ⒸⒽⒶⓅⓉⒺⓇ 2:
The Day of Terror
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We pulled up to the cabin but Dad was the only one to get out. We were told to stay inside and wait for his ok. He looked in the woods around us, then went around the outside the house, and then checked inside. He came out and flicked his fingers, telling us to come out.

We all stepped out and glanced around. We filed into the house and my dad closed the door behind us.

I brought Ellie to the living room so that our parents could talk out of her ear shot. We found the old chest board and started a game. I could hardly focus because I was trying to eaves drop on mom and dads conversation.

I couldn't make out any words but I didn't give up.

"Cory, its your turn." Ellie said smacking my arm.

"Oh, sorry Ellie." I picked up a piece and later found it was the king. She didn't know how to win, but it wouldn't matter if she did.

"What are mommy and daddy talking about?" She asked, her cheeks being squished by the hands they rested on.

"I don't know, dolly." I said, using her pet name.

She looked at me with upturned eyes. "Yes you do. You know whats going on. You always know, and you tell me."

I felt a lump in my throat. We would eventually have to tell this poor girl that her world may be falling apart. "Elegance, I...." I didn't know what to say. I didn't want to scare her and I didn't want to tell her the truth.

My parents walked in the living room and turned both our heads. The stood next to each other stiffly, looking at my sister and me. The glanced at each other and my father cleared his throat.

"We are going to be staying her for a while so get comfortable. We are going to need food so I'm going to go to the store down the street. I won't be long." There was a nervousness in his voice but he stayed strong so he wouldn't rock the boat more than necessary.

"How come we didn't pack to come here? I didn't bring any clothes." Ellie brought up.

"We didn't plan this we just decided today to come here. We left a few things from last time so don't worry, Elegance." My mother told her.

I pushed myself up from my knees and walked over to my dad. I brought him aside to talk so Ellie wouldn't hear. "Do you think it will be safe?"

He took a deep breath at my question. "I don't know. But we need food and this is a risking will have to take sooner or later." He whispered to me. "And, son, I always pick sooner." He rubbed my shoulder. "Take good care of them while I'm gone. Don't open the door for anything and keep an eye out for people. If you see someone coming, hide somewhere." I took in his instructions and nodded.

He patted my back and grabbed his jacket. "I'm leaving," he said, doing his best steady voice. "I'll be back soon."

"Bye daddy, get me candy!" Ellie squealed. My dad laughed dryly and shook his head. He shut the door behind him and left me with my mom and little sister. The car engine revved and we heard the tires crush all the dirt and twigs backing out of the driveway.

I locked all the doors and windows I could find and sat in the living room with my mom and Ellie. I kept glancing around all paranoid and would occasionally get up and look out the windows for any sign of people.

"Cor! I found and Operation game! Come play with me." My little sister keeled next to the coffee table and set the board on top of it.

"Well, Ellie...." I glanced toward the front door. "I'm supposed to keep a lookout while dad is gone."

"Lookout? For what?" She asked unpacking the box.

"I don't know. Anything. I'm the man when he's gone so I have to be the one to protect you guys." I gulped at the weight of responsibility, but I was not going to let them down.

I got up once more and drew back the curtain to look outside. Before I had decided it was clear I noticed something moving in the distance. A figure, a person. They sauntered slowly, with bloody wounds I could see from here.

Where they attacked? Should I help them?

I held my stare on them and held a nervous breath of air. I watched as they passed and noticed that their injuries were more sever than I thought. Their whole arm was torn and bloody. It made me wonder what drove them to keep going.

I can't open the door, not for anything. I felt guilt crawl over me as they passed and I let air back in.

When I stood to turn around and froze at the sound of pounding and a blood curling scream. I ran into the living room and flicked my eyes around in search of danger. I saw my mom huddling with Ellie behind the couch and there was something banging against the sliding glass door behind the curtains.

"Get to a safe room and lock the door!" I instructed them. They scrambled down the hallway and I face the door. I pulled back the curtains to see what was making the noise.

On the other side of the glass was the most disgusting thing I'd ever seen. It was a person, or what used to be a person, with more wounds than skin. They were all bloody and they pressed their body on the glass. Their flesh dangled from their face and other parts. I felt my stomach lurch and I wanted to throw up. Instead I grabbed the closest thing to a weapon I could find and held it on guard a good distance from the window.

What am I going to do if they get in?

They pressed their mouth against the glass, leaving smudges of blood. It was like they were hungry. I shivered as I wondered what they were hungry for. I looked at they eyes, which seemed murderous. But not like a human, like an animal. An animal whose only drive was survival. And I knew enough about natural selection to know that meant I had to be stronger than it if I want my family to win. I have to kill it. Its not human anymore. God will forgive. For the sake of my family I was willing to do anything.

As it banged against the window the glass started breaking. First just a crackle, then a whole split. I felt my heart pounding in my throat. I swallowed but it kept coming back. I held the long metal rod at ready and tried to breath.

"Cory-" I turned to see my mother coming around the corner from the hallway. I heard glass shatter behind my head and whipped around to see the creature push through the glass. It fell to the the ground in a pile of shards and I took the chance to attack it. I held the rod over my head and drove the end of it through its back. I felt a squished vibrate the rod on my finger tips. My stomach clenched but I ignored it. The creature was still moving so I took the rod and twisted it.

My head was light but I ached unbearably. Blood soaked the carpet beneath it and I wanted to faint. I stepped back to see if it had gone limp but it still flailed its arms and tried to grab me. It rose, the rod still wedged in its back and reached for me.

How is it still moving?

I could see the end of the rod poking out from its chest sending red liquid down its front. It didn't seem to mind one bit. Its hands stretched out for me and I froze in fear.

My mother came from the side and body slammed it to the carpet. As soon as I could look in their direction on the floor the creature grabbed hold of my mom. I reach out to help her but was too late. The creature sunk its teeth into my mothers neck and tore the skin over her artery.

I yelled out of madness and grabbed the nearest object. I held a lamp in my hands and, fear driven, slammed it against the creature's skull. I did it over and over, watching the blood splatter over everything. The lamp broke and I stopped. The creature had finally stopped moving. Dead.

I quickly turned to my mom, blood gushing from her neck. I tried to press my hand over her wound but she had already lost a ton of blood. I felt the the pressure of the blood from her dying heart decrease as it flowed against my palm. She looked at me with teary eyes and I felt my edges spilling with cold tears. I whimpered and only managed to croak "mom".

Her eyes became dull and all her muscles slack. I looked down at her through blurry tears and shook her.

"Mom? Mom, wake up. Mom! MOM!" I wailed and cried over her. Every part on my body ached with grief. My sobs rocked my whole body and I shut my eyes, harder and harder. As I held her dead body a sucked in a breath and remembered my sister. I let her fall from my arms and forced myself up.

Ellie!