The Apex Pack

A "Predictable" Morning

Dimitri

Today started off as any other, with those damn cardinals chirping away outside my window. They seemed to know I hate mornings, so they scream at 5 in the morning as some feathery rat alarm clocks. I stood and walked to the window across from my bed, grabbing one of the rocks I keep on the windowsill. The large oak tree next to my window blocked most of my view of my yard. I don't mind, more shade for my room. I opened the window, a loud creak echoing down through the house, and started chucking the rocks at some nearby branches to scare away those noisy birds.

"Stay outta my damn tree, you winged rats!" I scream at them, like I do each morning. I could hear my sister downstairs, "Quit yelling at the birds! Next time, I'll open your window and let them in!" Knowing her, she would. Raven is just a bitch like that. Then again, I'm a pretty big asshole to her. Hey, what are twin brothers for?

The morning breeze filled my room with a slight chill as I walked to my dresser to pick out my clothes. My taste in fashion was pretty simple: graphic tshirts, hoodies, and either sweatpants or jeans. I never have anyone to impress since my sister and I live alone. Our closest neighbors are at least seven or eight miles out. All that surrounds us is our field of a yard and a forest stretching for miles down each end of the road and circling around the yard. It's serene, and secluded. We prefer it that way.

My thoughts trailed towards my chores as I slipped on a black shirt with the batman logo on the front. After getting dressed, I would have to eat and get some extra firewood while Raven tends the garden and grabs the ingredients we need for tonight. I am not looking forward to it but Rave would flip shit on me. I can already see her yelling, her eyes burning with anger. Now that I think about it, I'd rather not piss her off today. I pulled on my black sneakers and ran out the room and down the stairs. I could hear Raven singing to her favorite band while she makes breakfast. Her voice rang through the house with a melodic echo. Sometimes, I swear she's actually a siren because her voice can drive men crazy. I've watched guys start huge mob fights over her in high school when they asked her to sing.

I stood in the doorway and watched her go through her usual routine. With a feline grace, she danced around the room with knives and flour and a lot more without dropping anything. Her short purple hair swished all around. Odd, she usually wears her bandana. She must be in a good mood. She finally saw me after about five minutes and nearly jumped ten feet in the air. Next thing I know, spoons and spatulas were flying towards my head.

"Hey! Watch where you're fucking aiming!" A large metal spoon missed my head by a mere inch. "Yo! Have you been practicing?!"

"You know better than to sneak up on me like that, you fucking prick!" Her voice was shrill, piercing my ears like needles. Okay, so maybe her voice is dangerous. Raven has control of it most of the time. "I swear to the goddess, next time you give me a heart attack like that, I'm throwing the fucking microwave!" The pitch in her voice suddenly went up as she screamed too high for even me to handle and I blacked out.

The darkness seemed to stretch forever. An endless void, swallowing all light, all sound. Suddenly, I was moving. I can't tell which direction I'm going but it feels fast. Just when I feel like I was going to puke, everything stops. I look around and I'm in a forest. Everything was covered by a thick fog, the light barely filtering through the leaves above. Then, I'm running. I don't know why. I'm running faster than I should be. It's almost inhuman. A sharp smell catches my attention, changing my direction. What's going on? I'm...hungry. The smell gets stronger, as does my appetite. There's a clearing ahead. With a house. It's familiar. But I can't think. Just run and find. Find what? There's someone in the field ahead. Find what? The smell now fuels my speed. FIND WHAT?