Substitute

two

This was it then. My phone crashed onto the ground and I was sure that I was going to be next. Wait. How could my phone have already hit the surface when I was still metres away from doing so? I held still for ten more seconds, anxiously waiting for my life to find it's end, but nothing happened. Nothing. There were still hundreds of cars in front of my nose, minding their own business. I felt my blood rushing to my head as I carefully tried moving my neck to look around. As time stood still I finally realised what the source of my luck was. My foot got stuck in an off-standing part of the bridge's wall. "Oh my god." I moaned as I saw the only chance of my survival at that moment.

Now the biggest problem was to figure out how I could pull myself up. There was no point in calling for help, my throat was sore and I couldn't raise my voice louder than whispering. I started panicking, but if I'd begin fidgeting now, my foot would probably slip out. I took a deep breath, then tensed up my abdominal muscles to grab my leg and to pull myself up. Finally my hands found another obstacle to hold onto, two metallic poles that were thin enough for my fists to grab. I put my other foot between the two poles and swung my arms around the narrow surface of the wall, I just fell down from. Now that I was standing on the outside part of the bridge I freed my trapped foot and threw myself over the wall.

Finally safe I panted on the ground, tears flowing over my face from feeling relieved and scared at the same time. It took me approximately two minutes until I was able to get up, still shocked. My whole body was trembling as I slowly began taking steps towards the street I came from.

After some time I arrived at my neighbourhood. Reassured in being at a well-known area I took faster steps before turning at a corner. I abruptly stood still. I've heard sirens earlier too but I didn't expect them to come from my house. Did they call the police because of me?

Worried I sprinted through the wide open door. My body immediately taking a hold at the picture I had to witness. I covered my mouth with my hand trying not to throw up from the revolting smell of death. My mother, her boyfriend and a police officer were lying to my feet, all surrounded by a pool of blood coming from their heads and visible holes pierced through their skulls. I stumbled backwards before I landed on my behind. Too horrified to even react to the situation I found myself in. I saw a trail of blood leading to the 2nd floor, where my baby-brother's room was on.

"Arno!" I screamed in horror right after I've heard fast foot steps getting louder and my five-year old brother eventually running down the stairs. Instinctively reaching for him half relieved, half terrified of what to come next.

Since I've heard something else tumbling, no falling down the stairs at an immense tempo. Shortly after, it threw itself onto my sibling. At first it looked like a person but the creature's limbs were twisted and it hovered over my brother almost like a wild animal. There wasn't any time to observe the situation. I grabbed the nearest weapon-like object I could find, which was an umbrella with a metal top and hit the unknown beast as hard and as often as I could.

Next I totally blanked out and the only thing I remembered were my brother's loud cries and my hands, which couldn't stop smashing the monster's head, even after it had stopped moving.Then, the cries slowly faded out and I held the tiny, lifeless body of my own brother in my arms. Then everything turned red.