Erin is running, faster now than they had been before. Now they're more focused on getting away from their property, getting away from those... creatures, that attacked their dad. They're running away from their fears, running from the man who raised them. The man who helped bring them into this world. The memory of what just happened is now replaying in their mind.

"Do you need any help, Dad?" They asked, rolling up their sleeves.

"No I'm good, the grubs almost ready, but could you set the table?" Spencer smiled at them and started to cut the steak he had prepared. Erin stole a piece from the cutting board and popped it in their mouth before grabbing two plates and some silverware. As they headed to the table, they heard a knock on the door.

"Dad."

"I got it." He called back from the kitchen. They watched as he wiped his hands off and headed to the front door. Being the paranoid man he is, he never let Erin open the door.

Erin watched as their father twisted the nob, and slowly opened the door. But then, before they knew it, he was being pushed to the ground, and these two... things, were coming inside. They were strange, giant, snake-like creatures, but they had giant horn-antler things on their heads. One of them had blood on its antlers, and it didn't take long for Erin to realize it belonged to their father. They stood up and grabbed the survival knife that is kept in the kitchen drawer. Pointing it at the creatures, they slowly started to back up, heading to the screen door. As they did so, one of the two creatures started to follow, and the one with the bloodied horn stayed back.

Erin was terrified and confused. They had no idea what was going on, they looked at their dad, to see him trying to stand up. They noticed blood starting to appear on his shirt, and were scared. They didn't know what to do. All they knew was that they had to live, but if they ran now, they'd be followed.

Their dad noticed this, so he yelled. The words he said were impossible to make out, but they caught the attention of the creatures. "You damn Cerastes! You impossible creatures! Pay attention to me!" He continued to yell, distracting the Cerastes from their original target. He looked at his child and mouthed "I love you" before the serpent-like creatures wrapped themselves around him slowly, about to suffocate him and make him into a shish kabob.

Erin closed their eyes, taking in a sharp breath, before turning around and running out of the house.

And this is where they were now, still running. But, were those creatures, the Cerastes, still behind them? Taking the risk, they slowed down a bit and checked over their shoulder.

Nothing.

They were safe, well, safer than they were before.

Erin slowed to a stop, hands on their knees. They could feel their lungs banging against their chest, and they could taste the lack of moisture in their mouth. Licking their lips with their dry tongue, they look around to see where they were.

The forest.

It didn't take long for Erin to realize, they had no idea where in the forest they were. "Shit." They muttered under their breath. First, they watch their dad get murdered bye snake-alopes, second, they are fleeing from their house into the woods with nothing but a survival knife and the clothes on their back, and now they are lost. This has been a terrific week.

Erin looked down at their hand, examining the knife. The steel blade that lay across the leather shieth was shining as the rays of the sun through the trees hit it. They remember the day their father bought the knife. It was Erin's twelfth birthday.

"Erin, Chickadee, come look at these sweet blades," Spencer called over his child with great enthusiasm.

Erin shuffled over, their swamp green eyes still scanning the Fish and Game Hunters Warehouse Store. "Dad, do we need a survival knife? We have all the stuff it contains at home."

Spencer chuckled, "We might have everything we need, but what if there's an emergency, and we can only grab the knife? And besides, it's for your birthday. Don't you think its an awesome gift?" After seeing their dad's excitement, Erin had laughed along and agreed to let their father buy them the knife.

Erin came back into reality as they felt something wet hit the palm of their hand. Realizing they were crying, they wiped the tears streaming down their face and practically fell to the ground. "Don't cry, don't cry, Dad wouldn't want you to cry Erin, come on. Be strong..." Erin whispered to themselves. They sat there for about a half an hour crying.

Sitting up, Erin looked at their hand again and started to fiddle with the survival knife. They placed the knife aside and started to explore its contents. They saw some fishing line, two hooks, a six-foot piece of white yarn, a file, some flint and steel, and a compass. They eyed the compass, fitting it in the palm of their hand before placing everything else in their assigned spots within the case.

Erin stood quickly and strapped the knife to their waist by their belt. Running a hand through their short, blond hair, they whispered, "If you're ever lost in the forest, head north-west to reach the town..." Trusting their father's words, they pointed the compass North West and started walking.

They walked for about an hour before they found the clearing of the trees, they had finally made it. But instead of stopping, Erin broke into a run. They ran until they saw the Sheriffs Department. Erin Holmes needed to tell somebody that their father just died.

They bit the inside of their cheek and entered the building. The minute they stepped over the door frame, they felt a blast of cold air. Erin scanned the area, spotting a few people sitting down in fake, black leather seats, waiting to be called up to straighten their problem.

The agendered teen felt a chill run up their back at the thought of the strangers staring. Erin imagined them scoffing at their sleeveless flannel, short haircut, and the weapon at their side.

Walking faster, they finally made it to the front desk to be met by a bored looking woman typing away at her computer. She looked about mid-thirties, with long brown hair pulled into a bun atop her head. She was wearing a light pink blouse and was adorned in gold dipped jewelry. Staring at this woman, Erin went stiff. So many thoughts running through their mind. How will I get her attention? How will I explain what happened? How am I sure she won't think I was responsible and I murdered my dad. What If I go to jail. What if I take to long explaining and other people hear what I'm talking about. How do I say this in public, I can barely even sta-

"Excuse me, sir? Is there something I can do for you?" Erin heard the woman's smooth voice and froze. They had wide eyes and they stared at the desktop. They didn't know what to say. "Sir? Sir are you ok?" Ok? Am I ok? I just ran here after watching my father get murdered by imaginary creatures, do you think I'm ok!?

As these things passed through their mind, Erin's breath started to increase in pace. Their throat started to tighten and the air was having trouble getting through. They started to breath ragged breaths, like as if they had just run a marathon. Erin's arms were pulled closely around themselves.

The Receptionist had by now ran around her desk and was kneeling beside Erin, trying to help them. She placed a hand on their shoulder, causing them to jump and scoot away. Erin tried to calm down, but every time they tried, they had the memory of their father being squeezed to death. They remembered that their father was dead. The one person who could calm them down, and makes them feel safe was gone forever.

Erin was now shaking so much, that their legs gave out, and they were laying on the floor. The receptionist had called for help by this point, never having dealt with this. Erin was wheezing and crying, thinking about only their father. "D-dead...." They managed to get out, not realizing they were even talking.

Another person, a cop, had come by at this point to help and heard what the teenager had said. "Dead? Come on boy, who's dead!?" The cop got down on his knees to hear better.

"Dad.... he was-" Erin's voice cracked, their throat even drier now than before.

"Was he killed?" The cop asked, now more intrigued than before. Erin nodded in response, before breaking down again. They felt the chills from before as the cop picked them up, asking another police officer for help. They carried Erin into another room, so they could ask them more questions, and hopefully, calm them down.

After Erin calmed down enough to open their eyes, they noticed they were in one of those interrogation rooms that you see on tv. They felt extremely uncomfortable sitting in the well-lit room with the one-way glass in front of them, behind the table they were at. Somehow, Erin managed to stay calm and sit quietly.

After waiting a few minutes, the door opened, it was a female detective. She closed the door behind her, it locks automatically. "Hello, my name is Kacy, would you mind telling me your name?" She asked, a clipboard in hand.

Erin eyed the clipboard before speaking. "... Erin."

"Ah, Erin, alright then," Kacy started to write that on the clipboard, "Is that spelled, Aaron?" Erin shook their head, spelled it out for her, and looked at their hands under the table. Kacy asked a few more questions regarding the last name, age, birth date, and gender, before exiting again, saying she was getting the correct forms.

Erin was once again sitting in the room alone. They stared at the one-sided panel of glass, they started to wonder if there was anybody on the other side. Then they wondered if they were just cops, or what, and if they wear, then why did they need to watch a 16-year-old agender teen, who had just had a panic attack in their waiting room. As Erin sat there, thinking of impossible things, their foot started to tap against the cold concrete ground. Then their fingers started to tap away on their right arm, which was crossed with their left. The room was now filled with the sound of tapping.

Then the door opened, causing Erin to jump. Their head whipped up to the noise so fast, that they got a headache, and as if on instinct, Erin was already standing in a fighting position. The chair they occupied was now on the floor, and the woman who entered was frozen in place.

After Erin noticed it was just Kacy, they straightened up before sitting back down, muttering an apology. Kacy just nodded, closing the door again and sitting in front of the teen.

"So, Erin Holmes," she cleared her throat, " Why did you come here today? What is it you were going to say before you had that panic attack?" Kacy looked up from her paperwork to look at Erin. Holmes sat there, their hand scratching their right arm without noticing. "Erin, did you hear me? Can you tell me why-"

"My dad was killed."