A girl in a train station is hiding in a bathroom. Her breath fills the air. Her body trembles. Her teeth grind.
My God, what was that? How did I end up here? My day was going so normal.
Everything began today at 7 AM on a Thursday. Maia was in bed, her wavy brown hair a tangled mess, her dark skin illuminated by the light from the window.
"Wake up, honey!" her mother shouted, giving her small nudges to wake her. "You have school today!"
Maia sat up and immediately groaned, pulling the sheet back over her head as the bright sunlight hit her eyes.
"Mom, let me skip today?" the girl asked, her dark brown eyes heavy with sleep.
"You have a test today, so no. You're perfectly fine. Go to the shower, now!" Her mother cut her off, pointing toward the hallway. Maia grabbed her phone and walked to the bathroom.
After her shower, the young girl had breakfast and headed to school. On the way, a shiver ran down her spine, but she chose to obey her mother and keep going. Getting onto the train, she spotted her school friend, Cristina; they traveled together every day.
At school, she met up with the rest of her group. They made plans to go to the mall across from the school after classes.
"I want to buy a new bag," Maia said, clearly excited.
"Wait, guys, what's today's test actually about?" The girls suddenly remembered the exam and froze.
"I think it's math," Maia said as the bell rang, and they headed up to class.
After school, it was 2:50 PM, and they were talking about the exam as they walked toward an expensive bag store.
"What did you guys think of the test?" Maia asked with a smile.
"I thought it was hard," Cristina said, laughing with her friends despite her fear of the results.
"I thought it was easy," Maia said casually, browsing the bags.
"You know that's not a good thing, right?" joked Yara, the third friend in the group.
"Why?" Maia asked, her eyes fixed on a bag she loved.
"Because when everything is too easy, you're either a genius—which we've already ruled out because you're a bit of a ditz—or it was full of trick questions and you didn't understand the exam," Yara explained, laughing hard.
Maia grumbled, but as they walked through the mall, she saw a massive shadow dash through the opposite corridor. She stumbled back, a wave of anxiety hitting her. Her palms began to sweat, her breath caught, and her heart raced. Her eyes widened, feeling as though that thing wasn't human. She tried to tell herself it was just her imagination—after all, she'd stayed up until 3 AM the night before.
"What happened?" Cristina asked, worried.
"Nothing, I think I just got startled," Maia replied.
"You're acting strange today, Maia. If you want, you can go home and we'll hang out another day," Yara said, feeling a bad omen.
"I want to stay," Maia insisted.
They spent the rest of the afternoon looking at bags. At five o'clock, Cristina had to go home, so Yara and Maia went to Yara's house, which was near the mall. They ate snacks and talked about school gossip.
"No way he cheated on her! The gossip this month is crazy," Maia laughed.
"I'm telling you, girl, he's no good," Yara said, looking away.
"It's because of guys like that that I don't date," Maia said, her voice tinged with annoyance.
"But how is your life going, Maia?" Yara asked, eager to catch up.
"It's a bit complicated. My parents just argue all the time. I think they're going to separate," Maia said, missing the good family moments.
"That's tough, friend, but these things happen." Yara's phone rang. "My parents are home. I think you have to go now." Maia was there without permission.
Maia said goodbye and started heading home at 8:00 PM. Despite the feeling of being watched, she decided to push on; her mother must be worried.
On the way to the station, the streetlights flickered, but she assumed it was just a malfunction. When she arrived at the station, everything seemed normal—until she looked down the stairs. There stood a hideous creature. It was terrifyingly tall, nearly four meters high, draped in a black cloak that hid its face. It made the sound of a soft breeze as it moved, and it reeked of blood. Maia tried to pretend she hadn't seen it, remembering an article she'd read about ghosts only pursuing those who notice them.
I'll pretend I didn't see it. Maybe it'll disappear, she thought. But she could feel it moving toward her in the empty station. As the creature drew closer, her heart hammered against her ribs. Maia tried to run and hide, but her breath was too heavy to go far. She ducked into a bathroom. Panicked, she piled trash cans, mirrors, and anything she could lift against the door. She broke the mirrors with the strength of her panic to wedge them in, but as her hands sweated, things began to slip. Quickly, she locked herself inside a stall.
It's impossible for it to come into the bathroom... at least I hope so. Why is it chasing me? My God, what was that? My day was so normal. I don't want to die.
Maia sobbed, her heavy breathing filling the small space. A crushing weight settled on her chest as she heard the creature try the door. The only sounds were the rustle of the cloak, the scratching on the bathroom door, and Maia's crying.
When the creature finally forced the door open, Maia's sobbing intensified. The entity tracked her by the sound and began to smash the stall door.
Each blow felt like a knife to Maia. Her body shook, her eyes streamed with tears, and she was gasping for air. The stall door shattered. The thing grabbed her by the neck, lifting her, choking her. Under the hood, the last thing Maia saw before blacking out was the creature opening its mouth—and a silver blade erupting from the monster's chest as if it were being pierced from behind.