The Beast

The beast stalking the vacation home emitted a roar that made Rachel’s skin erupt with goosebumps.

Staring through the open blinds she held apart, Rachel kept her eyes trained on the dark red flash flitting from tree branch to tree branch.

“Guys, it’s still out there.” Rachel said, not hiding the terror in her voice.

The other four sat on the sofa, words leaving moving mouths, discussing ways to locate Austin and Jasmine.

Rachel and Austin had shared hugs with each other before, had took steps beside each other while strolling at parks in the city, but Rachel had exchanged more hugs and had went on more walks with Jasmine.

Not everyone finds a best friend, which meant it was fortunate Rachel had one.

She had a best friend who was missing.

Unlike her friends in Austin’s vacation home, Rachel had a blanket draped around her shoulders. It had only given her crucial warmth when the beast had made goosebumps invade her skin, the invaders stemming from a chill that sunk into her spine.

“Hey. We know. It’s not like we didn’t hear that God awful scream.” Janine said, her left hand gripping a pencil she used to write on a paper sheet resting against the mountain’s map. Her left hand was the same one that had collided with Austin’s face. “Anyway, get over here. I pieced together some more information.”

“It better be a lot.” Lucas said, sitting beside Leah.

Rachel took quick steps to the spot near the sofa, sat on the chair close to Janine.

She was sure Lucas would rather let the beast impale her with its teeth than let it kill Leah, who he lived in a warm womb with.

The two half First Nation Indian twins did not stop holding hands. It was a gesture as sweet as the solid, red candy Austin had given Rachel six hours before that moment, but holding hands wouldn’t stop the beast as it prowled.

Janine yawned before sliding her fingernails against her long brown hair. She said, “Like me, the creature didn’t get any sleep. Because it doesn’t sleep.”

Rachel furrowed her eyebrows.

Ethan scoffed.

After chuckling, the boy, who would rather spend money on junk food than a gym membership, said, “Sucks for him. I can’t imagine going a day without sleep. Imagine years without a break. Oh well. Not my problem.”

Lucas shook his head.

While a stabbing dread slipped into the room with its sole light being the fireplace’s restrained fire, the more serious group members filled their heads with the fact a murderous beast that didn’t sleep viewed them as five-star meals.

Janine rolled her eyes.

“It’s your problem if you’re a fat guy sitting on a couch with the rest of us,” the girl said before placing her finger on a point on her paper sheet. “And if you’re all wondering how I know it doesn’t sleep, just be aware I stayed up and kept hearing the same roar at night. And we all heard it during the day, too.”

Leah leaned forward a bit. While Rachel’s heart pounded in her chest at an quick pace, the female twin said, “You can’t know it’s the same monster.”

Janine nodded.

“Good attempt at making me seem wrong, but I know it’s the same one. Like I know Ethan’s voice, even when he’s yelling loud enough to make my ears hurt, or when he’s talking so low I think he’s saying bad things about me.” Janine said before moving into a standing position. She held the paper sheet, as if preparing to give a report for an assignment Mr. Walton gave the class. “Obviously, we all know it’s super quick. And a tree climber. We can’t just climb a tree and expect to be safe. But it also knows we’re in here and didn’t try to break in yet. It must be dumb or a sadistic creature that enjoys keeping us ignorant to its plan.”

Rachel turned her head to the window. She couldn’t see the beast, but she had an deep urge to train her eyes on it again, make sure it was still away and not in front of her.

But that would be pointless if the beast was more clever than she was.

Fate might bring the beast to give Rachel her death.

But Rachel longed to survive, longed to continue joining search parties in an attempt to bring Jasmine home.

She had no intention involving finding death by brutal beast.

“Keep us guessing. Keep up worried and stressed. Makes sense.” Rachel said, wrapping her blanket tighter around her, despite her noble self-approval of participating more in the group discussion. Ethan sunk his teeth into a potato chip. The resulting crunch made Rachel have the urge to hide. “Hey, Ethan. Can you stop eating for a minute?”

“Yeah. Because none of us wants to imagine that monster breaking our spines with its teeth.” Leah said, her free hand on one knee.

Ethan stopped chewing.

In the fireplace, the fire continued raging as much as its restraint allowed.

Janine smirked a bit.

Ethan pulled a potato chip from his chip bag. He took a bite before saying, “Not even for a minute. You two need to stop being babies. I’m hungry. I’m eating. No disrespect, but I would rather have that thing outside eat your backs than give up my food.”

Fat, disrespectful Ethan earned more resentment from the people who were supposed to be his friends.

Rachel emitted a burdened sigh.

Her blanket’s cotton material couldn’t make Ethan’s cruelty vanish.

The fire’s crackles continued meeting her ears.

She had warmth as soothing as the alert informing you an event you didn’t have the desire to attend was wiped from the schedule, but warmth did not guarantee safety.

The beast outside guaranteed no safety.

While Leah bowed her head, Lucas donned a scowl as vicious as the beast’s roar. He turned his eyes to the orange and red fire, as if the gesture would hurl the sweltering heat at Ethan’s fat face.

“And if I could just fling that fire right at you, I would. Somehow, Janine is more tolerable than you, dude.” Lucas said, not hiding his voice’s fury.

Rachel seen no difference in the fury found in Lucas’s scowl and the beast’s roar.

They were as equal as the link between insanity and trying to comprehend cessation of existence.

“You know, someone does need to kick his ass.” Janine said, speaking as if Ethan wasn’t seated on the same sofa as her. Her arms uncrossed, the girl excited, as if her sole goal in life was seeing Lucas slam his fist into Ethan’s potato chip-devouring mouth. “We all want to see it happen. I’m sure you hit Jasmine before. Right, Ethan?”

Ethan did not speak.

His potato chips were there, but his words were not.

Rachel moved her gaze from Ethan to Janine. She said, “What? Jasmine never told me anything about-”

“Who would?” Janine said, slipping an hand into her shirt’s red sleeves to scratch her slim shoulder. “Ethan is such a sick guy, he most likely hit her in places her clothes would cover in public. Dumb outside of any area not involved with domestic abuse. I’m correct, as always. Aren’t I, Ethan?”

Rachel couldn’t see it, but she assumed Ethan gritted his teeth.

The fat boy clenched his fists. He turned his head to Lucas before saying, “Hey, man. You’re really going to believe this witch? This know-it-all ice queen who punched our friend Austin?”

Lucas moved into a standing position, slipping his hand from his seated sister’s. Crossing his arms, he said, “Is this ice queen lying though? That’s what needs to be answered.”

Ethan tapped his fingers against his legs, moved them into his pockets.

Rachel kept her focus on him, intent on staring hard at the boy who might have had hurt the girl she viewed as an sister.

She freed herself from her blanket. She had a white, short-sleeved shirt on she didn’t mind dirtying with Ethan’s red blood.

There was a danger outside, but there was a boy inside who might have been Jasmine’s danger.

His friends watching him with a dog catcher’s intensity, Ethan held his palms outwards while saying, “Hey. What is this? We have Austin to look for. I didn’t hurt Jasmine. I loved her more than I love... more than I love...”

Ethan bowed his head, as if finishing his sentence was more troublesome than surviving a walk in hyena territory blindfolded.

“Too much of a narcissist too finish your sentence?” Janine said, her hands on her hips.

“This is ridiculous. Come on. We need to find Austin. Can we deal with this later?” Leah said, standing. She grabbed Lucas’s arm. The brother forced her hand away. “Lucas. You know we have our friend to still find. Hey. We were all looking for a way to beat the monster and save him. Remember? Remember?”

Rachel moved into a standing position. She took quick steps to the spot near Ethan.

While Leah’s footsteps sounded against the two-story cabin’s wood, Rachel said, “I do remember seeing Jasmine reach for a box on a shelf once. I seen a bruise on her back. I didn’t mention it to her. Ethan, you had something to do with that?”

Ethan shook his head more than once, its movements growing quicker with each passing second. He said, “No. Not at all. I didn’t even know myself. Until now. Of course. Of course. I said I loved her. Don’t turn on me too, Rachel.”

Rachel brought her right hand to her forehead.

She despised the fact she had no evidence to prove Ethan beat Jasmine.

It was possible Janine intended on making it seem as if Ethan had abused Jasmine.

Ethan and Janine were as harsh as each conspiracy theorist’s devotion to their theories, but they couldn’t both lie about Jasmine’s abuse.

The truth, like the other problem that raged nearby, was a mystery.

For now.

Rachel rubbed her palms and fingers against her arms, took a step back.

Wherever Leah was, she was right.

“We’ll deal with this later. Like Leah said. It’s not the right time to-” Rachel started saying.

“See?” Ethan said, standing, the enthusiasm in his voice as fresh as a brand new bottled water. He wrapped his thick arms around Rachel, rubbed her hair. “She knows what’s up. I know I can The beast stalking the vacation home emitted a roar that made Rachel’s skin erupt with goosebumps.

Staring through the open blinds she held apart, Rachel kept her eyes trained on the dark red flash flitting from tree branch to tree branch.

“Guys, it’s still out there.” Rachel said, not hiding the terror in her voice.

The other four sat on the sofa, words leaving moving mouths, discussing ways to locate Austin and Jasmine.

Rachel and Austin had shared hugs with each other before, had took steps beside each other while strolling at parks in the city, but Rachel had exchanged more hugs and had went on more walks with Jasmine.

Not everyone finds a best friend, which meant it was fortunate Rachel had one.

She had a best friend who was missing.

Unlike her friends in Austin’s vacation home, Rachel had a blanket draped around her shoulders. It had only given her crucial warmth when the beast had made goosebumps invade her skin, the invaders stemming from a chill that sunk into her spine.

“Hey. We know. It’s not like we didn’t hear that God awful scream.” Janine said, her left hand gripping a pencil she used to write on a paper sheet resting against the mountain’s map. Her left hand was the same one that had collided with Austin’s face. “Anyway, get over here. I pieced together some more information.”

“It better be a lot.” Lucas said, sitting beside Leah.

Rachel took quick steps to the spot near the sofa, sat on the chair close to Janine.

She was sure Lucas would rather let the beast impale her with its teeth than let it kill Leah, who he lived in a warm womb with.

The two half First Nation Indian twins did not stop holding hands. It was a gesture as sweet as the solid, red candy Austin had given Rachel six hours before that moment, but holding hands wouldn’t stop the beast as it prowled.

Janine yawned before sliding her fingernails against her long brown hair. She said, “Like me, the creature didn’t get any sleep. Because it doesn’t sleep.”

Rachel furrowed her eyebrows.

Ethan scoffed.

After chuckling, the boy, who would rather spend money on junk food than a gym membership, said, “Sucks for him. I can’t imagine going a day without sleep. Imagine years without a break. Oh well. Not my problem.”

Lucas shook his head.

While a stabbing dread slipped into the room with its sole light being the fireplace’s restrained fire, the more serious group members filled their heads with the fact a murderous beast that didn’t sleep viewed them as five-star meals.

Janine rolled her eyes.

“It’s your problem if you’re a fat guy sitting on a couch with the rest of us,” the girl said before placing her finger on a point on her paper sheet. “And if you’re all wondering how I know it doesn’t sleep, just be aware I stayed up and kept hearing the same roar at night. And we all heard it during the day, too.”

Leah leaned forward a bit. While Rachel’s heart pounded in her chest at an quick pace, the female twin said, “You can’t know it’s the same monster.”

Janine nodded.

“Good attempt at making me seem wrong, but I know it’s the same one. Like I know Ethan’s voice, even when he’s yelling loud enough to make my ears hurt, or when he’s talking so low I think he’s saying bad things about me.” Janine said before moving into a standing position. She held the paper sheet, as if preparing to give a report for an assignment Mr. Walton gave the class. “Obviously, we all know it’s super quick. And a tree climber. We can’t just climb a tree and expect to be safe. But it also knows we’re in here and didn’t try to break in yet. It must be dumb or a sadistic creature that enjoys keeping us ignorant to its plan.”

Rachel turned her head to the window. She couldn’t see the beast, but she had an deep urge to train her eyes on it again, make sure it was still away and not in front of her.

But that would be pointless if the beast was more clever than she was.

Fate might bring the beast to give Rachel her death.

But Rachel longed to survive, longed to continue joining search parties in an attempt to bring Jasmine home.

She had no intention involving finding death by brutal beast.

“Keep us guessing. Keep up worried and stressed. Makes sense.” Rachel said, wrapping her blanket tighter around her, despite her noble self-approval of participating more in the group discussion. Ethan sunk his teeth into a potato chip. The resulting crunch made Rachel have the urge to hide. “Hey, Ethan. Can you stop eating for a minute?”

“Yeah. Because none of us wants to imagine that monster breaking our spines with its teeth.” Leah said, her free hand on one knee.

Ethan stopped chewing.

In the fireplace, the fire continued raging as much as its restraint allowed.

Janine smirked a bit.

Ethan pulled a potato chip from his chip bag. He took a bite before saying, “Not even for a minute. You two need to stop being babies. I’m hungry. I’m eating. No disrespect, but I would rather have that thing outside eat your backs than give up my food.”

Fat, disrespectful Ethan earned more resentment from the people who were supposed to be his friends.

Rachel emitted a burdened sigh.

Her blanket’s cotton material couldn’t make Ethan’s cruelty vanish.

The fire’s crackles continued meeting her ears.

She had warmth as soothing as the alert informing you an event you didn’t have the desire to attend was wiped from the schedule, but warmth did not guarantee safety.

The beast outside guaranteed no safety.

While Leah bowed her head, Lucas donned a scowl as vicious as the beast’s roar. He turned his eyes to the orange and red fire, as if the gesture would hurl the sweltering heat at Ethan’s fat face.

“And if I could just fling that fire right at you, I would. Somehow, Janine is more tolerable than you, dude.” Lucas said, not hiding his voice’s fury.

Rachel seen no difference in the fury found in Lucas’s scowl and the beast’s roar.

They were as equal as the link between insanity and trying to comprehend cessation of existence.

“You know, someone does need to kick his ass.” Janine said, speaking as if Ethan wasn’t seated on the same sofa as her. Her arms uncrossed, the girl excited, as if her sole goal in life was seeing Lucas slam his fist into Ethan’s potato chip-devouring mouth. “We all want to see it happen. I’m sure you hit Jasmine before. Right, Ethan?”

Ethan did not speak.

His potato chips were there, but his words were not.

Rachel moved her gaze from Ethan to Janine. She said, “What? Jasmine never told me anything about-”

“Who would?” Janine said, slipping an hand into her shirt’s red sleeves to scratch her slim shoulder. “Ethan is such a sick guy, he most likely hit her in places her clothes would cover in public. Dumb outside of any area not involved with domestic abuse. I’m correct, as always. Aren’t I, Ethan?”

Rachel couldn’t see it, but she assumed Ethan gritted his teeth.

The fat boy clenched his fists. He turned his head to Lucas before saying, “Hey, man. You’re really going to believe this witch? This know-it-all ice queen who punched our friend Austin?”

Lucas moved into a standing position, slipping his hand from his seated sister’s. Crossing his arms, he said, “Is this ice queen lying though? That’s what needs to be answered.”

Ethan tapped his fingers against his legs, moved them into his pockets.

Rachel kept her focus on him, intent on staring hard at the boy who might have had hurt the girl she viewed as an sister.

She freed herself from her blanket. She had a white, short-sleeved shirt on she didn’t mind dirtying with Ethan’s red blood.

There was a danger outside, but there was a boy inside who might have been Jasmine’s danger.

His friends watching him with a dog catcher’s intensity, Ethan held his palms outwards while saying, “Hey. What is this? We have Austin to look for. I didn’t hurt Jasmine. I loved her more than I love... more than I love...”

Ethan bowed his head, as if finishing his sentence was more troublesome than surviving a walk in hyena territory blindfolded.

“Too much of a narcissist too finish your sentence?” Janine said, her hands on her hips.

“This is ridiculous. Come on. We need to find Austin. Can we deal with this later?” Leah said, standing. She grabbed Lucas’s arm. The brother forced her hand away. “Lucas. You know we have our friend to still find. Hey. We were all looking for a way to beat the monster and save him. Remember? Remember?”

Rachel moved into a standing position. She took quick steps to the spot near Ethan.

While Leah’s footsteps sounded against the two-story cabin’s wood, Rachel said, “I do remember seeing Jasmine reach for a box on a shelf once. I seen a bruise on her back. I didn’t mention it to her. Ethan, you had something to do with that?”

Ethan shook his head more than once, its movements growing quicker with each passing second. He said, “No. Not at all. I didn’t even know myself. Until now. Of course. Of course. I said I loved her. Don’t turn on me too, Rachel.”

Rachel brought her right hand to her forehead.

She despised the fact she had no evidence to prove Ethan beat Jasmine.

It was possible Janine intended on making it seem as if Ethan had abused Jasmine.

Ethan and Janine were as harsh as each conspiracy theorist’s devotion to their theories, but they couldn’t both lie about Jasmine’s abuse.

The truth, like the other problem that raged nearby, was a mystery.

For now.

Rachel rubbed her palms and fingers against her arms, took a step back.

Wherever Leah was, she was right.

“We’ll deal with this later. Like Leah said. It’s not the right time to-” Rachel started saying.

“See?” Ethan said, standing, the enthusiasm in his voice as fresh as brand new bottled water. He stood, wrapped his thick arms around Rachel, rubbed her hair as he held her. “She knows what’s up. I know I can always count on you, Ray. I loved Jasmine as much as I love you. That’s the truth. I swear.”

Janine threw her hands upwards while emitting a sigh as vicious as a stray dog in India. She said, “This fat moron.”

Lucas scoffed before turning his head to the spot Leah had occupied.

Wood shattered, the sound emitting from the kitchen, where no food cooked.

Lucas cursed.

His sister screamed.