The monster had been part of my life as long as I could remember. Some of my earliest memories were of the thing's ghastly form, hovering above my hunched over mother, feeding off of the pain it caused. It would push me away whenever I tried to help her. Once I turned seven, it began causing me pain too. It would stand over me, it’s foul breath, a thick mist washing over my body as I failed to fall asleep. My mother and I would live a life of tearful nights and days, the thing keeping us afraid and locked away. We would hide under blankets, praying that it would just pass us by. 

One night, after the thing had eaten its fill, Mother and I promised that we would end this. We packed our bags quietly while the beast slept on the couch. As we moved towards the door, where the car keys were normally hung, Mother realized they had been taken. They now rested under the beast's disgusting talons. She reached slowly, carefully, towards its claws but she accidentally nudged one as the keys left their captor. Its bloodshot eyes flew open and my mother snatched my hand, dragging me as we ran out the door. I was down the porch steps when I saw my mother trip. The monster lunged forward and grabbed her by her hair and dragged her back into the house. I’ll never forget how scared I was when she screamed at me.

“Run! Don’t stop until you’re safe!”

Nothing could stop the sound of my feet pounding on the ground, and my heart thumped so fast and hard I thought it was going to burst out of my chest. But I still kept going. We had tried escaping before but it always found us. It always caught the scent of our pain and fear. I found myself in the woods, hearing its heavy footsteps catching up. I dove behind a bush and prayed it would pass me. The footsteps slowed right by my hiding spot and my breath caught. I picked up a stick and hurled it in the direction opposite me. The thing took off and I ran the other way. I found a tall tree and I began climbing higher and higher. My nails dug into the tree and broke, my fingers now bloody and torn. But I still kept climbing. I couldn’t let it win. I found a sturdy branch and rested there, holding in my tears. I thought about how it always managed to sniff out our pain as I swallowed my tears. I’m not sure how long I was there before it found me. It began climbing up, getting closer and closer. I clung to the tree, ready to give in and let it have me, when I saw lights of red and blue flashing in the trees. The thing dropped from the tree and tried to escape, but the police grabbed it and held on tight. They forced handcuffs around its wrists and shoved it into one of their cars.

I heard it roar from inside “No! You can’t arrest me! That’s my family! That’s my family! They need me!”

We were finally free.