Arcadia In Hell

Prolouge

Her bag around her shoulders, her boots zipped tight, Amanda Gales set off for her daily run to the market. With her parents and siblings still sleeping, she tiptoed out the door. Sealing the door behind her a chill fell down her spine. Upon her arival at the market Amanda purchased her bread and her butter, some jam and goat cheese, Laura her loyal cat trailing behind her. Slowly making her way out of the over-crowded  square Laura and Amanda could sense something was wrong. Neither of them able to identify the odd feeling they continued on their journey. 

Feeling uneasy, Amanda shoved the small cat in her bag; they finished the durration of their walk stepping silently through the empty and deserted forest.

By the time she was home a strange and unwelcome silence greeted them at the door. She shakily made her way up the wooden steps to find her mother and father laying on the floor, blood oozing from their stomaches and faces. Unable to contain herself, Amanda burst into tears and knelt to her feet, sitting next to her bloody parents. Her father not quite dead, struggling for great with her mothers lifeless body Amanda could no longer see straight for her eyes were welling with hot tears. Just as she gave up, unable to bear her pain much longer her father spoke his dying words, riding from his pained stance on the ground:

"Amy, save the children. Run away and save the children." The pained look in his face was too much for her and the only words she could mutter in return to him were a strangled,

"Papa..."

He clutched her hands tighter as he died in her arms. Thinking of her fathers last words she remembered her brothers and sister. Running up the second flight of stairs, anger rising in her heart from whomever did this to her parents, she was also in fear of the fate of her siblings. 

Approching the large room she could hear the muffled cries of her sister and brothers. All three of them, Gwen, Jamie, and Aaron were all laying on the floor with blood splattered all over the room. However their injuries were not as fatal as her parents. Gwen with a slash on her wrist, and cuts across both brothers faces. Attempting to tend to their wounds Amanda asked the identity of who did this to her family. Aaron winced as Amanda put some of her fathers whisky on his face.

"This group, this group of men came in the house and they... they killed Ma and Papa," Aaron finished. Growing up in a lovley little town in Daraphen nobody ever dared to hurt one another and the death of adults was often caused by old age or a fever of some sort. This attack was out of the ordinary for the Gales residence. Overridden by grief the four children sat in silence with only one question on their minds. What were they after? And where have they gone? 

"Out the window," Gwen spoke.

"Excuse me?" Amanda asked in bewilderment.

"They left through the window and told us that they would be back," she said.

The would be back. Those words circled through Amanda's head as she remembered her fathers words. She had to get the children safe. With Laura still lounging by her feet, Amanda put the fuzzy yellow cat back in her bag. Helping Jamie up from the ground she lead them through the back door. Quickly explaining her plan to her brothers and sister they made their way swiftly and silently back through the forrest and across the frozen lake. Finally after an hour and a half of their journey they found themselves at their mothers twin sisters home. Greeted at the door by a warm smile Aaron broke the news to their loving aunt, Udora Harland. She held in her tears and put on a brave face and welcomed the ruffled children in. 

Explaining the situation to the rest of her extended family, they came to the conclusion that the basement was the safest place. Gathering food and whatnot the rest of the children cowered in fear, cramped in one queen sized bed. The loss of her parents were swelling around the room leaving all the family with their heads down and eyes shut. Just as everyone settled down and were about to sleep when the door to the basement burst open with a beaming light following. Four men stood in the threshold with guns and daggers in hand.