SKIN CARE

 

CHIRE

The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night a candle burned in the window. It was just past midnight and it would surely be gone by morning. But then something caught her attention that she couldn't explain. She looked around the room but could see nothing out of the ordinary. Why would anything happen here? And if she had a phone inside the cabin, how could she have placed an order without knowing where to find it? She opened the door and stepped into the hallway. As soon as she made her way through the darkness, she heard a faint sound coming from the corner of the window. A low voice speaking in broken English. "Who are you?" she asked.

"My name is Raul." He said, looking down at his watch. "I wanted to talk with my buddy, but he's not there anymore."

"You're so sad," she replied, feeling bad for him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know where else to go. If you can, let me know."

"Of course."

"What's your name?"

"Raul."

"Where is my friend? Where can I get him?" She asked, trying to figure out what was happening.

"He's probably buried somewhere in the dark woods," Raul stated.

"Are you sure?" she asked sarcastically, wondering why he wouldn't leave their cabin.

"Of course! I'll wait for him!"

"Wait? How long until he comes back?"

"I don't know, maybe a few hours."

"How do you sleep?" she asked perplexed.

"The best part of sleeping is when you hear the silence."

"You mean?"

"Well, when you feel like you can't bear any more, or you want to go back to reality, when all you want to do is scream and cry and hit things, when everything seems to disappear..."

"I understand." Then, she realized that she had never heard such a thing before. "What about you?" she questioned.

"I'm fine." He answered honestly. "I don't want to talk about it. But what's your name?"

"It's Anna." The woman smiled at this unexpected compliment. "I'm Chire."

"I'm Raul." They exchanged contact information for two weeks after that, and they still hadn't spoken on the phone for two months. They decided they would meet up some time during the week; they were both busy working in different fields. After two weeks, Chire agreed to come over to visit Raul. She went to the cabin and took a seat next to the fire. As soon as she sat down, she noticed that the air was cold. Her eyes widened, and she realized that it was much colder than expected. In a matter of minutes, the temperature dropped rapidly, and the outside air became chilly too. Chire couldn't believe it. What was going on? Was it really just a cold front?

As she sat there watching the sky turn gray, she started to think about what happened last night. She knew that Raul and her friends stayed at the cabin last night and left shortly after midnight. Had she forgotten them? Was it possible that someone had taken their belongings and left them behind? Maybe even worse... Was it possible that someone stole their phones? Did they just give up?

She tried to shake off these thoughts, but it wasn't easy. There was no way she knew what happened while she was asleep. Was there someone that would have stolen from her? Or did she just forget about people? These questions kept running through her mind, and she felt helpless. She knew she was safe, but how could she be sure she was safe?

Suddenly a loud noise came from the opposite side of the house. It sounded like someone was moving around, and it wasn't hard to tell who it was. When she saw the person, she quickly ran towards it, only to discover that the noise was coming from inside the cabin. Who was this? She wondered. As she approached the cabin, she saw a light flickering in the window. Whoever was inside started to shout. Before she could help, she heard footsteps coming closer to her. "Who are you?"

She tried to run towards Raul to ask what was happening. But he was gone too. Instead, she went to check on him. At first, she thought he was dead. But as she walked over the threshold of the cabin, she saw him lying on the ground motionless. His neck was bleeding. She rushed to the entrance door and called for help. As soon as she opened it, the door burst open, and she saw Raul's lifeless body lying on the ground and covered in blood. She screamed as she ran away, knowing that her life depended on finding him alive. She was certain that she had lost her sense of reason.

Then, she found herself being chased by shadowy figures, and she began to lose control. Every time she tried to escape, she was attacked by one of the figures. Finally, she managed to break free and run toward the source of the noise. When she arrived at the sight, it was like a horror movie: a man standing in front of her with a knife and a machete in hand. The bright light from the flashlight was blinding her and she could barely see anything in the darkness. She started running away, but when she got far enough, she noticed that the figure was getting stronger. Now, she was surrounded. Without thinking, the girl lunged at the figure and cut his arm off. Just then, she realized that she was naked in front of her. For the fear of losing her strength, she threw herself into the ground and wrapped her arms around her body. With so much pain going through her, she fell unconscious. The figure turned around to face her and was holding a large knife in its hand. He raised the weapon and approached so slowly that Chire couldn't move. With all the power in his hands, he stabbed her several times in the head. Slowly, Chire woke up and felt her vision start to fade. She tried to scream but could only manage gasps of terror that filled the rest of her world. When she finally regained consciousness, she looked around, but could see nothing. All she could see was blue smoke floating in space, and a red-hot metal monster. Its eyes were glowing with reds and oranges, and its stomach was filled with a strange metallic taste. Chire stood up and looked at the creature with confusion.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" she called out.

"Who are you?" the terrifyingly beautiful creature demanded.

Chire froze at this sound and tried to look at her attacker. To her surprise, the boy's eyes were closed, and he seemed asleep. "What does this mean?" she asked.

The beast looked at the girl and smirked. "You were born in this town, and now you are a living ghost, trapped in a dream that will soon end."

"I'll kill you," Chire shouted.

"You will be hunted," the mysterious creature responded.

"I'll kill you!" Chire yelled again, grabbing the blade and making ready for her attack.

"I'll finish you," the beast replied.

"How?" Chire asked incredulously.

"You have been chosen," the creature smiled.

"I'll kill you."

"No, you won't. You're not meant to die."

"I'm not allowed to die?"

"That's your choice. And don't make a promise before you've done it."

"I'll kill you." She raised the blade and prepared to stab the little guy in his eye. However, she stopped short and looked at the beast. "I'll kill you," she vowed.

It frowned and nodded.

"Why do you do it? Can you tell me?" Chire asked.

"Because you're worth killing, and because we are the ones with the real power."

"I'm not powerful?"

"Of course not. You're a mere mortal with limited resources."

"I don't know... Why does she choose me?"

"Because each person has a purpose."

"Of course not. You're a mere mortal with limited resources."

"I don't know... Why does she choose me?"

"Because each person has a purpose."

"What purpose? That they don't exist..."

"You are born to live, and you need to fulfill your responsibility."

"I don't understand."

"You will see. Your task is to protect the forest and make sure no others are harmed while you are in charge."

"I don't know if I can."

"That's up to you. So, what are you planning to do?"

"I'll kill you."

"But how?"

"I'll use every ounce of energy I have."

"With a sword?"

"Yes. Come on!"

Chire grabbed the creature by his collar and brought him over to her. She stabbed him in the eye, and the blood was dripping onto the ground. When she finished, Chire grabbed the sword and raised it above her body. She took another step forwards and slashed the last ray of sunlight from the vampire's eyes. With a flick of her wrist, she brought the blade out of reach. She held the creature down and lifted the sword high in the air. With all her might, she aimed directly at the vampire's heart. He stumbled, and the girl slashed him several times, causing him to fall to his knees. He was almost dead when she finished him off.

"You must not regret that. Because you killed an innocent. We saved him."

"What? That's crazy."

"I mean, when you were given the opportunity, you chose to take it. So, don't feel bad. Let