“What do you mean?”. Danny raised his eyebrow while staring at the monster.

“Something is bound to happen very soon, something that you will definitely not survive, no matter how much you struggle and resist”. Answered the mantis before disappearing in the darkness.

“What are you talking about?” Questioned Danny while frowning and trying to keep at bay the fear this terrible omen brought with it.

“Now, now, Danny, that’s not how it works. If you want something in life, you have to give some other thing in return” Countered a hedgehog as it stood there smiling at Dann.

“What I am offering you is a deal. One that will allow you to keep living for a while longer at the very least, and will give you a very, very, veeeery small chance of survival in the long term”. Proposed a very amused-looking hedgehog. “At the same time, this deal will ensure I get to feel that wonderful taste for a little bit longer at the very least”. Added the creature in passing, as if it was the most ordinary thing in the world, like asking for couple more apples in the grocery store before paying the bill.

As Danny realized he would not get anything more from the creature he narrowed his eyes while thinking, and cautiously proceeded.

“And what would this deal entail?”

“Very simple my dear Danny. You must give me a set amount of your blood every fortnight at the very least, and, in return, I will give you some very needed answers to your questions.”

“So long as I know the answer, and limited to the value of what you provide me with, of course”. Completed the creature in a dismissing tone, suggesting that there was not much it did not know, but added the warning in passing anyway, like he was a seller fulfilling some kind of legal obligation.

Danny was silent for a while examining the dark form in the ground, he could not help but be amused at thinking the creature as one of those street vendors, always screaming about the wonders of their products or services, like it would be a grave sin to pass on the once in a lifetime opportunity presented before their crowds. Danny did smile at the thought, though he quickly stifled his distracting thoughts. He still felt terrified of the monster and had no intention of letting his guard down, especially knowing what it was capable of doing.

Returning to the heart of the matter, no matter how much he knew about the possibility of it all being a scheme, and that the creature could be very much lying through its teeth, something deep inside him told him that the monster was probably telling the truth.

Danny had learned to trust his instinct through his life. It had warned him of danger on many situations much like today’s episode. Therefore, he placed a lot of value on this intuition, and knew he had to go with his gut even with all the terrible consequences that followed the conclusion that the monster was right, something dangerous was indeed coming. Besides Danny could not think of a reason for the creature to lie to him. Ultimately, he knew he was powerless before it, and he felt that the monster should not go to the length of tricking him, if it could simply take whatever it wanted from Danny.

“Even if I were to believe you are telling the truth, how would I know that you will hold your end of the bargain?”

“What would be the point of me lying Danny?” the turtle the creature had transformed into countered lazily.

“I have no need to trick you into anything, besides, I ALWAYS tell the truth. ESPECIALLY when making deals. My word is my bond, as is true with most of my kind”.

“There are others like you?” Asked Danny in a concerned manner. The idea of being chased by more than one of those things was harrowing. He barely could deal with one, much less more, thought Danny. And if he was being brutally honest with himself, he could not deal with even one at all, he was barely getting by, it was almost a pointless struggle… almost.

The creature merely stood as its impossible big smile became a little bigger, stretching the limits of its bizarre turtle face, indicating that if Danny wanted an answer to his question, he would have to take the deal.

Faced with the uncooperative silence, he stopped to consider his options. This situation took him completely by surprise. He still could not fathom if this change was for better or worse, but most likely it was for worse. Danny did not know if he would rather have a piece of him ripped off like usual, than to face the perspective that the shadow of death was hanging just around the corner.

Danny looked straight into the eyes of the creature as he reached a decision on how to proceed for now.

“I need some time to think about it”. He said with the determination to fight to his last breath in the off chance the creature did not agree with at least this much wiggle room.

Danny figured that if the creature really wanted to strike a bargain with him, and what it said about its intentions were indeed true, the monster would try to accommodate Danny as much as possible to reassure him and encourage him to take the offer.

True, Danny did not know how the thing thought, and he was unaware about the exact time the calamity it had foretold would strike. However, he did not think that the creature would propose this kind of deal at the very last minute. Thus, he thought that if he was as enticing to the monster as it made him to be, then the creature definitely would try its utmost to comply with Danny’s requests, so long as his demands did not pose a threat to it or its interests.

“Very well, you have until tomorrow to come to a decision. Don’t disappoint me Danny boy…” The creature answered immediately, as if it was expecting Danny would ask for that exact thing, before disappearing for the last time that day.

Danny felt like the veil of darkness that descended in the room for a while now slowly started to dissipate as soon as the monster went away. He sighed and fell down on his mattress, suddenly aware of the cramps in his legs and the sweat accumulated in his back.

That night was destined to be restless and filled with worry.

Suddenly Danny saw himself in a new day, having not slept a wink, and with a decision to make.

He forced himself out of the bed and went through his routine mostly by the power of habit. When he finally got out of his stupor, he found himself in the back of the bus he usually took to university still holding his tape player.

Danny looked down to his hands and gently stroked the scratched surface of the music device, tracing his fingers around every little bump in the cover, through every small imperfection that hinted its long use time.

“What would you say if you knew mother?”. Danny asked rhetorically in a low melancholic voice. He and his mother searched for so long for a way to rid Danny from this curse, to grant him a chance at a decent, normal life.

For the first time since he had arrived in Lakeview, Danny did not place back his treasured Walkman in the nightstand by his bed after waking up. It was his single most valued possession. This tape player used to belong to his mother Laura before she passed away from cancer.

Soon after he began to be chased by that monster his father split and left them without ever coming back. He left a single note saying ‘sorry’ and a bank account with enough money to keep both of them comfortable for a long time. His mother's untimely demise allowed Danny to live by himself until today with cash to spare.

Danny did not begrudge his father actually. Sure, he felt disappointed and fearful as a kid who got abandoned, but as he grew up, he understood his father was only human. He certainly did not sign up for taking care of a boy being chased by a monster. His father had fears as well, and probably was not ready to put his life down for him.

Danny probably would feel bitter if he did not have his mother though. She was everything to him. Laura was not only beautiful, but also wise and selfless. She saw the world for what it was but never lost hope in the face of challenge, always telling him that suffering was part of life, but also what gave value to the good moments.

She was the person Danny respected the most in his life and he still lived by her teachings. To be honest, Danny would probably have given up already if not for promising her in her deathbed that he would do everything to find happiness and fulfillment in life.

He still was searching for his path in life when the creature came with this deal and threw his plans through the window. Danny sat in his usual chair while waiting for class to start while lost in his thoughts and unaware of how he got to the room.

During the whole morning part of the lessons, he kept reminiscing past events in his life and where to go from here. Frankly, Danny only chose to be a doctor to learn more about his situation, and maybe discover a reason as to why he had a monster haunting him. Possibly finding out a way to live a more normal life. Now however, it seemed that there was no reason for research anymore if what the monster said was true.