I ran as fast as my legs could carry me. My heart pounded in my chest, but I didn’t stop.
Something was seriously wrong.
Why the hell are there monsters flying in the sky? What’s with that giant beam of light?
What the f*** is going on?
I skidded to a stop in front of my mother’s room and shoved the door open.
“Mom!”
She was already awake. She sat at the edge of her bed, gripping a picture frame of her and my father.
Judging by the pale, hollow look in her eyes… she already knew.
“Come with me,” she said, standing quickly.
I barely had time to react before she grabbed my wrist and pulled me toward the living room.
Jade was still curled up on the mattress. How the hell is she still asleep?
Mom violently shook her until her eyes flickered open.
Jade mumbled sleepily, rubbing her eyes, “What’s… happening?”
“We don’t have time.” Mom said.
She pulled Jade to her feet and turned to me.
“Stay Close, Nero.”
Together, we stepped outside.
And what I saw made my stomach drop.
The sky was different. Darker than it should’ve been. I knew there was an eclipse today, but this wasn’t normal.
The figures I had glimpsed earlier were now clear.
They weren’t birds. They weren’t even human.
They were shadows, gliding unnaturally toward the village below.
Toward Zero.
Toward everyone.
I took a step forward, “We have to—”
Mom’s hand shot out, gripping my wrist, “NO.”
I blinked at her in shock, “But Zero and Violet— they could—”
“Forget about them.”
Her voice was cold.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
I stared at her. Forget them?
The people we lived with? The people we called family?
My fists clenched, “But—”
“Enough, Nero.”
Mom had never raised her voice to me before.
Her grip tightened, and for the first time, I saw it...the fear in her eyes.
“If we stay, we die,” she said, voice sounded serious.
“In situations like this, I have to protect you. Above all else.”
I swallowed hard.
Mom turned to Jade, hesitating.
I knew what she was thinking.
She didn’t want to be responsible for the child her husband had with another woman.
And then...
A sound tore through the sky.
A scream.
Not human.
The an unknown beast landed in front of us.
Its body was twisted, shifting, as if it had never decided what shape to take. Its head was a featureless void, yet its presence alone made my skin crawl.
Jade took a step forward taking a deep breath, “I offer myself to it. I can tell that you don''t want me here.” Her voice was very soft and quiet.
She was about to offer herself to the creature.
Mom grabbed both of us and yanked us inside.
She moved fast, pulling back the carpet in the living room.
A rune circle was carved into the wooden floor beneath.
She placed her palm on it, whispering something that wasn’t even a language I recognized.
The air rippled.
A glowing blue portal erupted in the center of the room.
Jade gasped.
I froze.
Mom turned to us, “Both of you, hold on to me.”
“Mom, wait—”
She didn’t.
She pulled Jade with one arm and gripped my hand with the other.
And then—
The world vanished.
I hit the ground hard, stumbling forward.
Jade let out a small cry as Mom gently set her down.
I sucked in a sharp breath. My head was spinning.
where…?
I looked up.
We weren’t home anymore.
A vast open landscape stretched out before us, a high, grassy cliff overlooking the ocean.
The sky was still blue. What a relief.
Mom sighed, brushing her hair back, “We made it.”
I turned to her, my mind racing, “Mom, where are we?”
She placed her warm but slightly sweaty hands on my shoulder, “Somewhere safe. We’ll wait here until your father handles everything.”
I scowled. “You’re avoiding the question. Where the hell are we?”
Mom didn’t answer.
“Zero’s still back there! The village—”
“I know, Nero.”
Her voice was quiet. Heavy.
She hesitated before adding, “I don’t want you to know what’s going to happen to them.”
She knelt down and hugged me.
I should’ve felt comforted.
But I didn’t.
Jade watched us in silence before finally speaking, “Why did you bring me here?”
Mom didn’t respond. She didn’t even acknowledge her presence.
She just held me tighter.
That… was answer enough.
I couldn’t speak. I had so many questions—
Why was this happening?
Why were we running?
Why did it feel like this wasn’t the life I was supposed to have?
Maybe…
Maybe Mom was right.
Maybe I should just wait for Dad and Ethan to end this.
They were the strongest. They could handle it.
This would all be over soon.
Right?
The three of us walked in silence.
Mom led us toward something unexpected.
A mansion.
Out here? In the middle of nowhere?
“What the hell…?” I muttered.
Mom turned to us, forcing a smile.
“Listen carefully,” she said.
“We’ll be staying here for a while. Until those two idiots fix everything. Go inside, find a room, settle in. I have something to take care of.”
She didn’t wait for a response.
Jade and I exchanged a glance.
We knew better than to ask questions.
We wouldn’t get answers.
So we headed toward the mansion.
“What now?” Jade asked.
I sighed. “We wait.”
That’s all we could do.
Dad and Ethan were our only hope. There was no point in putting ourselves in danger.
Jade averted her gaze, her expression dark, “Then why did she take me with her? She doesn’t even want to look at me.”
I hesitated.
I understood why, but she was too young to.
“Don’t think about it too much,” I said, glancing at her. “Mom will will open up eventually.”
Jade didn’t look convinced.
We reached the front door of the mansion.
We both stood there, staring up at the place that would be our refuge for the foreseeable future.
For now...
All we could do was wait.