Chapter 1
The man ran around the little station wagon stuffing boxes inside wherever he could. He then left the station wagon and rushed towards the door; hardly stopping even to close it as he ran up the stairs. Taking the steps two at a time, he reached the top floor and then barged into the nearest room startling its inhabitants.
"Damn it, John" said the older woman as the little girl shrieked in fright.
"What the hell are you two doing?" he demanded staring down at his wife who was on her hands and knees.
"I am looking for Claire's teddy bear"
"What? Are you crazy? We need to leave now."
"She needs her teddy bear"
"Well we 'need' to leave, unless you are ok about getting burnt alive if they catch up with us."
"Damn it John" his wife said as she rose up and pulled the terrified girl close to her. "Was that really necessary?" she continued.
He opened his mouth to say something but then stopped when he saw the wide eyed expression in the young girl's face.
"Well…well, she needs to know, because" he started but again stopped "you need to hurry we're running out of time. They could be here any minute."
"Fine! Go get your son" she said still holding on to her daughter.
"Go!" she said again with more force this time as he kept staring at the girl.
He nearly jumped at her words, turned and rushed back towards the door; asking them to hurry just before he slammed it behind him.
He ran in the opposite direction towards their room. Stopping at the first door just before it and then pausing. He took a deep breath and calmed himself before reaching for the doorknob. Opening the door he looked inside. His eyes scanned the room, passing along its furnishing and the piles of boxes that were scattered everywhere.
The room was empty!
He took another deep breath and tried to steady his nerves.
'It's ok, he's here somewhere.' He said to himself as he started to look around the room. But he couldn't keep the sense of fear that filled his heart as he searched every corner of the room. Unlike his daughter's room, this was filled with bright light, steaming in from the many windows that covered it. So there were not many places that anyone could lay hidden. And with every place he searched – under the cot, inside the cupboard and even under it – the dread he felt was almost unbearable.
"Boo" suddenly a voice cried out and there was a clatter behind him.
His heart nearly stopped as he turned around.
He caught his breath when he realized where the sound came from. Out of one of the boxes, filled once with toys, he saw a small bald white head and a wide smile. He's hand went to his heart as the kid started to giggle.
He gently walked over to his son and picked him up.
"Aren't you quite the tyke" he said and the boy again giggled.
He had lost quite some time packing the box full of toys again, and then slowly bringing them all down and loading them into the car. But finally everyone was ready and they could leave.
He took one last look at the place they had called home for so long and then looked out over past the house and down the dirt road that wound down over the green countryside. He looked over down to the farmhouses in the distance and the open pastures.
His felt a lump in his throat but then he remembered his family and then turned away.
He had seen no signs of them anywhere. But he could feel their presence everywhere.
He got into the car and started the engine and pressed hard on the accelerator. There were panicked screams and giggles of laughter from the back as the car roared. He ignored it, as well as the stare that he got from the other side of the car.
The small car raced down the road as fast as its small engine could, carrying the heavy load that it now bore.
The farmlands soon gave way to the swamplands; looming against the horizon dark and grey. The sun was already starting to set behind the crooked trees of the swamp. No more were there any signs of life or of civilization, except for the power lines that stretched along the road.
"John, we need to stop. The kids need a rest" she said as she turned to look back to the rear of the car. But her husband didn't respond.
She looked over to him and found his eyes shifting between the road ahead of him and the rear view mirror.
"John" she said again and he didn't respond. It was then that she noticed his hands; they were clutching the steering wheel so hard that they were whiter than usual.
"John" she said again but gentler and reached over and touched his hand.
The car swayed, scaring her and waking the kids.
She turned over to comfort Claire. Even little John was crying uncontrollably now.
Her husband managed to regain control of the car before it could crash into the power lines, and then turned towards her. She could see both fear and exhaustion in his eyes.
"John, we need to stop. You need a rest."
"We'll stop when we reach a city" he just said and turned back towards the road.
"John, there's no one behind us."
"We'll stop when I say we can stop" he said a little too loud that it got Claire crying again. He went silent as she turned around to comfort the little girl. The boy, she decided, was a lost cause by then.
"John, please!"
"When we reach the next town" he said a lot quieter this time.
"How far?"
"I don't know" he said and she turned away from him and stared down the road again.
Apart from the baby who was still crying the car went silent as it continued to race down the road.
Suddenly there was a bright flash, and the engine started to sputter. He again lost control of the car and it started to sway across the road. But this time he was unable to regain control of it and the station wagon crashed into a power line.
He woke up, feeling slightly dazed.
Thankfully the car was not going fast. But as the car hit the power line the impact caused his head to hit the steering wheel. For some reason the airbags didn't deploy at all. Then of course there was the reason as to why the car lost control at all or died. It didn't take him long to figure out that something was not right.
He almost leaped out of the car; struggling with the seatbelt before finally getting out. Then he ran around and opened the passenger side door. He undid his wife's seatbelt and then turned to the rear, pulling his son out of his car seat.
"Take him and run" he said giving the boy to his still dazed wife.
"John what's going on, what happened?" she asked
"There's no time, take him and go" he said looking over the car and back the way he had come.
"John you're scaring the kids"
"Mary, please go!"
"Claire"
"I'll get her, go" he said and his wife unwillingly complied.
"Claire" he called out to the little girl, who was still strapped to the seat. But the little girl didn't move; she just stared out the front window. He called to her again as he inched into the car, closer. The girl turned towards him slowly. He almost froze when he saw the expression on her face. There was something more than fear there.
"It's alright" he said reaching for her seatbelt. She didn't, thankfully, resist him as he undid her seatbelt.
It took him awhile to coax the frightened girl out of the car but he finally managed to; promising her that he would always be there.
The young girl trailing behind him, her small dainty hand in his, he rushed towards his wife; who had, contrary to his instructions, had stopped with the baby and was waiting for them.
He had no idea what he was doing or where he was planning on going. The only cover he could find was in the swamps ahead.
'Maybe somehow they can use it to get to some town or city.'
There was barely any light when they reached the swamp.
The sun was almost already at the edge of the horizon.
They had been walking for what seemed like forever and the little girl was already showing signs of fatigue. He knew it wouldn't be long before she couldn't go any further.
He scanned the surroundings trying to make out something that could be used as a hiding place for the kids. It was difficult work but he found something.
There were sounds behind him now; voices.
He panicked.
He took the baby, who was thankfully so tired out that he was fast asleep, and handed him over to the girl. His wife watched with confusion but she fortunately didn't protest or struggle.
This was the hardest part, but then he didn't have much choice.
"Honey you see that?" he asked Claire as he showed her a little cave of sorts that was formed by the trees and bushes. The little girl just nodded her head.
"Ok, I need you to take your little brother and hide there for awhile until mommy and daddy comes back."
"John?"
"Can you do that for daddy. Can you be a good little brave girl for just a few minutes?" she again nodded her head. But somehow he didn't believe she was being honest.
"That's my girl. Now get in there and be very quiet ok" he said as he helped the girl into the floral cave.
"John" Mary said much quieter.
He didn't want to turn back and acknowledge her right now. He realized what he was doing but they didn't have much of a choice. He had to lead the Hunters away from the kids, and they had to be the bait. Hopefully it would give the kids the chance to escape and live a normal life.
She had no idea how long it had been since her parents had left her in this place. It was damp and smelly. But her father had asked her to be brave and she would try to. Besides they would be back soon enough.
Her brother was sleeping across her lap, blissfully unaware of everything. She envied him.
After their parents had left a group of people had come. She heard their voices outside. They had stopped for awhile near where they hid but then continued on. She didn't understand what they were saying, but she could tell that they were looking for something.
However, now it had been ages since she heard anything at all and she was frightened.
'How long were her parents going to be?'
She didn't mind the darkness as much as the not knowing.
She put her brother on the moist ground and slowly crept out of their hiding place.
It was dark outside as well, but still and quiet.
She looked around her and found nothing. There was no signs of life anywhere around.
She was about to step back into her little hole when she felt something move. She turned trying to find what it was.
Then in the darkness she saw it.
It was huge, green and lying close to the ground. It walked like it was crawling; with small pudgy feet. Its eyes were huge and stared at her intensely.
It sort of snarled at her and stepped closer towards her.
She stepped back.
Slowly it neared her and the cave as she moved away.
She didn't know what it was but she was afraid. She was afraid that any moment it was going to attack her.
'Boo' she heard a familiar voice call out and she turned. Knowing even before she saw it what had happened. There was her brother, standing outside their hiding place, giggling at the monster. Then, as her little heart raced the monster turned its head towards her little brother…