Darkness surrounded the small white colonial in a swell of
shadows. It was as thick as a fog that rolled across the river on a cool
morning. Nocturnal creatures, which normally called out to the darkness,
remained silent. Inside the home, a family lay in their beds unaware of the
danger that lurked outside the walls.
In the bedroom, at the foot of the stairs, Albert and Lena
slept. The man had dark hair, like the night, causing his pale features to
stand out. One arm was wrapped around the woman, holding her against him. Her
hair, splayed against the white sheets, was as red as a rose.
A creak of the hardwood just outside the bedroom door caused
the man’s eyes to open. His blue gaze swept the room then widened at the
uncomfortable stillness that sucked the life from the home. Slowly, he turned
to the nightstand, letting the mattress absorb the sounds of his movements. He
kept a watchful eye on the entrance to the hall with each of his actions. He
slipped his hand into the drawer, gripping the cool metal.
Palming his forty-five, he brought it up into position. He
let out a shallow breath as he rose, staring through the door into the darkness
of the hall. His heart thumped into his ears. The second that he pulled the
slide back, to load the gun, he knew the intruder would hear it.
With the next deep breath, he deposited a bullet into the
chamber of the gun. The shadow in the hall, shifted. Albert squeezed the
trigger. The pop of the gun filled the room. The sound reverberated against the
walls as bright flashes, from the muzzle, highlighted the enclosing shadow.
In one swift motion, Albert was lifted from the ground and
thrown across the room. His back slammed into the sheet-rock, breaking it. The
force of the impact caused the gun to fall from his grip and slide across the
wood floor out of reach. He groaned from the pain.
A blood-curdling scream pulled Albert from the shock of
being thrown into the wall. He looked up to see Lena reaching across the bed
for him. In an instant, blood seeped from a gash across her throat. The light
faded from her eyes as she fell across the mattress with her hair blending into
the liquid on the sheets.
“No!” Albert scrambled for the forty-five.
Malach materialized into a man taller than he was by a good
foot. His bald head sported a scar from his spine to the back of both ears.
Eyes black as coal narrowed at Albert. His appearance was what you expected on
a man of evil but the gruesome side, which took on your darkest fear, was
shadowed by his godly features. It made him one of a kind.
Malach’s fingers extended, into long solid forms, wrapping
around Albert's throat. He lifted Albert from the floor. His feet dangled, as
he fought against Malach's iron grip to breathe.
“Tell me where the half-blood is,” he smiled, making Albert
wince, as he spoke, “and I will allow the others to live.”
Albert gritted his teeth, as he kicked at the shadow. “Go to
hell where you belong, Malach.” He struggled to say, “You will never find her.”
Malach’s eyes narrowed. “I found you and I will find her.”
He squeezed his neck and then pulled his head from his
shoulders in one swift motion.
A gasp caused Malach to look over his shoulder into the
hall. A boy, no more than thirteen, stood just outside the bedroom door. His
brown eyes widened from the sight he just witnessed. Thinking fast, he raised
the pistol in his hand, aiming it at Malach. Growling at the boy,
he dropped Albert’s head and faced him.
“Run!” the boy yelled at the stairs.
Two rounds burst from the weapon before Malach’s shadow form
jumped him. It lifted his body into the air, the sound of bones breaking,
filled the room, and then the boy’s lifeless form was thrown across the foyer
like a rag doll.
Malach reformed into his human self. He sniffed the air
around him. The unusual scent caused a bizarre smile to spread across his face.
Following the aroma up the steps, he turned left and strolled to the end of the
hallway. His fingers touched a drawing of a family taped to the closed door. He
paused there, staring at the stick figures as his fingernail touched each one,
circling the smallest. Continuing, he pushed the door inward, a bright pink room
welcomed him.
He pulled a hand up to shield his eyes from the brightness,
that was odd since it was dark, but quickly grew used to the color, allowing
his narrowed gaze to sweep the room.
A twin bed set under a window. In the center, a mound of
covers gently swayed. His face glowed with excitement as he stepped toward the
hidden object. Reaching out, he gripped the covers and jerked them up to reveal
a small girl with red hair and blue eyes.
Malach stared at the girl. Surprised by her youth, he
smiled, showing teeth that resembled the blades of a hand saw.
The girl screamed.
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