Deadly Tempest

Prologue

~Deadly Tempest~

"A raging storm can be hidden within a drop of rain."

The Angel of Death was here and he was making himself known. I'd heard the stories, he and his army would take the children, kill the parents and destroy the land but, I'd never taken them seriously. To me, they were just scary bedtime stories told on Halloween night to give our little hearts one last lurch before we fell asleep. Turns out I was wrong, so wrong.

Houses were torched to draw people out and once they were, dogs were released to chase them down. Children were ripped from their parents' sides and thrown into the back of a cargo truck guarded by armed men who killed anyone brave enough to go near it. That particular pile of bodies was rapidly growing. Those who resisted once captured were blindfolded, pushed to their knees, doused with gasoline and forced to wait for the inevitable. Sometimes it was mere seconds and other times minutes but, once the man in the red mask got bored with his sick game he would snap his fingers and it would begin. Men and women were forced to watch as their loved ones were burned alive, forced to hear their loved ones agonizing cries mix in with their own, forced to endure the stench of their loved ones burning flesh...all while these monsters cheered. And as the cries of the dying faded, so did the cries of the living. For as those who were burned moved on to a land unknown, blood thirsty dogs were set loose on those still alive and bound, their screams forever ingrained into my memory.

"Tempi?" My little sister Winter whimpered.

I closed the opening of the bush we were hiding in and turned towards her. She looked so terrified; her bright grey eyes were wide with fear , face drenched with tears that had fallen long ago and her tiny hands clutched onto her favorite bear as her entire body shook. This was wrong. We were supposed to be getting ready for bed right now, not hiding in fear.

"Yes Winnie?"

She sniffed before answering. "When are mommy and daddy coming?"

I closed my eyes and stayed silent. When the first shot rang out, it was ignored. Everyone assumed that the hunters were chasing their prey. It wasn't very common to hear their gunfire but, every now and then they would hunt close to home. We were right about the hunters, except they weren't our hunters and once a bullet flew through our window, everyone realized that this time we were the prey.

Our parents reacted instantly. Dad went for his guns and mom lifted up the floor boards to retrieve the emergency bag filled with money, food, water, clothes and a loaded gun. My gun. The one dad started training me to use once I turned eight.

"Just in case Raindrop. You're special and there are bad people in this world who want what you and your sister have inside ."

I never knew what he meant by that. He said he would explain what was special about us once the signs started to show, but so far nothing had happened.

Mom handed me the bag and ushered us to the hidden entrance in the wall behind the couch.

"Temp do you remember what to do?" she asked as she looked into my eyes.

I nodded. "Follow the tunnel to the barn and wait for you and dad."

I looked away when she gave me a stern look for not repeating it all, "If I finish counting to ninety and you're not there, take Winter and head through the woods until we get to the main road. Stay on the edge and follow it to the Diner. Once there go into the bathroom, get the cellphone hidden under the loose floor tile and call Aunt Racheal."

She grabbed both of our faces with unshed tears in her eyes, smiled and kissed our cheeks. "We love you both...now go"

A tear rolled down my face, they never made it. I counted once, then twice. I was going to start again, when I heard the dogs approaching. I grabbed my sister and gave one last look to the hidden entrance in the ground before escaping through the back and into the woods.

We never made it to the road. Once we hit the tree line, we saw that there were already men looking for anyone trying to escape in the forest. I looked around searching for a hiding spot and found a cluster of thick bushes perfect for us.

I opened my eyes. How do I tell her?

I grabbed her hand and took a deep breath "Winnie...mom and dad, the bad people got to them."

I watched as the tears she had been holding in finally spilled and trailed down her cheeks. I crushed her in a hug and she clung to me as if I was her life line and in a way I guess was. I was her protector and nothing would ever change that.

The sound of a voice not far away made us stiffen. I let go of Winter, gave her the signal to be quiet and peeked out of the bush. An attack dog and it's owner were making their way towards us at an alarming rate.

"Tempi whats going on?" The panic in her voice rising with every word.

"I need you to be quiet the bad men are coming" Her only response was a whimper.

As we sat there a thought occurred to me,

"Winter listen to me ok?" She nodded her head.

A feral growl was heard "I think we have one!" The man was a few yards away and closing in fast.

I looked into her eyes "If we get separated, I will find you ok? I don't care how long it takes I will never stop looking."

A vicious bark made the both of us jump.

She hurriedly nodded her head.

"You promise?" She whimpered.

I pulled her into a hug once more and as she squeezed me I whispered into her ear,

"On my life Winnie and when I do, they'll all pay."

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Hey! I hope this has peaked your interest. I started this a few years ago and lost the spark, but it's back and I'm excited to know what you guys think.

Some of you guys may have been thinking "OMG! she's 8 with a gun?! bad parenting! where is CPS?!" Well certain circumstances require some people to take certain precautions, Tempest learning how to handle a gun, as you can hopefully see, was a necessary one.

Please Comment,Vote, & Fan :)

I really want to know what u guys think so please don't be shy :D

~Nikki