1. Trust No One
It doesn't matter who they are: The government, your family, or even your pet because it can be anyone.
2. Stay away from the Sea
Don't go near the Ocean; That's where the worst horrors hide.
3. Don't go in the Forest
They like to hide in the woods.
4. Beware of the their eyes
An animal with human eyes means death, a person with an animal's eyes means death, checking eyes too long means death.
5. Ignore the noise
If you thought you heard something you didn't. They're trying to lure you out.
These were the new rules of society. If you wanted to see tomorrow you'd have to make sure to follow these rules.
It wasn't always like this though. Just a week ago I was a regular person. A regular person who lived a regular life. I had 2 parents and a couple siblings. We lived in America.
I still remember watching the news. It started with Greece, but it didn't seem real. More like an April fools prank. So we ignored it. That was our first mistake.
Our second mistake was not being grateful. I remember living in comfort: a warm bed, hot food, clean water, and most of all... my family.
We took those things for granted and so they were taken.
I still remember waking up that morning. I got up from bed, brushed my teeth, and locked eyes with the man in the mirror. Short black hair, dark brown eyes, and a small scar above my eye brow. I looked the same as any other day.
Well except for one thing. My eyes. They didn't look right. They seemed more wild. They weren't mine. I knew how my eyes looked and that just wasn't it. They were slitted.
It was the stare of a beast. Why were my eyes different. I was still groggy from waking up, but the realization woke me up.
Those weren't my eyes.
The man in the mirror looked like me, but it wasn't. I was confused, afraid, but I knew I couldn't stay still. I ran. I got to my parents, but he got there first.
I saw myself standing over my parents bed. Small 14 115 lbs me. I was beating up my father. My 185 lbs father. The man who raised me. The man who lifted 3 bundles of 70 lbs shingles up and down a ladder onto a roof every day.
I wrestled my father before. Sometimes he let me get some small wins, but this wasn't one of those times.
I had beaten my father to a bloody pulp and started biting him. My mother in much the same condition spotted me. I still remember seeing her body go limp just before mouthing "Run."
And so I did. I ran outside. The image of me, no it wasn't me it was some creature that looked like me, killing and eating my parents.
I called the cops and the ambulance, but the damage was done. My parents went to the hospital. Both were in a coma.
My little brother had just woken up. The cops were already talking with him.
Eventually, the cops came to question me. But before I could speak "You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in court." They said
"What?! I didn't do anything. It wasn't me,"
"Kid, we caught you eating your parents. You sick freak."
"That wasn't me. No, it was a man from the mirror! He had slitted eyes and he just transformed to look like me,"
"Like I said you have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in court."
And that's how at 14 I got a one way ticket to prison. Because of 'my' crimes I was going to be tried as an adult.
I was held for questioning.
I thought since no one would ever believe the truth I should just plead insanity. To be honest I was scared. Terrified, maybe I really did do it. Maybe I had gone crazy and almost killed my parents. What if that really was me and I just hallucinated seeing myself because I'm just that crazy.
"Hello, child." breaking me out of my stupor was an officer. They were finally here to ask me questions, but they weren't different. They didn't look like an officer. Even in my panicked state I could see that something was off.
The man before me had long black hair that reached past his shoulders, brown human eyes, and dressed like he was from Men in Black.
What caught my attention most though was his necklace. It looked like a key ring with a bunch of different feather and teeth. While I pondered about his fashion choices he spoke.
"You are Taiga Kwon, 14, male, yes?"
"Uh yeah that's me,"
"You said you saw yourself kill your parents?"
"Y-yeah well no, but listen I know this sounds crazy, but,"
"A man with animal eyes who looked exactly like you attacked your parents not you."
"Yes, wait you believe me? Wait hold on how did you know?"
"Skin walkers."
"What?"
The man simply repeated "Skin Walkers" as if he had explained everything.
"Please, I need your help. I feel like I'm going crazy. It wasn't me and I don't know what a Skin Walker is,"
With a calm and assertive voice the man replied back "I've already said more than I should, but child you must never make eye contact with one. If you ever see someone or something with strange eyes you need to run."
"Wait why? Because it'll turn to me?"
The man stood up to leave.
"Wait no, please I still don't understand. You have to help me!"
The man turned around put his hand on the table and said "I am needed else where. I have helped you all I can. The rest is up to you and your spirit animal."
"Wait what. No you can't leave man. You're the only who actually believes me. I don't understand! What's a spirit animal! At least tell me about my little brother."
He said not another word and left.
"Hey! Get back here!...please."
I haven't seen him since. Never even caught his name, but turns out he did help me.
After he left I waited another 30 minutes in a boring gray room. Sitting at that table. The light above me flicked and I could feel myself being watched through the glass. He did leave me something though or maybe he forgot it?
It was his necklace. I hadn't even noticed he took it off. Somehow it felt alive. Like it was yearning to be owned by me. Is this what a kleptomaniac feels like?
Well, now that I have no one to look after me, but me I might as well take it. What are they gonna do, throw me in prison?
Yeah, that's exactly what they did. They put me in an orange jump suit, took my mugshot, and that's where I waited for my trial.
They took away the little things I had well except for the necklace. Somehow even after taking it away it managed to be with me. Like it had a mind of its own. It just appeared on me.
As I sat in my cell suddenly I heard a faint voice.
"I must have really gone crazy, huh?"
"God, if you're out there please throw me a bone. You know that wasn't me."
Suddenly, a bright light shined. It wasn't from a guard with a flash light it was the necklace.
Once the light shimmered down there it was.
My spirit animal.