Spectrum: Book 1

Prologue: The Sandman

My throat dried as mud after solidifying in the hot sun all day.

Running for as long as I remember, I can't keep this up forever.

Finally! My home! I need to get away from this ghoul...

Once I reached the door, I pounded it with all my force.

I was too manic to use the doorknob as my heart was too frantic to hold on.

I wish to feel the presence of my family. Instead, I feel the breath of insanity.

The door opens swiftly & I tumble through as if the door were my bed, and someone pulls the sheets out with me.

Before advancing to shut the door, I caught a glimpse of true horror...

The swallowing of saliva relieves my throat.

"BOY! Where have you been all night? You stayed in that dark forest long enough for the bowl of stew made by your mother to have gone cold. You already left an hour before she even started cooking." I still caught my breath on the door while my back pressed against it. I couldn't let that...thing...in.

After locking it, I turned to my father & responded. "Please, you can't open that door; a monster on the other side is trying to-." "Enough! I won't hear any more of this. Eat your dinner, & we'll speak of your punishment after. Your mother & I already had a long day." He then walks back to the table and proceeds to eat dinner as if his meal was interrupted by one of the city's messengers delivering more bad news to his day. I don't mind this. I'd rather deal with his punishment than whatever that thing had in store for me.

I sit beside my brother, who's already in his second bowl. I really need that type of relief. I scoot the wooden chair close enough to the table while wood-on-wood screeched throughout the small dining room in this cramped but cozy house. Looking into the bowl, I can see the assortment of recently harvested vegetables from our garden in front of the home. Even though it was cold, I could still smell some of the spicy & herbal aromas from it. Before tasting a spoonful, I took a calming glance at my mother, father, & brother. No matter how bad a day gets, it always gets better when I eat with them. I took a bite & *CRUNCH!*

Cracking of wood with the sound of multiple dying trees tears through the peaceful home.

I looked & saw a... hand of skin & bone as grown as the hole in my soul...

The thing's hand latched onto the corner wall behind my father, who was in front of me. I now feel how flies feel caught in the web by 6 eyes of black death.

As motionless as I am, my family seems devoid of emotion.

Continuing their dinner as if refusing to let it turn into useless litter.

I have no words for this. My eyes seem to be meaningless...

I witnessed absolute terror in my seemingly safe place as my eyes witnessed a tear of time & space...

I can't take this... my breath is... no longer conscious...

"Darryl, go back into the house & get the spade in the..." The boy launched from his knees, sped into the house while kicking back dirt, & replied, "Right!" before entering the home. His father, kneeling next to the cabbage, looked back & saw the trail of dirt leading up to & through the open doorway. Turning back to the garden, he sighed and muttered, "How many times does Elizabeth have to yell at him about the dirt?" He continued focusing on other tasks, tending to the rest of the vegetables & herbs.

A few minutes passed, wondering about the time required to find a tool until he heard a closing door. "Who's that stranger in the black and white robes, Dad?" Darryl ran back and flopped beside his father, eager to harvest. His father looked up after taking the spade and saw a man approaching in the distance. Even though the stranger was about 50 feet away, he could see them wearing a black priest robe with a thick strip of white down the middle and white gloves. Both were lined with gold fabric, separating the black & white throughout the attire. It was odd seeing little to no dirt on the white. He had a steady walking pace as if admiring the travel more than the scenery. The father had a grayish feeling about this priest.