Tales of Monsters and Angels

5. The First Culling

"Attention! This is an important government warning." The newscaster's face was ashen, his always perfect hair looked like he'd run his fingers through it one too many times.

"An even of unknown origin has begun, we are unsure if this threat has spread out to other parts of the world yet. In order to guarantee your safety you MUST perform the following actions. Failing to follow these actions WILL result in loss of life."

A list of DO'S and DON'T'S flashed on the screen as he read them out one by one.

- Open all doors (external and internal)

- Open all windows

- Do not attempt by any means to bar entry

- When they enter, do not move, look at or acknowledge their presence in any way

- Do not react. Do not talk or make any loud sounds

- Small children, otherwise impaired individuals, and pets you cannot keep from reacting should be abandoned or hid away immediately

- Repeat, do not react. Do NOT react

- Stay calm

The newscaster's voice seeped through my slowly rising fear. "Help will be on the way. Good luck."

For four long months, we had been scorching in an unnatural summer. The clock on the wall read 2:15 pm, it was at that moment that something blocked out the sun and the sucked out the heat. Summer faded and a horrible chill filled the house. That's when we heard the sound, a dull thumping paired with the sound of wings flapping, like a million bats, getting closer.

The noise jackhammered me into action; the words from the screen burning in my eyes long after it blipped off.

Open the doors and the windows. No sounds, no moving. Abandon or hide any small child, impaired persons or animals. Do not bar entry.

They – whatever they were – were getting closer. A thump made the floor tremble.

"Doors, windows," I said, racing through the ranch-style house, flinging doors wide and yanking the windows up. I smashed one that was stuck. My breath frosted on the shards hanging from the sash. It wasn't just cold, it was freezing all of a sudden.

It never occurred to me to doubt, not with the buzzing of wings growing louder, or the dread lancing at my chest. For a minute, it didn't occur to me to disobey any of the rules, either.

Abandon or hide away any small child, animal or impaired person.

Dixie Bell stared at me with her golden-brown eyes, honey locks and wet nose nodding up and down as she paced nervously. I had enough room to hide only one family member.

Abandon...screw that.

"Come girl," I said, running through the living room to the kitchen. The noise bombarded my head and I couldn't think clearly. The thumps got louder and more violent, the flapping was becoming a nerve-grating buzzing and the crying....

My dad leaned over his radio – a technological wonder of metal boxes, lights and knobs from a bygone era – adjusting the frequency and pressing the PTT button, and repeating his call sign.

"Not now, old man," I said. Digging through a cupboard for the dog biscuits and the honey, I realized I had forgotten both the side door and garage door. Last ones.

My dad threw the mic on the table and started tapping short and long clicks with the Morse keyer. C...Q...D...The distress call for emergencies. At least he noticed.