Last night, under the abnormally covered moon, two lives were taken away. No cuts, no blood–only large bruises covering every part of their bodies. They lay there, frozen on the streets with their eyes wide open. 

The news spread through the town like wildfire, haunting every single soul once again. There was no one left to save this vulnerable town. The police knew right away: yesterday, it came out again to suck out souls of the innocent for the first time in many years. 

What could be worse? First, my mother died last week, and now this? Fury and frustration rushed into me as the heart-wrenching cry penetrated through my windows and pierced my ears like a blade. This monster truly brings me no luck. The last time it came was the day my college acceptance letters arrived. Rejected. The bright, bold red words appeared on my screen again and again. I couldn’t go to college. I was so naive, thinking that being the only one in town with insane strength could make me uniquely appealing to universities. I would say I almost died if it weren’t for the support of my mom and my aunt, who were the only ones there for me. Now, mom is gone. Oh goodness, it’s hitting me again. 

People knew it would come again. They also knew that if no one goes outside, no one gets hurt. The monster’s mysteriousness is one of what makes it so daunting. No one knows what it looks like or when it will strike. 

On the morning of the second day, I woke up to shouting again. My head was drained. I felt like a soulless corpse, struggling to stand as I climbed up to the window. 

“One more death today,” I heard a policeman say as the blasting sound of the ambulance, like an organ playing out of control, faded behind him. “Ugh… peace, forever destroyed,” I told myself. 

Wearily, I dragged myself out of my bed and walked to the living room. 

“Aunt Suzy,” I called with my eyes still half closed. But there was no answer, which was completely unusual for someone with such a strict routine like her. My eyes scanned the little space and went into the kitchen. No sign of her. It was then that I actually started to worry. 

Ding Dong! The bell rang, and I hastily rushed to the door, expecting my aunt to stand there smiling and holding groceries. But as I opened the door, what welcomed me was the downcast face of a policeman. 

“I’m sorry to tell you, Ms. Liang, but your aunt was attacked last night.” He spoke in a solemn tone with his parched lips. I couldn’t believe what I heard. “Could you please say that again, officer?” It wasn’t until the third time he said it that the message sunk in. I instantly fell to the ground with my eyes gazed blankly at the well-painted white wall. It took the last person on earth who loved me away. 

That night, I picked up my puffer jacket for the first time in days and stepped outside the door into the freezing cold. All the fear that was once in me had vanished at this moment; my eyes were  balls of fire filled with fury, hatred, and revenge. I was sure that I was going to find it and destroy it, whatever it was. I was determined to end the misery it has caused to so many people. 

I walked down the street with my head up and eyes wide open.

“Stop being a coward and get out, you monster!”, I shouted to the shaking air as minuscule water droplets diffused out of my mouth like fairies that gleamed under the streetlights. My voice echoed through the vacant road and swarmed back into my ears. 

Suddenly, my vision blurred as the world around me began to glow and shrink. I could vaguely see my arms elongating and hear my bones cracking. Some strange force took over me, and I was uncontrollably lured by the scent of happy, calm souls. 

It was then that I realized that I was the monster all along. 

“You’re miserable, and it’s unfair that they’re not. You must make their lives miserable, too!” A voice rings in my head, shaking my thoughts violently like a tempest. 

“No, I can’t do that.” My consciousness shouts back at it. “Just because I’m miserable doesn't mean I have the right to ruin the lives of others, too.” 

“Kill them all! Take away their happiness!” The hostile voice bites into my brain with its sharp jaws. 

I squatted down and used my hands to feel the ground. Suddenly I touched something that stung my hands. A massive icicle. I grabbed onto it as it stuck to my fingers, peeling off every bit of my sense of touch. Resisting the intense freeze, I ripped it off from the valence panel of the car and pierced my stomach with all my strength. An excruciating pain struck me, as though it was sawing through my heart. I saw black fluid oozing out, and my world became white. Bang! I toppled to the ground. 

The next time I woke up, I was in my bed. My aunt came in and placed a cup of hot tea beside me. 

“Hi darling, you’re awake! Why did you head out last night? This morning I found you lying on the street asleep.” 

I couldn’t believe my eyes as tears started to blur them once again. My hands trembled as they reached out and gently placed them on my aunt’s cheeks. She’s here. 

When I went outside, the sun was shining brightly on the radiant streets. Everyone had a radiant smile on their faces. Those who were previously declared as dead were joyfully strolling on the streets, like nothing ever happened.  Since then, the story of the monster who stole souls was never heard again.