September 10th

It happened in the middle of my dream.

Mom and Dad were bickering over the fuel economy of SUV's versus sedans. Even though sedans were less of a gas guzzler, my dad pushed for an SUV. The back and forth between them comforted me. My parents were with me, and I was safe.

In the end, Dad convinced Mom to test-drive his car of choice. We all piled in and strapped our seat belts on. The window pane beside me was clear, shiny, and new. A single hairline scratch stood out among the perfection. With a life of its own, the scratch branched out, spreading noise as it went. Soon, the once perfect pane of glass evolved into a cracked mess waiting to give way.

Mom noticed the damage and screamed. Her lungs were powerful, and I could've sworn her scream is what shattered the glass.

I woke up. Glass had broken outside of my dream world, but I wasn't sure where. Darkness cloaked the basement. A month ago, the street lights had stopped working, and The Man had hooked up a generator to his house/prison. The switch for the basement lamp was on the ten feet from me, an ocean of space in the dark.

I squinted my eyes and forced my eyes to adjust. Through a gray haze, I could tell the small window was open. The smell of fresh air poured in, driving me crazy. I wanted to get out, get more air, free air. My mind wasn't moving forward. If anything, I assumed someone had escaped from the basement, and I was happy for them. It never occurred to me something could have come inside.

No one else was awake. My sister lay on her side, curled up in sleep. Next to her Michael snored, his lips slightly curled. I couldn't see Louise, but I knew her bed-space was close to ours. Maybe she's the one who got out, a voice told me.

In her condition, I doubted it.

Movement drew my eyes to the open window. A shadow hovered, covering up what little light the moon created. The shadow rolled in and dropped down to the concrete floor. Charged energy filled the air, crackling and grating.

The shadow unfurled itself. At first, it appeared human. When it shifted its weight, reptilian skin glittered in the moonlight. Two red eyes floated in the monster's face, complemented by a zipper-mouth full of razors.

"Erin." I tried to shake her awake, but she could sleep through her own death, as my mom used to say. The thought chilled me, and I didn't want Erin to sleep through my death or hers, so I shook her harder.

"What do you want?"

Her question woke up the others. Hardly anyone could see It in the dark, but a few could, their gasps and whimpers told me so.

The monster charged at the sickly Wasters. Weak as they were, they had strength in them to scream. It shred one Waster with bear-like claws, grabbing for a second victim. The second Waster flailed helplessly as the monster lowered It's zipper-mouth to eat her alive.

Erin cried out, drawing Its attention away from its meal. She was of no interest to It; I was the smaller, tastier choice. It dropped the dead Waster, and leapt for me. As the barely visible, but very ugly face came nearer to me, I thought, This is it. I get to see my mom and dad again. I'm tired. I'm ready. Inches from me, It collapsed like a deflated sack, a dark oozing mess on the concrete. Though I was relieved, I was also disappointed. I wanted my life, but I didn't want the life I had.

The Man stood in the middle of the stairs, shotgun still smoking. "Thanks" rose to my lips and died there. What did I care if He had saved me, anyway? My oppressor was not my friend, and he had not saved me from much.

He made his way to the downed-demon. Curious if it was dead, He gave it a few kicks.

Satisfied, He gave us another speech.

"It's time you knew. The world Outside is no longer safe. There are things in the dark. Things you couldn't even imagine as a small child. Stay down here and you'll live. Leave, and you get to meet this guy's extended family."

Another kick, and then He dragged its body up the stairs by one of Its hind legs. We sat back after His speech and agreed with it. Basically, we all said His kidnappings were akin to a divine form of intervention, and really, a saving grace. The added rape, torture, and occasional murder was nothing compared to what awaited us on the Outside.

In the end, we agreed with Him not because he was right, but because of the uniform He still wore day in and day out. His clothes and badge symbolized safety and authority that were hard to turn away from. Though He was a monster, He was our monster, and we were compelled to listen to His authority.

For all we knew, He could have been a serial killer who bludgeoned a real cop to death, stealing the uniform and patrol car. Although, the truth was much scarier: He was a cop who lusted for violence, one that loved to kidnap unwilling participants to play in his sick games. A man who was meant to serve and protect preferred to maim and kill His citizens.

Yet, He assures us, we're safer with Him.

~*~

September 12th

After the demon break-in, The Man boarded up the basement window with plywood.

Boards or glass wouldn't hold back demons of the like that we saw.

It was a relief when we heard the Man outside a few days later, soldering steel bars onto the window sill.