The Invader

I woke up to an odd text on my phone: “Don’t trust anyone, everything’s a lie.”

It was from an unknown number, so I assumed it was a prank and got ready for school. When I went downstairs, however, my phone blinked again. “Don’t eat anything they give you.”

I swiped the message and headed straight to the dining room. I found it odd that my younger brother, Alex, was already at the table; he was always ten minutes late.

“Maybe everything is a lie,” I joked in my head. However, it was not long before I began to notice certain differences in the way my family went about with their routines.

Dad was never one to allow phones at the table, but he was laughing with my brother over a prank video. And then there was Mom: although she didn’t act any different than other days, I saw her in the kitchen, writing something down on a piece of paper while on the phone with someone. Mom was left-handed, but she was writing with her right hand. I wondered if those prank texts actually bore some truth.

When Mom brought over the food to the table, I stood up and said I wasn’t feeling hungry, and that I’d just grab something at school. Mom insisted that she pack some for me; I agreed, albeit with some hesitation. Once the food was packed, I headed out on my own, saying I had to meet up with a couple of friends for a group project.

At school, I locked myself in one of the toilet stalls and went through my phone. There were no more texts from the unknown number. I decided to text them back and ask them about what was happening.

They responded immediately: “They’re called ‘Invaders’—evil spirits that progressively possess families in small neighbourhoods. They usually hunt one family a month; you get possessed by eating food infused with their demonic energy.”

This was beyond what I had ever imagined them to say. I texted them back: “Then my entire family is possessed by demons?”

“Demon. Each Invader seeks one family at a time, slowly gaining control before anyone notices the changes.”

“How do you know so much about this?”

“Rose Street, four weeks ago.”

I couldn’t believe what I had just heard. They were referring to a case in which an entire family, save for the eldest daughter, were found dead under mysterious circumstances. “You… You’re Gen, the missing kid. Where are you?”

“Somewhere safe. I’ll send you the address, but you must come alone after school. We can help you get rid of the demon before it's too late.”

“What do you mean ‘we’?”

“I’ll fill you in when you’re here.”

I went back to class but couldn’t focus on any of the topics that day; all I could think about was saving my family. When school finished, I snuck out before Alex could find me and took a taxi to the location Gen texted me. There, I met up with her and a middle-aged woman at a house that was on the outskirts of the town.

The two of them asked me to hurry inside, and when I entered that house, I felt a cold wave race across my entire body. The house was dimly lit with candles, and many sigils were carved into the ceiling, the walls, and the floor.

“Are these for protection?”

Gen nodded. “This is Rena, she’s a witch. She’ll help brew the potion that will break the Invader’s grasp. But you must drink it beforehand, too. You’ll be immune before you leave here.”

I heard my heart begin to race—I felt it pound deep within my chest, as if my ribs were to crack open and my lungs were to explode. Gen grabbed a chair and helped me sit down. We sat there and chatted while Rena brewed the potion. Thirty minutes passed, and it was finally ready.

Rena called out to Gen from the kitchen. Gen asked me to wait and went to meet her. A minute later, they both returned to the living room. Gen handed over the drink to me in a mug. The moment I caught its scent, I felt as if I would pass out. Gen held my shoulders and reassured me, saying the ingredients were stronger than anything I’d usually find in a drink, but that they would definitely help.

I took in a deep breath and gulped it down to keep myself from stopping halfway. The second I emptied the mug, however, I felt another cold wave race throughout my entire body. Suddenly, I couldn’t move my arms or legs. I couldn’t speak.

Gen and Rena then smiled. Gen stepped forward and knelt next to me before holding my hand. “Oh, poor Lily… I never lied about the Invader, that was all true. It’s just that…” Gen blinked and her eyes turned into a swirling mass of fiery amber. “This body’s at its limit, and I have a family of souls to deliver.”

I felt tears stream down my eyes as my muscles grew stiff and my body ran cold. I couldn’t do a thing as the demon before me left Gen’s corpse in a swirling mass of red smoke and turned its burning gaze towards me.