It was Halloween night. As usual, Yulan already had her costume and makeup on, and was watching the clock tick by, ears alert for a chime of the doorbell. Kira and Chitaka should have been here by now, and they were never late.

Moments ticked by, until Yulan stood up and reached toward the phone. Dialing Chitaka’s number, she couldn’t help but worry a little. Her best friend was usually so excited that she would end up five minutes early. But instead, 30 minutes had passed.

The empty dial tone echoed again and again, and Yulan didn’t think anyone was there until she heard it.

She went rigid as a blood-chilling scream seemed to pierce through the phone. It contained so much agony that she couldn’t identify the details, but one thing she was sure.

It was Chitaka.

Yulan’s fingers acted of their own accord. Kira’s name appeared on the screen, and to her relief, she had picked the call up immediately.

“Kira Lumanshe here.” Kira said.

“Kira? It’s you right? Do you know where Chitaka is?” Yulan said in a rush.

“Um, no.” she replied, “I was just about to call you–you didn’t give me your address. Well, what happened?”

Yulan quickly explained the scream and there was a pause on the other end.

“Why don’t we go to her house instead and check it out?” Kira suggested, “I’m sure it’s fine but if she’s not at your house yet, we can just pull her along.”

“Of course,” Yulan told her Chitaka’s address. “Meet you there in five minutes.”

~~~

Once she had gotten there, Yulan told her dad to pick her up about two hours later and shut the car door. She stood on the lawn while watching the car slowly pick up speed and disappear as it rounded a corner.

A hand tapped her shoulder and Yulan yelped out loud. Turning around, she found that it was only Kira, grinning.

Before she could say anything, Kira began. “I came, like, five minutes before you and was trying to get her to open the door. No one answered. You said she answered the phone?”

“Yes,” Yulan nodded, “There was definitely someone answering.” She shivered at the thought of the scream.

Running to the front porch, she pressed the doorbell. Kira was right. No one was there.

Yulan tried the handle, and to her surprise, it opened.

“I don’t feel good about this,” Kira said behind her. Yulan shook her head.

“I have to know if she’s OK. Come on.”

They entered the living room, but no one was there. That, at least, was expected since Chitaka had told them that her parents would not be home that night and she’d have to walk to Yulan’s. But what alarmed her the most was the silence. It was eerie, for as far as she knew, Chitaka was never quiet. Not even when she was alone.

“We should go upstairs,” Yulan said, “she has to be with her phone or else she wouldn’t have picked up the call.

Kira nodded, wide-eyed, and together they ascended the stairs.

~~~

Yulan had her hand on the handle of Chitaka’s door when she heard it again.

The scream.

It was coming from inside the room, and when she turned around she could see Kira’s expression, lit by the pale moonlight seeping in through the nearby window, and knew that she’d heard it too.

“What was that?” Kira asked, her voice shaking a little.

Yulan shook her head again, too stunned to speak. Instead, she opened the door.

The scream coming from the two girls was just as blood-chilling.

~~~

At first Yulan couldn’t see anything for the room was pitch-black. Then her eyes adjusted.

It was a terrible scene. Just terrible.

Chitaka was in a room, sure enough, but she was not alone.

She was in someone’s arms. And that someone, Yulan noticed as he–or it–lifted his head, had red eyes and unbelievably pale skin. And fangs.

Fangs.

She stood there, horrified, looking at the mess in front of her. The creature–whatever it is–had her friend in its arms. Chitaka was not looking good. In fact, she was in so much pain that she did not even realize as they entered. There were various wounds all over her–her arms, shoulders, and on her face, and they were all bleeding, looking suspiciously like–bites?

She only had time to observe that much before the creature turned and looked straight at them. Kira screamed again, turned, and ran.

Yulan was alone except for her friend, who looked like she was bleeding to death. And the creature, who had noticed her presence, was lowering Chitaka onto the carpet. She fainted.

The creature stood up and a second later it was in front of her. With no time to marvel at its speed, Yulan ducked just as its claws swished viciously past where her head had been.

She’d never noticed that he had claws.

Dodging a few more blows, Yulan realized that this thing was invincible. And it could not go on like this, or else she’d be dead in about a minute. She tried grabbing whatever she could to throw at it, but she failed. The creature dodged with ease.

Suddenly, Chitaka whispered something she couldn’t make out. Yulan struggled to run to another side of the room, swerving as the creature lashed at her again. “What is it?”

“Light… fire…”

Fire is not possible right now, Yulan thought, but light! She noticed a flashlight there, right behind her now snarling enemy. Quickly advancing toward it, she surprised it by lunging at the flashlight, then fumbling to turn it on. To her gratification, the light quivered and became stronger, until it shined brightly in the dark room.

She noticed the creature flinch and the fear in her heart died a little bit. Just a little. Finally, she had found a possible vulnerability to this seemingly indestructible creature. Please work, she thought desperately, and flashed it at its eyes.

The creature made a yelp so inhumane-like, that Yulan was sure, now, that it was an it. But then the strangest thing happened.

It disappeared.

Yulan gaped at where it had been standing.

Just like that, it disappeared, and the room was quiet again, as if nothing had happened.

Yulan rushed to her friend lying on the floor. The wounds were more piercing up close, and Yulan shuddered at the pierced flesh, the blood glistening in the dark.

“Chitaka?” Yulan shook her friend lightly, careful not to touch the wounds. “You need to go to the hospital!”

“No, I don’t Yulan, don’t worry.” Chitaka opened her eyes, then closed them again, her brows wrinkling as if in pain. Then, a second eerie thing happened.

The wounds on her began to heal by themselves. Slowly her skin closed until it was tan and smooth once more, with no trace of blood left. Now it truly seemed that nothing had happened.

“Wha-what? How did you do that?” Yulan gasped, and Chitaka smiled weakly.

“Good-bye, Yulan. You have been a good friend. I will miss you.”

“Wait, what does that mean?” Yulan asked, her eyes widening, “No-NO!”

~~~

It was the day after and Yulan was rushing through the crowd, trying to get to Kira. Finally she touched her, and Kira turned.

“What is it, Yulan?” she asked.

“Have you seen Chitaka?” Yulan said in a rush, both eager and scared for the answer. “Have you?”

“Chitaka?” Kira squinted. “Who’s that?”

And that was the moment Yulan knew. Tears streamed out of her eyes, and she knew. Her best friend was gone.

Forever.