MONSTERS IN THE DARK

Mara scrambled back into bed, terrified that they would find out about her eavesdropping. She had no idea there were far worse things to be terrified of than she could imagine. 

She’d just gotten back under the covers when her mother barged into the room, nearly sending the door flying off the handles.

Lucinda was no longer concerned if she woke up Mara. The door hit the wall, creating a loud bang that made Mara sit up in bed. 

She saw her mother standing by the threshold, her face gaunt and eyes wide.

Lucinda looked like she’d seen a ghost, and blood had completely drained from her face. “Mara,” she hissed in a low voice. “Come with me quickly!” 

Still paralyzed by surprise, all Mara could do was stare at her mother, wondering if she was having another breakdown. She nearly dove under the bed when her mother marched into the room and grabbed her by the arm. Despite her mother’s petite frame, she had enough strength to haul Mara out of bed. “Mother, where are you taking me? What’s going on?”

“Quiet,” her mother whispered as they rushed out of Mara’s room. They then turned down the hallway, heading towards her parent’s quarters. 

“Where is Father?” Mara continued to ask. She missed his calm and reassuring presence and desperately needed him to tell her that it would be alright, even if it weren’t true. 

The uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach told her that, after tonight, nothing would ever be alright again.

Lucinda pushed their door open with the same urgency she did in Mara’s room and headed for their bed. Mara watched in confusion as her mother moved the furniture aside and knelt to open a hidden door underneath.

When Lucinda turned back to her daughter, there were tears in her eyes. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart. I know you’re so confused right now,” she murmured, her voice turning gentle again as she reached out to rub Mara’s arms. Mara just looked on in confusion, unable to process everything that was happening. It was too fast. It was all too fast. 

“I wanted to tell you everything, but we’re out of time,” Lucinda continued in between her sniffling. Mara could see tears streaking down her mother’s face in the moonlight streaming into the windows. Suddenly, Mara felt like crying too. The anxiety and uncertainty were too much, and she felt like she would explode. 

“Now listen carefully.” The tone of her mother’s voice had changed again. This time it was firm and commanding - there was no room for argument. She swiped her tears away and stared deeply into Mara’s eyes, ensuring her daughter understood everything she was saying. “You will stay here until your brother returns home in the morning. Under no circumstances will you leave this spot,” Lucinda emphasized, pointing at the small hole under the hidden door. “No matter what you hear. No matter how scared you are. You. Stay. Hidden. Do you understand, Mara?” 

Her mother’s eyes were almost pleading.

I’m not scared.

I’m terrified, Mara wanted to say, but instead, she found herself nodding. 

At least this action seemed to offer some relief for her mother, as Lucinda’s shoulder dropped slightly, and the tension left her body. “I love you, sweetie,” she whispered with one last, wistful smile. “We both love you.” 

“I-” 

The loud banging from their front door cut off Mara’s words, and she jumped in surprise. “Quickly now,” her mother whispered, gesturing to the hole. Mara slid easily inside, the space seeming to be made just for her. Her mother peered down at her from their bedroom with one final smile before closing the door and locking her inside. 

Darkness. 

It was worse than the cold. 

Mara couldn’t see anything. And she couldn’t hear anything, either. As soon as her mother shut the door, it seemed as though a hush had fallen around their house once more. 

She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to make sense of what was happening. Was this what her mother had been talking about? Had someone finally come for them? But why? And what had her parents kept from her? 

Her thoughts were cut short when she heard another loud bang coming from above her, and this time, it seemed to be accompanied by the sound of splintering wood. 

“Where is she?” a voice that was unfamiliar to her seemed to growl. The wood above her muffled the sound, but she could still make out the words. 

“She’s not here, you monster!” This time, she recognized her father’s voice shouting at whoever was intruding into their home. “You’ll never find her!” 

There was a pause, and fear seemed to freeze the blood in her veins like the cold wind that had frozen their windows. “We shall see about that, Witch. Search the house!” 

As soon as the words were spoken, the sound of struggle and scuffling met her ears. She could also hear cries of pain and some… growling? Mara couldn’t understand what was happening, but her mind imagined the worst scenarios. 

Her emotions became too much for her, and a sob made its way out of her throat. She immediately covered her mouth with her hand, terrified that the slightest sound would reveal her. 

Where is she? 

The intruder had asked. 

That meant they were looking for her. After all, her mother was already there. There was no other woman they could be referring to save for Mara. But why were they looking for her? What did they want? 

More shouting and fighting could be heard from upstairs. The wood above Mara seemed to creak and groan at the scuffle that was taking place. Then, rising above the other noise, another howl, much louder, rang around the house. Again, the sound seemed to grate against Mara’s eardrums before the noise morphed into a roar. 

After what felt like forever, all sounds coming from upstairs ceased. The quiet fell once more like the softly falling snow outside. 

Tears still streamed down Mara’s face, and her breathing had turned ragged. She felt as though something would grab her out of the darkness, and she wrapped her other arm around herself to try and stay calm. But how could she stay quiet? She had no idea what was going on. 

The silence continued to reign from upstairs. 

Mara was tempted to peek through the door to see what had happened, but she remembered her promise to her mother. She was supposed to wait for her brother to come and find her. Caelum. Caelum. Caelum, she thought, as if chanting his name inside her mind would somehow summon him. 

Mara didn’t know how long she stayed under the hidden door. Minutes? Hours? At some point, it even felt like days. Then a new fear seemed to take hold of her. What if Caelum didn’t find her? What if he walked in with those intruders still there? What if she was stuck in that hole forever, trapped in the darkness with no way out? 

Just as her hysteria began to mount, the floorboards creaked above her. A bit of dust fell onto her hair, and Mara held her breath. Then, she heard the sound of the bed moving. Was this it? Had Caelum returned? She felt her heart swell inside of her as the door above her opened. 

And then, a large hand reached down and pulled her out of the hole, dumping her unceremoniously onto the floor. Mara’s bottom collided with the hardwood, and she looked up, ready to glare at whoever was manhandling her, but her eyes widened in shock instead. 

Standing in front of her, seeming to tower larger than her father, were three men with menacing grins. Mara tried to scramble back, ready to flee from them, but a hand clamped down on her ankle and quickly pulled her back. 

While she struggled, the men tore her robe and peered around her shoulders. That was when one called his attention, and he went to her back to see. She felt sharp fingers like claws press her on the part where she had this sort of birthmark, and then he chuckled, obviously satisfied with his finding.

“Let go of me!” Mara began to kick and struggle, but it was no use. The big brute had a firm grip on her and didn’t seem to feel her weight. “Let go!” Mara continued to shout. 

She only heard laughter in reply. These monstrous men found her amusing. “Where are my parents?” she demanded. “Who are you?” 

“Well, look at that - she doesn’t know a thing,” the man that had pulled her back commented as he dragged her to her feet. Mara wrinkled her nose as he yanked her closer. A pungent stench seemed to emanate from the man, and she found her eyes watering out of disgust rather than fear. “Don’t worry, pup. You’ll find out soon enough.” 

He told his men to lead her out as their search was over. Mara let off more screams and put up more struggles as the men dragged her out.

Mara began to kick and scream, demanding that they put her down, but her words seemed to fall on deaf ears. 

She wanted to know what had happened to her parents. Where had they taken them? Where were they taking her? 

The words died on her tongue when they stepped out of her parent’s room. Their home was a mess. The walls and the floors were filled with huge claw marks. There seemed to be something staining the walls, like splattered, dark paint in the low lighting. The fire in the hearth was gone, plunging the once-warm cottage into darkness. The cold wind blew in from the outside. 

When they reached the front door, a screech made its way out of Mara’s lips before she started crying loudly, not caring that the men who had ransacked her home could see her. She couldn’t believe her eyes. No, she prayed this was all a nightmare. 

“Burn everything,” the man carrying her spoke, not caring that Mara was wailing like a banshee behind him. The fight and anger she had been feeling wholly evaporated from her body as the last image of her parents became permanently etched into her mind. 

She would forever carry the trauma of seeing their dead bodies with her. They had been eating and laughing around their fireplace just a few hours ago. Now, her parents’ bodies were strewn across the floor, their lifeless eyes staring up at the ceiling. A pool of dark liquid surrounded them, and Mara finally realized what it was that had stained the wood and floors.

Blood. 

They passed by two other bodies that Mara didn’t recognize. 

But as the men dragged her out into the cold night, all Mara could see through her tear-stained eyes were the orange flames dancing across the dark sky as they burned her home to the ground, leaving no traces of her family or the monsters in the night that had come for them.