It stood upright, but the figure was much more animalistic. Spectral, white fur adorned its entire body, only broken up by mosaics and smears of red. Its aspect was unlike any Julia had seen before: Unmistakably feline, but there was no flesh on the front part of its face. It was only a menacing skull with two deep pits for eyes. Was it a fae? Sometimes inexperienced ones fucked up their shapeshifting, but Yuli hadn’t smelled another on board.

Image: The monster, half-obscured by darkness, emerges from the cabin. It is holding the man’s severed hand in its skeletal jaws. End description.

The monster, realizing that it had an audience, turned its head towards the pair. Yuli did not hesitate once they knew they’d been spotted. Julia didn’t even have to say “Go after it!” before they lunged. It bolted and Yuli pursued it down the corridor.

Image: Yuli is chasing the monster down the train car. The monster is running on four legs, with its spiked tail trailing behind it. End description.

“Get it to the back of the train,” Julia yelled after them, “we’ll deal with it there.” Although, she wasn’t exactly sure how. Extermination was one of the Fae Study and Sustainability Society’s last options, even in the wake of human death. But it was rare for a fae to kill multiple people at once. Regardless of its origins, Julia knew she may not have a choice.




(06.24.20)