Zhu stood at the door. I never knew pandas could stand on their hind legs, but, I decided, Zhu wasn't a panda. In her little paws she clenched a pair of nun-chucks, there was fire in her eyes, the kind of fire that comes in hatred. I knew I was her next victim, I was carefree until this moment.

A couple hours before this all started happening, I was walking with my younger sister to a park in our neighborhood.

“Paxton! Could you give me a piggy-back ride?” whined Lillian.

“No” I replied.

“Whhhhhhhyyyyyy???” Lillian stretched the word as far as it would go. She was the typical third-grade girl, for whatever reason it brought her great joy to annoy her older brother.

“Lillian! Would you please just be quiet! We are almost to the park, and then you can play until you develop diseases some other kid brought. OK?” I said.

“OK, Then I’ll just run ahead then. No point in staying here where my own brother won't even talk to me!” Lillian sarcastically announced.

It didn't take long for her to run around the corner and out of sight. I noticed something strange amongst the trees. I walked through. There, sitting right in front of me, was an old abandoned shack. Clearly the neighborhood teens already knew about it, the only color on the cold, grey, paint chipped house was the colorful graffiti that littered it. I examined the house for a while, and then suddenly, I heard some sort of a squawk, or a squeal from inside. Whether I really didn’t know what to do or I didn’t want to watch my sister play for the next hour I bundled up the courage and opened the door to the dark, mysterious house.

The house smelled of dust, rot, and death. The space wasn’t taken up with any kind of furniture besides broken boards from upstairs that apparently had collapsed due to weather and abandonment. I heard a high pitched squeal, a distress call of some kind. It came from what looked to be a bedroom. The door to the room was barely on the hinges. I walked through the archway. There wasn’t anything inside besides a broken mirror. Just then a cold gust of wind blew on the back of my neck, I started to shiver. Now I was genuinely scared, I had one thought “I have to get out NOW!”.

I turned around slowly just in case someone or something was watching, “Maybe they won't pay attention if I move slower” I thought. I was right about one thing, something was watching. There in the doorway sat a small panda glaring at me.

I just stood there not knowing what to do, making eye contact with this creature.

“Paxton!” cried Lilian “Where are you?” I looked outside, the sun was just starting to set.

“I’ll be right there” I said just loud enough for her to hear. The panda just kept staring at me with her big brown menacing eyes.

“Paxton?” Lilian pushed on the rotting front door.

“I’m in here” I said through gritted teeth. I was scared to make a sound. The thought dawned on me “Pandas are supposed to live in china, what is one doing in a-?” I couldn’t finish the thought. Lilian made her way to the bedroom door.

“Aw!!! Paxton! It’s a baby panda!!!”

“Lilian!” I said alarmingly “Don’t touch it! It could be sick!”

That didn’t stop her. Lilian picked it up. It looked used to this kind of attention.

“It wouldn’t hurt us! look at these loving eyes” I didn’t understand what Lillian's definition of loving was, the thing was glaring at me as if it knew something about me that I didn't.

“Can we keep it!?!?” Lilian begged.

“No Lilian, this is an endangered species we could get sent to jail for keeping this thing” I said unsurely.

“Please?” Lillian begged “If we don't save her she is going to die, and then what kind of trouble would we be in?”

“Okay” I said. “But you have to hide it from Mom and Dad okay?”

“Okay!” Lillian said excitedly “What should her name be?” She asked.

“I think she already has one” I pointed out. On her right paw was tattooed “Zhu”
Lillian tucked Zhu in her jacket. Lillian, Zhu, and I ran home without making a sound.

“Paxton!” Lillian whispered. I lifted up my head and turned on my light.

“Lillian, it's 3 in the morning!” I whispered through gritted teeth.

“I can't find Mom, Dad, or Zhu!” she said, tears filled her eyes.

“What do you mean?” I said.

“They’re gone! ” Tears were spilling down Lillian's cheeks. I got out of bed and ran to the room, sure enough they weren’t there. Lillian was now beside me.

“They were here when we got home?” I asked.

Lillian nodded. I turned around, 20 feet away stood Zhu with a pair of nun-chucks.

“Lillian” I whispered.

Lillian was a statue.

“I want you to walk to the door, open it and run” I said slowly “I'll distract Zhu”

“OK” Lillian answered. I ran into the kitchen, away from Lillian so Zhu wouldn't get her. I turned around to make sure Zhu was following. She was. She was so fast and agile, “Hey” I thought “Aren’t pandas supposed to be really slow?” Just then I tripped, I slid to a nearby corner. Zhu was coming at a slower pace. Building tension and anxiety with each step. Zhu clenched her nun-chucks in tiny black paws.
And now, she was going to do to me, what she did with my parents. What did she do with my parents? She pointed both nun-chucks at me like a gun. what was she doing? A blue laser came from the ends. They met my pupils, instantly I was paralyzed. A calm sensation blew over me like a gust of wind, and I closed my eyes for the last time.