Chapter Text
A loud groan echoed in the room, unsteady feet shuffling following the sound, and I hid my face into Terry's head. I stayed still, remembering the rules Mami gave me. I found a place to hide and now I have to stay very quiet. The groan came closer and I closed my eyes, squeezing the toy closer to my face, wishing for the monster to go away.
A wheeze escaped from the monster outside the door. I bit my lip, trying to not make a noise and I opened my eyes, staring at the little light coming in under the door. The floorboard made a loud groan as the monster took another step in the room, a shadow creeping into my hiding spot. I felt my lips trembling, wanting Mami to be here with me, she wasn't scared of the monsters. But she went to take them away. This one didn't follow her.
She said the monsters were sick people who don't remember anything or anyone and to be careful. That the monsters are like zombies, zombies that eat everything and don't eat just brains like the ones from the movies. But like Dracula, they hear the tiniest of sounds and can smell you. I couldn’t picture my Dracula wanting to hurt you. But if he does, then Dracula was cool when he was just a vampire in the movies. I told her I wished the monsters were from the movie too. That way they were working at the hotel taking bags to the rooms. I know all Mami could do was smile at me and say, "Me too."
The light under the door was dark and I kept tugging at Terry's tail, nervously listening to where the monster went. It must have moved to the other room because the noise wasn't as loud anymore. I stretched out a little bit, rubbing my face in my toy, feeling my eyes get a little heavy. The monster wasn't going away and I know I can't get out until it does. But I don't want to sleep yet, I want to wait a little longer for Mami to come back.
Reaching over, I grabbed a granola bar from the box that was inside with me. I let out a quiet sigh, wishing that Mami was walking into the house already. She knows that night time is when the monsters like to come out. She's outside with the monsters and she's always told me to never be outside with the monsters at night. Dracula came out at night and that's when he sucked people's blood. It makes sense that the monsters are the same. It's not fair she gives me so many rules but she doesn't always follow them.
I put down Terry next to me and ripped the plastic wrapper a little bit, slowly, not wanting to make too loud of a noise. Listening, I took a bite and waited to see if it heard me or not. The only noise I heard was the loud crunching in my ears so I guess I was lucky it didn't hear me. I saved the other one for when Mami gets back. She likes the crunchy granola.
A yawn came out of my mouth. If she doesn't come soon I'll fall asleep without her and I don't like it when Mami is gone too long. Last time she was gone for a whole day because they were too many monsters and she had to hide too. I hope she doesn't have to be gone too long. Rubbing my eyes, I tried to stay up a little bit longer.
I looked out the window upstairs looking for Mami holding onto Terry so he wouldn’t fall from the windowsill. I ate the other granola bar I was saving for her, hopping a little bit up and down, bored. I looked at Terry's face, pulling at the string where his eye is supposed to be but it fell out yesterday. Terry always loses his right eye and I have to wait until it can be sewn back in. Maybe we can wash him too? I dropped him in mud a few days ago and even pulling off the dirt he was still dirty.
Mami got me Terry because she said even monsters are scared of dinosaurs. I know she said that just to make me feel better though, especially when I'm alone. She got Terry before the real monsters came out. I do like Terry. He is even my favorite color of blue. At least when he is clean. Now he just looks grey-blue. He's still cool looking even with one eye less. Better having a triceratops than some dumb bunny like Lilliana got from Titi for her birthday before the monsters came out.
Looking out the window, I saw a monster walk by the house, an old lady wearing a dirty yellow dress that looked like she went to sleep in. Sighing, I put down Terry momentarily as I reached for my slingshot and some rocks I picked up. I lined up the slingshot in the direction of the old lady and let go, watching as its head jerked back and the body fell with it. I didn’t grin like the first few times since I found out by accident I could kill the monsters with my slingshot. I put it down and grabbed hold of Terry again, waiting for Mami.
Probably an hour later, I saw something move out the window and I looked past the trees, trying to see what it is. If it's a monster or if it's Mami coming back. Squinting my eyes, I looked between the trees, trying to find what moved in the first place. My eyes stopped on the person that was moving. It's someone wearing a green sweater and black hair. Mami's back!!
Grinning, I grabbed my backpack with the food from the pantry I hid in and ran down the stairs. She's finally back after three days and I can't wait to show her the cans of frijoles that were stashed away. I even got some pineapples in a can to share and there are still four crunchy granola bars left. This was a good house to find stuff!
Reaching the front door, I started moving all the chairs out of the way so I could get out of the house. I finally opened the door and ran towards Mami, "Mami! You took forever!"
Mami started walking faster towards me, limping, not saying a word. I was about to ask her what took long but I stopped looking at her closely. She was limping, which is probably why it took her long to get back, but she was too quiet. I looked at her face and I hugged Terry to me, trying hard not to cry. Her eyes weren't like mine anymore. They were cloudy like the monsters.
"No!" I screamed. The tears coming down my face anyway, making everything blurry. She wasn't supposed to get bit! She was supposed to come back so we could go to Grandma and Grandpa's house in Alabama. Then we would stay safe with them until things got better.
I looked at her face again, mouth opening and closing, cloudy eyes. She wasn't smiling at me. Her eyes weren't the same as my hazel. When she got closer, I turned around to hide back in the house, where it was safe but stopped. Near the house were another two monsters growling, slower than Mami, but too close to the door. I went to grab the slingshot but it felt like ice water was thrown over me as I remembered I left it in the house. Tearfully, I looked back at Mami and ran away from them, away from the house. Maybe I can come back later but right now I need to hide.
I rubbed my face quickly, wiping my hair and tears out of my face, trying to stop crying because I already broke the number one rule and if I can't stop crying more will find me. I ran past all the trees, the heavy backpack swinging and hitting me over and over. I still heard the monsters growling behind me and I looked to see how close. Mami was the closest but she was still far enough. I stopped, looking around, feeling like there was a rock pushing on my throat and chest. All I saw was trees everywhere. There was nowhere to hide but at the house. But I can't go back there. That means running back to the monsters. I'm supposed to run away from the monsters.
Looking at the trees near me, I looked to see if there was a hole big enough for me. Rabbits dug holes to hide from other animals so they won't eat it. Maybe there was somewhere I could hide. But all I kept seeing was sticks, leaves, and dirt. I can climb a tree but I always need Mami to get me down because I'm too scared to jump down by myself. I don't want to get hurt. Looking up again I saw the other two monsters not far behind Mami, who was getting close again.
I sniffed, wiping at the tears, happy that I'm not making noise but it still feels like there is a rock in my chest. I looked at Mami, wishing that it was a bad dream and I would just wake up to see her in the house waiting. Calling me sleepy head when I slept too long. I breathed in, remembering what Mami tells me when I'm upset, but I just started to breathe harder instead.
Another cry escaped my mouth as I looked at her. She still looked the same but she was making noises and moving just like the other monsters do. Her clothes were dirtier but she still looked the same. How did she become a monster? Mami said you had to be bit but she doesn't look like she was bitten. I didn't see any blood on her.. Blood means that you are hurt or someone else was hurt bad, but nothing but the limping is different.
A croaking gasp sounded nearby behind me and I quickly looked to see another monster not far behind me, its guts hanging out from its belly. Sniffling, I ran off trying to avoid all the monsters, clutching Terry tightly in my hand.