CHAPTER TWO

-EMILY-

It had barely been an hour since the horrible creature had attacked the neighborhood. The scent of blood still lingered in the air as I passed the attacked home.

They all looked horrified as the children of the deceased crawled out of the building with blood all over them. I could barely whisper their names as they crumbled to the floor, their bones broken and their heads held high.

“Sister Emily…” Momo, the young boy scout, let out a gasp as he crawled out of a block. I tossed my bag away, shunning every single adult that was preventing the masses from getting past the red tapes.

“Don’t go there. The monster is within them.” Timothy, the head of the neighborhood, yelled.

I would have gone back, but I just couldn’t avoid the eyes of the one boy who I treated as my younger brother. He had always found his way to my house whenever his drunken mother had broken bottles on his elder siblings.

His father? I recall him screaming in the middle of the night that he was going to become a god. We all saw him as a madman who had lost his sanity after working his butt off for the underground committee, but that thought vanished when he suddenly disappeared before his children.

No one knew what took him; we could only hope he hadn’t toyed with something bigger than he could lift.

“Sister Emily…” His little voice crawled into my ears as I lifted the block off of him. He whimpered on the ground, hurting from the bruises.

“I’ll get you safe, okay?” I hurled him into my hands, carrying him like the little boy that he was.

“Drop the kid, Emily. We wouldn’t let you get past us.” Timothy’s words resonated in my ears. He was the only one who had the power to hold me down apart from my parents. Being a pope and the head of a neighborhood, his respect was much more deserved.

“He’s a child Father Timothy; you can’t expect him to wake up one day and become a monster. Have some sympathy, Father Timothy.”

“Don’t let her cross you.” Father Timothy clasped his hand, instructing his loyal followers.

I observed the surroundings, searching for a way to escape. They blocked all the paths, making sure the red tapes were well secured in case I tried to jump out.

“Sister Emily… we have to get away from my siblings.” Momo muttered, blood oozing from his mouth.

I gazed at Billy and Kate, who slowly crawled out of the layers of blocks. Their eyes were all white, pleading for a way out of their calamity.

“Everyone get behind me.” Pastor Timothy commanded. They scrambled, hoping to get themselves next to the high and mighty Pope Timothy.

Kate got herself out of the block, her bones making crackling sounds as she lay on the floor. They stepped back, wondering how a child had managed to crawl all the way out despite the layers of concrete weighing them down.

“1…” Momo whispered in my ear.

He was intelligent and loved counting gifts, but he had never once counted without a reason. Was it Pastor Timothy?

“2…” His voice came again, this time deeper. I wanted to gaze at him, but the sound of concrete crumbling made me lose focus.

Anderson was out also, and his broken bones had been amended. He was barely standing, his back lowered to the ground like he was going to crash.

“This isn’t good, Pope Timothy; the girl has also recovered.” A man said, brandishing his pocket knife.

“3…” Momo stuttered, his bones crackling and moving as I held him in my hand.

“What’s happening?” I stammered, my hand trembling as Momo jumped out of my hand.

Pope Timothy suddenly took to his heels, leaving the men who had believed in him to fend for themselves. They ran after him, following him like they had always done after the day’s service.

“Blood!” Kate and Anderson chorused as they watched the men scramble in order to meet the Pope.

I staggered back, hoping I could take the sides and escape to my yard before they could notice. As I turned to run, something pulled me back, pinning me to the ground.

“Anderson!” I cried as fangs began to emerge from his gum. I tried pulling myself out of his grasp, but his strength had suddenly gone from zero to hero.

I cried for help, but not a single soul came in play. Why? They were also getting their supply of the pain. Kate had somehow attacked the men, tearing their flesh out like a butcher in his workshop.

“Arghhh!!!” I groaned as I fell to the ground. I arched forward as my back crashed into something sharp.

I coughed up blood, my limbs unable to respond to my calls. Enduring the pain, I raise my head, looking for the source of my pain.

I gasped seeing my legs feet away from my limbs and a sharp iron rod from the crumbled walls shooting up from my stomach. Blood gushed out.

“Blood!” Anderson chorused, climbing on top of me. His eyes were focused on my neck, his mouth drooling like he had seen something delicious.

“Sister Emily…” Momo’s cries resonated in my ears. I tried to tilt my head in search of him, but Anderson had pinned my neck to the ground, leaving me in despair.

Boom!

I could barely see the dark clouds above me, the wails and cries around me fading as blood became insufficient to keep me awake.

“Sister Emily…” Tears dripped onto my face, keeping me awake for a little bit. Momo’s image came into play, tears rolling down his eyes.

“I would have loved to play with you a lot more, but the dawn of time needs someone as kind as you to take pride in the role of a guardian. You’ve been a true champion, my champion. I would forever remain in your heart.”

Hot tears gathered in my eyes, rolling down my cheeks as I watched him hug me one more time.

Suddenly, he began to chuckle, gazing at my neck just like Anderson. “I’m sorry, Sister Emily.”