The alarm wasn't supposed to go off yet.

Well, we call it an alarm, but it was really the church bells that signalled every day the time to get up and go to the farms or the school. But looking out the window, it was clear that it wasn't time for that yet.

The sun hadn't broken through the night sky; the moon was still shining, and the stars were dancing around it. Yet the "alarm" rang true in the distance; that could only mean one thing.

Something horrible has happened—something that demanded all the village attention.


I rushed out of the house quickly before my mother could stop me. Navigating the narrow streets and dirt roads of this small English village, I made my way to the outskirts, where there was the church. What I saw there shocked me to the core.


Sandra, the older woman who owned a coffee shop downtown, was laying on the church's steps. Her short, curly brown hair was a mess, covered in mud and leaves. Clothes drenched in blood, especially her apron right above the abdomen; I am sure I saw detached human tissue sticking out. And finally, her once-Wise hazel eyes seemed like they were trying to escape from her skull, blood leaking down her cheeks.


I froze at the horrific sight; fortunately, it wasn't the most horrible thing I had ever seen. It was the gagging sounds of others that broke me from my stunned state. Looking around, it seems I am one of the first to arrive; only twenty or so villagers were here out of the 129.


Father William had crouched in front of the corpse silently saying a prayer, while officers Michael and Kevin were discussing something with a few other elders to the side. I wanted to get a better look, so I pretended to be praying and stepped closer. The site got more gruesome from there; scratches and bruises on the outside of her wrist and forearms; her throat was swollen.

But worse of all, her stomach, as it was cut open. At first glance, it looked animalistic in nature, but on closer inspection, it seemed more meticulous, like they knew what they were doing but didn't do it well.

I was now standing right behind the Father, but before I could step any closer, looking inside the open wound, I heard it.


"EVAN BROWN!" My mother shouted my name from across the plaza. "COME HERE RIGHT NOW." A few heads turned my way, followed by small laughter from my peers. I signed and did as I was told; I am an obedient son after all.


"Do you have any idea how worried I was when I didn't find you in your room? Why were you in such a hurry to see that—that horrible thing!" She scolded me.


"Sorry, mom."


"That is not an explanation, you." Before she could finish her lecture, we heard someone call out our names.


Turning to look, it was Mrs. Alyssa, the mother of my best friend.

"Eliza! Evan! O, thank the Lord, I found you! Have you seen David?" she asked while looking around frantically.


A wave of panic flowed through me.

"No, why?" My mother questioned, as I too began scanning the crowd.


"Well, he wasn't in his room when I woke up; I assumed he had come here to meet Evan! I hoped so." Her voice trailed off.


Anxiety started feeling up inside me, but it quickly dissipated when I spotted him.

"There..." I pointed at a circle of four to five people who were taking turns puking in a bucket.


"Oh! David! There you are." His mother sighed, and the muscular adolescent my age turned to the call of his name; he's dirty blonde hair now posts back in a ponytail to keep from his face.


"O mhhh.. mom! Ms. Eliza! Evan? Why do you look like you're about to yell at me?" He said as he walked over to us.


"Because I would if I had the energy to deal with you right now! Eliza, come on, we have to find out what's going on. Oh poor Sandra, what could have possibly done this? You two stay here, and don't do anything stupid! And if you are going to do that, do it together." David's mother declared and followed mine towards the group of elders that was now gathering behind the Father.


"So, what do you think happened, Detective?" David turned to me with a teasing grin.


"It's too soon to say..." I muttered, frowning as my mind sifted through the details.


"Oh, come on, you must have some theory! The Father thinks it was demons."


"Demons? That's not possible. Demons don't exist." I paused, narrowing my eyes.


"Wait... how do you know that?"


"He screamed it when they found the body."


"What?"


"Yeah. Miss Sandra was found at the base of the stairs. Father Williams was coming in from the cemetery, saw her, rushed to her side, and after a moment of shock, shouted, 'Demons! Demons must be responsible for this cruelty!' Then he ran to get someone to ring the alarm." David deepened his voice, mocking the Father’s dramatics. I stared at him in disbelief.


"And how exactly do you know all this?"


"Oh... I was, uh, checking the equipment for the harvest," my best friend stammered, trying to lie to me.


"David. What were you really doing outside at this hour?" I pressed, knowing him too well.


"Fine! I was with Mary, okay? Guilty as charged." He threw his hands up, exasperated.


"For the love of God, David!" I sighed.


"Hey, I didn’t know demons were on the loose! I would've taken extra precautions," he said, with a sly grin.


"It wasn't demons," I said flatly.


"Oh yeah? Then what? An animal?"


"Could be, but... no. She fought back, whatever it was. But it can't have been an animal. The wounds on her stomach are too clean for that."


"You call that clean?" David quipped, raising an eyebrow.


"And if it were an animal, it wouldn’t have dragged her body to the steps of the church. Plus, there's too little blood for the attack to have happened there."


"So, you’re saying... murder?" David asked, his tone turning serious.


"But what about her eyes? That’s the freakiest part."


"That... I don’t know yet," I admitted.


"I’ll tell you how. Possession. A demon took control and came out through her stomach! Maybe she ran to the church for help and—"


"Stop. Demons aren’t real. Neither are ghosts or monsters. There's a scientific explanation for the eyes. I just don't know what it is yet."


"Sure, sure. Why don’t we make a bet? Might as well make this investigation more interesting." David grinned mischievously.


"I'm not investigating. I have exams in a week," I reminded him, crossing my arms.


"You're going to do it anyway. We both know it." He smirked, knowing he had me. I chose not to dignify that with a response.


Ignoring my friend's amused laughter, I turned my attention towards the ground. Sure enough, I found what I was looking for: a blood trail. It wasn't noticeable, just small drips leading from the church steps toward the forest.

Judging by this, it was clear that she wasn't just dragged; someone had carried her here. So definitely not an animal. She was killed in the forest.


But where exactly will it be difficult to know? It's too big to search by foot, and it's too dark to look for the blood right now. Who could have done this? Nobody in the village disliked Miss Sandra that much, as far as I am aware. She did own a property in the forest! I’ll have to look into that. But no Billy lives there; he's not the type to do something this cruel, is he?


My thoughts were interrupted by cries for help. Officer Kevin marched out of the forest carrying an injured Billy in his hands. I heard curses being muttered before the doctor of the village, Doctor Philip, rushed to Billy's side and began to examine him.

Glancing round, I  realised that while I was in my thoughts, not only had the officer gone in the forest and back but also most of the village had gathered. The previous chater about the situation shifted to concern the injured man before them.


Fortunately, I had moved forward enough to see what was happening. The doctor was giving first aid to the patient with officer Kevin and Father standing over him. The doctor rubbed a fist on Billy's chest, and the patient woke up, although screaming.

"Ooook, come down, Billy, we got you," attempted Doc Phillip to no avail.


"MONSTERS! MONSTERS! THERE'S TWO OF THEM!" Billy continued to scream at the top of his lungs. "THEY’RE BIG WITH BLOOD IN THEIR MOUTHS! THEY ARE GOING TO EAT ME!! THEY WILL EAT US ALL!" was the last thing he said before passing out again.


The already worried villagers were now officially scared. Panic filled the plaza, made worse by Father's Williams words.


"I knew it," he said to himself, probably not wanting that to be as loud as it was. Then he turned to the crowd. "Do not worry, my brothers and sisters; God will help us through this crisis. Check on your friends and neighbours. Make sure everyone is accounted for. I will be praying to the Lord to help us; you are all welcome to join me. To defeat those Demons."


"Still think it wasn't the supernatural?" David lined in and whispered to me.


"Sure of it" I  said, not sounding as confident as I would like.


The next morning, the village was still in disarray. But unlike everyone else, the dawn didn't find me in the comfort of my home. Just as the sun was breaking through the night sky, I sheepishly made my way to Billy's cottage in the woods.


As I walked, I recalled all the information I knew about him and Miss Sandra. Billy is a war veteran who had trouble sitting still and isn't the brightest. He is always off doing odd jobs to make ends meet; I could never catch him sitting still. Miss Sandra was the owner of the cafe close to the church. Along with her own house, she had a few other properties in the forest from her late husband.

If I remember correctly, Sandra took pity on Billy when he first came to the village after the war had ended and gave him the courage with a low price and would often check up on him. So, it made sense why the two of them could have been together in the forest.


Facts are Sandra is dead, Billy's alive, and Billy would know how to kill somebody. But why would he? There's no motive here. Also hurting himself to blame a monster later? I cannot decide if that's dumb or smart.

Before I knew it, I was standing face with the back of the cottage. A one-story stone grey building that looks more like a box than a house, with moss growing up the sides and exposed support beams. Everything seems normal. Except for the massive blood stain on the side wall.

It came up to about a third of my height, and the ground beneath it was soaked with blood; the soil turned red.


There were also broken branches and disturbed grass and rocks all around. Signs of a struggle. As I rounded the corner of the cottage, the unsettling scene in the back already imprinted in my mind, I was stopped dead in my tracks by a figure standing in front of the house.


Officer Kevin was there, standing rigid with a grim look on his face. He looked deep inside, gazing around and moving something on the ground, looking for something. The early morning light wasn’t enough to reveal what it was right away, but as I stepped closer, my heart sank.


Another body. I couldn't make out the details from this distance, so I couldn't know who it was. I didn't want to reveal to the officer I was here, but unfortunately luck had other plans. I stepped on a twig, and the officer Kevin's attention turned right to me.


"What the hell are you doing here, Evan?" he hissed, clearly not pleased.


I swallowed hard, trying to think of an excuse. "I was... I was just looking for answers. I needed to know what happened to Miss Sandra."


Kevin stepped closer to me, his expression softening slightly. "I understand, kid. But this is no place for you. Go home. Let the grown-ups handle this."


"Who is that?" I asked, trying to keep a plain extension.


Kevin thought for a moment and then signed. "John, a framer, I think he was a class or two above you. Go back and tell the others," he said firmly.


“What are you looking for? ”I ignored his command, trying to push my luck. “Signs of the so-called monsters? ”I added, my tone dripping with sarcasm.


“Evan, go back. Now.” He glanced around the clearing, then narrowed his eyes at me.


“How did you even know to come here?”


“I followed the blood trail.”


“Blood trail? ”Kevin blinked, looking surprised. “Huh... Yeah, well... Look, just go! ”He pushed me away, his voice more urgent now.


My thoughts raced again on my back. That was suspicious; did he not know about the blood trail? Then how did he find Billy? This forest is too big for it to have been luck.

Walking out of the thick woods, I was once again in the plaza in front of the church. I wasn’t surprised to see David waiting there, lounging casually like he hadn’t a care in the world.


"There you are, what took you so long? I was starting to think you left me behind," he said as he guided me to the main street.


"I went to the cottage. John is dead."


"So you did go without me! Wait... There's another death?!"


"Yeah, Officer Kevin was examining it. He was acting suspicious."


"Seriously? Ok, how so?" David rolled his eyes.


"Well, first when I found him, he was moving the body around. Second, the fact that he didn't say anything about John's death till now is weird. Thirdly, he didn't seem to know about the blood trail I found, so how did he find Billy? And lastly, he really didn't want me there." I explained a bit flustered at his town.


"Thats it? Come on, your smart enough to now there's a logical explanation for all of that." He sighed.

"Moving the body to look for clues, didn't want to scare people more, found Billy somewhere else and want to see his house, and being honest, investigating is not really your job." He explained. I looked at him with an angry expression.


"What are you suggesting? That I have something against him?"


"Well, yeah! You didn't like him since he got the promotion when your dad died!" David shrugged.


"That becomes he is bad at his job! And explain this where he was when Miss Sandra was put on the church steps? The police station is at the opposite side of the plaza!" I said, the relaxation hitting me as I said it.


"Ok, fair.. but still, don't you think you're a bit biased?"


"I am going back later," I declared, ignoring his last comment.


"Anyway, why are we in the main street?" David rolled his eyes once again and then explained.


"Well, when you were on your own!" Made sure to emphasise that "I talked to whoever was up at the time; people are acting weird!"


"Weird how?" "Well, its small stuff. Most I talked to said they feel restlessness, but they were talking super fast and wouldn't stop fidgeting." He explained,


"Maybe they are on edge? A murder did happen."


"No, no, no, you didn't see it! They-" Just as he was about to explain, a short boy with brown hair sprinted in front of us. I recognised him as Jake; he was known for being a bit of a coward but a good-natured kid.


"Evan! David!" Jake yelled out. "I am going to kill the demons!" He spoke with a confidence that left both of us stunned.


"Jake, weren't you the one that freaked out when an ANT was on your arm?" David asked, raising an eyebrow.


"Or do you remember the time you didn't come to school because you thought the same sticks in the path were snakes?" I added, still in disbelief.


"Relax! I know I can do this; I feel so powerful after the blessing," he said, and I continued to stare at him in shock. Looking closely, there was something wrong with his eyes. Are pupils usually this big?


"Wow man, why are you getting so close with that concern look?" Jake asked, fidgeting nervously with his hands.


"You sure you feel alright, Jake?" David asked.


"Yeah, better than ever! You should go to the well! Father William is giving out blessings to fend off the Demons!" Jake replied.


"Sure, we will," I said, now deep in thought.


"Wait, why the well-?" David started to ask, but Jake cut him off.


"I am off to find a stick! Or any weapon. Or maybe Bad will lend me one of his! Anyway, bye!" Jake left as abruptly as he had arrived.


After a few moments of silence, my friend asked "Sooo to the well?"


"Yep."


As I and David approached the well, the air around it seemed unnervingly still, despite the large crowd gathered there.The villagers formed a long, uneven line, all waiting for their turn to receive Father William's "blessing."

At the front of the line, Father William stood next to the well, holding a large wooden spoon in one hand, his eyes sharp and darting. His usually calm demeanour was replaced by an unsettling energy. Father William would dip the spoon into a bucket of water drawn from the well, carefully pouring a small amount into the hands of each villager before them.


As the villagers cupped the water in their hands and drank, he would then flick more water onto their heads, muttering a prayer under his breath. His movements were quick, almost erratic, his eyes shifting between the people in front of him and those still in line as if he couldn’t focus on anything for long.


On the side of the well, a group of village elders sat on a low stone wall, looking unusually serene and distant, despite the events that had occurred. Their eyes were half-closed, their expressions slack and vacant, and they barely moved except to smile lazily at nothing in particular.


"What's wrong with them?" David whispered. I glanced nervously at the elders.


"They were be blessed by the father, but it was too late." Some older woman from the line turned to face us.

"They must have had the devil raped out by the blessing and have been left in that state! Thankfully it's not as bad as what happened to poor Billy."


"What did happen to Bill? Any news from the doctor?" I asked.


"Oh, have you not heard? Dr. Philip came over to get blessed as well, and I think he got water, and told everyone: Billy had a lot of open wounds as well as a few bite marks, but relatively okay! The doctor gave him something for the pain and sent him on his way. But the poor thing was traumatised! I ran into him on the way; he had been the first one here but seemed so out of it! As if he was thinking of a million things while holding that black notebook so tightly." The woman explained.


A black notebook that's rare.. wait, I recognise that!

"Great thanks! Do you mind if we get closer to the father? We don't want to bless just to ask a question."


"Yeah, sure!"


When we tried to approach Father William directly, he caught sight of them, his face tightening into an impatient scowl.


"What are you boys doing here?" he snapped, his voice sharp and aggressive, quite unlike the calm, wise man we were used to


"Get in line if you want to be blessed!"


"We just wanted to talk, Father," I said cautiously, unsettled by the priest’s agitation.


"Talk? Ah.. you're looking into this like an investigation, are you Evan? Just like your old man..." Father Williams rolled his eyes at me, paying closest attention now I know this the same thing with Jack: the pupils were about twice the size they usually are.


"Yeah, I really want to know what time you found Miss Sandra."


"Minutes before the bell rang child." His answer was sarp as if he wanted me gone that minute, probably to continue on with what he was doing.


"Also, have you noticed anybody acting weird? Like more hyperactive or less active, I guess, like the misters over there." I tried my luck with one more question; Father did not look pleased.