Shadows

 Florence, Italy - A.D. 500

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The village was awoken in the early morning that day, to early for the sun to rise, to the sound of a shrill scream through the night. Families in small huts began to wake up as the screaming multiplied throughout the dusty dirt roads in between homes, and bouncing from each wall to the next to be heard by every ear.

Soon the screams were followed with the sound of struggle and crying, and not long after, death. People evacuated their homes and ran frantically around, dodging other terrified people. Many fell and were trampled under the feet of on goers trying to escape the horrors that were now here looking for their prey.

"le Ombre!" People screamed and warned as they struggled and fought against the churning crowds.

A family of four members left their home in a frantic hurry and pushed through the struggling people and made their way to the safety of the woods behind the village. The father held his young son tightly in his arms placing a hand on the boys head, hoping to protect him from the terror and fear surrounding them. The mother held her eldest daughter's hand as they made their way to hopeful safety away from the horrific happenings at that very moment.

The family reached the edge of the dark woods and peered in to find the pathway that would lead them away. They found the small trail into the woods and started forward. When their heads were covered by the roof of branches from the tall trees above, they were startled by a dark figure as it dropped from the highest tree in front of them, planting its feet into the ground.

The family cowered back in fear as the figure watched them, cocking its dark head to the side.

"Le Ombre." The mother gasped in a low voice, pulling her daughter closer and attempting to protect her from the predator before them this very moment, blocking their only entrance. The father set his son on the ground to stand next to the daughter, as he and his wife stepped protectively in front of their children.

The sounds of the dying, burning village behind their backs seemed to be blocked out to only a distant sound, but the sight was still as gruesome as before. The creature stood still and was hidden behind the curtain of darkness caused by the shadows. Finally it took a step forward, and was now in the moonlight that came into the forest. The family backed up more away from the sight before them.

The face of the creature was everything but an actual face. There were no eyes placed in the middle, or a nose below the place the eyes should have been. The face also lacked a mouth and the ears and hair were also absent. Even though there was no face on the dark creature in front of them, there was every emotion it its black hole of a face.

It was filled with anger and sadness, but it also possessed Happiness and giddy. It was the black face of pure fear.

A voice was carried on the breeze around them, that filled their ears with words.

"Chosen was this woman before me to die for wrong doings that are to come in the future." The voice said. The voice was the same as the face that came from the creature, It held every expression from happiness to anger, and was the base line of fear.

The sounds terror and death from the village died down, and were followed by the sounds of mourning and relief. Praying and crying filled every ear as the survivors scurried around to find others.

"You are mistaken Ombre." The father boldly answered the creatures accusation, "Mine own wife could not ever make a wrong doing if it meant her life." He stated, causing the creature to freeze. The black being of fear, recovered quickly and reached behind his back to reveal a bow as black as he was, and then it drew an arrow also. He knocked the arrow and drew the string back, raising it to aim at the father.

"Any soul that shall stand in between us and our goal shall die." He let go of the arrow and it shot through the air, lodging its self straight into the mans chest, piercing his heart on contact.

The father fell dead to the ground, and the wife screamed. She knelt next to her husbands dead body and wrapped her fingers around the arrow. She pulled hard and it came out of his chest but did nothing to revive him. She placed her hands over the bloody spot that was now appearing where the arrow had cut through his skin.

"Oh my love!" She cried, "No my love! Come to me!" Her hands filled with blood and became stained bright red. She placed her head onto her husbands chest and cried into his shirt, soaking a new part of the cloth, and getting her face also covered with blood.

Her children behind her whimpered and cried, unsure of what to do, then screamed as they began to be pulled back. The mother looked up to see more creatures surrounding them and watching as two dragged her children away from her.

"No! I beg of you! Take me instead, and ye shall leave my children at peace!" She yelled at the Creature before her.

Its non-existent eyes looked at her then to the Ombre holding the children. They let go and the children fell and scrambled back to their mother. She welcomed them into her arms and they wrapped around her and begged her not to go. She stood and faced the Shadowy figure that killed her beloved husband, her children pulling at the hem of her ripped dress.

The Ombre knocked another arrow and aimed, as did the two others. She looked to where they were aiming and gasped. Her two children were crying beside her, they to noticed that the Shadows were aiming at them, and screamed trying to get away, but they were too late.

The Ombre fired at the same time and the three arrows lodged them selves into the wife, daughter, and son's hearts at the same moment.