Chapter 2 : Girl

James covered his mouth, stifling any sound that might come out. He also turned off the flashlight on his smartphone.

The room became dark, only the moonlight shone through the window slits, revealing the silhouettes of those creatures still engrossed in munching on the fresh meat.

[Shit! Shit! Shit! What is it?]

James' ears perked up, and his hair stood on end. He slowly walked backward from that place. Unfortunately, the door he walked through made a sound, drawing the monsters' attention to him. It wasn't long before the foul-smelling creatures started running toward James. 

"Damn it!" cursed James as he turned around.

James ran as fast as he could towards the exit of the funeral home, not wanting to look back. The creatures' feet chased him, accompanied by groaning noises that sent chills down his spine.

"Shit!" James was scared to death. He smashed the funeral home's front door with his shoulder until the hinges broke. He then ran away from the place.

When James looked back, he saw the faces of the creatures peeking out from behind the door. Three pairs of fiery red colored eyeballs were fixed on him. They only stopped behind the broken door, not daring to leave the funeral home. James' running was getting faster, he wanted to get to a crowded place as soon as possible.

He stopped a passing truck and asked if he could follow him away from the place. The truck driver, who was in his fifties, agreed to accompany him. James finally survived the night.

It was four o'clock in the morning before James could close his eyes. He felt an overwhelming sense of fear. James had turned on all the lights in his room, sensing that there would be a pair of glowing red eyes stalking him in the darkness. His body shivered with horror at the thought of those creatures.

"I'll die if I keep this up...monsters are real..."

He briefly recalled what the psychopath had said yesterday about the monsters here. Was it possible that those creatures were what the psychopath was referring to? If so, why did he also call James a monster? Even though James is just an ordinary human being.

James' mind drifted everywhere until it was already nine in the morning. He missed the chance to rest his body. Ultimately, he limped to the bathroom to wash his face and wipe his body. 

"My head is spinning," he complained, feeling the pressure on his forehead and the dizziness from lack of rest.

As James returned to his room, his smartphone beeped. He picked it up and received an incoming call from John.

"John?"

[Hey, why didn't you come to my house last night? Are you okay?]

"Uh...yeah? I'm fine. I'm sorry I couldn't come to your house last night for one thing."

[It's okay. We'll see each other soon anyway. You remember, right? We're going to a party with Jessica today. Make sure you wear your best clothes! You have to look good in front of your girlfriend!]

"I know that, John. I'm sure Jessica and Anne will be here to pick me up soon."

[Alright, I'll wait for you guys]

The call was hung up. James changed into a purple suit, matching his slightly tan skin color. He also styled his hair, brushing it back to make it look more masculine. Unfortunately, it was not supported by his eyes which were still red from staying up late.

It wasn't long before a silver car came honking. James looked through the window, two blonde women were waiting for him in the car.

*

James dreamily looked out the window. Jessica and Anne - their friends, became silent, watching James' behavior, not understanding his thoughts.

"Babe, we haven't seen each other in a while. Wouldn't it be nice to go to a party together?" Jessica opened the question, trying to liven up the quiet atmosphere. But the question took James by surprise.

"Uh, huh? I'm fine, Babe. Yes, your outfit is very nice," James replied absentmindedly. 

"My outfit?"

Jessica wore an elegant red dress, making the blonde-haired girl look charming. Unfortunately, that is not what is being discussed. Why this, James?

"You okay, Babe?" Jessica asked again.

"Uh.Yeah."

James' face became tense again. He was still scared. Would there be any more monsters at the party? I don't know. But James wanted to get rid of the shadow as soon as possible.

"Babe, what are you hiding from me?" chided Jessica.

"What? I'm not hiding anything."

"Liar! You've been so weird all day! Don't you trust me? I'm your girlfriend!"

"Babe, it's not like that. I believe you."

"Then why are you silent?" Jessica started to look annoyed.

"You better tell us, James. We're the people closest to you. Trust us." Anne added.

James actually felt hesitant. But seeing that his girlfriend was getting upset, James finally told her. 

"Alright. On my way to John's house, I was almost killed last night." James began to tell the story.

Jessica and Anne raised their eyebrows in surprise at James' words.

"What, so that's why you didn't come to John's house?"

"Yes, Anne. And not only that. He said that if there are monsters, all of them are monsters. He also said that I was a monster. He tried to strangle me until the police came to help me. He was shot dead on the spot."

"Huh? You saw him die then?" asked Jessica.

"Yeah, Babe. I was in shock at the time. But the story afterward was more shocking."

Jessica squinted slightly. The woman increased her speed as she entered the dark tunnel.

"What happened next?" Jessica asked again.

"I found the address of the Visconte Funeral Home on a piece of paper belonging to the psychopath. A message to come to the place at twelve at night. Because I wanted to know what happened, I followed the order. I went to that place at exactly twelve o'clock at night. When I entered, I saw creepy creatures eating the psychopath's corpse," James said.

Suddenly, their car was pushed by something. Jessica hit the brakes suddenly, forcing the three of them forward. Fortunately, James and Anne wore seat belts, so neither suffered any injuries.

Unlike Jessica, she didn't use a seat belt. The sudden brake pushed her forward until her body hit the front dashboard. Her hair became a mess covering her face.

"Babe, are you okay?" asked James worriedly.

Jessica sat up in her seat. There was something strange about her. She looked at James. Suddenly some scales appeared on her face, and her teeth became sharp. She smiled strangely at James.

Anne screamed in terror at the sight of the creepy Jessica, she struggled to unbuckle her seat belt, wanting to leave. On the other hand, James couldn't believe what he was seeing now.

"Babe, I want to ask you. Is that creepy creature you saw last night just like me?"