The Final Hour
My first entry onto FF! Consider this a trial chapter, if I receive enough positive feedback I'll continue. Please feel free to leave any and all criticisms in the comments!
The stairway was dark, and the air bitingly cold; her ragged breaths could be seen as she and her mother ran into the master bedroom of the Vayne household.
"Shauna hide in here sweetheart." Her mother Andrea ordered with a stern-ness that tried to convey the importance of her request but tried to be comforting at the same time. But deep down they both knew that there was nothing to be optimistic about outside the door as young Shauna was shoved inside the closet, the door opened just a crack. Suddenly the door burst open and in came Shauna's father Hyram, his forehead covered in blood as it slowly slid down the rest of his face, his hunting crossbow held weakly in his hand.
"Daddy!" Screamed Shauna as she for the first time in her life saw Hyram in a state of weakness, he had always been near immortal in her eyes. A wealthy landowner with his own private guard who had always had close ties to the Demacian royal family, if they had known what was transpiring within the manor, no doubt the military would've arrived in force. As the tears streamed down her face her father screamed in both panic and concern, "keep quiet do you understand me? Don't make so much as a single noise, and stay in the closet!"
"What of the guards?" Andrea asked in desperation. Her father slowly shook his head, the message clear with no words needing to be said. Tears began to stream down her cheeks as well, this was a nightmare. She turned her head back to the closet knowing her daughter was hiding in there confused and frightened, she was only 11 years old; she didn't need to know the horrors of this world, but fate had decided she was to learn the lesson harshly. She ran to the closet and held young Shauna tightly, and kissed her cheek. "Listen to me sweetie, no matter what happens; no matter what you see or hear, do exactly as your father told you okay?"
The air chilled even more, sending shivers down all of their spines as ominous footsteps got closer the bedroom. Her mother turned towards the door and saw the shadows of the footsteps being casted by the moonlight pouring into the windows, there wasn't much time left. She kissed Shauna one last time on the forehead and held her tightly, "I love you Shauna, you're my whole world." She then gently pushed the door closed, had she known that her young daughter was about to bear witness to such a traumatic event, she would've closed it completely but she hoped that she could inspire her husband to get back onto his feet and wasn't concerned with a trivial manner such as closing a door. As Hyram slowly rose back to his feet she herself grabbed a small dagger out of the drawer and stood beside her husband, he raised his crossbow as the door slowly opened and the face of death slid through the opening.
The witch was decrepit and rotting, her abuse of the black magics has deteriorated her flesh and driven her completely mad, her dull eyes were lifeless and glowed white, her beady black pupils had no signs of emotions other than evil and sadism behind them. She was truly lost, no amount of reformation be it magical or not could've brought this hag back to her humanity. As she slowly walked towards the couple, her small knife glowed a sickly green color; she opened her dry mouth and looked straight into the eyes of Shauna's father and said, "don't you think you've wasted enough of my time?" Her voice had no life behind it, but on top of that; it had a small echo to it, as if more than one person spoke at a time. This witch was long lost to demonic sorcery, her body merely a vessel for whatever true horrors that lied within. Suddenly black auras began to permeate from her body and a horrid yellow smile made its way across her face as she screamed in rage and sent the couple flying backwards, Andrea was nearly knocked unconscious as Hyram was once again was knocked off his feet; his strength was leaving him. He looked into the witch's dead eyes as she walked towards his wife, surely she would draw this out and make it painful; his crossbow still held closely he looked at his wife and with the last of his strength he pulled the string of his crossbow back even further than the standard cocking point and fired it directly at the heart of the witch. The sheer force knocking her back and into the wall behind her and pinning her against it, Hyram saw her head fall and her body go limp.