Happy birthday

Lured by the screaming of the children, Mommy ran out of the house and found another of these animals. She tried to slam the door quickly when the non-dog jumped at her, but by then he had already torn her to the ground and bit her shoulder. She screamed and screamed in panic. I could hear it all over the garden. Mommy was scared he hurt her!

Suddenly the air was filled with screaming, crying and wailing. In between, the strange animals growling again and again. I heard Moritz calling for his mom and the screeching of Chiara. One of these non-dogs had bitten into her leg and was dragging her, growling, into the nearest bushes, while another Uncle Roderick, with his cell phone to his ear, chased around the house until I could no longer see him.

Wynn clutched my arm, crying, while the plush behind us still tried to bite its way through the fence. In the meantime, three others made it into the garden, jumped over the fence near the terrace and immediately rushed, drooling, on anything that was moving - yes, one even caught another plush. The two rolled across the lawn, growling and biting, before parting and heading for easier prey.

Chiara screaming echoed all over the garden, but I couldn't see her anymore. Her attacker had withdrawn with her into the bushes.

Louis was lying in the middle of the lawn. Two non-dogs tugged at his tiny body while he cried and screamed. Their snouts were covered in blood.

"Grace!" Papa yelled, striking a growling plush with a spade. His eyes were wide in panic. “Grace, Wynn! Climb into the tree house, so ... ahhh! "

"Father!"

"Papi!" Wynn and I yelled at the same time when he was attacked by three of these animals at the same time. Papa struggled against them, but they bit and snapped at him. I heard his screams, saw the blood.

Moritz's mother ran across the garden before it was torn down. And there was blood again. There was blood everywhere.

The noise that the plush made on the fence got bigger and bigger, but I couldn't move.

"Gracy." Wynn tugged at my dress, crying. "Gracy, I'm scared."

When a window pane rattled, I awoke from my stupor. Climb into the tree house, Papa had called. Where was papa I couldn't see him anymore. But there was blood everywhere for that. And these noises.

"Gracy," Wynn said again.

And then suddenly a non-dog stood in front of us. His muzzle was all red and a shred of flesh hung between his bared teeth. He came closer as I and Wynn slowly retreated to the bushes. It would hurt us like it hurt Mommy and Daddy. I was scared, but I didn't know what to do.

Wynn half hid behind me, crying louder and louder.

And then suddenly he attacked. I screamed as he knocked me to the ground, feeling the impact, the pain in my face as the skin tore open knowing I was going to die. He would kill me.

At the same moment a loud bang tore through the background noise. The animal above me sagged and threatened to bury me under itself. It was heavy and it stank.

I cried, wanted to get away, wanted to go to Mommy and Daddy. Then the weight suddenly disappeared from me and a strange man crouched down next to me. "Are you okay?" He asked urgently.

I couldn't answer, just sat there sobbing and crying. My face hurt so much.

The plush was dead on the grass next to him and suddenly there were other people in our garden. Where did they all come from?

Wynn had crouched behind me, hands on ears and eyes narrowed. It hummed softly as it rocked back and forth, excluding everything else.

"Hey, don't cry," the man said gently. "Don't worry, everything will be fine."

Another bang rang through our garden and another. They were guns. The strangers shot the non-dogs, who went down howling and growling, but still refused to let go of their prey until they finally died.

"It doesn't look so bad, it'll be okay," said the man, but it wasn't until he tried to grab my face that I understood what he was talking about.

I backed away from him in fear, not wanting him to touch me. It hurt so bad and something warm dripped from my lip onto my yellow birthday dress. My beautiful new birthday dress.

I wanted mom and dad. Sobbing, I looked around for them, but they weren't there. Where was mommy?

“Okay, stay here then. Nothing can happen to you anymore. ”The man rose as another bang tore the air apart. An animal howled. Growls, shouts. The strangers ran busily through the garden and killed everything that had four legs.

I didn't see much through the blurry look in my eyes. Just the blood. All over. And Louis, who no longer screamed and cried. He was now lying on our lawn with a fixed look.

Happy Birthday, Grace.