Beads of cold sweat trickled down Catalina's brow. But unlike before, this was not from the sweltering heat threatening to choke her. Nor was it from an oppressive sun beating down on her. No, this was from pure, unadulterated fear.

She struggled to breathe as her lungs took in deep gulps of air, feeling as if she had been the one running instead of Cortez. From the side of her, she could hear the Viper's labored breaths just as she was sure he could hear hers. In truth, he could probably hear her heart from how hard it was beating against her chest.

Since their abrupt flight from the abandoned house, neither one of them had uttered a syllable. Their desperate pants and wheezes had said everything that no amount of words could.

When they had reached the ghost town, the night seemed to have only grown darker. If she had thought it was creepy during the day, then it was absolutely sinister when night had fallen. As they rode through the deserted road, she kept expecting those glowing red eyes to appear in each blackened window they passed before a dark shape lunged at them. Or for some obscure creature with an arched back to come darting around the corner- its yellow teeth bared and dripping with drool.

But nothing ever leaped out at them, not even a tumbleweed.

"Is- Are they still following us?" Catalina finally broke the silence between them as their horses came to a steady trot.

"No," the Viper rasped, keeping his gaze straight ahead.

Biting her lip, she slowly turned her head over her shoulder and looked. Nothing but the distant town was behind them, standing like a black skeleton in the night.

They didn't say anything more after that.

As they continued their journey in silence, the gentle swaying from Cortez's gallop started to lull Catalina to sleep. Combined with the stillness of the night, it wasn't long before the girl found herself sinking into the slumber she had previously sought after. Hoping that when she opened her eyes once again the sun would be out, she let herself doze off into a dreamless sleep.

How long she must have been out for, she did not know. Only that when the Viper's husky voice startled her awake, stars still twinkled in the inky sky.

"Are we close?" He asked.

Catalina wiped her bleary eyes. "I think so..." Her gaze fixed on a dark silhouette in the distance. A massive wave of relief washed over her like a rainstorm during a long drought as she recognized the outline of the ranch. "Up ahead!" She cried, pulling at Cortez's mane.

The two horses shot through the dark and over the dirt trail winding up to the ranch. Catalina knew Cortez was exhausted and hungry after having ridden all night without any stops. But the promise of home- of safety- was just too much to ignore. She couldn't afford to stop, not now. Not when they were so close. "C'mon, Cortez," she whispered into his ear. "We're almost there!"

Gripping his mane even tighter, Catalina pushed her horse to the brink of collapse. Much like how his rider was breathing, Cortez huffed as his hooves skidded across the dirt to an abrupt stop. Jumping off of his back, Catalina scurried through the sand, yelling and screaming for her parents.

"Mamá! Papá!" She flung the door open and ran inside, only to be greeted by an even thicker darkness on the other side. It was the last thing Catalina wanted to be engulfed in. With shaking fingers, she pulled the box of matches out of her pocket. After seconds of struggling to light a single match, she held it close beside her as if the tiny flame could protect her from the shadows that lurked in the dark.

"Catalina?" Her mother appeared around the corner, cradling baby Ernesto. "You're back?"

"Yes!" The flame flickered as Catalina raised it to her face. "Where's Papá?!"

"He's asleep," Dolores said with a yawn. "Why? What is it?"

"Wake him up! Now!" The sound of the door swinging open made Catalina jolt around, expecting to see those red eyes glaring at her through the darkness. But there was no way they could have followed them here. They surely would have seen their crimson eyes glowing in the dark or heard their vicious snarls behind them. So as Catalina stared into the dark, she was not greeted by the red eyes of a monstrous creature, but by the worried blue ones that belonged to the Viper.

"I don't understand." Dolores squinted her eyes at the man, who was beginning to push the table towards the door. "What is he doing?"

"Mamá!" Catalina gripped onto her mother's shoulder, giving it a firm squeeze. "Listen to me! We don't have time! Just wake up Papá!"

Dolores gave a quick nod, glancing at the Viper before turning on her heel. However, she did not make it far before Tomás emerged from around the corner.

"Dolores?" He blinked at the chaotic scene in front of him. The kitchen was in complete disarray. Chairs were being dragged against the floorboards and towards the back door, which currently had a table pushed up against it. All the while, his wife stood planted on the floor with an equal look of confusion. "Catalina? What are you doing?"

The girl turned at the sound of her name, nearly losing her flame from the rapid motion. "Papá?" Tears welled up in her eyes as she gazed upon his face. "Oh, Papa! I'm sorry! I thought I could this by myself!"

"Catalina, what are you talking about?" Tomás's gaze shifted from his daughter to the man peering out the window.

"We-We found the animal..." She gulped. "But I wish we hadn't-"

The sound of something long and sharp clawing at the door made Catalina pause. Whipping her head around, she slowly lifted the match and watched in horror as the door jerked forward with each grating scratch. The only thing keeping whatever was outside at bay was the oblong table against the door.

"No... it can't be," Catalina wheezed. "They couldn't have followed us here."

"What is going on..." Dolores trailed off as the sound grew even more frantic. With each earsplitting scrape against the wood, Catalina was sure the door was going to splinter apart. But just as suddenly as it started, it stopped.

"Stay here." Tomás disappeared into the hall before returning with a rifle in hand.

"Tomás!" Dolores rushed to her husband, but he only brushed her aside and continued for the door.

"Papá, no!" Catalina moved in front of him, blocking his path. "Whatever's outside... isn't from this world."

"Move, Catalina," he barked, narrowing his eyes at her.

"Papa-"

"I said, move!" He stormed past her, unintentionally blowing out the flame between her fingers. She was once again engulfed in total darkness.

"No, señor." The Viper wrapped his fingers around the barrel of the rifle, holding Tomás in place. "Por favor."

Tomás did not answer as he yanked the gun out of the Viper's hand and pushed past him, nearly knocking him into the wall. With a quick shove, the table was pushed aside and Tomás was allowed out into the night. For a moment, Catalina was no longer surrounded by darkness. The faintest glimmer of light shone through, letting her see her father as he walked out through the door.

The door slammed shut and then nothing could be seen. The darkness had returned.

"Mamá?" Isabella asked from somewhere in the darkness. "What's happening?"

"Shh, Isabella. Go back to bed," Dolores whispered.

"Where is Papá?" The younger Tomás spoke up.

As if to answer his question, three gunshots rang out in the distance. Striking another match, Catalina's gasping breath fanned the flame as she waited for something to break the deafening silence.

But what followed were not the gunshots she expected. A loud, bloodcurdling scream echoed through the air before all was silent once more.

"Oh my God!" Dolores shrieked, nearly dropping the infant in her arms.

"Papa!" Catalina cried out as she rushed for the door. But before she could reach it, a strong grip seized her shoulder and held her back.

"Stay behind me." The Viper pushed her behind him before drawing his pistol out.

"Mamá," Isabella whimpered.

"Be quiet!" Catalina's voice trembled. Whether that was from fear or grief, she did not know.

As everyone kept their eyes trained on the door, Catalina's hand moved to the blade attached to her hip. Yes, the Viper's gun might be quicker compared to her machete. But it was only as useful as the limited bullets it held.

She could feel her heart pulsating with each second that passed. The handle in her fist was already slick with sweat while the match in the other wavered in danger of going out. Shadows danced on the walls, creating monsters that weren't really there. But for Catalina, they were there, ready to attack.

Shifting her gaze from the door, Catalina watched the shadows bob up and down as if they were running. So entranced by them, it took the window to splinter with a thunderous crash to break her daze. A cool breeze swept through the room, extinguishing her flame and the shadows along with it. Now left in total darkness, Catalina could only listen to her mother's screams as something tore into her flesh.

"Isabella!" Catalina groped for her sister, trying to ignore the wet, slurping sounds coming from the side. "Tomás!"

"Catalina!" She immediately recognized the high-pitched voice that belonged to Isabella.

"Where's Tomás?!" She choked out over the barrage firing beside them- the burning smoke filling her nostrils before making its way into her lungs. It might have been tolerable if not for the bittersweet scent of blood clinging in the air.

"I have him!" Catalina felt her sister's smaller hand grab onto her own. She laced her fingers around Isabella's, almost to the point of crushing them.

"Viper!" Catalina spun around, trying to find the man in this sea of blackness. "Where are you?"

"GO!" He fired another shot as the door came crashing down behind them. "I can handle this!"

A pang ripped through her heart like an arrow at his words. But she couldn't think about them now. She had to leave.

With a rough jerk forward, Catalina led her sister and brother through the cloud of smoke and into a deeper pit of darkness. From behind, the gunshots continued, wildly and at random. It took every ounce of willpower not to turn back.

Throwing the front door open, Catalina couldn't help but sigh with relief when she saw the empty yard in front of her. But the feeling didn't last long. She knew she had to keep moving. "Come on." She pulled at Isabella's hand before moving into the yard.

"I'm tired!" Tomás whined as they started back up into a run.

"I know. I am too." Catalina glanced over her shoulder at him. "But we can't stop. We'll die if we do." She had just turned back around when she felt a sharp tug from behind, breaking her grasp on Isabella. Catalina flew forward before tumbling into the dirt, landing painfully on her foot as she did so.

"Let go! Let go!" Isabella shouted, trying to wrench her hand free from a screaming Tomás. Sand was tossed everywhere as he flailed underneath the two creatures that had him pinned down with their paws.

"Tomás!" Catalina sprung up, grabbing her fallen machete off the ground. "Hold on!" She started limping towards her brother and sister.

Tomás's screams had turned into strangled gasps as one of them sunk its teeth into his throat. Trickles of blood ran down his neck and onto the pallid sand beneath, staining it a dark red. In a matter of seconds, his thrashes had turned into a series of short spasms.

"NO!" Catalina sliced her blade through the air, trying to ward off the creatures as she struggled over to them. "GET AWAY FROM HIM!"

"Catalina!" Isabella cried as the second starving beast tackled her to the ground.

"ISABELLA!" Catalina staggered as fast as her leg would allow her. Although it was probably only seconds, it felt like hours before she finally reached them. Swinging her machete down, Catalina cut into the animal on top of her sister. It gave a painful whimper, almost like a dog's.

But Catalina knew this was no dog as much as it might have resembled one.

This was a monster.

She hacked and hacked into its black, leathery skin, each slice cutting deeper and deeper into the skull. It wasn't until she could see its pink brains did she stop.

Turning her attention to the other one still feeding on her brother, Catalina cut into the nape of its neck until only fibers of muscle held the head attached.

"C-Cata...lina..." Isabella wheezed, clutching her bleeding neck.

Catalina quickly shed herself of the machete, tossing it to the side. She dropped to her knees before grabbing a hold of her sister's trembling hand. "Shhh, you'll be okay." She caressed Isabella's dark hair with her bloodied fingers. "It's over. I killed them."

Isabella gave another wheeze. "I-I-"

"What is it?" Catalina leaned in closer, blinking away the tears from her eyes.

The hold on Catalina's hand suddenly loosened as Isabella's arm fell limply to the dirt beside her.

"Isabella?" Catalina whispered, nudging her. "Isabella?" She repeated, unable to hide the crack in her voice.

Her eyes stared up into Catalina's, but they were not seeing. Her lips were parted, but they were not speaking.

A piercing moan escaped from her mouth, tearing through her throat. Burying her head into her sister's body, she breathed in the faint scent of soap mixed with the overwhelming one of blood. With each agonizing sob that racked over her body, her body shook like a brittle leaf in the dead of winter. She wasn't sure how long she had remained there, only that when she finally stopped blood no longer crusted her cheeks, and Isabella's nightgown became damp from her tears.

If it hadn't been for the muffled snarl behind her, she probably would have still had her face pressed against Isabella's chest.

Catalina didn't need to turn around to know what was behind her, but she did anyway. If she was going to meet Death tonight, she was going to look him in the eye.

It was then, as she lifted her head to look at the countless pairs of red eyes all around her, did she realize the gunfire had stopped minutes ago.