Dawn

Only A Matter Of Time

Frantically waking your kids up at 8:30 isn't what most parents would expect to do, but it's become my life. These kids were born into the wrong time. I gathered the rest of the kids and my husband into our bedroom. We always slept in here, even though the creatures had never come close to getting to our level in the building. The kids crouched down and slid under the bed, which was by no means big enough for all of us, though it had never been with the quadruplets. Still, we made it work. My husband loaded his gun and joined us. He aimed at the door with such proficient hands that one could tell he had been doing it for a long time. We waited there, all night, like we had done since the kids were born. They finally fell asleep, and I began feeling drowsy, but knew that I had to stay awake. "Jessie," I whispered. "Do you think they'll ever get through that door?" He quickly glanced over at me and nodded solemnly. "Of course, it's only a matter of time." He went back to his watch at the door. Once again, the night passed without incident. When the sun began coming up, I woke up the kids and told them to lay down in bed. They were all homeschooled, so I saw no reason not to let them sleep for a few more hours. I went to the kitchen and waited for my husband to be done getting ready. I gave him his lunch and watched him leave. Though I knew that he was just on the floor above us, and that he would be home well before dark, I still worried. I laid down with the kids and felt myself falling asleep, with my husbands words ringing in my ears, "Of course, it's only a matter of time."