Mudskippers

Chapter 1

"Ethan, get that firewood in here! Dad says your meat is turning blue it's so cold in here!" I shouted from the backdoor. He gave me a thumbs up and began to pick up logs from under tha tarp. Wind and snow whipped my face as I closed the door. Mom and Dad were in the kitchen cooking on over a small fire in the fireplace and laughing about who knows what. Our house was fairly small, but still comfortable for all four of us to live in. Lights on strings were hung all around the ceiling that would occasionally flicker every time there was a particularly strong gust of wind. Our generator kept the lights on but the wires were thin and sometimes got disconnected during snow storms. 

My parents were warm and loving. Dad worked on the oil rig offshore, but thankfully he's home for now with the storm. Mom stays home and takes care of me and my brother, but she also helps out at different shops around town. She and Dad were so in love, I've never seen a couple get along they way they did. I brushed snow out of my hair and onto the floor.

"Ah Dawn, just in time, here, put this on the floor for Ethan's boots, we don't need to track more snow in here." Mom said as she threw a towel at my face. I rolled my eyes and laid it on the ground right as Ethan opened the door. He was panting and dropped the logs on the ground. He slammed the door shut as he ripped off his hood and snow goggles and tossed them into my arms. 

"Dad, vampires are heading this way, they're attacking the villagers!" 

"You can't be serious, this far north?"

Ethan nodded, his eyes wide with fear. Dad gave a heavy sigh then put down the food and started bundling up.

"Kellan, I don't think it's a good idea for you to fight them. You should stay here." My mother reasoned with him as she helped him put his coat on.

"Ellie, I have to. If I don't go out there to stop them then they'll come in here-"

Just as he said this, our door burst open. Three men were standing in our door way, fangs bared before the lights went out. I heard screams and growls in the dark. I felt a warm hand grab mine and pull me to the living room. Wind rattled against the windows and I felt tears forming in my eyes. 

"Dawn, it's Ethan, we need to leave." He whispered into my ear.

"But Mom...Dad..."

"They're gone, I can hear it and it'll be us next if we don't get out."

A lump formed in my throat as I nodded. We ran for the front door when a rush of wind caught us by surprise. I could feel a presence in front of us. 

"And where do you think you are going?" The vampire asked in an icy voice. His accent was foreign, possibly Eastern.  "We're not finished here." 

He stepped forward as we backed up into the kitchen. The fire lit the room, but only things close by it. His face was easier to make out now. His eyes were black and beastlike and his long fangs were smudged with blood, as was his chin. My foot hit something, or someone on the floor. I turned my head and saw my father's face, frozen in horror and his neck sliced wide open. Blood flooded the tiles and their bodies. 

"What do you think boys, ready for desert? This one looks...savory" The main vampire snickered as he eyed my brother's neck. 

"I think not" Ethan quipped and picked up a log from the fire. "Dawn, DUCK!" 

I bent low to the ground and covered my head with my hands. My long brown hair dipped into the blood on the ground. Above me I heard howls of pain and loud thumping noises. The main vampires body fell in front of me and I screamed. I felt Ethan's hand on my shoulder.

"It won't be long before they're back up on their feet. Time to go sis."

I stood up slowly and looked around. Bodies and blood were everywhere. It was even more disturbing in the fire light.

"Pack a bag, we won't survive out there without supplies" I agreed as I wiped the blood out of my hair. As I brushed more tears out of my eyes, I saw Ethan flinch everytime he touched something.

"What's wrong?"

"I think I burned my hand." 

"We'll get some snow on it when we leave."

Suddenly there was a knock on the door.

"Kellan? Ellie? Please, it's me, it's Cassandra, please, let me in!"

Ethan and I looked at each other then back to the door. He walked over and opened the door. Cassandra, our neighbor along with her wife and daughter, stumbled inside clutching her throat, which was dripping blood.

"They're everywhere. They killed my wife and turned my daughter." She cried. She laid down on the couch and wept, pressing her hand close to her throat. I grabbed a towel from the kitchen and gave it to her. 

"Here, keep pressure on the wound. You should go to the Medic."

"It's too far, I'm scared I won't make it."

Ethan slung his back across his back. He whispered into my ear.

"Dawn, I know you want to help her but we need to leave, this place isn't safe."

Cassandra closed her eyes. She was breathing heavy and blood began to seep into the towel. I poured her a glass of water and left it next to the couch. Quietly we grabbed our bags and walked out of the giant hole that used to be our back door.