Personal Demons: Trust Only Yourself

My words echoed down the long, seemingly endless hallway, as if reflecting my thoughts, the thoughts that I wanted so badly to lose. I fell to my knees and stared down at the floor. I felt a chill go down my spine, and even in the dark I could see my own breathe. I shivered and rubbed my shoulders, trying to keep warm.

I thought about my past, about my mother in particular. I remember when she used to tell me, “Everyone has their own personal demon”. I didn't know what she meant by that. Now I think that I know. I think she meant that sometimes people do things that are out of character, which they wouldn't normally do. I think I have a personal demon too-and I think it's only just begun to show. Usually I would never believe all of this `extra terrestrial' nonsense, but now, for some reason, something is driving me to believe…I think that this-the me that's here-isn't me. It's my very own personal demon.

I gasped and winced as I stood. The icy air seemed to hold my very bones, keeping me in place.

“Sassi!” to my utter surprise, Mimiru ran to me in a panic and grabbed my wrist, pulling me to my feet.

I gaped at her while she pulled me into a slow run, “Mimiru, what are you doing?” I struggled to keep up with her.

She looked back quickly and shouted, “We've got to get out of here! Something weird is happening.”

I tried to resist saying it…but I just couldn't, “I told you so!” I screamed, “I told you back at the museum!”

Mimiru gasped and stopped abruptly. I bumped into her from behind, unable to stop fast enough. She turned to me slowly, “Sassi…you mean you weren't joking? I thought you were kidding around…”

I frowned and asked rhetorically, “Do I ever `kid around'?”

“No, but…” she had a sudden expression of shock as she stared past me.

“But? What?” I pressed. She shook her head slightly, still staring straight past me. I turned to see what had her distracted.

Three boys and a girl stood a few yards down the hallway. Their hair covered their faces, making their features indistinct. Their clothes were dirty and torn, and their breathing was loud and uneven.

Mimiru backed away slowly, “whoa, this is so not normal…” she whispered, “Sassi, who are they?”

I felt my knees shake and my stomach twist. I swallowed hard, gawking at their pale, dark faces. I could only manage to let a few words to escape my throat. “It's…it's them…” I could barely hear myself over their raspy gasps for breathe.

The girl looked younger than us, while the boys looked about the same age, judging from their clothes, height, and physical builds. They began to raise their faces to us while speaking in very scratchy, tired voices, “You know we're here…”

I tried to scream, but no sound came out. I grabbed Mimiru's sleeve and pulled her away. We ran as fast as we could down the hallway…further, further…wasn't there a turn at the end of the hallway?? We kept going, never slowing, never even thinking of stopping. Soon enough, four figures came into view just a little further down the hall.

“Help!” I cried, hoping that they were others trapped just as we were, “Please-we're trapped and…”

Mimiru and I slowed to a stop. She cried out as the four figures lifted their faces. They were the same four kids we had just passed…Their eyes were red, and their faces looked like raisins-so pale that they almost appeared blue.

I stepped in front of Mimiru defensively, “Mimiru,” I whispered, “get going.”

Mimiru nodded and backed away slowly, “Be careful, Sassi…”

The four children stared at us without any sign of emotion or feeling. I hated watching them, just standing there, using humans as suits just to survive in our atmosphere. I wanted them to show emotion-not just any emotion, I wanted them to show fear. I wanted to scare them away from our planet-scare them so bad that they'd never come back.

The boy who appeared to be the oldest approached us menacingly. I clenched my teeth and growled, trying desperately to frighten him off. To my disappointment, he was unphazed. He got about three meters away from me when suddenly, a light at the end of the hall appeared. I gasped and looked behind me, trying to find Mimiru, “Kazuma! Kazuma, where are you?”

Silence. Had she gotten away? Did she find a way out? Was she captured? I looked back towards the four possessed children. They were gone! One by one, the hallway lights turned on. I squinted, no longer used to the light. Mimiru approached from down the hall, where the light had come from.

“Mimiru, where did you go?” I ran to her and we embraced.

“Are they gone?” Mimiru scanned the hall.

I nodded, “yeah, they disappeared after you turned on the light down there.”

She shook her head, “I don't understand what's happening here, Sassi…this just…all feels like a bad dream.”

“I know how you feel,” I replied, “a week ago I would never have believed this stuff if it weren't for our little museum trip.”

She looked at the floor, letting her hair fall into her face, “How many people…how many people you think they have already?” she asked solemnly.

I shook my head, “I just don't know. Anyone here could be one of them. I guess the only people we can really trust are each other right now, huh?”

“Yeah…” she looked up and beamed, “for now we should…just pretend it never happened. I don't want it to affect our every day lives. Besides, they can't hurt us, right? Didn't you say that they can only take people's bodies if the people don't know that they're there? So, we're ok, right?”

I nodded and returned her gleeful smile, “right.” We then parted ways and headed to our classes.

The rest of the school day seemed ordinary. Mimiru and I both acted as if nothing happened. We laughed with our friends; quarreled with our rivals, and studied for tests…Our town is normal. A solitary little town in the center of a massive planet. Nothing weird happens here…in fact, nothing at all happens here. And something tells me that nothing ever will…