Don't Look Back
Elena yanks her forward so hard Mara nearly slips.
The footsteps thunder above them.
Too heavy.
Too fast.
The entire staircase trembles.
Mara doesn't look back.
She can't.
Every instinct in her body screams at her not to.
"Elena, the door—"
"The kitchen!"
They veer sharply down the hallway.
Another pounding step shakes the house behind them.
Closer now.
Descending.
Mara risks a glance toward the staircase.
Instant regret claws through her instantly.
Something is coming down on all fours.
Wrong.
Its limbs bend too sharply, jerking violently with each movement.
And its face—
Mara only sees pieces.
A pale mouth stretched too wide.
Dark hair hanging over empty features.
Eyes reflecting light where there shouldn't be any light at all.
She chokes on a scream and snaps her head forward again.
"Elena—!"
"I know!"
The thing hits the bottom of the stairs.
The sound is sickening.
Bones cracking.
Wet joints twisting.
Then—
Silence.
Mara's pulse stutters.
Why did it stop?
The kitchen bursts into view.
Elena rushes to the back door, fumbling desperately with the lock.
"Come on—come on—"
Mara turns toward the hallway.
Nothing there.
No movement.
No sound.
Too quiet.
"Elena…"
Something feels wrong again.
Horribly wrong.
The back door swings open.
Cold air crashes into the room.
"MOVE!"
Mara runs toward her—
Then freezes.
Because standing outside the back door—
is Elena.
Mud-stained.
Drenched from head to toe.
Breathing hard.
Mara's mind stops.
Completely.
The Elena beside her goes still.
Slowly—
too slowly—
she turns her head toward Mara.
The thing wearing Elena's face smiles.
Its mouth stretches wider than humanly possible.
Outside—
the real Elena screams:
"MARA GET AWAY FROM HER!"
Everything explodes at once.
The fake Elena lunges.
Mara stumbles backward violently as fingers clamp around her wrist.
Ice cold.
Inhumanly strong.
Its face twitches inches from hers.
The skin doesn't sit right.
Like it's loose.
Like it was pulled over something else.
"You let me in," it whispers.
But the voice keeps changing.
Elena.
Mara.
Someone older.
Someone crying.
Mara slams a chair into it blindly.
The creature jerks sideways with a sharp crack.
Not pain.
Adjustment.
Real Elena rushes forward from outside and grabs Mara hard.
"RUN!"
This time Mara obeys instantly.
They sprint into the backyard.
Wet grass tears beneath their shoes.
Behind them—
the kitchen light flickers violently.
Then every light in the house turns on at once.
Mara looks back despite herself.
The creature stands motionless in the doorway now.
Perfectly still.
Watching them.
And slowly—
its appearance begins to change.
Not into Elena.
Into Mara.
Her own face stares back at her from the doorway.
Smiling.
Then it speaks in her voice.
Softly.
Almost gently.
"You left me there."