Run

Growing up in a world like this isn’t easy. I got lucky, having some protection. The only downside was that they were demons.

Selena and Felix always treated me like I was their own child. I’ve never known why; they found me in the forest when I was a baby, and, I’ll remind you, they’re demons. It makes more sense for them to kill me.

But they didn’t.

They took me in and raised me with their son, Luca. For the first ten, I think, years of my life, they were the only family I ever had. They kept me clothed and fed and made sure I was safe and had a roof over my head.

All of it was oddly human.

And funny enough, I don’t remember those years with them and hate them or the memories. I’m grateful for it all. I hate what they are, but I’m glad they decided to take me in and raise me. I would’ve died without them, and they taught me what I need to survive.

The earliest memory I have with them isn’t the greatest: I remember when they tried to turn me into a demon. Luca’s blood burned, and my wrist hurt for the rest of the day. Of course, since they’re monsters, the mark continued to burn and hurt, but eventually it became numb. I didn’t even know it burns around monsters until after I got away from them.

But everything after that memory, up until I ran away, was happy and peaceful. Luca’s parents never had us stay in one spot for very long. We’d settle in one place for two or three days and then we’d move on again.

Luca and I didn’t have any friends growing up, aside from each other, but we were happy. We spoke in his native language—the name of which is lost to time—and he would use his developing powers to keep us occupied. Along the way his parents would grab whatever books they could find, and if they weren’t too badly damaged, they’d bring them to the makeshift camp and read them to us.

If you didn’t know who or what we were, you’d think we were a happy human family with amazing survival skills. There are nights where I wish that could be true.

As we kept moving from place to place, Selena and Felix taught us skills to protect ourselves. While I don’t have any powers to use, I had to pay special attention to what they taught.

From them, I learned basic survival skills and how to defend myself. Of course, being in their care, I didn’t have to defend myself from anything, really. They always took care of the threats that we faced.

Or that’s what Luca told me.

Something that I learned independent of Luca and his parents was my sense of humanity and right and wrong. It wasn’t like Luca and his parents didn’t have morals; they just never aligned with mine, and I think my being human is what separates mine from theirs.

I always wanted to meet another human, to befriend them and stick together. I loved my makeshift family but it felt lonely being the only human. It’s something I know they’d never understand. I valued human life and I wanted it to thrive, even in the world that we all live in. I’ve always valued humans and their lives.

If I kept track of the years correctly, I was ten when I found out what Luca and his parents value.
That day was a quiet one. The colors of the leaves had changed and a chill had set in the air. It was as if the world were warning me about what the day would hold. I remember the sky being overcast as Luca woke me up. His parents made the decision to move on again, even though we’d settled in the area the night before.

We stopped along the once just once so they could give us the chance to eat. As we finished up, some people appeared in the distance. I could tell they were human: they looked terrified and hesitant about coming over. When I looked closely, I could just make out blood and dirt on their skin and clothes. I knew they went through a lot.

I stood and turned to them, and just as I was about to speak to them, Luca’s parents stood between us. They took slow, careful steps towards the people.

“Please, we’re just trying to find a place to hide,” the woman said. She looked over her shoulder and pushed her companions forward a bit.

“You all might want to keep moving then. There’s monsters in the area,” Selena said in a smooth sort of tone.

“Where?” The woman glanced around.

“They’re right in front of you.”

In a split second, Selena and Felix’s human forms disappeared and I saw the back of their true bodies. It was like looking at a living void of darkness, pain, and death. I could feel their murderous intent in the air like a sickening fog. The mark on my wrist burned more than it ever had before.
I became very afraid of them, but that wasn’t what made me run; I was frozen with fear. What made me run was Luca’s reaction: he had a huge grin on his face and his eyes gleamed. He seemed to enjoy his parents murdering some innocent people.

It was enough to break the spell and I bolted. I grabbed my blade from its sheath and held it tightly while I looked over my shoulder. I heard Luca calling my name, and I knew he followed me for a short distance, but when I looked for him he wasn’t there. The mark on my wrist stopped burning, so I knew I was safe.

I stopped and caught my breath, gripping the handle of the blade tighter. In that moment, I knew I would never go back, I would never let them near me again. I would need to run and survive on my own.

And that’s exactly what I did.

A few days after I’d left, I came across an abandoned building. Surprisingly, it was still standing. I ran in to find shelter. I’d taken a few steps inside the building before I realized I stepped on something. I lifted my foot and picked up what looked like a nametag. On it, the name “Natalie.” I decided that would be my new name.

That was the start of my new life.

I hear a knock on the door and I grab my blade from under my pillow. Another knock. I stand and peer through the cracks in the door and relax when I see Adrian there.

“You could’ve said something to let me know it’s you,” I tell him as I open the door. He steps inside and I barricade the door again.

“Sorry,” he smiles. “Mind if I stay for the night?”

“Something wrong with your cabin?”

“No, but…”

“But?”

“I wanted to stay with you tonight, make sure you were safe.”

“You don’t need to watch over me, Adrian. I can take care of myself.”

Adrian looks in my direction and I can see concern and some other emotion in his eyes. I can’t place it.

“I know you can take care of yourself, but please, just let me stay the night? I can tell something’s coming, and I want to make sure you’ll be alright. Please?”

He gives me a hopeful look and I know I can’t deny it.

“Alright. But just for the night.”

A smile breaks out on his face and he starts to make himself a makeshift bed out of spare blankets. I fall back and feel my back hit the bed.

“Good night, Natalie.”

“Night, Adrian.”

I close my eyes and fall asleep.

I wake up the next morning and see Adrian walking in the door. There’s something in his hands but I can’t see it.

“Look out the window.”

I stand and turn, seeing the buildings at the edge of the village with some serious damage.

“Holy shit,” I mumble.

“On a lighter note, I got us breakfast.”

I look down at my hand as he slips a pouch into my hand. I open it and see a piece of bread, which still felt warm, some cranberries, and a half of an orange.

“You had to go into the village for these,” I say, looking up at him.

“I’m fine, the monsters attacked during the night. Everyone’s safe now.”

I nod and feel myself relax.

We eat together in a comfortable silence. Before long, Adrian heads back to his own cabin and I prepare to head into the village to help rebuild. I take a few minutes to head over to the creek and wash my face before I head in.

This place has been a place of rebirth and hope for me for so many years, I feel like it’s only fair to give back and help it come back from a small disaster.