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A va sat on the porch, lacing up her tennis shoes as she waited for Eleanor to arrive.

She couldn’t believe they were doing this.

Couldn’t believe it was even real. It was impossible to wrap her mind around the fact that she was from another realm.

She didn’t even know other realms existed until recently.

Ava wondered if her grandfather had been talking about this other realm when he told his mystical tales. Eorhan, Luna had called it. Were the fae actually real? Could they manipulate gravity and shoot lava from their fingertips like her grandfather had said?

Her mind was a whirlwind of magic and monsters. Mythical creatures and ancient kings. Princesses and orcs and goblins. She had to admit, she was just a little excited. Like she would be entering the pages of one of her many beloved fantasy books.

She was still furious at her mother and grandfather for keeping things from her.

For thinking she wasn’t old enough or couldn’t handle the truth.

She had always felt different but every time she tried to ask her mother about it, she would coo at her and say things like ‘You’re just special, my little bird,’ or ‘You’re destined for great things. ’

‘What things?’ she wanted to scream at her.

And now she was dead, and she’d never know the truth. Not unless she went through the portal.

A car door slammed and Ava rose from her seat on the porch, meeting Eleanor at the steps.

“Ava!” Eleanor shouted as she rushed toward her with fear in her eyes.

“What’s wrong?” She grasped her arms, steadying her.

“He’s coming—” Eleanor took a breath, frantic. “He knows about it.”

“Who? What are you talking about?”

Eleanor looked around in the dark, eyes darting over the yard, then took Ava’s hand and led her to the back yard. “They might be listening,” she whispered.

They stopped in the back and Ava turned to her, clutching her hands. “You’re scaring me. Slow down, take a deep breath.” Ava tried to calm her friend, her own heart beating out of her chest. “Who’s listening?”

Eleanor stopped talking for a moment as she tried to slow her breathing.

“I overheard him talking on the phone,” she rambled.

“I don’t think he knew I was there. He talked about the portal and somehow knew what we were doing tonight.

He also mentioned blood. Something about using blood to open the doorway. ”

“Who are you talking about? Who said that?” she asked, unsure if she wanted to know.

“Henry,” she whispered, eyes wide. “He said he needed your blood.”

Ava let go of Eleanor’s hands. “What?” she exclaimed as she stepped back shaking her head. “No. You—you must have heard someone else…”

Dizziness overwhelmed her and her mouth went dry. It couldn’t be Henry. He cared for her. He would never harm her; she was sure of it. Right?

“Ava please. We have to get out of here. He’s on his way,” Eleanor said, trying to approach Ava.

Another car door slammed, causing the women to jump.

“Ava! Are you out here?” Henry’s voice sounded.

“It’s too late, we have to run!” Eleanor whispered harshly.

“Fuck. This is crazy,” Ava whispered, heart racing. She turned and shouted, “In the backyard!”

Eleanor widened her eyes at Ava. “No! Don’t let him see the map!” she whispered.

Henry turned the corner and walked over to Ava, noticing she was trembling. “What’s wrong? Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, I just…What are you doing here?” she asked Henry.

Looking suspiciously at Eleanor and then back to Ava, he ran his fingers through his hair. “I came to check on you,” he said. “I, um… overheard Eleanor talking to someone on the phone. I don’t know what’s going on, but she sounded like she was going to hurt you.”

“What?” she said looking at Eleanor.

“He’s lying! Please, listen!” Eleanor frantically tried to explain.

Ava backed away from them, unsure what to do. She didn’t believe Henry would hurt her, but she also didn’t think Eleanor would make this up. Her boyfriend and her best friend. Her only friend. Fear churned in her gut as she wrestled with what to do, who to believe.

“What’s going on?” she whispered, looking back and forth between them.

“Ava, you’re my best friend! Stay away from him!” Eleanor shouted, getting angrier no one was listening to her.

Henry remained calm. “Ava, I think Eleanor’s sick. Can’t you see she isn’t making sense? ”

“He’s a liar!” Eleanor was uncontrollable now. Ava had never seen her like this. She was usually so put together. But now her eyes were wide and darting around, seemingly paranoid.

“Eleanor,” Henry said gently as he turned to her, taking two steps forward. “Calm down. Do you want to go to the hospital? We should call an ambulance and have them take you to a hospital.”

Eleanor looked at Ava, defeated, as tears streamed down her face. “Ava,” she whispered. “Please… Why don’t you believe me? I thought you were my friend.”

Ava’s chest ached as her heart broke at her friend’s despair. Eleanor was her best friend. She wouldn’t accuse her. Needed to help her. Ava approached, preparing to comfort and calm her until they figured out what to do.

But something emerged from the woods behind Eleanor.

Ava froze.

It was the creature.

She could see it better in the moonlight as it stalked toward Eleanor, who remained oblivious to the danger behind her.

It was so tall. It had to be over seven feet.

Swirling shadows distorted most of its features, but Ava could make out long hair, glowing red eyes and sharp teeth forming a wicked smile.

Ava backed away as its claws elongated, stalking closer to Eleanor.

“Eleanor, run!” Ava shouted, continuing to retreat when she bumped into Henry.

Eleanor scanned her surroundings, confused. Spotting the creature, her eyes widened and she stilled, terrified. Too frozen to move.

As Ava was about to yell at her again to run, the creature took two steps toward her friend and she started to back away. The figure’s hand shot out before Ava realized what was happening, swiping a singular claw across her throat.

“No!” Ava screamed, lunging for her friend as Henry held her back.

A gurgle sounded as Eleanor grasped her throat and sank to her knees.

Terror gripped Ava as blood seeped from between Eleanor’s fingers, desperate to stop the flow.

She turned toward Ava and started to crawl, one hand trying to stop the bleeding while the other propelled her forward.

She inched closer, making her way across the grass as the creature took slow steps toward her.

Eleanor’s voice gurgled as she tried to speak, warning Ava one last time. “Henry. Run…”

She had to get to her. Had to help her. Henry grabbed her waist and she fought against him, twisting and writhing. “Let me go!” she screamed again, tears pouring down her cheeks. “Please!” she wailed as she tried to wrench from Henry’s grip, hitting and kicking him but he was too strong.

Eleanor continued to crawl, the creature stalking her, preparing for the final blow.

It reached Eleanor and grabbed her hair, pulling her backward.

Unable to keep her hand on her throat, blood poured like a crimson waterfall from the giant laceration, flowing down her neck and painting her white shirt with death.

The creature knelt and lowered its face toward Eleanor’s throat. Opening its mouth wide, sharp teeth glinting in the moonlight, it released a triumphant scream.

Ava slammed her hands over her ears as the scream raked over her very bones, Henry’s arms still wrapped around her waist. Nausea roiled in her stomach as she trembled, unable to turn from the gruesome scene.

The creature began to drink, voraciously gulping as it continued to tear into Eleanor’s throat.

She attempted to get loose, scratching at the creature’s face, flailing around for only a few moments .

Ava tried struggling against Henry again, sobbing as she watched her best friend die right in front of her. The only friend she had. And now she was gone. Killed by the creature that had been plaguing Ava’s farm; that had entered her house. Would it come after her next?

Eleanor’s body twitched as the figure continued to rip into her and eventually, she was still.

Henry tugged her toward the house. “Ava, we have to go! Now!” he whispered loudly.

“I’m not leaving her!” She was still hysterical as she struggled again to go to her friend. She had to help. This couldn’t be happening. It wasn’t real.

Refusing to take no for an answer, Henry scooped her up and took off toward the house as she cried and moaned in disbelief.

The front door slammed shut and Henry set her down.

She ran to the nearest bathroom in the hallway and vomited everything in her stomach.

Henry’s hand was rubbing her back a few seconds later, telling her she was okay, and everything was going to be alright.

After she had nothing left to purge, she stood and walked into the hallway, Henry following. Eleanor was dead. And it was all Ava’s fault. She was so selfish to want to see Eorhan. She should never have involved Eleanor, should never have looked for the map.

She couldn’t stop the tears as she paced, her whole body shaking, replaying Eleanor’s death over and over in her mind. They needed to leave. To jump in the car and get away as fast as possible. It would kill her and Henry too if they didn’t escape.

“What the fuck is that thing?” she shrieked. “We need to call the police!” She continued to pace. “Oh god. She’s dead. I killed my friend!”

Henry walked over and wrapped her in his arms, rubbing her back as Ava sobbed into his chest. She could barely breathe and felt the panic overwhelming her as she tried to make sense of what she had witnessed.

She was about to demand they get in the car and leave when Henry whispered in her ear, “Give me the map, Ava.”

She pulled back to look at him, a new fear stirring inside her. “What did you say?” she whispered.

He tilted his head in a feline grace, an unfamiliar expression on his face. “The map.”

Ava pushed herself out of his arms and backed away, heart pounding.

He stood in the hallway facing her, hands clasped behind him and a look on his face she had never seen before.

“I’ve been looking through your house for weeks.

Never able to find anything your crazy grandfather left regarding the portal.

” He strolled closer to her, looking at her with eyes full of disgust. “Until you showed me that book.”

“Henry…” she croaked, trying to hold back the tears that had just stopped flowing.

Eleanor was right, she thought. I should have listened to her, and now she’s dead.

“Deidamia coming into your house was the perfect excuse to install the security system,” he said as he continued stalking closer.

She shook her head. “Who?”

“You’ll meet her soon enough.” He paused a few feet in front of her. “All I had to do was look at your camera feed. I knew you’d find the map for me.”

Continuing to back away, she started thinking of an escape route. The front door was to her right, but the creature was out there, so she started to inch her way to her left, planning on grabbing a knife from the kitchen, like when the creature had invaded her home.

“I have everything I need now,” he said as he held out the book he had hidden behind his back. “Except that map.” He resumed strolling in her direction, floor creaking with each step.

She decided to keep him talking, hoping to distract him as she inched further left and prepared herself to run. Tears ran down her face, heartbroken she was deceived.

“Henry, please,” she begged. “I thought you cared about me.”

He scoffed, continuing to creep forward.

“You were so easy to manipulate. A lost little puppy with her dead mom.” He was mocking her now.

“You’re pathetic,” he spat, looking at her with hatred.

“I’ve been stuck in this god-forsaken world for decades.

We were so close a few months ago.” He slipped a hand into his pocket.

“But then your stupid grandfather had to go and kill himself. The blood must be fresh. Flowing from the vein to open the portal. And since he was dead, we couldn’t use his. ”

Sniffling as she backed away further, she shook her head. “What? No… I don’t understand…”

He continued waltzing toward her, slowly, like he was enjoying her fear.

Who was he? What did he mean stuck in this world? He knew about the portal and the map, which meant he must know about this other world.

She bolted to the kitchen. Henry appeared just as she made it down the hallway, blocking her escape. Before she had a chance to change course, he threw her backward against the wall. Her body slammed into the entry table, and she collapsed on all fours, gasping for breath.

“Give me the map!” he shouted, then kicked her in the ribs, a sharp pain stabbing her side as she fell further.

Pulling herself back up, she tried to crawl, ignoring his demands. She wasn’t fast enough, and he was on her, lifting her by her throat as her feet barely scraped the ground. He slammed her into the wall again, holding her neck with one hand .

She tried to scratch him, tried to pry his hand off her throat. She was going to die; he was going to choke her right here. Panicking, she attempted to kick him, but her bruised ribs made it difficult to move.

Henry looked at her as he reached into his pocket with his other hand. When she saw the syringe he was holding, she flailed and tried to get away. She tried talking but nothing would come out, his hand too tight around her throat and her feet still not touching the ground.

“Give. Me. The. Map!” he shouted inches from her face.

“No,” she managed to croak out in a whisper.

Then he plunged the needle into her neck.