Beyond His Evil

THREE.

The explosion of screams that echoed from outside sent a jolt of panic through my body, and I quickly pulled away from my mother.

Her eyes went wide, and so did mine.

"What was that?" I whispered, though deep down, I already knew the answer. More screams filled the air, louder, more frantic.

Vampires. We were under attack.

My mother's face drained of color. Panic filled her eyes as she stood abruptly.

How did they find us? For God's sake, we were literally in the middle of a forest. How could they have found us?

How could they have tracked us here?

"Stay here, Kira," my mother instructed and turned to leave.

I grabbed her arm, halting her in her steps. "Mom, please don't go."

'I can't lose you too,' my heart whipped. I knew I was kidding myself. Hunters had a code-you never backed away from a fight, even if it cost you your life.

I could already smell it, death. I could almost see its merciless claws, reaching out to our small village. I didn't want my mom to go out there. I couldn't lose her.

She placed a soft kiss on my forehead, lingering a little longer than usual. "I love you, Kira. Don't leave, no matter what you hear."

Her words hit me like a punch in the gut. I wanted to hold on to her forever, but she was already stepping towards the door before I could stop her.

Somehow, I managed to move my shaking form to the window-like structure in my room. I parted the curtain slightly and peeked outside.

Chaos. Absolute chaos.

I couldn't see my mom but what I saw shook me to the core. There were bodies-both vampires and hunters-strewn across the ground. This wasn't the first time I'd seen death, but these weren't strangers. These were people I'd sat around the bonfire with, people that kept the village alive.

My heart sank as my eyes landed on a familiar figure in the middle of it all-The village head.

For a woman her age, she was a warrior - a force to be reckoned with. She was fighting against two vampires, moving with the strength and agility of someone half her age, wielding swords of fire itself.

Relief washed over me. She was still fighting. But then, from the corner of my eye, I saw a vampire approach her from behind. She was so consumed with the other two that she didn't notice.

The vampire seized her with brutal force and, in one swift motion, ripped her head off her body.

I gasped, stumbling away from the window, my chest tightening. I covered my mouth to stifle the scream that threatened to break free, but the tears came anyway.

I remembered the way she smiled and the warmth in her eyes as she shared her stories. Now, she was just another memory.

I sobbed silently.

What did we ever do to deserve this? Where was God when we needed Him?

Suddenly, my door was ripped open, and I shot to my feet as my mother stormed in.

Her hair was wild, and blood-some of it hers-caked her dark skin. My heart broke at the sight of her.

"You're leaving, Kira," she said, her voice cold and detached as she walked to where my bag sat. She always kept our things packed as if she knew this day would come.

"We're..." I stammered, my chest tightening with dread.

"You're leaving!" she repeated, louder this time, her eyes locking with mine as those two words tore at my soul.