chapter 7

A dark shape flashed past the window.

My heart sank at the size of it.

It was about the same size as that creature.

Damn beast. It haunted me like a vengeful ghost.

I rolled off the brick bed and pressed my back hard against its side. Only a solid surface behind me offered any comfort.

I barely dared to breathe, terrified the creature would burst through the door.

The night outside abruptly fell silent. But I knew the quieter it became now, the worse the next moment would be.

I searched my clothes for anything I could use as a weapon.

When my fingers found the key chain at my waist, I remembered the tiny knife hanging from it, a trinket I had bought at an internet café.

It was small, but it was all I had. At least a blade gave me some chance to fight for my life.

“Ooo… ooo…”

Weeping drifted from beyond the door, sounding like a hoarse old woman.

As the sobbing continued, the wooden door began to bang as if a crowd were hammering it from outside.

My whole body shook uncontrollably.

Crack.

The bolt could bear no more. It snapped in half.

The door slammed open with a crash.

The sound jolted through my body, setting me trembling even harder.

My heart seemed to miss a beat. I tried to look up, but my neck felt rusted in place. Each tiny movement seemed to make my bones creak.

Moonlight stretched a long shadow across the floor. Two sharp points rose from its head like a demon’s horns.

I lifted my gaze with painful slowness. First I saw a pair of furry feet, then a grotesque, catlike face.

It was the same beast. I would never forget that face for as long as I lived.

It glared at me as if it wanted to swallow me whole.

I clenched the little knife inside my coat and dared not move.

I would have only one chance. If I failed to strike at the right instant, I would be the one who died.

I watched it creep closer, step by step, without blinking. I feared it would pounce the moment my eyelids closed.

It stopped less than a foot from me.

My heart hammered against my ribs. Cold sweat soaked my back as if I had bathed in icy water.

When I still did not move, the creature sprang without warning, jaws open for my throat.

I seized the moment and tried to wrench the knife from my coat.

In my panic, the handle caught in the inner pocket.

The beast was almost against my face. Somehow I found the courage to stand faster than I had ever moved before and twist away from its attack.

The good news was that I saved my neck.

The bad news was that its teeth sank into my chest.

They pierced straight through my clothes. Under the sudden weight, the small Bodhisattva pendant hanging there split in two.

Chanting “Amitabha Buddha” over and over, I tore the creature away from my chest.

I ripped the knife free and drove it into the beast’s chest in the same motion.

It shrieked in pain. I pinned the handle and twisted the blade inside it, grinding through flesh.

Only when the creature stopped moving did I pull the knife out and stab it several more times. Still unable to vent my rage, I swung the carcass against the edge of the brick bed.

Its head sagged loosely. It had to be dead.

The smell of blood filled the room. I collapsed beside the bed, gasping.

After a while, strength returned to my limbs. I reached for the carcass, intending to pick it up and examine it.