Eclipse

Chapter 0

Place: Vahn's House

Time: 2:30 AM

I awoke suddenly sitting straight up in my bed. Waiting a second for my eyes to adjust to the blinding darkness, I took off the five covers covering my body. Still not being able to see, I decide to jump off the far side of my bed banging my knee on my chest of drawers hard enough that it caused my katana to fall off the rack of swords sitting on top. I tried to keep the noise level down but inevitably my mom heard it. 

"Vahn ... *Groan*.... are you okay?" There was a slight pause. "Honey?" She persisted. 

"Yea I'm fine." I responded as I headed for the bathroom. 

I pulled up the toilet seat and let loose. As I was going, I suddenly felt wide awake, not because my knee was throbbing, but because the house felt different.  The night light in the bathroom was on, and the white walls of the house helped to extend the reach of the faint light it emitted. All I was wearing was a green XXXL shirt and underwear, my usual.  A cold chill ran up my body.

"Man, I had to go, it's still coming, what did I eat?" I whispered to myself. 

Finally finished, I pulled my pants up and walked out without flushing. I guess mom could tell because she pipped up:

"Vahn, put the seat down and flush it"

Suddenly, there was a low grumble coming from down the hall, almost like a dog, but our inside dog didn't sound like that.

I turned and looked down the hallway, "What was that?" I asked myself squinting, I couldn't see much but I could tell that nothing was there. 

I turned and flushed the toilet, but I noticed something off about the water in bowl. It didn't look right. I turned around and with a shrug, I walked out of the bathroom back to my bedroom where I shut the door.  I had totally forgotten about the noise at this point as I pulled the covers over me and attempted to close my eyes. 

"Maybe the third day of my junior year in high school will be more exciting that my the last couple days" I silently whispered to myself. 

Be careful what you wish for Vahn!

I had my eyes closed for not more than five seconds before heard a familiar click of my lizards red heat lamp clicking on. But there was something else. I heard very deep heavy breathing right next to my bed. 

From the other room I heard my mom call out: "Vahn, go to bed, Stop playing around."

I was in my bed, so who could she be talking to?

The breathing got even heavier. As my whole body seem to stiffen, I forced my eyes open and i saw two legs within inches of my bed silhouetted by the red light behind it. I glanced up and saw a massive human shaped figure with something large and shiny on its overhead raised arm ready to come crashing down on me.

"OH SHIT!" was all that i managed to get out

"Ahhhh!" I heard my mom scream from the next door room, closely followed by my Dad:

"What the hell!

I rolled off the far side of my bed to avoid the down swing of the man's arm. My bed was obliterated by the powerful downward swing. I scrambled toward my light switch so I could see the attacker better but the switch didn't work. I could barely make out the figure through dim red light from my lizards cage. I reached for my katana on the rack of swords but it wasn't there so I went for the next one down, my kodachi,  a curved blade roughly a foot shorter than a normal katana. 

The figure started to stumble forward lazily toward me and posed to attack once more but I made the first strike with a piercing strike through it's skull. As it moaned in pain I pulled the blade out and made a few quick slashes across it's front. Warm liquid sprayed on me. Somehow, it still managed to reach out with it's other arm and tried to grab at my leg as it was falling on the ground. It's grip was weak and I managed to pull my leg away, but not without injury. It left 3 nasty cuts in my leg, not to deep but enough to draw blood.  It lay on the floor, spasming for a moment before it finally lay still. 

As I backed into the hallway, I noticed a second attacker bearing down on me quickly. Something about the size of a medium dog lunged at me. Out of reflex I swung my sword straight down in front of me slicing its head in half. 

I turned and made for my parents bedroom where I opened the door and scanned the scene. My mom was standing at the closet down or the far side of the room holding a pistol. Dad was on the ground in front of the bed trying not to get hit by stray bullets that flew and hit a similar tall creature. It was on the floor still writhing in pain. Mom recognized me and relaxed for a moment while i walked over and stabbed the creature. It let out of horrible groaning noise and finally died. 

The room was pretty dark, only illuminated by a bright clock and the nightlight from the bathroom across the hall. 

"Mom, get me the flashlight out of the drawer there and see if the lamp on the nightstand works" I told her. 

She continue to stand there, almost paralyzed, breathing hard. My dad finally got up and walked over to her.

"Pam.... Pam!"

She finally loosened her grip on the gun allowing it to fall. Her legs gave out and she fell to the floor as well. 

I heard something in the house. Something scrapping against the carpet and heavy foot falls. There was another creature in the house like the ones before. I walked over and grabbed the flashlight out of the drawer and flipped it on. I shown the line on the dead creature and noticed the long blade almost sown into its right skinny arm. The blade appeared to heavy for it to lift or wield properly. I made the assumption that they were very slow. 

On the move, I made my way back to the hallway just as the monster was rounding the corner from the family room at the far end. It didn't notice me at first, but then move the light from my flashlight onto it. The was a slight pause before it stretched its neck out higher into the air than should of been possible. Its stretched out head moved in multiple weird, unnatural directions releasing almost a scream before it began to move quickly towards me. The creature's speed was no match for mine, however. 

I dashed forward, sword posed for a spear attack. I could kill it before it raised it's blade to even strike I thought. As I neared, it reached out its free arm and grabbed by my head. I was being raised off the ground, it was trying to crush my skull. I thick ooze ran down from it slimy hand covering my face. I almost couldn't breath.  

Shots rang out from behind me hitting the creature in the leg and upper thigh causing the monstered to drop me from pain. The shots were quickly followed by the unfortunate sound of empty clicks. The gun was empty, but I was free. 

I took advantage of the brief reprieve and rammed my blade through the long neck of the monster. I sliced left then right cleanly taking off its head. There was no spasming light the others, this one just died leaving a huge pool of blood. 

I picked up my flashlight from the floor and ran toward the family room quickly scanning it for any other dangers. Nothing. Next , turning around I made for the kitchen a couple feet away. Nothing else was amiss. 

Screaming outside in the front of the house!

I threw open the blinds in the kitchen to see the front yard. There, out in the street were several figures, twenty, maybe thirty humans and monsters alike, some killing, some running others laying on the ground already dead. 

"Ah! My head!" I yelled as a sharp pain came over me. "What is this!, it's getting worse. I can't see. Am I. . Am I dying?" 

I dropped to my knees and fell to the floor holding my head and finally blacking out from the intense pain.