War from Under the Bed

Shocking Day

Sadie stirred from a sleep she didn't remember going into. She clutched at the blankets as her horrible dreams played through her mind faintly, but the details being spared from her shocked mind. Memories of distant voices and screeches caused her to whimper. She slowly pulled herself out of her dreams and woke abruptly with her chest tight. Light leapt in her vision, eyes frantically searching for the monsters that had haunted her dreams. The shadows seemed to expand and reach for her and she choked on her sobs as she scrambled and leapt from the mattress she lay on. She stumbled away and ran right into someone. She looked up to see a young man with slightly tan skin, freckles splashed on his cheeks. His dark brown eyes looked down at her in concern, his bright red hair bouncing around his face. Sadie quickly pushed past him, blindly moving through the halls. Another pair of hands caught her, stopping her in her flight away from the nightmares. She struggled to free herself, sobbing violently.

"Slow down there little one." A gentle, sweet voice said and she turned to see a pale face and black, long, straight hair rolling over slender shoulders. Bright, brown, eyes looked at her, narrow and filled with calming happiness. Her small lips were pulled back in a smile as she held Sadie there. She looked to be of Asian ancestry. "You're safe now, calm down."

Sadie's trembling body slowly calmed, along with her wildly beating heart, and she sniffed loudly, wiping away the tears, "What's....what's going on?" She asked softly, "Mom and Dad..." Her voice got stuck in her throat and she started to shake once again as she remembered the way that monster had torn them apart.

The lady stood, taking her hand, "You want to see Henry?" Sadie snapped her head up at the mention of his name and she chuckled, "Come on, he's in here." She led her into a nearby room and Sadie peeked in to see Henry lying on a mattress. He was wrapped in bandages, his wings gone now.

She blinked in confusion, "Where did his wings go?"

"They're tucked away." The lady said and Sadie wrinkled in her nose at the answer.

Henry looked up at the sound of visitors and his face lit up at the sight of Sadie, "Sadie..."She rushed forward and embrace him in a giant hug.

He groaned in pain and she let him go, "Sorry..." She muttered, sitting down next to the bed, "What's going on Henry?" She looked around at the room, the place having a piano in the corner and chairs stacked along the side. A board of some kind hung on the wall and a divider was in the middle of the room, tied to the wall.

"We're hiding." Henry said as he laid back down, his breath sounding heavy.

"From what, the monsters?" She asked, looking around franticly as she mentioned them.

Henry put a hand on hers, "Don't worry, they can't get in here...." he took a few moments to breath, "It's protected by barriers...and the spirit of the place. It is a church after all..." He groaned and shuddered, "I didn't think they would try to get you so soon..." He breathed through his teeth as he squeezed his eyes shut, clearly in pain.

The lady from before approached and sighed, "Quit moving and just rest. You took it too far this last time. Trying to take on that platoon was too much." Henry grunted but didn't reply. She turned, "Sam, come here and give him a bit more healing!"

The boy from before entered the room and sighed, "I can't heal him fully, you know that right?"

The lady waved her hand impatiently, "I know, I know. You were going on about it, how his wounds could get infected with the ooze if you healed them too quickly, I know." She sighed, "If only your magic got rid of it." The boy, who apparently was named Sam, frowned and held his hands out.

Green light flowed from his fingers and washed over Henry, "If's not my fault that their ooze isn't affected by our magic. It's just a matter of biology. Just feel lucky that other types of magic work on them." As his light flowed over Henry's wounds, his pain seemed to fade and he drifted to sleep under the healing magic. Sadie watched with fascination until the light faded from his hands.