Descending Shadows: Night Raid

It was not long after we left the house that we were pursued by more monsters. The alien twins clung to me, trembling in fear. I told them that everything would be alright; that we would protect them, and everyone else, at all costs. They smiled and hugged me.

The twins stayed with the children and the others who were unarmed as the rest of us walked up ahead and met the monsters in battle. The fight was long—one of the longest I had ever had. These monsters were stronger than the Serpians, but we cut them down, one by one, watching them turn to ashes as they crumbled to the ground.

Once the battle was one and every last monster was slain, we decided to take a small rest and look for food. Everyone was famished, especially the children. More than food, what I needed was water. Moreover, every part of my body ached; I could barely move about after that clash.

Another issue that crept into our midst was sundown. This was an unknown terrain, and if we were to aimlessly wander off at night, there was no telling what dangers would await us. And as all of us were exhausted, we saw but one option, difficult and risky as it was: we decided to go back to the twins’ abode and spend the night before setting out again. We knew that if Arabella’s strength had returned by the following day, we could easily teleport away from this place.

Back at the house, after having our meals, we all decided to rest. A couple of us stood on guard. I laid there, in bed, feeling my eyes getting heavy. Jason and the twins slept next to me, and even Nolan and Leslie were in the same room as us. The twins were already asleep, but suddenly began trembling and murmuring in their sleep. I woke them up quickly, and they hugged me tightly. They said they had a nightmare about their parents being killed. I softly stroked their heads and calmed them down so they could fall asleep again; and I, too, soon followed them.

But I was not to sleep for long. Not long after, I was awakened by weird noises. The first thing I saw as I opened my eyes were two monsters before the bed—and one of them even had my sword.

“Guys, wake up! The monsters are here!” I yelled.

Leslie and Nolan jumped to their feet, unsheathing their swords. But the monster bearing my sword brought down my blade to cut me down. I quickly grabbed the chemical bottle that was next to me and threw its contents onto the monster’s face. It wailed in agony, turning to ash.