Jessica immediately dived under the nearest wooden table she could find, the shrill sound of a gun going off—ricocheting miles and miles away. A dull ringing echoed in her ear for a brief moment, blocking out feverish cries and the heavy stampede of feet. Her heart hammered against her rib cage, she kept blinking over and over; it didn't seem like a dream.

Her vision in a daze, she clutched her bag tight like a lifeline, squeezing her eyes shut. A deep clutter sounded from somewhere behind her but Jessie was afraid to look. Her teeth clattered, her body shaking from fright, her mind twisting and turning.

She released a wonky breath, a lump suddenly forming in her dry throat. Her eyes flung open to see her battered phone lying a good distance away. Her chest tightened, she had to place a hand on her mouth to keep from screaming. Pandemonium had broken out on campus. Students darted here and there without a sense of direction, the lecturers shouting instructions for everyone to take cover.

Jessica couldn't think, couldn't breathe. Her lower lips trembled as her mind floated back to the day an important life flashed before her very own front. It was on a bright, sunny Saturday. Her mother was out as usual; she considered shopping imperative. Her eight year old self was seated at the top of a curling staircase, her attention taken up by a literary fiction book she had her small nose buried in.

There was a loud knock on the mahogany door followed by the rattling of a knob. Her father who was sitting cross legged on a comfy two seater with newspaper in hand, tossed it aside, slipping his feet into his expensive leather palms. Jessica silently watched as he adjusted the neckline of his thick folded agbada, turning the lock.

The door opened to reveal her uncle in a sport jacket and black plaid trouser, he was holding a brown envelope that he slapped on the glass center table. Jessie had an inkling, something bad was about to happen.

"What is the meaning of this?" He queried, both hands on his jutting hip. Jessica's dad let the door slam and walked over to where his elder brother stood, nostrils fuming in anger.

Jessica shuffled her feet, feeling a sense of unease. Her father was going through what was in the envelope, forehead crinkling. He folded the white sheet of paper and tucked it in.

"I had nothing to do with this," he stated calmly. "You think I would have something to do with the downfall of your company?"

"Obviously, you did!" The later hollered. "My question is what have I ever done to deserve this?"

"I am telling you I don't have a hand in this." Mr Odom's voice raised a notch. By now, Jessie had abandoned the book she was reading, descending the steps to the spacious sitting room but the furious glare her dad gave her, sent her scampering away for fear of what he might do to her. Owing to her curiosity, she hid behind the cream painted wall, observing tentatively.

"What rubbish. Now, I've gone bankrupt in the blink of an eye!" Mr Odom's brother paced back and forth, his fingers bunching into a tight fist. "I trusted you with finance but you decided to turn your back on me. Your very own family."

"I did no such thing," Odom challenged. "My name being on that document means nothing. I was set up, why can't you get that?"

"How can I get that, huh?" The older man brought out the gun he'd tucked in his back pocket, pointing it at his younger brother. "For years, I took you under my wings, catering for you when our parents were out hustling on the streets. Is this how you repay the kindness I've shown you?"

Cold sweat broke out on Mr Odom's forehead, his mouth kept opening and closing—no sound able to come forth. His hand was raised above his head, signaling surrender. It was then Jessica understood the seriousness of what was going on. She crawled on all fours to her room, careful not to make noise. Squeezing her body through the slightly ajar door, she headed straight for the telephone on her bedstand.

"Calm down, brother. Think this through before you make a decision you'll regret in the future," said Mr. Odom.

"I already did." His brother fired a shot, watching him crumple to the ground, writhing in agony. Before Jessica could race down the stairs, her uncle was gone, leaving her father in a growing pool of blood.

Her mother arrived home sooner, shivering to her roots. Jessie could never forget that day—her world was sent on a downward spiral.

Numbness took over her, she remained still, waiting till all the cries and shouting had died down. Counting over and over, she forced her labored breathing to calm.

Mr Eze was speaking with the head of the police force when he heard a sharp piercing cry. He turned, seeing people screaming and flying in every direction. For a moment, he was confused and didn't know what to do. He slowly dragged his feet across the cemented floor to the source of the noise as he heard a loud gunshot.

He laid flat, his body trembling like a leaf. Students were trampling over each other, skittering to safety. Mr Eze heard a low animal like growl coming from a close distance and frowned, struggling to get back on his feet—his curiosity getting the better of him. He crouched, making his way steadily to where the frightened police officers had attempted a brave front, guns at the ready.

What he saw made him pause, his deep set eyes widening as saucers. A hefty creature with scaly greenish skin possibly about six feet tall in height, raged, baring its sharp pointed canine for the world to see. Mr Eze's mouth flew agape––something he was least expecting to see. The whole school was eerily silent, watching from wherever they'd taken shelter.

It was quite an unusual sight. The creature had the head of a lion, somewhat the body of a human and a cheetah, having deadly non-retractile claws. Mr Eze's frail heart was beating rapidly as he began to take careful steps backward but stepped on a maths set that had been tossed carelessly. The creature jerked its head towards the amplified sound, setting its black buttony eyes on the man. Something about the soft caress of its gaze unnerved him. He cowered in fear, a thin sheen of sweat glistening on his shiny forehead.

The policemens' gaze darted between the paranormal creature and Mr Eze, waiting for it to stage an attack before they fired their shot. Mr Eze was trembling in terror, mumbling what no one could decipher. Its eyes began to glow a radiant red, emitting beams of energy that threatened to swallow a human. Mr Eze found himself being sucked into the intenseness against his will. He struggled with the direction of his feet, shocked at how close he was getting to the creature.

The police took that as their cue to fire series of shots aimed at annihilating the creature. It let out a high pitched cry, its forelimbs modifying to form membranous wings with which it used to flee. Mr Eze gulped hardly, staring into the depressingly dark sky. The dead body of a young teenage girl lay several feet away from where he stood.