(Warning; this chapter includes scenes of death)
We woke up early this morning. I was excited because it was the weekend and that meant more time with my mom and dad. They worked so much that I never saw them during the week so Saturday and Sunday were a special time for us to spend together. I came down into the kitchen, ready for my usual bowl of sugary cereal and an afternoon of cartoon watching with my dad.
"Sweetie, don't forget that we are going to the farm," my mom said with a sad smile. She looked very pretty with her hair curled, wearing her blue top. "So eat quickly and then go get changed."
"Okay," I chirped, carrying my bowl carefully towards the television in the living room.
"Diana, no T.V., you need to eat quickly," my mom scolded. She was rushing around the kitchen, gathering snacks for our trip it seemed.
"Sharky!" I yelled. He was the name of my favorite animated hero. My mother groaned and stalked over to the television, turning it on and switching it to the proper channel.
"Ten minutes," she said, giving me a stern look.
"Five minutes!" I said back, thinking I was negotiating a better time.
"Five it is," my mom said triumphantly.
My Dad wandered into the room, his eyes glued to his phone. "Dai sweetie you had a better deal before. Remember your numbers?"
"One two three four five six seven eight nine," I replied gleefully, smiling up at my dad.
"What comes after nine?"
I stared at him, unsure and confused as to why he was talking to me while Sharky was on.
"Daddy, shhh."
My father gasped slightly, looking over at my mom. "She just shushed me, Ann, your daughter just shushed me."
"You know better than to talk while Sharky is on," Mom snickered, handing my dad a bowl of cereal as well. "Car all packed?"
"Yup, just need the cooler and the kiddo," Dad responded, tucking his phone in his pocket to accept the bowl from his wife. "Did you remember the necklace?"
"Of course," Ann said, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Do you think he can help her?" She glanced over at me, still glued to the television. "Keep eating Diana."
I shoveled a few more spoonfuls in my mouth, my eyes never leaving the screen.
"George helped us before," my dad reassured her. My mother sighed loudly, crossing her arms in response. "Hey, it will be okay, I promise."
"She wakes up screaming, every night Bill," she countered, glimpsing over at me, a sad look in her eyes. "And then there are those strange people who follow her, the last one tried to bite her!"
Bill wrapped his free arm around Ann, holding her close. "Hey, hey, you stopped him in time, she was okay."
"I just want it to end."
"I know."
The pair watched me for a few moments before returning to their packing. Eventually, my mother came over and turned off the T.V. and I cried out in protest.
"That was more than five minutes and you know it, young lady," my mom chided. "Now go put on the clothes I laid out for you."
"I wanna wear the star dress!" I cried out, holding my bowl out for my mother to take.
"Well, lucky you, it's what I picked out."
I squealed in delight and ran off to go get changed.
Soon we were in the car, singing along to my favorite tape and playing I-spy to pass the time on the long road trip. As we finally approached the last part of our route, winding through the mountain pass, I began to nod off, my eyelids growing heavy with sleep. I was afraid to sleep because that is where I saw the scary dark monsters every night. I closed my eyes but could still hear my parents talking.
"Is she finally sleeping?" My dad asked.
"I think so, she was up all night, I swear she is a vampire this child."
"Ugh, don't joke about that."
"BILL LOOKOUT!"
My eyes flew open at my mother's screams. There was a sharp jerk and a sudden drop, like when I would swing on the playset at school. My parents both cried out and I could feel their fear, it overwhelmed me. The car bounced and rolled and I felt a sharp stabbing pain on the top of my head. I squeezed my eyes shut in terror and only opened them once the car had stopped moving. We were now laying on our side, my hair falling across my face. I heard both of my parents groan, there was the soft sound of glass falling as they attempted to move.
"Ann, are you okay?"
My mother just groaned in response. My father turned as far as he could to look back at me, his face was cut and he was dirty. I began to sob, my head throbbing in pain. I could feel the warm drip of blood sliding down my face, I reached up to touch it.
"Daddy I got an ouchie," I cried out. "It hurts."
"I know baby, Daddy will be right there I promise," he said, attempting to smile.
"O-okay," I sniffled. My hands reached out to try and touch my head again and my dad shouted loudly.
"Don't touch it, Diana! Daddy will fix it, you have to wait."
I was crying now, scared by my father's harsh tone. He tried to comfort me as he fiddled with his seatbelt. He finally got it off and was about to inspect his wife's condition when there was a loud crunching noise.
"What the...?"
The door on my mother's side flew off and an impossibly large inky black claw reached in engulfing her body and yanking her from her seat. There was a sickening crack of what I was sure was my mother's spine and a splash of blood that rained down on my father's astonished face.
"ANN!" he screamed, reaching out for her in desperation. My cries turned to wails and I kicked weakly in my car seat. The dark claw returned scooping up my father this time, his face was pure terror as it was engulfed by the darkness.
"Daddy!" I wailed.
I heard him scream one more time before there was a sickening crunching noise, like when a dog chewed on a bone, and then nothing.
"My queen," a voice growled, I couldn't understand its words but I could feel its joy and also its hatred. The monster returned, squeezing itself in through the hole it had ripped open. I could see its bright silver eyes, rows of sharp teeth, and pitch-black body. This was one of the monsters in my nightmare.
"GO AWAY," I hollered. "MOMMY, DADDY!"
"Give us a taste," he grumbled, oozing closer towards me, his mouth opening wide. There was a shout and the monster turned to look outside at its source. He slithered out the door hissing as he went. I was left alone, sobbing deeply, hiccuping as I tried to catch my breath. All of a sudden there was a bright flash of light and I had to squeeze my eyes shut in response. The feelings were gone, no more hatred, just silence.
"Mommy, Daddy?"
The car door on my side flew open and I screamed, thinking the monster had returned.
"Diana, it's okay, I'm here."
"Daddy?" I asked, looking up hesitantly. It wasn't my father, but a strange young man with long reddish-brown hair, dressed in a dark peacoat and jeans. He plucked me from my car seat as easily as one would a doll, breaking the straps with a sharp tug.
"Grab on to me," he said softly and I obeyed, tears running down my cheeks. He held onto me gently, jumping down from the wrecked car.
"I want my mommy," I sobbed, glancing around at my surroundings. We were in the forest on the side of the mountain. I could see a lot of blood on the floor and the sky was filled with black snow. I looked at my strange rescuer. "The monster took her."
The young boy looked at me sadly, as he pushed my hair away from my eyes, examining the wound on my head. "I'm sorry," he said simply.
"Will you help me find my mommy and daddy?" I asked.
"Diana..."
I spied out of the corner of my eye, my mother's shoe, next to her bare legs. To me, it looked as though she had just fallen on the ground.
"Mommy!" I shouted, pulling away from the stranger. His hold was firm and he refused to let me wiggle away.
"No you can't, she..."
"Let go!" I shouted and with my cry. I felt a push and the young man dropped me, stumbling backward. I landed with a thud, my knees scraping on the broken glass below. I ran over towards my mom, ignoring the stranger's protests. I slipped on the blood, pooling below my mother's foot, crashing on top of her. I began screaming in confusion and then horror as I tried to piece together what I was looking at. My mother was there but she was broken, torn into pieces, her eyes lifeless and glassy. I couldn't feel her anymore.
"M-mommy," I sputtered, pulling at her jacket with my tiny hands. "Mommy wake up." My young brain just could not comprehend what had happened. I knelt before her, tears blurring my vision. The stranger came up behind me gathering me in his arms once again and I didn't protest. I clung to him, sobbing into his collar. He patted my back as he walked me away from the crash site, whispering reassuringly in my ear.
"Casimir, what happened?" A new voice called out, it sounded so familiar but I didn't want to look up from my crying. Even when I closed my eyes, I could still see my mother's dead face.
"Mas- I mean George, it's Bill and Ann they, they're dead," he whispered.
"What?!"
"Diana is bleeding, we have to stop it now or else," the young man named Casimir insisted.
"Of course hand her to me," the familiar voice named George instructed.
As I felt my rescuer try to pull me away from his neck, I screeched and dug in harder. "NO!"
"Diana, you remember Uncle George, he wants to help you fix your cut," Casimir whispered in my ear.
"No," I moaned, sobbing into his coat. I didn't want to let go, I was too scared. Casimir looked over at George, shrugging slightly.
"She saw it all happen, I don't know what to do," he beseeched, still rubbing at my back reassuringly. The older man stared at us for a moment, before looking over at the car his face grim.
"Here is the plan," George stated firmly. "You will take this medicine and cover up her wounds, then go straight to Ihsan, he will erase her memories."
"Are you sure sir?"
"She is so young, she doesn't need to remember it like this..." George reasoned, he looked over at the wreckage as he trailed off.
"I suppose."
"We must act fast. I will stay behind and clean up the scene, make it look like a simple accident. You must bring her back quickly so the police can find her."
Casimir paused for a moment, looking down at me in his arms. "Understood."
And with that, they parted ways.