María walked down the hallway, the floorboards creaking under her shoes. She peeked into one of the children’s rooms—she liked to check in on all of them before she left.

  She checked her watch. It was almost 11:00. I have to get home, she thought as she neared Alejandra’s room. María liked Alejandra—she was her favourite child here at Hogar Infantil Guanacaste.

  She gently pushed open Alejandra’s door and heard a snuffling and grunting sound. She must be snoring, María thought, though she had never heard Alejandra snore before.

  BANG!

  María jumped, then exhaled in relief—it was just the wind slamming the shutters against the window.

  Then, she heard the snuffling again. Her brow furrowed as she opened the door wider. The bed sheets lay on the floor, torn open and stained with a dark, foamy substance. A sense of unease crept over her as she scanned the dimly lit room. In the moonlight, she saw it—an animal.

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  A peculiar-looking thing, she thought.

  It was long and slender, hairless with grey skin that gleamed faintly in the dark. Faint blue spots ran along its spine, and rows of sharp grey quills bristled down its back and legs. Its narrow, pointed snout hovered over something as it chewed, green eyes glowing eerily.

  It had something in its jaws.

  María squinted. At first, it looked like a snake or a tube. Then, she followed the creature’s gaze down to the floor.

  And she saw her.

  Alejandra lay motionless, her hand bloodied, a dark pool spreading around her.

  The animal stood near her leg, stepping on the “tube” as it pulled and chewed.

  Realization hit María like ice in her veins.

  It wasn’t a tube.

  It was Alejandra.

  The animal had torn her open. It was eating her.

  Her eyes darted to Alejandra’s hand. The skin was torn, deep punctures marring the flesh. The wound was strange—too clean, too precise. No signs of a struggle. No defensive wounds. The bed was undisturbed, the sheets simply pushed aside.

  Alejandra’s leg twitched.

  The creature noticed.

  With a nimble leap, it landed on her chest, claws digging into her flesh. Its snout darted down, jaws clamping around her throat. There was no thrashing, no gurgled cry—just a sudden, final stillness.

  The animal lifted its head. Its jaws dripped with blood and foamy saliva.

  María screamed.