“What do you mean they can’t be killed?” I asked.

“Just what I said!” Jessica snapped back. Inhaling a ragged breath, she let it out slowly. “I mean, as far as I know, they’re immortal. I’ve seen them take bullets and stab wounds. Nothing seemed to do anything more than slow them down. Briefly.”

“What are they?”

“Po’ruho- a legend.” she whispered.

The slow shuffling of heavy feet moved toward us from the other room. Our captor lurched into the doorway. The creature did not have a face. Instead, glossy skin like silvery wax covered it’s head. The only distinguishing mark was a vertical slit from chin and halfway beyond. It looked at me and the edges of that abhorrent crack quivered.

I watched in horror as it grabbed the back of Jessica’s chair and started to effortlessly drag it into the other room, the wooden chair legs grinding against the floorboards. High-pitched hiccups were the only protests she made.

Moments after I lost sight of her, there was a wet tearing sound and Jessica began to scream.