Prologue

Chestnut har flowing in the wind, she raised her stare to the stars. Glistening tears spilled over their barriers and slid their way down her ivory cheeks. Deafening silence filled the air, as if the horrifying event had never happened. This enraged Bella even more. The two most important things in her life had been taken away in what seemed to her as less than a heartbeat.

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It is amazing that something as simple as a knock on the door has so much power in the chain of events that is our life. When this knock came, Bella knew something was wrong. Her father, Talbus, dropped his fork, still loaded with the roast and potatoes that she had prepared for their dinner that night. Scott, her twin brother, shot a knowing glance at their father. She knew she was the only one out of the loop, but she still knew something was amiss. The nagging feeling at the pit of her stomach would not go away. Of course, that feeling worsened when she saw Scott double check that he had his revolver at his side, armed and ready.

Without saying a word, Scott grabbed Bella's hand and lead her into the pantry. Motioning for her to be quiet, he turned on his heel and swiftly left the room, door closing in his wake. Bella curled up off to one side of the slatted door and peered out, shaking with fear. Through the small slits in the door, she saw the men approach the front door. Scott drew his revolver and stood to one side as Talbus reached out to the door.

The seconds following the turning of the knob were a blur. Everything moved so fast that Bella only saw flashes of what occured. Her fear grew as she caught glimpses of charcoal grey hair and glistening teeth. She forced her hand to cover her mouth, as she struggled to prevent screams from escaping. She watched helplessly as Scott shot a round into one of the two horrifying creatures, causing it to emit an almost canine yelp. The creature did not need much time to recover, despite the oozing crimson pooling around its feet. It seemed only more irritated by the wound and leapt forward, latching on to the arm holding the gun. They had no chance. The other creature lunged forward, knocking Talbus to the ground. Vision obscurred by the furniture and the door, Bella was forced to listen in horror as the creatures teared at her loved ones, unrelenting until their last breath escaped them.

Sitting in the pantry, after the creatures had gone, Bella's body shook with sobs. Stumbling out of the pantry, she ran and collapsed next to her family. Cradling both of her beloved's heads in her lap, she rocked back and forth, emitting a sob so sorrowful that it seemed to hush the creatures of the woods that surrounded their small cabin. Hyperventilating, she ran out the door and collapsed onto her knees in the dew covered grass. She raised her emerald eyes to the heavens, as though asking them 'Why?'.