“Vetala. Spirits from the beyond who possess dead humans to walk the world of the living,” said Arya.

  “Sunil! Get away from her!” shouted Uruvi, reaching for her axe.

  Sunil did as he was told, trotting backwards.

  “You can run away from me, but what about those behind you?” the Vetala asked. Its irises turned blood red.

  She turned around to face the others in the room. Everyone wore a bleak, fear-stuck expression. ‘If we don’t do something now, it will be a massacre. But how do I tell them apart? Arya, help me here?’

  “Affirmative…,” said Arya, before giving a list of details.

  The crowd quickly began to grow restless. They began looking at each other's faces, and chatter began to grow exponentially.

  “Trying to find the impostors?” asked the Vetala. The music became more chaotic, adding to the anxiety of the room. “Will you be able to tell them apart before they strike you first?”

  Uruvi paused for a second. Her eyes were locked onto the woman who stood behind a table, right across from her. She carefully observed her, taking note of the features.

  The woman looked back at her with a blank expression and asked, “what?”

  Uruvi lifted her axe and, in the blink of an eye, cleaved through the woman’s neck. Screams erupted from the crowd, with several people from behind her calling her out. The woman’s head dropped onto the table before rolling towards her.

  “Uruvi! Are you fucking crazy?” said Manvee.

  Uruvi watched the head with a bated breath. Blood oozed out of the neck, covering the table.

  “The body… Why is it still standing?” asked Sasi. She could hear the tremble in his voice.

  The eyes of the woman turned towards Uruvi, while her lips curled into a deep frown. “How rude?” she said.

  Uruvi reacted almost immediately, bringing her axe down onto the head. However, the woman’s body was faster, snatching the head before the axe could land on it.

  “They have pale skin and lips. More importantly, they have red lines around their iris,” said Uruvi as she chased after the woman, who stepped back, reattaching her head.

  Another man who sat two tables across from her lunged at her. She parried his attack with ease, deflecting his sharp with the back of her axe’s blade. Seizing the window of opportunity, the woman slammed her knees into her stomach.

  “How does that feel bitch?” said the woman.

  Uruvi grit her teeth before letting out a roar. She used all her might to rotate her axe, slicing the man’s hand off before cutting open the woman’s neck again. The two Vetala staggered before dropping onto the floor.

  “Warning. Vetala can only be killed by other Vetala or the sunlight,” said Arya.

  ‘Wonderful! Just wonderful!’ She wanted to scream, but instead just let out an angry growl like a mad dog.

  The DJ let out a roar of laughter and said, “let’s get this party started!”

  Sunil pulled out a short sword, similar to the one Jiv and Manvee had, before engaging with DJ.

  Panchami pointed her finger at the back of the crowd. “The old man with white hair, the man wearing a green shirt, and the girl with locks. Get away from them.”

  “Panchami… are you sure?” asked Sasi.

  “Certainly.”

  The crowd around them erupted in chaos, scattering like ants who lost their queen. The Vetala turned almost on cue, baring their teeth like wolves as they began striking down the common people around them.

  Sasi and Jiv leapt at them, flashing their swords.

  “We can’t do this with so many of them around,” said Manvee.

  “Manvee. The kitchen,” said Panchami, pointing at the door.

  Manvee leapt over the counter and quickly unlocked the door, swinging it open. “In here!” she said to the people closest to her. The crowd began to rush through.

  “Are we sure none of the others are?” asked Kavya.

  “I am positive. But… In any case, you get in there as well,” said Panchami.

  Kavya nodded. Jolting over the counter, she vanished into the kitchen along with the crowd.

  Uruvi watched as her opponents recovered from their fatal wounds. ‘Arya, how much longer is it to sunrise?’

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  “Calculating… 5 hours, 48 minutes.”

  She looked up and saw Jiv and Sasi engaging with the last three of the Vetala. A few humans were trapped in the ensuing battle. In the heat of the battle, one of the Vetala managed to free himself from Jiv’s sword before striking one of the men, right across his chest. The man dropped onto the floor, blood oozing out of his chest, which caused a young woman to let out a blood-curdling scream. She called out the man’s name just as the female Vetala behind her grabbed her by her neck and threw her across the room. The woman tumbled over a table and smashed her head against the wall before falling onto the floor as a lifeless body.

  Uruvi’s heart froze as she witnessed two humans die right in front of her. For a brief moment, her mind went blank, unable to process what had just happened. But then, fury flooded her chest. She saw the Vetala in front of her rising, preparing to strike.

  Gritting her teeth, she slammed her axe into the male Vetala’s face, lifting him up into the air. She followed it up with a powerful kick to his torso, sending him flying across the room and towards the last three Vetala.

  Suddenly, two arms wrapped around her from behind, pinning her arms. “What the hell?” she exclaimed. Blood oozed out of its arms before solidifying. She felt herself being lifted up as she struggled to break free. She caught sight of the other Vetala heading for her. “Barricade!” she said, just as the claws of the other Vetala came down on her.

  "Hold her still, Mel!” said the monster. She frantically slashed at her, only to be blocked by the shield.

  “Oh, this is a tough one!” said Mel. “Let’s take her upstairs and cut her up.”

  Suddenly, Uruvi’s body froze. The axe dropped from her hand and onto the floor. She was unable to move any muscle in her body. ‘Arya! What happened to my body?’

  “Analyzing… Vetala’s blood is capable of multiple functions, including freezing opponents. Ten seconds before regaining access to the body,” said Arya. A small clock appeared on the health bar, counting down the seconds. “Suggestion. Bleed the Vetala to gain an upper hand.”

  ‘Ten seconds! That is too long!’ She watched herself being dragged across the room and up the stairs. Her eyes kept watch on the clock. Every second felt like an eternity. They went up the stairs that were drenched in darkness before reaching a heavy double door. Mel used her body and shield as a battering ram to smash through the door, laughing like a maniac as she did.

  Just as they reached the dance floor, Uruvi saw the counter turn zero. She felt her body warm up and her muscles twitch. “Thunderclap!” she shouted. A shockwave erupted from her body, breaking Mel’s hold on her. She kicked Mel back and landed safely, a few feet away from them. She spun around quickly and faced her opponents. The place was nearly pitch black, with the only rays of light coming from the circular windows in the doors.

  Me was on all fours. Blood was oozing out of her mouth. She let out a low grunt, clenching her teeth, appearing to fight through the pain. “Keer… play the music…” she said, getting up on her feet. “Let’s see what you are without your weapon…”

  Uruvi recognized Mel as the Vetala who was at the DJ’s table. ‘Wasn’t Sunil fighting her? What happened to him?’

  The numbers finally popped up above their heads. Mel was marked as Level 9, while Kree was a Level 8. She felt sweat drip down the side of her face. ‘No wonder she was so strong…’

  An array of colorful lights flooded the room, accompanied by thundering loud music. She was able to get a better picture of the room. With the dance floor occupying most of the space, the DJ table was pushed into the corner to her left, while the remaining space between the two was occupied by the bartender’s counter and a few sets of tables and chairs, which were covered with unfinished food and drinks. ‘Fool! Your own arrogance will be your downfall,’ thought Uruvi. “Rejuvinate,” she whispered as she prepared for battle.

  Keer returned to the side of Mel, whose red eyes were locked onto her. She did not smile anymore. Blood oozed out of her hands until it covered them completely, before solidifying into shapes resembling blades.

  Uruvi looked at them with a ting of fear. ‘Well… that is not good…’

  Mel lunged forward, sending a flurry of slashes at her. Uruvi dodged each one effortlessly, matching the rhythm of her opponent, whose attacks had wide swings. She kept at pace and maintained a good distance from her, when suddenly Mel retreated, and Kree jumped in.

  “Barricade…,” said Uruvi. A shield appeared before her, pushing Kree back.

  “I hate that fucking thing!” Kree shouted.

  Mel leapt over Kree, the blood on her hand transformed into the shape of a hammer, which she used to smash the shield. Kree jumped in with a wide grin on her face. She threw her sharp claws at Uruvi, recklessly. However, she was much too slow to make contact.

  Uruvi continued to backpaddle, leading them to the seating area. Just as she reached the table, she grabbed onto a ceramic plate, the first item her hand could reach, and smashed it into Kree’s face. Mel jumped in quickly, shooting a stream of blood aimed at her face. She ducked just in time and slammed her fist into Kree before grabbing her by her shirt and tossing her over the table.

  A wine bottle bounced off the table and dropped towards the floor. Uruvi interrupted its fall, grabbing it by its neck. She spun around and smashed it against Mel’s head, sending her staggering backwards.

  Kree, who had recovered from her fall, leapt at Uruvi from behind, baring her claws, only to find the broken glass stabbed through her throat.

  Uruvi pulled the glass shard out of her throat, dropping Kree to the floor, before stabbing her in the back again.

  Kree began to flail her limbs like a fish out of water, forcing Uruvi to retreat. She quickly scrambled to Mel’s side and hid behind her.

  She could see their angry red eyes flash under the disco lights. ‘They are slow, but how long can I keep this up? Arya, is sunlight my only option?’

  “Affirmative. Sunlight is your best option.”

  ‘Wonderful. They dragged me in here because there was no direct access to sunlight.’

  “Negative. There is a door on the wall to your right that leads to the balcony.”

  ‘Wait. Seriously?’

  “Affirmative. I am always serious.”

  ‘They must not have noticed it because it was shrouded in the darkness.’ She used all her strength to not look to her right and confirm.

  Suddenly, an object covered in blood flew through the air and into Mel’s hand. Uruvi turned around and saw a male Vetala standing at the door. Her eyes turned to his hands, which appeared to be holding the head of the man he had killed before.

  “Well. Well…” said Mel, getting Uruvi’s attention.

  Uruvi got a better look at the bloody object, which appeared to be in the shape of a human heart. A shiver travelled up her spine, seeing her lick the blood off it. “Disgusting creatures…”

  “I wonder how long you are going to last?” said Mel.

  Uruvi felt a surge of fear flood her body. ‘What now? Can I really take on three of them?’ She looked back at the man blocking the door. ‘Not good. This is not good at all!’

  Suddenly, a silver blade pierced through the man’s chest. Manvee appeared from behind him and used all her might to throw him onto the ground. “Uruvi! Catch!” she said, throwing the axe at her.