The path was harder to follow in the darkness, but Marcelline knew it well.
Past the berry bushes where she and Mama picked blackberries in summer, around the little creek that babbled like it was telling secrets, toward the big oak tree that marked the halfway point. She was being very good at the quiet game, stepping carefully over roots and stones, trying not to rustle the leaves.
That's when she saw it.
A butterfly, pale as moonlight, fluttering just off the path.
Even in the darkness, it seemed to glow, its wings catching what little light filtered through the canopy above. Marcelline had never seen anything so beautiful.
She knew she was supposed to stay on the path. Mama had been very clear about that. But the butterfly was right there, so pretty and magical, and it seemed to be waiting for her. Surely it wouldn't hurt to just look at it up close?
Giggling quietly to herself, Marcelline stepped off the path.
The butterfly fluttered deeper into the trees, and she followed, mesmerized by its ethereal dance. It led her through a small clearing, around a cluster of silver birches, further and further from the path to Grandma Yenna's house.
That's when she heard it.
A sound like nothing she'd ever heard before, low and guttural, somewhere between a growl and something else entirely. It was followed by another sound, sharper, almost like a hiss. Then came other noises, shouting, crashing, and underneath it all, a roar that made the very air around her vibrate.
Marcelline spun around, her heart suddenly pounding in her chest. Through the trees, she could see an orange glow painting the sky. Fire. Something was burning, and it was coming from the direction of her house.
"Mama, Papa," she whispered, taking a step back toward where she thought the path might be.
That's when she saw the figure.
It stood between two large trees, barely visible in the shadows.
Marcelline couldn't make out its features, couldn't tell if it was tall or short, human or something else entirely. All she could see was a dark shape that seemed to be watching her, perfectly still in a way that made every instinct in her small body scream danger.
Without a moment's wait, she turned and ran, crashing through the underbrush, branches catching at her pajamas and hair, thorns scraping against her bare arms.
Behind her, she could hear something moving, not footsteps exactly, but something worse. Something that seemed to glide through the forest without disturbing the leaves, getting closer with each passing second.
Her lungs burned as she pushed her little legs as fast as they could go, weaving between trees, jumping over fallen logs, her heart hammering so hard she thought it might burst.
She wanted to call for her mama, wanted to scream for help, but she remembered what her mother had said about being quiet. Even in her panic, she bit down on her lip to keep from crying out.
The thing behind her was gaining ground.
She could feel its presence like a shadow at her back. Marcelline's foot caught on a root and she stumbled, nearly falling, but somehow managed to keep running. Tears streamed down her face as she pushed through a patch of thick undergrowth, thorns tearing at her star-printed pajamas.
She burst into another small clearing and risked a glance over her shoulder. The figure was right there, close enough that she could see it properly for the first time, and what she saw made her blood turn to ice.
It wasn't human. Not even close.
The creature was tall and gaunt, its limbs too long and jointed at wrong angles.
Its skin was pale as bone, stretched tight over sharp cheekbones and a skull that seemed too large. But it was the eyes that made Marcelline's breath catch in her throat, glowing red orbs that seemed to pierce straight through her soul.
Long, pointed ears twitched as it tilted its head, and when it smiled, revealing fangs that gleamed like ivory daggers in the moonlight, Marcelline's heart almost gave out.
The scream that tore from her throat was pure terror, high and piercing in the quiet night.
She spun around and ran again, but her legs felt like jelly and her vision was blurring from tears and panic. The creature moved behind her with impossible speed, and she could hear something that might have been laughter, low and cold and delighted.
Within seconds, clawed hands seized her shoulders, spinning her around with inhuman strength.
Marcelline found herself face to face with the monster, so close she could smell its breath, like old pennies and decay. Its red eyes bore into hers as it leaned down, those terrible fangs getting closer and closer to her neck.
"Please," she whispered, the word barely audible through her terror. "I want my mama. I want my papa."
The creature's smile widened, showing even more of those razor-sharp teeth. Its grip on her shoulders tightened, claws digging through the thin fabric of her pajamas and into her skin. Marcelline squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the pain, waiting for those fangs to pierce her throat.
But then something strange happened.
The creature went perfectly still.
Marcelline felt something warm and wet splatter across her face and opened her eyes to see the monster's expression shift from predatory delight to blank confusion.
Blood, dark as ink in the moonlight, poured from its mouth and down its chin, dripping onto Marcelline's pajamas. The red glow faded from its eyes, leaving them empty and lifeless.
Its grip on her shoulders loosened, and it swayed for a moment before toppling backward like a felled tree.
Marcelline stared at the creature's motionless form, her mind struggling to process what had just happened. She was alive.
But her relief was short-lived as her legs finally gave out from terror and exhaustion.
She stumbled backward, away from the dead monster, and felt her foot catch on something, a root, a rock, she couldn't tell. The world tilted as she fell, and the back of her head struck something hard with a sharp crack.
Pain exploded behind her eyes, and darkness rushed in from all sides.
The last thing she saw before unconsciousness claimed her was that pale butterfly, still dancing in the moonlight above her, as if none of the terror and chaos mattered at all.
Then everything went black.