Toni sighed and shifted her backpack. Her part-time shift at the college library had ended, part of her work-study program to make some money towards her tuition. It wasn't a bad job, considering it mostly consisted of manning the desk or sorting books and magazines; she could even swipe some time to read a bit here and there, a godsend for a bookworm like her. However, it was still hours of work, and by the time she could head back to her dorm, it was already dark.
Toni actually liked the dark. It was quiet and not filled with distractions. Fewer people, fewer events. However, she wasn't naive either. Any college girl with an ounce of sense would know to be careful on campus at night, especially in areas not very lit. The path she took back to her dorm was one such area. It was only a short walk on a path through the trees, and she could see the electric lights in the distance, but the surrounding vegetation made that area seem pitch black. Although she seemed to walk calmly, she gripped her D-ring keychain and her keys tightly. She had never had problems walking back before, but it never hurt to be careful. She listened carefully for any sound beside her own footsteps and the wind through the leaves.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, something crashed into Toni. As she fell to the ground, whoever was grabbing at her landed on top of her. Instead of wasting breath on yelling or screaming, Toni shifted her keychain so her sharp dorm key was sticking up between her fingers, and made a fist. She reached behind and jammed her fist where she approximated stranger's neck or face must be, kicking and slipping herself out of her backpack in the process. The stranger had obviously not expected her to extricate herself, and was left struggling with the heavy backpack full of textbooks.
Toni was not sure she could get away and call for help before the attacker came after her again, so instead of retreating immediately, she quickly kicked in the direction of the shadowy figure's head as hard as she could before he could get up. A solid thunk and a groan informed her she had made successful contact. She kicked again until she saw the figure go limp, then turned to sprint towards the lights and the dorm and get some help.
However, there were no lights. Although she saw a dim glow as her eyes adjusted, she could not see cold electric bulbs anywhere around her. Was there a power outage after she was attacked? Did she get turned around and run in the wrong direction? Where was the dorm, or even the library?
Stumbling down what she assumed was the path, Toni finally approached an area that seemed lighter than the surrounding trees. It was a grassy clearing, and the dim glow was moonlight. Moonlight from two moons. And no buildings, lampposts, or roads were in sight. Impossible.
Not believing her eyes, Toni decided to retrace her steps to the stranger. Hopefully, the attacker was still out cold, that way she could get her cell phone from her backpack and call for help. Carefully heading back in the direction she had come, Tori saw the limp figure still lying beside her backpack and quickly pulled her bag away. Reaching into the side pocket, she pulled out her cell phone, turning on the screen. No signal. What could that mean?
Suddenly, she realized the glow from her phone screen let her see the outline of her attacker, but something looked strange. It didn't look...human. But that couldn't be, right? Curious, Toni turned on the flashlight app on her phone, and gasped in disbelief. The limp body lying before her belonged to...