Lorelle woke suddenly to her mother shaking her and mumbling something repeatedly. Lorelle’s mind was still cloudy with sleep, which stopped her from understanding the words.

“Lorelle? Wake up. Wake up sweetheart” Mother repeated in earnest. The pressure at her sides guided Lorelle upright. She slowly sat up to find both her parents panicked. Father was hovering over her sister’s bed, rousing her as well.

“Lorelle?” Mother repeated. Lorelle nodded her head in response before Mother continued. “Grab your boots and cloak. Something is attacking the settlement. We need to leave, now.” Her words were like a bucket of water shocking Lorelle awake. Lorelle was up and moving the moment Mother moved aside for her, grabbing for her boots and cloak.

Mother quickly turned to grab smaller versions of what Lorelle now donned. Father stood behind Mother with Ella, Lorelle’s little sister,  in his arms. With a silent nod from Father, Mother rushed out of the room with Lorelle in tow.

As a family, they made it down the stairs to the first floor. An area that should have been completely dark, now glowed an angry orange. Screams could be heard outside accompanied by an angry hissing sound.

Mother quickly released Lorelle’s arm and made her way to the fireplace area and started rummaging through cabinets. Lorelle noted a level of determination in her mother’s stride.

“Papa, what’s wrong? Why are we leaving” Ella asked in a sleepy, yet angelic voice.

Father set the sister down and ran his hands down her head and arms, trying to soothe the small girl. “I don’t know Little One, but we have to leave.  I need you to be brave, can you do that for me?” He asked her.

Ella nodded, with all the bravery someone who has seen 4 season cycles could. Father turned away from her sister and looked at Lorelle. He motioned to the space between her and Lorelle.

“Help her get dressed,” he said shortly. He then rushed to Mother’s side. She was hastily filling a sack with corn and searching for an empty leather bladder to fill in the water bucket.

“My Sweet, there isn’t time. We have to leave. Now” He took her by the arm and tried to guide her away from what she was doing.

“And starve within a few days?” She pulled herself out of Father’s grasp. “No. We need food, water, and supplies. Then we will leave.” She motioned towards the door “Get your ax, and knives for Lorelle and me. I have this.” She turned her back to him and continued to fill the sack with food.

Father walked away from the kitchen area, grabbing two small blades off the table as he started to head over to the door and grabbed his double-edged ax that was hanging beside the door.

By the time Father made it back to the fireplace area, Lorelle had her sister dressed and Mother was closing the flap on the food sack and tying a bladder of water around her waist. He handed out the small blades to Mother and Lorelle.  

“Ready?” He asked the room. With nods all around, Father picked up Ella and held her in one arm with his ax ready in the other.  Together they left their home, their place of safety, and walked out into a nightmare.

Lorelle looked at the place that she called home and saw fire in every direction. The screams of her fellow settlers filled the air. Lorelle felt the hairs on her neck stand on edge as she took in the fiery scene.

As a group, they turned down to the Main Street of the settlement, where most of the others were fleeing to. Lorelle could hear the distinct sound of guttural moans and hisses coming from every which direction. However, she couldn’t see what was making a terrible noise. Lorelle and her family found themselves in the middle of a frantic mob, pushing and shoving each other in order to get away from whatever was burning the buildings and chasing them down.

Ella was crying and she could hear Father attempt to comfort the girl as he pushed his way forward. Mother had a firm hold on the back of his cloak in one hand and a bruising grip of Lorelle’s arm with the other.

As the people made their way down the thin, dirt street, people did the best they could to avoid the flames of the buildings around it. The air was hot and Lorelle felt like she could taste her burning town with every breath. It was getting harder to see where the mob of settlers was moving through the smoke. All Lorelle could see was that they were still within the main settlement.

Lorelle found herself frantically looking around, unable to keep her eyes in one place with so much horror surrounding her. She saw a man that she knew in passing get knocked down and trampled by the stampede of people around her. Half dressed people pushing their way in the crowd, trying to save themselves without a care for those around them. She looked to her mother, hoping to see some of the determination she saw back home, but Lorelle only saw her mother’s eyes full of fear.

It was at that moment that something from above fell on top of Lorelle, pinning her to the ground. Hordes of the creatures descended from the rooftops, leaping out of the flames and landing on the people below. Blood-chilling screams and howls of triumph filled Lorelle’s ears as her feet were swept from under her.

Fear shot through Lorelle as she fell. The moment before she landed slowed. Her focus shifted toward her family as saw their terror. She could see her mother turning to see her eldest daughter fall to the ground, her scream stood out from all the rest. Father had Ella, who was crying and screaming at everything, turned away from the scene as he hefted his ax out to his side.

On the ground, Lorelle’s attention snapped to her immediate danger and she came face to face with the monsters attacking her town. It looked like a hairless human man. The tongue was missing but he roared at her through his teeth, covering her in spittle as he clawed at her leg, pulling himself up against her. There was a silver collar around his neck with a blood red light beating like a pulse. Darkened veins streamed out across the creature’s body from the heart of the collar.

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Lorelle flailed her one arm at the creature, holding the knife for dear life and bringing it down, again and again, hitting the mad man’s neck, face, and shoulder. Her mother was frantically pulling Ella away from the creature with one hand and hitting the creature with the sack of food with the other. food sprayed out and onto the ground in the process with each passing swing.

The blow to the neck missed because it hit the silver band around the Mad man’s neck. Unfortunately, the band was left unmarked by her blow. Despite the stab wounds to the man’s face and shoulder, he continued to crawl his way up Lorelle’s body, trying to bite her any way he could.

Suddenly, Lorelle felt the air part and saw her father’s steel ax swipe up in front of her face, catching the creature under his jaw. The creature’s blood sprayed across Lorelle and the ground surrounding her. The head hung grossly to the side, Father’s ax cut partially through the spine. The silver band was still unharmed, though Lorelle could have sworn she saw sparks when the ax made contact. the red glow was still pulsing and it illuminated the injury. He twitched once, twice, and then ceased.

Mother quickly pulled Lorelle to her feet and held her close, trying to assure herself that her eldest was still alive. She pulled Lorelle to stand beside Father, waiting for him to guide them to safety.

The crowd that was left unmarked scattered, leaving the main road and trying to make for the woods from side routes. Father pulled the family down one such road, between a building that was smoldering from inside and another that hadn’t met a fiery end yet. Stopping, he put Ella down. He could no longer hold her and truly be ready with his ax if any of the creatures attacked again.

Mother quickly grabbed Ella and hoisted her up, holding the small child close to her. Lorelle, now free of her mother’s grasp, held her knife close and tight, ready to stab anything that attempted to harm her again.

Father rested a heavy hand on Lorelle’s shoulder and guided her a short distance away from Mother and Ella. He pulled her into a quick, firm hug; trying to convey his worry for her safety and love as best he can. “Are, are you good to walk?” he said with a voice full of fear and supposed strength.

“It scratched up my leg, but I can walk. Most of this blood is his.” Gesturing down to her torn and bloodied clothes.  With the amount of blood she saw, it would be easy for one to think she was bleeding to death.

Lorelle looked over to Mother, she was cradling Ella, trying to calm her while her eyes darted from one place to another. Bringing her eyes back to Father, Lorelle asked the impossible question “What are those things? People?”  

Father shook his head. “Haven’t the foggiest, but we don’t have time to think on it now.” He looked back to Mother and Lorelle saw a hint of sadness cross his face. “We stick together for as long as we can. If we get separated, keep your mother and sister safe.” He pointed to the knife Lorelle grasped in her hand. “You know how to use it. Don’t hesitate.” With that Father turned back and motioned for Mother to join us, Ella clung onto her neck for dear life.

In her mind, Lorelle came to an unsettling conclusion. We are going to die.

With Father in the lead and Lorelle taking up the rear, they made their way down the side street and tried to get to the outskirts of town.

Lorelle made sure to look down each side street as they made their way to the edge of the settlement. The level of carnage increasing in severity street by street.

Down one such street, Lorelle saw a creature tearing apart something on the ground. Hearing the family cross the street, the creature looked up. Lorelle could see wet strings dripping from the creature's maw.

Father pushed his wife and daughters behind him and readied his ax.“Lorelle, get your sister and mother to the forest. I will meet you there.” His voice was as sharp as his ax.

The creature cocked his head to the side, sizing them up. It dropped what it was previously eating with a wet thud. Baring its teeth at us, it charged.

“Papa…” Lorelle hesitated. She felt like she should stay to help her father. The creature was halfway to them.

“GO!” He yelled as he launched towards the creature.

Lorelle turned and pushed her mother into motion. She looked back just in time to see her father and the creature collide. His ax swinging in the air and finding the creature in the middle. He will be okay. Move. Lorelle told herself.

Lorelle and her charges broke through the buildings and started to run full tilt to the tree line. They quickly ran through the field that surrounded the settlement and was finally within eyesight of the forest. Lorelle felt hope to start to bubble in her gut at the sight, but that quickly ruptured when she noticed a reddish glow within the bushes.

Lorelle’s blood ran cold when the screams started to pour out of the forest. The reddish light within the bushes grew in brightness as the screams grew louder, making it no longer a safe route of escape.

“They are in the trees” Lorelle barked at her mother.  Lorelle pulled her mother to a stop. When her mother struggled and tried to keep heading to the tree line, Lorelle screamed, “Mother, stop!”

Her mother whipped her head around to face her daughter. Lorelle could see that her mother was barely holding herself together. “They are waiting for us in the trees.” Lorelle pointed to the bushes and waited a moment to see the understanding spread across her mother’s face. Unfortunately, despair also covered her face at the news. “we have to find another way.” Lorelle said determinedly.

“I don’t…” Mother stammered a response. “the forest is the only way out” she looked back to the burning settlement “your father?” Her voice going soft, empty.

“He will find us. But we need to focus” Lorelle Grabbed her mother and forced her to turn away from the flames and look at her. “They are in the forest. They are in the settlement. Where else can we go?” Lorelle asked, hoping that her mother will take charge and lead them to safety.

Lorelle looked at her small sister. Her face was red from her crying. She finally stopped, but Lorelle wasn’t sure if that was because we were acting brave or if she ran out of tears. “Do you want me to carry her?”

“No, I have her.” Her mother responded to Lorelle's second question shortly before elaborating to answer the first. “Frigga’s perhaps? You’re Father worked there for a time. Perhaps they’d help us” Mother pondered, “That is if the creatures haven’t gotten there yet.” She said more to herself than to Lorelle, but Lorelle understood the concern.

Frigga’s Tavern was on the outskirts of the settlement. Father used to be an enforcer there It’s close enough to draw those in need of a pint from the settlement, however, it also catered to traveling folk.

Would the creatures go there?