden away in his little shack in the woods.

“It’s pretty late for ya to be comin’ here alone, Kaya,” the older man said as he opened his door to her.

“It’s not ideal, but it’s necessary,” she responded. The small handmade table had a half-eaten plate of meat and potatoes on it and a tin mug of very strong coffee. The black haired Witch sat back down at his place and gestured to the food.

“Do you mind?” he asked and Kaya shook her head. She was interrupting his routine and could ask her questions while the other Witch finished his meal.

“May I look at your library? I think there may be something useful to me tucked away somewhere.” Jordyn shrugged his shoulders and pointed a rug in the corner of the room.

“It’s hardly any library,” he responded as the blonde moved the rug aside to reveal a trap door. She pulled the handle and lifted the door; looking down the stairs she hesitated. “Just an odd collection of things I’ve picked up over the years. Careful though, slip on them steps and it’s a hell of a tumble.” Kaya grabbed a small lantern and lit it.

“Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind,” she mumbled sarcastically as she descended the stairs. Once at the bottom, there were a couple book shelves lining the dirt walls of the little dugout basement; each shelf was filled with ancient looking books or quirky little artifacts. A few large wooden trunks with impressive looking iron locks also littered the floor. Kaya held the lantern up and scanned each shelf individually, looking for something—anything—that may hold the answers she was seeking. Titles were both in Latin and her native tongue, Witian. She frowned a little and prayed what she was looking for was not locked away in one of the Latin tomes less she need a translator. It would be a pain, but the Witch felt she could fumble through a Latin codex if need be.

“Here’s something,” she noted and retrieved a relatively thinner text from one of the lower shelves. It seemed new or at least more recently consulted than its peers. A thin blue ribbon served as a place holder and Kaya instinctually opened the book to that section.

“Garm?” she asked while taking a seat on one of the wooden trunks in the basement. She held the lantern in one hand and read over the pages carefully.

“A bringer of nightmares and messenger of Death, Garms historically have a place in the life of the damned or wayward, signaling their impending doom or destruction.” Kaya’s brows lifted appreciatively. That certainly did not fit Lyrial’s description in the least. However, intrigued, she read on.

“Witnessing a Garm three times heralds an untimely end to those who have seen it. The identity of a Garm is unmistakable, although dog-like in appearance and behavior, their macabre existence and form have rightfully earned them their most well-known alias: Hell Hounds.” The tiny foot note at the bottom of the page made the Witch hesitate, it signaled a depiction of the creature on the following page. She took a deep breath and turned the velum, gasping as she did.
“By the Goddess! You’re an ugly bastard,” she commented while looking down at the beast on the page. A little giggle escaped her before she began to pity its horrid features, half rotted with bone and muscle exposed to the world, enveloped in some ghostly fire.  She closed the book, leaving the blue ribbon as a place holder, and then ascended back to where Jordyn was now cleaning his plate.

“May I borrow this?” she asked politely. Jordyn squinted his eyes and pulled a crooked pair of rounded glasses from his shirt pocket. Donned with the spectacles, Jordyn examined the codex briefly.

“Sure,” he replied. “It’s an interesting little guide, was doing a bit of research with it not too long ago,” he added and fiddled with the ribbon protruding from the pages of the book.

“I noticed,” Kaya responded and took back the book, opening it to the image of the hellish creature. “Any reason for the sudden interest?” She held the book open to the illustration and held it so Jordyn could see.

“Ugly bastard.”

“My thoughts, exactly,” Kaya replied and close the book again.

“I’d noticed some pretty strange phenomena recently and last night, if it ain’t the liquor recallin’, one of those nasty things was prowlin’ just outside the city…like it was waitin’ for something.” Kaya frowned for a moment, a little hung up on the fact that Jordyn used a word like ‘phenomena’ and correctly at that, before the meaning of his tale grew more important.

“Wait, you saw one?” Jordyn nodded but then shrugged.

“Like I said, if it ain’t the liquor recallin’, I think I saw one. But it didn’t see me, and that’s the important part. Sure, the book says you see it three times and then die, but a little deeper investigation finds that its gotta see you too.” He shrugged again and leaned back in his chair. “So I ain’t too worried.” Kaya sighed and shook her head, tucking the book into the leather messenger bag she’d brought along with her.

I’m glad you’re not worried, Kaya wanted to say but settled for a little frown on her somewhat stern features.  There was little conversation after that and soon the blonde Witch found herself back at the apartment. She glanced to the clock on the far wall of the living room and groaned—where had the night gone? She then crept to the bedroom she had been recently sharing with Lyrial after the brunette refused to slumber in her bed alone. She stood in the threshold and looked over the scene before her; she was at first surprised to see Sano resting in the bed, eyes half closed, with his arms around Lyrial. The young girl rested her cheek to the Vampire’s chest, soothed by the stillness within, and hugged her arms around his middle in her sleep.

Sano’s silver eyes opened fully when Kaya came closer.

“Find anything?” he whispered and Kaya hesitated.

“Maybe,” she replied. “Did she dream tonight?” Sano shrugged carefully.

“I don’t know. But what’s-his-face called tonight, they’re going out tomorrow.” Kaya’s frown returned as she sat on the edge of the bed, resting a hand on Lyrial’s shoulder endearingly.

“It…might actually be good for her.” After a few moments of silence, Sano’s reluctant gaze showed agreement. The Vampire then carefully disentangled himself from Lyrial without waking her and tucked her under the covers. Kaya was on the other side of the room, tucking the book she had borrowed from Jordyn safely into the dresser for later examination. Before leaving the bedside, Sano leaned to whisper something into Lyrial’s ear. She inhaled slowly before rolling over and hugging the pillow. Satisfied, Sano’s hand brushed Kaya’s shoulders as he walked passed her to continue his vigil in the main room of the apartment.

The Witch had shivered when Sano touched her but tried to suppress it; they were not enemies now, so why did she always have these reactions to his proximity? Ally or not, the Vampire was still an apex predator and no matter how she tried, Kaya could not forget this fact. How then, did Lyrial feel so much comfort resting in his arms? It could be that Lyrial didn’t really know exactly what kind of carnage Sano was capable of; she had only seen the ‘human’ side of him which made it possible for their precious lamb to cuddle beside such a lion.

Despite his nature’s ferocity, even Kaya was beginning to feel her apprehension start to ebb away the more time she spent in this apartment. It was dulling her instincts, she thought as she dug the borrowed book from the dresser, and sat down in the armchair on the far side of the bedroom. This couldn’t wait.

“Jiejin-Akal,” she whispered and snapped her fingers as quietly as possible. A little golden flame ignited like a match from her fingertips and hovered a short distance from her face, illuminating her reading. Kaya poured over the pages of the text but felt her body’s need for recuperation taking a toll. She had been days without proper sleep and was really feeling it; the words scrambled on the pages, letters jumping out of place or disappearing all together. Every second felt like an eternity and before she could realize it, the Witch was slumped over the side of the arm chair, asleep with the book open in her lap.
It was some time after the lukewarm presence of her bedmate disappearing that Lyrial’s eyes opened groggily. She peeled her face from the pillow and rubbed her eyes. A glance to the glowing digital clock on the nightstand reminded her why she should still be asleep with a time like 4:32am. After she readjusted in bed and flipped the pillow over for a cooler sleep surface, Lyrial realized that no more sleep would come for a good while. Frustrated, the girl sat up in bed with a mild groan. She looked around the dark room uncomfortably and reached for the lamp at her bedside table. She turned the knob and the device clicked but no light ignited.

She blinked, confused, and continued to fiddle with the knob. Each time it clicked without lighting the room, the sinking feeling in her stomach grew weightier. Her hand retreated from the far reach of the lamp to instead grip the hem of the covers tightly. Her heartbeat loudly in her chest before the tiny voice of reason reminded her that there was nothing to fear. That admonition lasted a mere second before panic swung back on the fall of the pendulum and roused her from bed, all but running to the door.

Bursting forth from her bedroom, Lyrial was met by an equally dark apartment.

“Kaya!” She called out, clinging to the doorframe awkwardly for support. “Kaya, the lights are out!” She pleaded and took a few feeble steps forward, glancing uncertainly over her shoulder. The gloomy maw of her bedroom seemed darker and more sinister than the rest of the apartment and the brunette could no longer fight the distinct feeling of eyes watching her from all directions.

“Please, Kaya, if you’re there, come out!” she begged and stumbled towards the kitchen. She flipped the switches on the wall up and down repeatedly, hoping with each time that the ceiling would suddenly illuminate with the artificial glow of the bulbs. No such moment ever came. She folded her hands and started to pray, beseeching a friendly face to appear beside her, comfort her, and remind her that the thing that had preyed on her previous in the apartment had been destroyed and that there was no longer anything to be afraid of. She took in a shuddering breath and licked her lips nervously. Her options, as she saw them now, were to either go back to bed in attempts to sleep or run out of her apartment like a mad woman.

As the seconds ticked by, the latter option became more and more favorable.

“Get a hold of yourself,” she whispered and inhaled deeply to calm her nerves. Lyrial stepped backwards into the living room, seriously considering an unnaturally early morning stroll in order to escape the apartment and the unholy smothering sensation that flooded the place in the absence of her fellow inhabitants. Before she could depart on her irrational journey from the apartment, a disturbing sound coming from her bedroom made Lyrial’s heart jump into her throat. The low, thundering growl had haunted her dreams and lurked in the darkest corners of her mind since that fateful night not so long ago….her heart stammered once more as the source of the sound stepped forward, padding mercilessly across the carpet.

The teeth, the claws, and the wretched smell of sulfur over powered all rational thought in Lyrial as the Hell Hound from her nightmares crept through the door frame from her room, salivating with earnest.

“Oh, please, no…” she whispered and kept taking stony steps backwards, trying not to alert the beast of her hopeful absconds. “Y-You can’t be here…..! Y-You’re not real…!” she wept as the creature snapped its jaws in her direction. This sound echoed sharply in her ears and as she covered her mouth and nose with one hand, the unbearable rotting odor made its presence hard to dismiss as imaginary. With every timid retreat, the beast pressed forward, threatening to close the distance between them. There seemed no escape this time, no ancient tree to scale, no dark sodding plane to break into a futile run on. She felt the hot breath of the beast flourishing out a few mere feet in front of her and Lyrial had surrendered every hope of surviving this encounter.

An unobtrusive creaking from behind her alerted the girl to a possible escape. The guest bedroom door waited ajar as if to say ‘Get this far and I’ll protect you.’ Obliged to do just that, Lyrial inhales sharply to harden herself against the Hell Hound. She reached out slightly backwards and to her sides to feel out her environment. To her right, her hand bumped into the corner of a nightstand that sat behind the couch. It held a lamp which usually was used for readings in the evening for Kaya. As her finger tips grazed the porcelain curve of the stout and heavy lamp, her eyes locked into those of the monster closing in on her.

Lyrial twisted to the side and grabbed the lamp with both hands soundly before hurling it with all her might into the face of the Hell Hound. It shattered upon impact with the gnarly skull like face of the animal and it shook its head back and forth furiously to clear the shards of glass from its charred and rotting flesh. During the few seconds of distraction, Lyrial all but leapt to the guest bedroom and slammed the door shut, locking it. She then raced to the heavy six-drawer dresser and squeezed between it and the corner. With her back to the dresser, she braced her legs against the plaster of the wall and pushed with all her might. Her thighs burned from the effort and her breaths came in short panicked bursts as the angry sounds from the animal outside the room continued.

The dresser groaned from the force and began inching across the carpet of the bedroom.

“Come on!” She hissed through clenched teeth as the feet of the armoire scooted out of the ruts in the carpet that time and gravity had created. The dresser than slid more easily along the wall and Lyrial then fell from her perched position onto her hip. She grunted but got up awkwardly and pushed the dresser the remaining feet in front of the door, her arms shaking from fear and exhaustion. The door shuddered suddenly as the beast seemed to ram its ghastly horns into it like some great Medieval battering ram. The door and dresser held firm and Lyrial backed away from the both, one hand nursing the bruise that developed on her hip from the tumble.

That sinking feeling when you discover that you’re not alone in a presumed to be empty room crept up Lyrial’s spine. The uncomfortable silence that followed the end of the Garm’s charging of the locked guest bedroom door caused Lyrial’s gut to wrench. She drew her arms in close, hugging herself in attempts to feel safe. A sudden violent shudder of the door sent Lyrial careening backwards. Her heart leapt into her throat as her back collided with something living and solid.

“Take it easy,” a male voice warned as the girl whipped around to face the living wall.

“You’ll scare yourself to death.”

“Sano!” Lyrial gasped, clutching her rapidly beating heart. “That thing out there! What do we do?!” Sano raised his hands in deaf surrender.

“It’s called a Garm, but you would know it as a Hellhound,” he explained with an unnatural sense of calm.

“Hellhound?!” Lyrial screeched in disbelief. “What is it doing in my living room!?” Sano’s eyes closed and his brows furrowed when his delicate hearing was assaulted by the high pitched hysteria.

“Logic suggests that it was sent here. Garms are messengers of Oblivion, they don’t simply wander around without intent or instruction.”

“Oh my God,” Lyrial wailed. Who would send a Hellhound after her? What kind of message could it possibly bring? “It’s going to kill me, isn’t it?” she sobbed, beginning to rub the tears now free falling from her eyes. Sano’s sigh was audible as he pulled the girl to him. He wrapped his arms around her shaking shoulders. The Vampire stroked her disheveled curly hair in attempts to soothe her.

“Calm down. It’s gone now. As long as you’re not alone, you’re safe. Besides, if it was here to kill you, it would have the first time.” Although her face was pressed to his cold, bare chest, her eyes widened. A weight formed in her underbelly and alarm bells rang loudly in her head.

“The first time?” she mumbled uncertainly. She had never revealed the nightmare she had endured months ago when initially traumatized by the reality-bending near death experience. How did Sano know about it? She timidly pressed her palms to his pectorals, insisting on space between them. It had been a dream, hadn’t it? Reality was fracturing around her and Lyrial heard her perception of the world cracking in the recesses of her mind.

Her bottom lip quivered as she turned up doe brown eyes to the insipid features of the Vampire. There was something different about him. His eyes seemed starker than usual, the placid silver hue seemed streaked by a dark, unforgiving steel color. The pupils were thinner and stood as cat-like vertical slits. The secret predator always lurking just beneath the surface was making its midnight debut. In that moment, Lyrial truly wondered if she was better off in the barricaded room with the Vampire or trying her luck to dodge the Garm outside.

“Your heart is beating very quickly,” Sano mentioned off handedly.  Lyrial swallowed hard and looked away, still trying to press some much needed distance between them. “Do I frighten you?” The timid quaking of her forearms stopped and she turned her face upwards slowly.

“Yes,” she admitted quietly. Sano looked momentarily hurt and moved his hands from their friendly hold around her shoulders to cup the sides of her face, holding her gaze steady.

“There’s no need for you to be,” he replied. “I’ll keep you safe, Lyrial, but there’s something you have to do for me.” The uncertainty that came with such an obligation caused Lyrial to hesitate.

“What is that?” The brunette questioned.

“Stay with me,” the Vampire retaliated without a moment’s pause.  
“Stay by my side, not fearing what I am or what I can do, but taking comfort in my strength that will always be at your command.” Surprised, Lyrial did not know exactly how to respond. The words hung profoundly in the air around them and the Vampire’s hands on against her cheeks were bizarrely warm and felt comforting. A deep seeded kind of comfort that grows from familiarity and trust. It seemed out of place, awkwardly wedging itself between Sano and herself and nesting in their chests.

Confused but equally touched by the sudden declaration, Lyrial opened her mouth to speak but was cut off suddenly by Sano’s lips against her own. Once before they had shared this intimate embrace, ending abruptly when Lyrial’s panic had reached a fever pitch, but this time the looming terror seemed further placed. The silver haired young man’s grasp made it impossible to withdraw, though the urge to also seemed far flung at the moment. As the kiss continued, Lyrial soon found the shaking of her frame quell and though her hands were pressed firmly to his chest, they no longer insisted on distancing them.

Her initially surprised gape allowed Sano to slip his tongue between her lips and coax her own oral muscle into a playful game of advance and retreat. One of his hands slid around to cradle the back of her neck, the other falling to her waist to bring them flush together once more. The warmth of his exposed flesh seemed to filter through the oversized T-shirt she wore and it was as the hand on her waist continued to meander south before coming around the curve of her rear that Lyrial realized how little she was wearing. The fingertips now fiddling with the elastic of her panties made her eyes widen suddenly and pull backwards; she stepped back with bare legs and crossed her arms over her braless bosom which had until then hung heavy in front of her.

“I’m sorry,” she said quickly. “It’s…not like this,” she asserted. “I’m sorry. We shouldn’t have. I think I’m in love with Chris.” She covered her mouth with the both hands reticently and continued to apologize.

“Well that’s unfortunate,” Sano said plainly. Lyrial balked and took another step back. She winced at the feel of Sano’s hand around her wrist, squeezing down on the frail bones with brute force.

“Sano, that hurts!” she cried out and jerked her arm back in attempts to free herself.

“I know.” Lyrial’s heart sank and the Vampire yanked her forcefully forward but side stepped her launch to avoid a collision. Instead the girl found herself face planting against the mattress of the guest bed.

“S-Sano, stop it!” Lyrial cried and looked over her shoulder to see the thick silver mane of the Vampire. His free hand came up and smothered further words, sliding over her mouth to keep her quiet. Lyrial’s eyes widened and she thought they’d all but bulge out of her skull. Oh God, she thought, this was the kind of behavior that Kaya had been warning her about from the beginning. A pitiful whimper was all she managed from behind the Vampire’s palm.

“I’ve been patient with you, Lyrial, very patient. But you’re a cock-tease, and I don’t appreciate.” The brunette panicked and began to struggle but his arms felt like steel bands around her body and it only took one punishing squeeze around her left breast to still her movements.

“This doesn’t have to be unpleasant,” he whispered and ran his tongue along the outer shell of her ear in one slow swipe. Lyrial shivered and closed her eyes tightly as the brutal grip relaxed and began a tender fondle instead. It then slid down her belly to cup the area between her thighs. Her stifled gasp was accompanied by her thighs clenching together to keep the hand away.

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it, Lyrial?” Sano asked lowly, his voice almost in a growl. She could feel the rumbling in his chest as he stroked her womanhood through the material of her panties, the oversized T-shirt she wore hiked up passed her navel. “You should be drowning in the scent of that guy you’ve been seeing, but you only barely carry it.” His hand dipped under the elastic waistband of the panties and his middle finger slipped between the soft folds of flesh to locate and fiddle with her most sensitive bundle of nerves.

Lyrial squealed, though her sounds were muffled by Sano’s other hand clamped firmly over her mouth. As a warning, he opened his mouth and pressed the points of his fangs delicately over the rapidly beating pulse of her throat. Her legs kicked back and forth over the covers, sliding across the fabric in rapid tattoo, an attempt to escape. Sano added more pressure to his fangs and Lyrial’s movements slowed to a stop.

“Hasn’t laid any pipe, has he?” The Vampire asked and Lyrial whined. “His loss,” he added while toying with her clit. The brunette shivered and closed her eyes again, trying to block out the reality of the situation and hide somewhere in the far recesses of her mind—to no avail. She mumbled something against the back of Sano’s hand and he raised his brows curiously. With caution he pulled his palm a few inches from her lips to allow more clarity to her words.

“Please don’t…” she whispered, though she refused to meet the heated stare of those cruel looking iron eyes.

“Don’t what?” Sano asked sarcastically while slowly pushing the tip of his middle finger past the slickening folds. Lyrial’s eyes widened and she grimaced. It really had been long since the last time, the proof was in the tightening grip of her inner walls around the single digit. Sano coaxed it in and out, never allowing the utmost tip to escape the warm canal.

“Please…don’t do this…! I…trusted you…” Lyrial hissed between gritted teeth. A second finger was added and her body tensed as it was forced to stretch a little wider than what was comfortable. He covered her mouth again as he continued to prep her body for a more expansive penetration. The struggling sounds never reached anyone who could offer aid and all Lyrial could do was claw and grasp at Sano’s hands in attempts to pull them away from her body. For a second, the brunette tasted victory when the fingers retreated from between her thighs; but when her panties were yanked down to her knees and she felt for the first time Sano’s truest intentions pressing against the curve of her rear did any hope for remission vanish.

“That was your mistake,” the kicking ensued once more as she felt the Vampire slide his pants down far enough to free his erection. The lukewarm skin of his thighs was a weird contrast to the heated flesh of the arousal prodding rudely at her. She felt his hand behind her, spreading the lips of her feminine flower, and then the blunt head of his excitement pressed against the honeyed entrance. As her body poised to stretch around the intrusion, Lyrial reacted in the only defensive way she could think of: she bit down hard onto the flesh of Sano’s palm. She heard the Vampire hiss violently behind her before he grasped her waist and snapped his hips forward, burying the entirety of his length deep inside her body.

Her body jerked forward and she choked from behind Sano’s hand but not regretting the tiny damage she caused him. The Vampire pushed against her until her belly was against the mattress. Mounted, Sano rocked his hips back and forth experimentally and he shuddered as his length slid with relative ease along the wet passage. He braced his hands against Lyrial’s shoulder blades, putting pressure over the two long scars running down the flesh in order to hold her down. The brunette then bit into the pillow her face was pressed against and tried to hold back any sounds she made. However, the occasional gasp or grunt was inevitable as Sano’s merciless thrusting continued.

“Good girl,” he panted in between movements. With his knees on either side of her outer thighs, Sano had enough leverage for deep and powerful penetrations. Lyrial’s small hands balled up into tight fists, longing to reach around and take a swing at the male but knowing it would only lead to greater punishment. She prayed now only that he would finish quickly and slink back into the darkness of the room.

“Ka…ya…!” She grunted out as Sano lifted her hips for better access. Her unheard tortures lasted for what seemed like hours and the aching pain of her center begged for the end; Lyrial could feel the muscles in Sano’s lower abdomen tighten and quiver. Her eyes widened and she swung her right arm backwards in attempt to dislodge the Vampire, but he caught the attack by the wrist and held it almost delicately. Mockingly, he pressed a kiss to the inside of her palm.  Enraged, her other arm reacted and she reached up over her own head to grab a fistful of Sano’s hair. She pulled with all her might, separating a handful of hair from its owner.

A hand came up from her shoulder blade only to find lodging tightly around the back of her neck. He squeezed in warning but Lyrial’s panicked eyes flicked to her still fisted hand and the bounty of hair she had stolen. As the airways became more restricted, her vision began teasing itself but she noticed that the hair in her hands was not silver at all, but obsidian.  Her ponderings were halted by a strangled barking sound coming from the Vampire

The panic rose anew, demanding that she struggle with all her might. Her squirming intensified until the low curdling growl reverberated throughout Sano’s entire body signaled what the girl had been dreading.

She could feel it; the warm burst of fluid inside her underbelly. Lyrial felt weak as the Vampire relaxed against her and after a moment slid the softening member from her body. He sighed in content as he watched the overflow of his contributions leak out from between Lyrial’s thighs. He moaned softly as she curled up in a ball and hid her face from the world, her panties still bunched up around her knees and the T-shirt ruffled up her middle.

“This never happened, little one,” Sano said as he adjusted himself and pulled his pants back up. Lyrial sniffled in response and wept. Why had Kaya not come to save her? Hadn’t she also sworn to protect her from harm? As if reading her thoughts, Sano spoke up.

“Don’t blame her for it, even Witches are subject to a little hypnosis. But I promise you something,” He grasped her chin between his fingers and glared. “If you breathe a word of what happened tonight, you will not want to imagine what I’ll do to you….and to Kaya.” Lyrial dared to look up and meet her oppressor’s eyes, making her own widen in shock. Sano’s features had changed! His eyes were neither steel nor silver as they had been but a sharp crimson red and the midnight strands she had yanked from his scalp now covered his entire head.

“Who are you?” Lyrial demanded though her tone was more mystified than commanding. The oddly colored Sano’s gaze faltered and his left eyebrow twitched. Startled, he latched onto her throat with both hands and squeezed. Lyrial struggled, her eyes rolling back in her head; she scratched and kicked, gasping for air against the powerful constriction. She felt her windpipes collapse under the crushing force and darkness sneaked into the corners of her vision.

“Sa-no!” she wheezed and was shaken violently, her head snapping back against the headboard. The blow was enough to send her completely over the edge into oblivion and just as she felt Death creeping up through her chest—

A sudden, sharp intake of breath filled Lyria’s lungs and she sat bolt up in bed. Panting, her wide and unfocused eyes adjusted to the dim light of her bedroom. She shuddered and rubbed her aching throat with her hand. Its twin twitched and flicked at her side until the distinct cobweb covered sensation there drew her eyes into focus. She lifted the other hand and stared at the obsidian strands woven around the knuckle bases. She peeled the strands away, disturbed by their existence. No one in the apartment sported midnight tresses like that.

She squealed and shimmied out of bed, wincing as her feet hit the floor. Sharp discomfort stabbed between her thighs and she limped awkwardly towards the window. She yanked up the blinds to allow the growing morning light to pour in. The atmosphere improved marginally but Lyrial remained on edge. A headache brewed in her frontal lobe before spreading to her temples. The image of hands around her throat, cutting off her air supply and choking the life from her brain, flashed before her eyes. She gasped and took a step back, bumping into the wall.

She sprang from the potential corner trap, nearly wailing with anxiety.

“Get it together,” Lyrial said, attempting to coach herself into a calmer state. As her mind slowed, the terrifying images of last night resurfaced. Reality warped around her thoughts and all that transpired seemed both obscure and finite. She could see Sano’s eyes, recognizable yet not the same; the violent turn from tender concern to vicious domination made her gut wrench. It couldn’t have happened that way. Sano was her friend, she trusted him. He wouldn’t betray her in such a horrible manner…right?

“A nightmare,” she whispered, as if trying to assert her misplaced fears. A rational explanation—something her everyday life had been missing as of late. Despite her attempts to quell the worries brewing in her skull, broken images and flashes of the previous night crept into her mind and made her nauseous. She touched the side of her neck instinctively where she thought she remembered having Sano’s hands pressed too fiercely against her flesh. To be certain, Lyrial stood and walked stiffly towards the mirror of the bureau. She moved her hair to the side and stared closely into the reflective glass, eyes locked on her own throat. As she fingered the discolored skin delicately, the ambiguity of last night deepened.

As she examined herself in the mirror, movement in the top corner of the looking glass caught her attention and the slow creaking of the bedroom door opening raised all kinds of mental red flags. Eyes wide, Lyrial turned around slowly to the other side of the room. The door, however, was completely shut. She swallowed hard and forced herself to look back into the mirror. Her heart all but stopped when she did.

Over her reflection’s shoulder was a dark individual, towering over her form. It wore a hooded cape and the face was a boney construction neither man nor animal. It was long and narrow like a goat with jagged looking teeth sticking out crookedly from the sinister jaws. The eye sockets were empty except an unnatural red glow. The figure reached out with long clawed fingers towards Lyrial and the hair on the back of her neck stood up. She screamed with all her might as she felt the sharp prickling of the claws against her shoulder blades. The scars that had resided there her entire life seemed to ignite and burned like hot irons racing down her back. With nowhere to run, she all but scrambled up the bureau, grabbing and everything and anything left astray there and hurling them at the ghastly figure.

She shrieked again when her bedroom door opened.

“Sorry,” Kaya said, equally surprised by the brunette’s reaction to entering the bedroom.

“Are you okay?” Lyrial’s heart raced and she shivered.

“I-I don’t know,” she replied dumbly from her awkward position atop the dresser. Her heart was still pounding loudly in her ears and her throat rasped from the intense sudden use of her vocal chords.

“What are you doing up there?” Kaya asked, both a little concerned and amused.  The debris on the carpet—an assortment of brushes, perfume bottles, and a heavy looking jewelry box—signaled some kind of fit. “Redecorating?”  Lyrial sheepishly climbed down from the dresser but refused to look into the mirror again. She casually walked passed Kaya and grabbed one of the pillows from her bed. She discarded it from the linen casing and draped it over the mirror. The Witch’s eyebrows furrowed deeply but then she shook her head and reached out to grasp Lyrial by the hand.

“Look, I hate to bother you with this now, seeing as you’re obviously worked up about something, but you need to call that Chris boy,” Kaya interjected, her eyes turning a little guilty. “I…might have…done a bad thing.” Lyrial’s eyes focused marginally and placed her free hand on the nearby wall for support.

“What do you mean?” she asked, confused. Kaya chewed the inside of her cheek. She then heaved a heavy sigh and began to recall the events of the past hour:

Kaya had jerked awake at banging on the front door. She looked around in a dazed panic before rubbing her face with her hands vigorously. The codex from Jordyn that she had been examining the previous night had slumped to the floor during her slumber. It was open, however, to the terrible illustration of a man pulling his human face off to reveal some twisted goat-like figure beneath. Kaya picked it up and made a face of disgust.

“Now I remember,” she remarked and traced the gory depiction of the handsome human face being torn from position, a few bloody threads still clinging to the features of the animal beneath. “The Devil takes many forms,” she cited from the description of the image. “Often taking the appearance of those most dear to His victims to inflict the most possible damage. What a prick!” she scoffed. Just then, the knocking on the front door turned to banging and Kaya grimaced before storming over to receive it. She yanked it opened and barked at the poor unfortunate soul on the other side.

“What!? What is so fucking urgent that you knock as if to break down the door?!” The young man blinked confused at the exceedingly tall blonde woman who was certainly not Lyrial.

“Is Lyrial home?” Kaya took a moment to adjust to reality and register the face and appearance of the youth. She turned down her volume a little but not her defenses.

“Are you Chris?” she asked suspiciously and he laughed a little uncomfortably.

“Yes, and you who might you be?” he asked. He was aware Lyrial had roommates but this would be the first time seeing one of them in person. After asking, his eyes narrowed a little, examining Kaya’s form. He seemed to be identifying her in some way of his own and now it was Kaya’s turn to be uncomfortable.

“Have we…met before?” Chris asked slowly and Kaya’s eyes widened.

“Lyrial’s asleep but I’ll have her call you when she wakes up!” Kaya managed all in one breath before slamming the door shut. She locked it for good measure, turning both the dead bolt she had installed and the useless little chain lock that had been the sole protection prior to her upgrades. The Witch then backed up from the door with one hand over her mouth. It was all just a coincidence, she thought, it had to be. The thin scar running diagonally across Chris’ face…she knew that face and it was clear that he knew hers.

“Oh my god,” she breathed and glanced to the locked guest bedroom. She wanted to run to Sano, bang on his bedroom door and disclose her suspicions to him but thought better of it. They had only really begun to trust one another during their protective stints over Lyrial but something this delicate would have to incubate a while longer. Then it dawned on her how suspicious her reaction to Chris was; if her misgivings about the young man were true, and he was the man she suspected him to be, than she certainly just sealed the lid on their collective coffins. She ran back to the door and wrenched off the locks but as she stared down into the empty corridor, her stomach sank down to her knees.

“Oh we are so fucked.” She closed the door again, this time in a more sedated manner and locked it up tight once more. Things were unraveling fast, Kaya thought as she bit down on her bottom lip anxiously. The Witch moved to the kitchen and put on a kettle for tea and moved towards Lyrial’s bedroom. They would have to have a little discussion about her boyfriend and his choice of occupation.

“And then I heard you screaming at the top of your lungs,” Kaya interjected. Lyrial still felt dazed and confused, glancing briefly to the pillow case covered mirror. “My point is that you should probably call him and….I don’t know, apologize or something. But first,” she released Lyrial’s hand to cup her cheek fondly. “Why don’t you freshen up in the shower and I’ll get us some tea.” Lyrial’s eyes widened even as she followed Kaya’s suggestions towards the bathroom. She hesitated at the threshold and watched the mirror in horror from outside the room.

“What is it?” Kaya asked.

“Could you….Could you check out the mirror for me?” Kaya rubbed the back of her head.
“Why?”
“Could you please just check out the mirror for me!” Kaya winced at Lyrial’s shrieking and obliged if only to quiet the more petite woman. She stepped fully into the bathroom and shrugged her shoulders, not entirely sure what Lyrial expected her to do. The other girl pointed urgently towards the large expanse of reflective glass on the bathroom wall. Kaya sighed and locked eyes with her reflection. She stared a moment then waved, her imagine imitating as all reflections should.

“Are you going to tell me what this is all about or should I break into dance first?” Kaya asked, growing mildly impatient at being left in the dark on Lyrial’s behavior. True, she and Sano kept things from the mortal girl, but that was for her own good! Missing information from the other end could be disastrous. Lyrial let out a long sigh as she watched Kaya interact with her reflection normally.

“I must have still been half asleep,” she admitted. “I…had a nightmare and I guess…I was still having it when I got out of bed…” It seemed illogical to dream while being awake, then again, Lyrial thought, logic was far placed from her life now. Perhaps she had been sleep walking to begin with and it was only Kaya entering the room for real that had brought her from her trance. She rubbed her face furiously with her palms before shaking her head.

“I’m sorry. I know this is probably crazy for you,” She admitted. “But…do you mind if I leave the door open while I shower? I…don’t want to be completely alone…” Shameful embarrassment filled her cheeks with a healthy flush and Kaya frowned, though her eyes were soft.

“If that’ll make you feel better,” she began and then excused herself at the sound of the tea kettle whistling in the kitchen. Lyrial felt foolish after her request and carefully stripped down and got into the shower. The door was left open and the heat snaked away, making Lyrial shiver. The price of knowing Kaya was just a leap and bound away through the open door was the warmth and relaxation of the promised shower. As she ran her fingers through her hair and rubbed the suds laced sponge over her body, she felt the steam of the shower building. It was warmer now, thankfully.

As Lyrial emerged from the moist clutches of the shower, she grasped the bright yellow towel hanging on the wall and bent over to wrap her hair in a make shift turban to dry.  She then reached for the towel’s mate still hanging on the rack and stepped from the tub on to the bath mat that protected her feet from the cold, slick tiles of the floor. She toweled off her skin and wrapped the terry cloth around her torso. It was then she noticed the catalyst for the warming lavatory: the door had slunk shut. Her heart fluttered despite rational thought suggesting calmness. Her nose wrinkled and she sniffed about. Something reeked of rotting flesh, like a basket of meat left too long in a hot car. The brunette paused at the foggy reflection in the mirror. A dark shape bobbed and swayed at eye level and Lyrial hesitated before reaching up to touch the towel around her hair. It was a bright marigold color and could not explain the darkness in the clouded glass. She swallowed the lump in her throat and, with a shaking arm, she pressed her hand to the mirror’s surface.

In a quick swipe, she cleaned the condensation in a sudden, violent streak. Her eyes locked into those of the devilish dog from her nightmares. It snapped its jaws and cracked the mirror in a flash of teeth. Lyrial screamed and bolted from the  bathroom, losing both towels in her panicked escape. The commotion alerted Kaya in the kitchen and she came running to her post. The nude and frantic brunette was now cowering behind the couch. She screamed and wept and gestured wildly towards the bathroom. The Witch adopted a stern look and covered Lyrial from the world, eyes focusing on the bathroom.

“Stay here,” she commanded and rolled up her sleeves. She stepped into the bathroom and looked around carefully. Kaya examined the mirror where Lyrial’s handiwork was disappearing again in the steam. She looked out into the living room to see Lyrial standing awkwardly now with one arm across her breasts as she searched for something to cover up with. Kaya wanted Lyrial within running distance at all times, so she stood half way in the threshold of the bathroom.

“The mirror!” Lyrial screamed and pointed while picking up a large couch cushion to place in front of her body. “It’s fucking in the mirror!” Kaya quickly ran a hand over the mirror to wipe it clean and stared into it harshly. There was fury in her cobalt eyes and little room for negotiation.

“Show yourself!” she demanded but nothing happened. After a moment, she turned from the mirror to Lyrial.

“Behind you!!” She cried suddenly and Kaya whipped around to slam the bathroom door shut and lock whatever it was inside.

“You saw it, didn’t you?! You saw it, right!?” Lyrial screamed in desperation. Kaya inhaled deeply and extended her right hand while grasping the door knob with the left.

“Akal!” She cried and the extended hand became wreathed in a golden fire. She flung the door open and blasted the spell into the bathroom. The mirror cracked and the shower rod and curtain fell from its place, clattering to the floor. A ghastly shrieking ensued and Kaya used both hands, thrusting her arms forward and her palms straight up in the ‘stop’ position. The golden fire filled the bathroom and illuminated the entire apartment brightly.

“Take cover!” She called over her shoulder to Lyrial. The other girl had sunk down behind the couch, mortified by the experience. The creature whirled inside of the golden fire and was reduced to little more than fine ash. As Kaya exhaled, the fire died down and her hands fell to their sides. She stood strong a moment, took a few steps back, before feeling light headed.

Lyrial moved quickly to Kaya’s side and held the stronger woman up.

“What…did you see?” Kaya asked urgently. Lyrial struggled to describe the monster she had seen in the mirror.

“It’s gone now…” the brunette said weakly and moved forwards into the bathroom, hesitating. She reached forward and scooped some of the ashes into her palms. The room had not been spared similar damage; the porcelain was gray and the shower curtains shrived away. The distinct burn of plastic and household cleaning products made the air impossible to breathe.

“Did you see it? You saw it too, right?” Lyrial turned around to show the pile of ash in her hands to Kaya. The Witch seemed surprised to see it and it made Lyrial’s stomach twist. Kaya had not seen whatever it was that had touched her but still she was willing to blow up the apartment’s only bathroom.

“I do now,” Kaya said and reached out to take a pinch of the ash from Lyrial’s hands. “And I think I’m beginning to understand what we are dealing with.”  Kaya had not seen the phantom figure which Lyrial described, but she had forced all of her power into defensive action despite being blinded to her target. But as she ground the pinch of ash between her fingertips, she knew that her friend was not just hallucinating.

“Lyrial,” Kaya began solemly. “Put some clothes on. There’s something we need to talk about.” The dark undertones in the Witch’s words made Lyrial nervous, but after what she had just witnessed it was hard to feel anything but uneasy.
“Come with me,” Lyrial insisted. She out right refused to be alone from this moment forward. Kaya obliged and went with the other girl to get her changed; they then walked hand in hand to the kitchen where Lyrial sat at the small table and Kaya reheated the forgotten tea kettle on the stove top. After it started to sing, Kaya poured herself and Lyrial a generous amount of tea.

“What was that thing?” The brunette asked over the rim of her mug. Kaya let out a slow, controlled breath. She seemed reluctant to open Lyrial’s mind to the sometimes dark sides of her world but felt now that she was obligated to do so.

“None of this is going to be easy to understand or accept,” she began and took a drink from her tea, hoping it would help her nerves. “I’m not entirely certain of its origins, but I believe it was a Garm.” The dead-pan look on Lyrial’s face spoke volumes in the silence that followed.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “But a what?”

“A Garm, though you have most likely heard it be called a Hellhound,” Kaya explained. “It took almost everything I had to destroy it, and I’m not entirely sure it’ll be gone for good…” at this point, the Witch was talking more to herself than to Lyrial who stared blankly in disbelief as the other girl went on for a few moments trying to decide what kind of other creatures may be dwelling in their apartment recently. She lifted the ancient book she had borrowed from Jordyn onto the table and turned to the marked page where the grisly illustration of the Garm could be found. Lyrial nearly dropped her tea cup at the horrible and familiar looking creature.

“God help us,” she breathed and Kaya closed the book soundly.

“Whatever the case,” she announced finally. “I think you probably shouldn’t sleep in the apartment tonight.”

“Wait, why?” Lyrial asked as if suddenly being jolted back into the conversation. “You destroyed it, fried it! Why…wouldn’t it be safe for me here?” Kaya made a face as she tried to manage appropriate words.

“I didn’t say it wouldn’t be safe, I just think it’s probably better if you weren’t here tonight, that’s all. I mean, if this Garm was just some kind of messenger, then our real problems are just beginning.”

“So there will be more,” Lyrial said definitively in the wake of Kaya’s words. Before the Witch could interject in attempt to soften the blow of reality, Lyrial let out a sigh. She was beginning to become numb to all the weird things that happened in her life; she already entertained a Vampire and a Witch in her home, was attacked by a religious gunman, and had all but lost every ounce of stability in her mental state—why not add a few demons to the mix? The party just wouldn’t be complete without that kind of thing, she though sarcastically.
“I’ll pack my things.” As Lyrial turned away, Kaya followed her instinctually. As Lyrial put an overnight bag together, she hesitated and packed a few extra things per Kaya’s request; a few granola bars, a small flashlight, a mini first aid pack, and the simple pocket knife that Alan had left in his haste to move out of the apartment. As she pulled the blade out to expose it, she imagined the nights when the young man was out with his peers and possibly used the tiny concealed weapon to defend himself from those ridiculous people that would persecute him for his sexual choices. Now it seemed that the little knife would fend hopelessly against demons.

Lyrial did not know much about the supernatural worlds which Kaya and Sano dwelled in, but she did know that the little knife would be no more than a mild annoyance to anything that attacked her. Still, she tucked it into the back pocket of her over-all shorts as a modern security blanket.  

“I’ll take you as far as I can,” Kaya commanded gently. “But keep what happened to yourself, Lyrial…..our lives may really depend on it.” Lyrial frowned at the request. Did Kaya really expect her to divulge the experience to Chris? She would think he was totally insane, even if she prefaced her tale with the long journey Kaya, Sano, and she had been on for over a year now. She hesitated in her dialing and watched Kaya’s face carefully. What did she mean by their lives depended on it?
“Kaya,” she said and the Witch flinched. “Is there something you’re not telling me?” she asked. “I know you said I won’t understand everything, I agree, but…what else is going on here? Is there something you’re not telling me…about…Chris?” The blonde shook her head defensively.

“No, it’s nothing like that. I just think if you tell him, or anyone, what you saw that they’ll think you’re crazy. I don’t want anything to happen to you.” The genuine care in the words moved Lyrial to believe her friend and she nodded, pulling the duffle bag over her shoulders. With a weak smile, the two left the apartment and headed across town.