Prologue

Sharp eyes scanned the cul-de-sac. They were waiting and hopeful but also determined and twisted. The owner of the eyes growled in hunger. It wanted food. It scratched at the door that locked it inside the cramped space. Just outside the door, a low sobbing could be heard. "M-mum. Mummy." The creature growled. "Haaaa!" it coughed, attempting to cry to its mother. "Hungrrrrrrrrrrr!" The sobbing just continued outside the door.

The darkness in the room disappeared for a second as a white pickup pulled into the driveway of the home. "D-daddrrrraaaaaaaaaaawr!" the creature leaped around the room frantically.

A man stepped out of the truck. His features were handsome and dark. His chin was broad and his build was muscular, his hair was dark and his legs were long. He made his way to the home in long strides, studying the quarantine signs which littered the front yards of every house in the neighborhood.

It had only been about an hour since he had made plans with his son. He pulled out two tickets to a baseball game from his pockets. He was sure that, even though they would be late to the game, his son would love it.

He walked casually to the house, though the quarantine signs worried him a bit, wouldn't his wife had told him if something was up? He walked to the door and knocked on it quietly. There was no sound so he knocked once more, no answer. This time, he knocked louder and the response was a large clatter of ceramic dishes breaking and then a bone-chilling screech. That was all the man had to hear before whipping out his keys and unlocking the door. His ex-wife barreled into him.

"Save us!" She shouted, sobbing into his arms. "I-I know he's our son but- But I had to! I had to lock him in there!" She apologized. The man let go of his wife and ran past her. What had she done to their son? He ran to his son's bedroom and knocked open the door.

The creature inside turned its head to the mechanism that had trapped it inside the room. It was gone, to the creatures delight! It pounced outwards at something instinctively. Beneath the monster, a cry was heard. It looked down to see a frightened man holding its face. It didn't like the hands on its cheeks. It bit at the person beneath it, sinking its teeth into the person's arms. A loud and painful yell came from the person.

"KEITH!" screamed the man's ex-wife. The handsome man took the creatures face in his hands, despite the pain from the bite, and he twisted its neck until it went slack against his body. The woman cried desperately, pounding on her fists into the ground. "Keith, that was our son. Our boy!" she cried. Keith hugged her tightly and made a fist around the ball tickets he had bought for his son.

End