“Oh my God!” Amilia gasp and clutch her chest as she takes in everything she was seeing. She had found the children. She didn’t know if it was a good thing or not. The good thing is that she had found them, the bad thing is their current state. They were not hurdled on the side like the ones she saw in her hometown, no. The children in front of her are doing different things. They were cluttered all around the place. Boys and girls, running around and chasing each other. Some were at the side of the room just minding their own business. It may look pretty normal but it makes Amilia nauseous. The children who were running around and chasing each other were shouting curses and saying bad things about the other. And the ones at the corner were doing something a child should not do. They are engaging in intercourse like they were being forced to do it. “Purest soul.” Amilia blurted out. “It was what appeal to them before they die. And their soul was stuck in here doing the last thing t

“Are you truly, I mean, truly sure about this?” Lizzie asked Amilia. They were at the school library, crouched in the darkest corner of the room. The place was quiet and void of people. Ever since the previous librarian died rumors had been going around about her death. Some speculated that it was a heart attack. Some say it was one of the students and some say that there was someone who sneak inside the campus and raped her. But Amilia knew well what had happened then. But she brushed it aside, again. Not wanting to relish the memory. “Can we find some Stray here?” Amilia nod. She wanted to test her theory again. Stray would follow on the Shades movement. Anywhere the Shade can get a soul there was always a Stray following its movement. If Amilia and Lizzie were lucky enough they will encounter some Stray here at the library. Half an hour passed but they have not seen even smoke from Stray. No one enters the library either. “Amilia.” Lizzie was now leaning at the wall beside her

“Amilia.” Amilia turns to look at the Fallen. He had a serious look on his face. “What?” She asks. The Fallen look around the place. Eyeing everyone as they busied themselves with their task. Senna was drawing something at the side. “I need to talk to you. Privately.” He stressed the last word. Amilia look around too for a moment before she got up from the couch. She went to her bedroom and she wait until the Fallen had entered before closing the door. She faces him, her arms crossed on her chest. “What is it that it’s making you this secretive?” The Fallen look at her. His gaze was straight into his eyes. She was once again being sucked in with those gray orbs. His serious face was still there that only heightened his unearthly features. He was just staring at her, unmoving. It makes Amilia uncomfortable. “Hey, speak up. What’s wrong with you?” Amilia was looking everywhere but him. She was starting to squirm. “I was being called.” At first, she didn’t understand what he was sa

“No. It’s this way.” “I told you, it’s this way!” Lizzie and Zephyr had been arguing since an hour ago about the place and the direction they need to go. Without the Fallen, they need to continue looking for some lost souls of the children on their own. They had already noticed the missing presence of the Fallen but they did not ask Amilia. They thought that maybe this had something to do with their private talk and wanted them to have that privacy. So now, she and Zephyr would just constantly be at each other’s throats. Small things, like where should they go first and what would their actions be. Amilia can see their effort and was grateful for it but having to constantly hear their bickering was unnerving. “Guys! Can we at least decide on things together? At this point, we wouldn’t be able to finish something.” Amilia said, stopping Lizzie and Zephyr’s midsentence. “I agree.” Senna seconded. Senna had been with them since that night. They did not tell anything to the girl, it

The Shade’s eye looks menacing. But Amilia was not going to back off. She’s going to push this through. The Shade once again advances to her and Amilia readies her stance and her weapon. The Shade aims for her neck but she easily dodges it. But she was not expecting the other claw of the Shade and she got part of her cheeks scratched with its pointed nails. Blood dripped from it but she was not bothered by it. She had a more pressing matter to attend to. “Just go away!” Amilia shout. It was futile. She just needs to release the adrenaline she felt. The Shade was not stopping either. It was determined to get its prey. He opens his mouth and tried to catch Amilia. She swings her metal rod and it slaps the Shade in the face producing a cracking sound that sends chills on Amilia’s spine. That angered the Shade more. It was now in a berserk mode. Blindly, it reaches its boney claw to Amilia, and then when Amilia dodges it will snap its mouth in her direction. It was getting harder for Am