(Ronan's POV)
We both ran as fast as we could. It took us about thirty minutes before we got to the chapel. We ran as fast as we could and got in through the back of the chapel.
That's when we were told to go and hide.
I peeked around the bench we were hiding behind as soon as I saw the explosion. It was that thing.
I knelt frozen in shock. It was right at the entrance of the chapel—grinning, slithering, looking triumphant.
It looked around, wide-eyed.
And then it looked at me.
It didn't blink.
It just stared.
It smiled like it was happy to see me, like it was happy that I remembered it.
I knelt there, unable to take my eyes off the creature.
"What is it?"
I heard Karl's voice as he tried to take a peek. I wanted to tell him to stop. To not look. To hide. But I was frozen in fear.
"Don't—"
I didn't get to finish my sentence. He had already stuck his head out.
He saw it. He saw it too.
And I watched him see it.
I watched his breathing turn shallow.
I saw the light in his eyes leave.
He had passed out.
I quickly scrambled toward him, grabbing his body and shaking him violently out of fear. I was scared—at least we were in this together—and now I was alone. The other children were at the far end of the church, hiding in the corner. Some crying. Some praying.
I kept trying to wake Karl up.
"Karl!"
"Wake up, bro!"
I kept trying, but to no avail. He only breathed slowly.
Then I heard it start to move.
It was moving slowly.
Deliberately.
Like it wanted us to know it was there.
It wanted us to know we were next.
It kept coming closer. My body turned stiff from fear all of a sudden. I covered Karl's mouth. I don't know why—it already knew where we were—I foolishly hoped that not making noise would at least buy us some time.
Its body dragged along the floor with a sickening, slick sound. It circled the pews, weaving between the aisles, sniffing the air like a predator hunting its favorite meal.
Somewhere deeper inside the chapel, a child screamed.
"STAY AWAY!"
A voice—high, trembling, cracking with fear.
I didn't know who it was.
The creature stopped.
Its grin didn't fade. If anything, it grew wider. Its lips curled back, revealing more of those yellow, jagged teeth.
Then it spoke.
"Your priest couldn't save you…"
Its voice was smooth and low, like oil pouring over a blade.
"So what makes you think…"
It began to move again, slowly, sliding between benches, its eyes scanning the shadows.
"…you can save yourself?"
No one answered.
No one moved.
Only the creature.
And then—it started to hum.
Not just hum.
Sing.
Off-key. Soft. Mocking.
"I love you... you love me..."
It slithered around in circles, the tune rising into a warped, off-beat rhythm.
"We're a happy family..."
The song echoed through the chapel like something dead trying to remember what joy used to sound like.
I covered my ears.
But I could still hear it.
Hear him.
See his smile.
The creature kept singing.
Its voice dragged the words out—slow, broken, and wrong. Like it had heard the song once and was trying to mimic it without understanding what it meant.
"I love you…"
Its tail coiled around the base of the altar, knocking over a vase. The crash echoed like a warning bell.
"You love me…"
It slithered past a row of pews, brushing its hand over the wood, humming between verses.
"We're a happy… fa-mi-ly…"
I didn't breathe.
Not even a gasp.
I just crouched lower, curling tighter behind the bench. Karl was still out cold beside me, chest rising slowly, lips slightly parted.
"With a great big hug…"
Its voice grew louder. Closer.
"And a kiss from me… to you…"
I swallowed hard. My hand trembled as I reached across Karl's body.
I pressed my palm over his mouth. He wasn't even awake—but I couldn't help it.
What if he made a noise?
What if I did?
"Won't you say…"
The air grew cold. The chapel, once faintly lit by moonlight filtering through cracked stained glass, now felt like a tomb.
"You… love…"
I heard it.
Right behind me.
Its breath.
Wet. Hot. Rotten.
It seeped past the cracks in the bench, rolling down my neck.
"…me…"
I squeezed my eyes shut. Every muscle in my body screamed to run, to do something—but I stayed frozen.
"…too?"
Silence.
The creature stopped.
I didn't dare look.
Did it know?
Was it waiting?
I could feel the vibrations of its movements now. Just inches away.
Karl didn't stir. Thank God.
But I couldn't keep this up forever.
I made sure my eyes were shut tight. I don't know how long they were shut for.
Seconds, minutes, hours, months, years—I didn't care.
I just wanted that thing to leave me alone.
To leave us all alone.
I didn't want to see.
I didn't want to know.
All I wanted was to be safe.
A tear ran down my cheek slowly as I squeezed my eyes even tighter, my body trembling.
I was trying to control myself—as much as I could.
I don't know why.
Something deep inside me.
Something pushed me.
Told me to look.
Just a peek.
Maybe a little squint.
Just to know where it was.
I opened my eyes. Slowly. Barely.
Just enough to see. To catch a little glimpse of my surroundings.
And it was there.
That thing was there.
Right in front of me.
Face level.
Its head tilted sideways. The creepy smile it had looked even worse now. It felt like with every passing second, the creature's smile was squeezing in on its face.
It was staring at me. I recognized that look.
It was the type we saw in all those nature documentaries.
Its eyes were glowing with quiet, patient hunger.
It stayed there waiting—as if to mock me.
It acted like it had all the time in the world.
Then—it spoke.
Soft. Calm. Intimate.
"Hello, little lamb."
My heart slammed against my chest. I almost cried out.
But I kept myself quiet.
I didn't want to make a sound.
I couldn't.
I knew even one sound could end everything.
I stayed there quietly, eyes shut tight now, as still as my body could muster.
And I thought:
"Maybe... just maybe... if I stay here long enough... he'll leave me alone."