The Ghoul was slowing.
It’s a trap, a voice screamed inside Vi’s head, the God of Caution or her own fear, maybe—she couldn’t be sure.
They’d reached a steep hill covered in trees, with a thick carpet of dead leaves and moss beneath them, and the Ghoul kept slipping, stumbling, scrambling up again.
Vi and Iris were closing in.
“Stop!” Vi yelled. “I command you, creature of the night! Leave our realm! Go back to your world! You are not welcome here!”
It was stupid, really, trying to cast the spell without the protective circle of salt, without weapons or any banishing herbs. And she wasn’t even sure she remembered all the right words.
The creature ran a few steps up the steep incline, then slipped, fell down on its knees.
“Shit!” it yelped in a high-pitched female voice.
“I am a hunter of monsters,” Vi began. “I have knowledge and weapons that could end your life, and I command you—”
“Would you stop already? I think I twisted my damn ankle!” the Ghoul yelled, still down on the ground. “How the hell am I supposed to get out of here now?”
Vi moved closer, Iris right behind her.
Even in the shadows of the woods, Vi could make out the Ghoul on the hill. And it didn’t look so Ghoul-like now. It looked like a person in a too-big hooded sweatshirt and a white ski mask. The Ghoul pulled back the hood and peeled off the mask, revealing a young woman with long blond hair.
An imposter. A fake.
Vi was relieved and disappointed all at the same time.
“Crap,” the woman said, cradling her ankle inside the big boot. “I really wrenched it. I don’t think it’s broken, but I doubt I can walk on it.”
“What… who are you?” Vi demanded, walking right up to her.
The woman looked at her, then at Iris, then back at Vi. “My name is Julia Tetreault.”
“Prove it,” Iris said.
“Huh?” Julia said. “You’re kidding, right? You want ID or something? I left my purse back in my car.”
Iris leaned close to Vi. “They can look human, right?” she whispered. “A clever monster knows how to disguise itself. To blend in.”
Vi nodded.
“Isn’t there a test or something?” Iris asked.
Vi thought. She moved closer to Julia. Touched her shoulder, then gave it a pinch.
“Ow!” Julia shouted. “What the hell?”
“Maybe we should stick her with a pin or something,” Iris said. “See if she bleeds.”
“No way! No one is sticking me with anything,” Julia barked.
The rain was picking up, had turned from scattered showers into a full-on downpour. It pattered down on the leaves of the trees and was quickly soaking their clothes.
“Great,” Julia said, looking up at the sky. “Perfect time for a monsoon.”
“What are you really?” Vi asked. “I command you to answer.”
“You’re really stuck on this commanding thing, huh? Like I said, my name is Julia.”
“And you expect us to believe you’re a human?” Iris asked.
Julia laughed. “What else would I be? An alien from outer space?”
“You’ve been spying on us,” Vi said. “For days now, right?”
“Shit. The little boy saw me. I knew it. And now you two. Are you going to tell?”