War from Under the Bed

Story Time

The wind whistled into Sadie's ear, waking her from a refreshing good sleep with visions of safe families swimming through her head. She sat up, the grass having her scratching at her still ooze covered skin, and looked up at the bright blue sky. White clouds rolled by, a soft wind flattening the grass in the field and shaking the trees. She shuddered, the air still a bit chilly.

"You finally had a good sleep?" someone asked and Sadie turned to see Jenny, her hands idly playing with Sam's hair as he slept on not far from her. Sadie nodded and she smiled, "That's good...I'm sure everyone else did too." She looked at Pang, who slept peacefully. Jenny looked back at Sadie and noticed her scratching her itchy skin. She chuckled, "You want to find a nice bath somewhere?" Sadie nodded once again and couldn't wait to wash all this guck off. Jenny smiled a bit and then flicked Sam's head unexpectedly. The loud thwack of her fingers against his head made Sadie wince and rub her own forehead. Sam groaned and rubbed his forehead as Jenny hovered over his face, "Up you little sleepy tomato. We've got to go find a place to wash off this stuff." She pulled at a flaking piece of dry ooze of his cheek and waved it in front of his eyes.

"Don't call me tomato..." He muttered, sitting up and still rubbing his red forehead. Sadie giggled softly at the nickname, finding it appropriate for his bright red hair.

"Would you prefer strawberry? Your freckles are perfect for the little seeds." She teased as she shook Henry awake. Her teasing only made Sadie's giggles worse. Sam looked at her with an annoyed look until a smile slipped onto his pressed lips and he chuckled softly as Sadie clutched her aching stomach, not being able to stop her constant giggling.

"I think you just killed her." Sam said, and Jenny chuckled softly. As Sadie's giggles slowly calmed and she was left lying in the grass with a large grin on her face, Sam woke Jack and Pang. Sadie sat up and watched the other rub the sleep from their eyes.

"We'll have to skip breakfast for now..." Henry said as he stood and stretched. Sadie's disappointment reflected on Jack's face, who frowned slightly at the idea of skipping a meal.

"Where are we going?" Sadie asked, the thought of food still on her mind.

"We're going to a very old friend." Sam answered and Jack's face lit up.

"Grandma?!" Jack jumped to his feet, "We're going to grandma's?!"

Sam chuckled softly, "Exactly, she's completely monster proofed her house."

"I thought adults couldn't see monsters." Sadie said, thinking back to her mother. She played with her locket as she rolled the idea around in her head.

"She actually came in contact with a monster when she was younger." Sam said, "If it weren't for her angel, she would have been dragged away." Sadie shuddered and clutched her locket.

"Don't go giving them nightmares again." Jenny said, flicking him again in the forehead. Sam winced and gave her a soft glare.

"Will there be food?" Pang asked quietly, holding her stomach, "I don't know if I can make it to lunch..."

"You're not the only one." Sadie said with a smile. She stood and brushed the dirt off her pjs.

"Let's get going then." Sam chuckled and maneuvered into a crouch. His wings came out and Jack jumped onto his back with a large grin. He gave a loud whoop and pumped his fists. Sadie giggled and climbed onto Henry's waiting back, his feathers shifting in the wind that was picking up. She couldn't wait to meet Jack's grandma, and have a snack. She also felt that she was in desperate need of a bath, the ooze getting itchier by the second. Pang quickly followed their example, climbing onto the awaiting back of Jenny and they were off. The winds pushed the great wings of the angels higher into the sky, leaving the tainted forest behind, the trees swaying and reaching for them with their darkened branches. Sadie could still feel the cold intent of the monsters in the day, moving through the shadows of the trees like rats.