World of Sacrifice

Chapter 6 Instinct

Jumping back to junior year I woke up to the smell of freshly brewed coffee and warm sheets it was a perfect morning, except for the impatient knocking at the door. I grabbed my cell off the nightstand it was about four in the morning. If it wasn't for the smell of coffee I would've started yelling.

"Give me a few more minutes. I'll be up soon." Instead of leaving me the knocking came again, this time more persistent.

I lifted my head off the pillow as the door opened. I know I locked that door and no one is supposed to have the key. I squinted with my eyes, it was hard to see but I knew someone in dark clothing was coming in my room. My first assumption was my brother. My head dropped back down on my pillow and sighed thinking the intruder was friendly. The person sat on the edge of my bed, making me lean into them. He was so warm or at least I believe it was a guy. The only thing I had to go on was how wide and muscular the torso was. He extended his great hand and stroked my hair from my face. Then he leaned towards my face at the last moment he turned his head so his lips were just barely grazing my ear. He whispered Happy Birthday so softly I had to strain to hear and without a sound, he got up and left locking the door behind him. The room felt cold and dull, it was like he took the warmth and power out of the room. After that, I didn't feel like sleeping anymore. I crawled into a warm shower and headed downstairs.

I was greeted by my mom in the kitchen. She was reading the newspaper while eating breakfast. There were all my favorites beginning with french toast, cinnamon rolls, chocolate chip pancakes, eggs, bacon, waffles, and of course coffee. I went to sit down when she peered over the paper at me.

"Did you forget that you promised to help me today?"I looked at her confused.

I have not made any promises lately. I huffed my breath out as I plopped down in a chair. What is going on? I was not ready for a lecture that could boil over into a full-blown speech.

"Now I know that this is near your birthday but you have a maze to set up. I already started working on it but I expect you to do the rest yourself until your friend gets off work." She sounded to motivated at this ungodly hour.

"What friend is coming?" She looked at me confused.

"I thought you and Farah were setting up the maze. Is that not happening anymore?"

"No mom, me and Farah aren't together anymore."

"Oh, baby I'm so sorry. Do I need to call and cancel?" She surprised me by hugging me. "What happened do you want to talk about it?"

"What are we talking about?" I spun around to find a man about my brothers' age.

"Who are you?" The man looked at me in shock.

"Damn Sarah! That hurts. You don't remember me?" He wanted for a moment but I didn't know who in the hell this guy was or how he knew my name. "Well its been nine years since I last saw you."

"Stephen?"

"Ya kiddo!" He practically ran to the other side of the room to wrap me up in a bear hug and swung me around.

"It's great to see you, bro! How long have you been in town?" He sat me back on the ground.

"Not long, that reminds me this is my wife, Jane." He directed me to a short redhead standing in the doorway.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet the baby sister I hear so much about." My cheeks turned red.

"And it's nice to meet the woman that was able to tie my free-spirited brother down." I turned to my brother. "You're married?"

"Ya, and we have two daughters as well."

"What! You have kids?"

"Yap! Not bad for the town fag." Just as the mood went from joyful to awkward a scream came from outside.

Instinct kicked in and I grabbed the first thing that could pass as a weapon. My first thought of running out of the house barefooted was to protect. That scream I heard came from a child. A scream came again this time louder, it was coming from the old barn. I tripped and rolled somehow not impaling myself with the butter knife. I got up and looked behind me, my family were on the porch starting to run after me hearing the second scream. I had to get to that child, another minion could be heard right now looking for me and got some innocent kid instead.

I threw open the barn doors, how I did it I don't know but I was amazed by the sight before me. A redhead girl was being held upside down by one of those disgusting things. I was right! Another minion of the Dark came for me.

"That smell." That thing sniffed the air. "What is that? It smells so delicious!" The creature's distorted face turned so sharply in my direction that I thought it snapped its neck. "YOU! You are the one?"

"This is not a game." The voice called to me so deep it shacked my body to the core with its vibration.

"Drop the child, your fight is with me."

Wow, I sounded so cool compared to how scared I really was. The minion did as I said, a little too literal, he dropped the little red hair girl...four feet from the ground. She landed face first with a heavy thump and went limp. I had no time to react, as soon as the girl's ankle left his hand he advanced upon me.

With ease, he knocked the butter knife out of my hand and gripped my throat tight. I couldn't breathe, I gasped for air but there was none, I clawed at my attacker's arm, I kicked hard at his body, nothing worked. Tears streamed down my face, black spots danced in and out of my vision, I fought and fought until my body began to go limp. My heartbeat slowed, finally, it stopped, I let out whatever air was left in my body and closed my eyes and was imprisoned into darkness. 

"This is it?" I thought. "This is how I die?" I felt anger boil. "The same place where my father died. Killed by a zombie? But why is it choking me when it could easily rip my throat out?"

"This is not a game. If you are incapable of protecting us then I fear the consequences."

"What do you mean?"

"You can hear me?" The voice sounded shocked.

"Ya, you're the voice I've been hearing for about three years now. Who are you anyway?"

"I'm, well, I don't know how to explain it."

"Well can we at least be face to face? You know it's really annoying to talk to nothing but a black mass."

"Oh of course." Suddenly a flicker of light appeared in the distance.

The tiny speck of light I was focus on became bigger and bigger. I felt like I was being pulled into it. The once comforting object in the dark pulled forth a sudden uncertainty within. I was speeding towards the light at blinding speed. I was going to crash right into it, I was going to die! As I neared the blinding light I shut my eyes as tight as possible and threw my arms up defensibly.