They Came In Hoodies

Chapter 15: Will You Give Them

Stella's POV

Friday night and I how the house to myself. Bec and dad were on a date, which meant I had a moment to relax alone. Instead of watching TV on the couch like I would have liked to do, I was chaining myself to the bed in my room.

I have found myself at the gate twice already and I didn't want it to happen again. If chaining myself to the bed would stop me, I would do it. I knew this wasn't sustainable, but I didn't know when I could get to Churchwell. I had no plan and until I had something in place, I would have to deal with the chains.

With a sigh, I turned off the light and laid down. "Here goes nothing," I mumbled to myself, then closed my eyes and waited for sleep to take me.

"Oh Stella, you think chains will hold us?" The shadowy beast asked with a smile.

I looked saw chains around the beast's legs. So, the chains around my wrists stop the monster from the dream.

"Looks like it can stop you."

It shook its head as it pulled on the chains. "Maybe, but it can't stop you."

"I don't need to be stopped. You are the monster."

It pulled on the chain and snapped it in half. "Maybe you are the one that does need to be stopped."

My heart started pounding as it moved closer to me. A bright light shone into the room, causing me to shield my eyes. When I opened them, I saw we were in Churchwell, by the gate.

In front of me lay the woods, full of dead bodies. I scanned the space, trying to see if I saw Gray. However, I stopped when I saw Else. Tears came to my eyes as I shook my head. I couldn't breathe. This monster was lying. There was no way I could do such a thing.

But as I looked at the blooded bodies, I couldn't fight the fear that came to my mind. What if the monster was true? What if I was the one that would bring death?

"You think I am the monster, but look at the damage you can cause," it growled.

"You are lying."

"I wish I was. Stella, you fight me, and this is what you will get. You will be death if you fight it anymore." with that, the monster walked into the shadows of the trees.

I shot up in my bed, covered in sweat. The chains around my wrists were snapped in half, leaving my wrist bloodied and raw from the slumber.

I couldn't fight it any longer. I would prove the monster wrong. It would haunt me no more. Enough was enough. I had to go to Churchwell, even if I didn't have a plan. There I would find the answers, I was sure of it.

Without wasting any more time, I got up and started to pack a bag. As I threw items into the bag, I thought of a lie to tell dad and Bec. It needed to be believable. Something that they would ask no questions about.

Minutes later, I was upstairs, pulling on my sweater, praying they would not see any trace of blood around my wrists. I tried to clean them up as best I could, but sometimes Bec saw everything.

"Hey, how was your evening? When we got home you were already asleep," dad asked as he put down his phone.

"Yeah, it was alright. Decided to sleep early last night," I said to them as I tried to calm myself. They needed to believe this, and I only had one shot.

"So, I wanted to remind you, I'm going to spend the night with Alice for the weekend. I will be back Monday night."

"Oh, I think I forgot about that," Bec said as she walked in.

I shrugged. "It's fine. You have a lot on your plate. We just have had this planned for a while now."

"After all that has recently happened, are you sure you are up for it?" dad asked.