Chapter 1

(This chapter is very short, I just wanted to get a feel of what people thought. Chapters to come will be longer.)

  "Elle, are you listening?" A voice in my echoed far away, "Roselle Marie Sanders!"

  "What?" I asked, snapping away from my thoughts.

  "Did you even hear a word I said?" Mom grumbled with her hands on her hips.

  "Of course." I lied.

  "What did I say?"

  "Uh..."

  "Yeah, that's what I thought." She sighed, "your father has to work late again tomorrow, so I need you to pick your brother up from school."

  "Okay." I said getting up from the kitchen table, "he's gonna be here Tommy's birthday, right?"

  Mom was silent for a moment as she finished frosting the cake in front of her, "I hope so."

  I poured a glass of juice and drank it slowly by the fridge watching mom pipe a dark blue boarder around the cake.

  "I'm gonna go do some homework."

  "Alright, check on Tommy, would you?"

  "Sure thing." I said sliding my finger through the icing and quickly putting it in my mouth.

  "Elle!"

  "What?"

  "Keep your fingers off my cake, or I'll cut them off, you hear me!" She shouted after me as I ran up the stairs.

  "What's up little man?" I asked belly flopping onto his bed.

  "Nothing."

  "Nothing? You look like your building something to me."

  "It's a fortress."

  "Oh, yeah? It's pretty neat-o."

  "Sure." He said with a shrug of his shoulders.

  "Okay," I sighed, "what's wrong?"

  "It's nothing."

  "Liar. Your birthday is in two days you should be bouncing off the walls with excitement!" I playfully shouted as I stood up onto his bed.

  "You're such a dork."

  "You say that like it's a bad thing."

  He stared at me a second before going back to his Legos.

  "Is it about dad?"

  "No."

  "Cause he's gonna be there." I said ignoring his answer.

  "Yeah." He said reluctantly before continuing with his fortress.

  Jumping off his bed I ruffles his hair and headed for the door.

  "Elle?" His voice was low and meek.

  "Yeah?"

  "Is five too old to believe in monsters?"

  I furrowed my brow, "why do you ask?"

  "No reason."

  "Tommy." I said in my best mom voice.

  "Some kids at school laughed at me cause I said there was a monster in my closet."

  "What kind of monster." I said in a teasing tone.

  "Elle." He huffed obviously not amused.

  "Okay, okay." I said walking to the closet and yanking it open, "hello? Mr. Bogeyman? Are you in here?"

  Tommy stood behind me hugging my leg.

  "I don't see nothin'." I said.

  "Are you sure?"

  "It's empty Tommy."

  He slowly moved towards the closet and looked around.

  "See kid, nada."

  "I guess." He said still not convinced.

  "Kids, dinner!" Mom yelled from downstairs.

  "I'll race you."

  "Tommy looked up at me, "okay, you're on." And bolted for the door.

  "Cheater!" I shouted, running after him.

  At the bottom of the stairs I scooped him into my arms and spun him as he laughed hysterically.

  "You think you're so clever don't you!?"

  He chuckled some more.

  "Alright you two." Mom laughed at us, "come eat."

  "Elle?" A quiet voice sounded at the edge of my ears.

  "Mmm?" I groaned half asleep.

  "Elle, wake up."

  "Five more minutes mom."

  Then tiny hands pushed against my arm; rocking me back and forth. I opened my eyes to see big scared brown eyes looking at me.

  "Tommy? What are you doing out of bed?" I said followed by a yawn.

  "I can't sleep can me and bunny sleep with you?"

  "Where's mom?"

  "On the couch."

  I sighed then patted the space behind me, "come on."

  He quickly scampered over me kneeing me in the b**b.

  "Hey! Watch it."

  "Sorry." He said burrowing under the covers.

  As I drifted back to sleep I heard him whisper: "we'll be safe in here, bunny. Elle will protect us."

  "Good morning everybody, it's another beautiful day.."

  "Grr!" I growled as I hit my alarm and slowly crawled out of bed, careful not to wake Tommy.

  The stairs creaked as I came down which made mom stir on the couch.

  "Mom, you gotta get up."

  "Mmm?" She moaned fluttering her eyes, "oh, right." She said, "Tommy and work." She threw the blanket off and walked upstairs.

  After eating breakfast I showered, dressed, and brushed my hair and teeth.

  "Wakey, wakey eggs and bakey." I whispered into Tommy's ear. He giggled then looked up at me. "I gotta get to school. Behave for mom and I'll pick you up by the garden outside the cafeteria, 'kay?"

  He nodded and I kissed him goodbye, grabbed my bag then bolted out the door. As I walked to the bus stop I pulled my iPod out of my bag and slapped on my headphones.

  When the bus finally arrived I boarded and made my way to the very back. Slinking down I leaned against the window and zoned out to my music.

  After some time the bus came to a sudden holt almost slamming my face against the seat.

  "What the hell?" I muttered sitting up.

  "What's going on!?" A boy shouted, irritated.

  "There seems to be some sort of accident." The driver sighed then mumbled under his breath.

  Then he grabbed the radio and called into the bus depot updating them to our dilemma.

  I hope this doesn't take forever, I thought averting my gaze back to the window.

  I watched as a young mother struggled to keep her toddler from wondering off and console the hysterical infant in her arms. After a few minutes she pulled a bag of cereal out of the diaper bag and waved it at the toddler.

  He sat on the grass next to the bench and munched on it. Suddenly the boys head turned towards a bunch of bushes behind him and laughed.

  What is he looking at? I wondered; just as he stood and walked off. I tried to roll down the window, but couldn't get it to budge. When I looked back at the boy he disappeared into the bushes.

  I stood and ran to the front.

  "Elle, sit back down, please." The driver said.

  "Open the door!"

  "Elle, sit down."

  Then the muffled sound of a woman screaming erupted.

  "Open the damn door!

  He stared at me like I'd lost my mind. I growled the reached for the emergency switch and pulled the door open.

  "Elle, get back here!" The driver yelled after me as I ran towards where the boy disappeared.

  Twigs, branches, and thorns grabbed at my skin and clothes as I crawled through the bushes. When I reached a clearing. I stood to see I was inside a garden maze.

  "Okay, where to now?" I asked myself annoyed. "Spencer!" I called remembering the mothers screaming. "Spencer!"

  I ran to the left, quickly moving through the maze, hoping I was going the right way. Just when I was started to get irritated I heard a soft cry before the sound was muffled.

  "Spencer!?" I called rushing towards the sound. "Goddammit, this maze is a f*****g labyrinth."

  As I neared the center something black flew past my face in the opposite direction. 

  "What the..? F**k!" I said as pain surfaced on my cheek.

  Suddenly there was a creature flying in front of my face. It's eyes catlike with skeletal wings and long clawed fingers.

  I took a step backwards as an unearthly sound erupted from it's mouth. Then I heard another childish cry and a scared voice yell for mommy.

  "Spencer!" I yelled and the creature swooped towards me again.

  Barely dodging I fell to the ground. It rounded and flew back at me. I raised my foot and kicked it, sending it flying then hurried towards the boy.

  Two more of those things clawed at him trying to drag him into the bushes.

  "Get away from him!" I yelled sprinting to them.

  I grabbed a large branch from the ground and swung it at them, shooing them away. I stood with the boy to my back as the first monster joined the others.

  "Get back!" I said taking another swing which pissed them off.

  After taking a few more the first one gave off a screech and they all retreated into the bushes. I let out a long sigh and collapsed to my knees. Taking a few deep breaths I felt small hands wrap around my arm.

  "Spencer." I said turning to look at him, "are you okay?"

  He nodded, then sheepishly said, "mommy?"

  I picked him up and retreated through the maze, finding the way out after about several minutes. As the school bus came into view I saw two cops standing with the mother.

  "Mommy!" Spencer cheered and she looked toward us.

  "My baby!" She yelled jogging to us.

  Spencer wiggled from my grasp and as his mother hit his knees she scooped him into her arms.

  "I thought I'd lost you!" She sobbed as she held his face.

  Then a man holding an infant joined them.

  "Daddy!"

  As the boy and man hugged the woman looked at me.

  "You, you found him. How can I ever repay you?"

  "I'm just glad I could help, really." I said holding up my hands. Then I looked up to see a handful of bystanders and the kids from the bus. Slowly everyone began clapping.

  I flushed, embarrassed by the attention and quickly reboarded the bus. Taking my seat I threw on my headphones and tried to ignore all the eyes staring at me, which wasn't hard because as soon as I was alone with my thoughts pictures of those creatures resurfaced. What the hell were they?