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"The Night War"
by Shinkail Ardurven

What would you do when you get a war that broke down all the barriers racial political even economical, but the enemy is the one starring right back at you in the mirror . . .

It happened all so fast. The neighbors screaming, the cars screeching to sudden stop only to end up in a concrete wall, the fires across the street. The thing that was so fresh within my mind at the time wasn't all those things. It was our parents words that still haunted me. Get inside the cellar and no matter what happens don't open this door and protect your younger brother at all cost. Few moments later I heard screams . . . no. I heard something I will come to realize as my mother being torn apart by something terrible.

I found this out when I peeked outside to see what was going on. I saw blood, and entrails smeared and tossed like confetti paper everywhere. I saw a huge wolf-like beast hovering over what I assumed my mothers body. But something was different. Her skin was darker and her nails looked like they could claw someones eyes out. More blood gushed out of her mouth as I saw fangs protruding out of them. Her eyes were clouded but the iris itself was pointed.

At that moment I saw another figure crash through the wall, like it was some stage prop on a movie set, tackle the beast down and tore his throat out and roared before he continues to . . . "eat". I couldn't beleive at what I saw. Such carnage and destruction in a few short moments. My life was, like people said when they could feel Death clawing at your heels, flashing before my eyes.

My little brother screamed in terror, snaping both of us out of what we were doing. The creature lunged at us as I quickly closed the door thinking that it would slow him down. I was wrong. He tore threw that door and sent us flying down the stairs. We were cornered, my little brother fainted and he had our throats in his hand. All I could muster from my own mouth was to scream for my father.
Dad I yelled. The beast stopped and stared at me. From what I could see was a face wrinkled and extreamly pale, fangs that were razor sharp, ears pointed. But the eyes were of those of my dads. Grey-ish gold, though they were in the face of a monster, they were the same hue.

He dropped us and looked at his own hands as if recovering from his own sanity. He shrieked in pain as if recognizing what he had done. He dropped down to his knees. I was still on the floor half ready to run and half ready to console someone I knew in my heart as my father.
At the moment I was ready to act another roar echoed in the distance. My father jerked up attacked me at the side of my face that sent me flying and making me eventually losing the sight of my right eye. In my dazed moment I heard words in a harsh tone. "Take care of each other and learn to survive." And moments later I blacked out.

I awoke to my little brother crying over me praying softly that I wasn't dead. I got up and consoled him. We both went up the stairs as I suddenly remebered what had happened. I covered my brothers face as we walked through the entryway covering him from the mangled body of a mother we used to call. The other body was of Chuck our neighbor. His throat was torn apart as well as lacerations all over his body.

I cringed in fear and pulled my brother closer to try and hide what I saw. He pulled away and screamed at the top of his lungs. He ran towards our mother, but just as quickly I pulled him and yelled through his terrified screams that he couldn't do anything now. He fell to his knees. Crying his eyes out. I knew what I had to do. We needed to get out.

I told him that we needed to stick together because all we have left is each other. He stood up and wiped away his tears and said to me we have to hurry to get out don't we. I wouldn't know how he would be so calm and understanding untill later on, but thank God for survival t.v shows. We got canned food, blankets, bottles of water, knives, matches, first aid, and anything else we could remeber that would help us. We stuffed them in our camping bags, the ones we used last summer with our parents to Lake Eerie.

I bandaged myself in the bathroom when I was done packing. My little brother was still deciding on what to bring. My right side of my face was hurting like a burning iron being brought to it. I looked in the mirror to see blood coming out of my cloudy right eye. I covered it with gauze and wrapped the bandage around my head. I look like a wounded soilder in a war, I thought. Oh how right I was at the time.

Before we left we covered the bodies that lied on the floor and prayed for their souls. We looked at each other with uncertainty in our faces, and our camping bags all suited and ready. Where would we go asked my little brother. I replied anywhere but here. . .

That was my first experiance of what the world would call "The Night War"