Prologue

“Mom hurry up!”

            “I’m coming, I’m coming.”

            Celina hoisted her laundry basket onto her hip and followed her five year old daughter Sara up the stairs, watching the little one scramble up with her arms and legs. As she took on the first two steps of the staircase Celina was almost knocked over as their large chocolate lab Hunter bolted up after Sara. Trying to regain her balance Celina let go of the laundry basket, which tumbled down the first few steps spilling all her neatly followed laundry on the ground, to grab the banister.

            “Hunter!” Celina screamed up the staircase, the great dog poked his head out of the bars from the second landing, an apologetic look on his face. “Stupid dog, seriously. Now I have to refold everything again.”

            Sighing, she scooped up the clothes into the basket and brought the mess of clothes upstairs, dropping it on her bed she left the folding for later. Walking down the hallway she could here Sara giggling and Hunter chasing her around the room. When she entered the room Hunter had Sara huddled in a corner, his tail wagging madly behind him and his tongue lolling out.

            “Okay you two, that’s enough it’s time for bed.”

***

            A few hours later.

            The house lay quiet, everyone was gone to sleep. The only sound in the house came from the grandfather clock downstairs as it struck midnight, its chiming ringing in the new hour. The patrons of the house paid very little attention to this familiar sound, even Hunter continued to slumber at the end of Sara’s bed. In the room next door Celina stirred slightly in her sleep, her brow creased for a moment and then smoothed back out. Then without warning Celina shot straight up in bed, her breath laboured, her chest raising with every intake of air.

            Then it came, a loud crash resounded throughout the house. Hunter let out a loud bark and jumped up off the bed and ran downstairs, Sara woke up and fear gripped her heart.

            “Mom!”

            That’s when Celina felt it, the air around her continued to thicken, as if it were attempting to smother her. Closing her eyes she imagined energy flowing out of her and slowly the vice grip the air held on her loosened, but it didn’t completely disappear. Now able to move again she bolted up out of bed and ran down the hall to Sara’s room, from downstairs she could hear Hunter snarling menacingly. Sara sat up in her bed, eyes wide in fear, she covered her hears as if someone where speaking to her and she wanted to keep their voices away.

            A yelp of pain came from downstairs and then whimpers, soon after there was nothing. Panic crept into Celina’s being, she held on to Sara as her daughter shook like a leaf her eyes opened wide in terror.

            “Okay Sara listen to mom, look at me.” Celina pulled Sara’s arms away from her ears and forced the girl to look at her. “We are going to hide in the closet okay? Mom is going to go downstairs, Sara listen! It’s very important you stay quiet, do you hear me? You have to stay quiet no matter what!”

            Celina scooped her daughter into her arms and through the closet door wide open, she tucked Sara into the bottom far at the end and through some clothes on top of her. She placed a finger over her mouth motioning Sara to stay quiet. Closing the door behind her she turned towards the bedroom door and looked down the hall. She could hear it, the soft creaking of the stairs. Closing her eyes Celina focused pulling energy into her body, feeling energy flood into her pores, relaxing and focusing her mind. She moved forward.

            Walking to the end of the hall she looked down the staircase and saw a woman and man, the woman wore a bright red suit, her platinum blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail. The man who followed behind her wore a black suit and tie, his eyes blood red and skin pale white. Celina focused her energy as the two of them looked up at her, her eyes narrowed and anger replaced what fear was left.

            “Celina dear, hope you don’t mind the intru-”

            The woman didn’t have time to finish, Celina raised her arm and waved it in front of her.  The energy she held onto flew forward, throwing the woman back into the man, both of them fell backward their arms flying out for purchase but to no avail. The two of them struck the wall with a loud bang. Not giving them the chase to move again Celina waved her arm again, the energy threw the two sideways and she heard them crash into the living room's glass table. Arriving downstairs she saw the front door to her left lay on the floor splintered and a few feet from there was Hunter, his head bent at an awful angle. From the living room two forms began to move, slowly getting up off the floor, the woman moaned on her way up, her hair had come undone and fell around her shoulders. Celina raised her arm again but this time before she could use more energy the pale man darted forward, too fast for the eyes too follow. Before she knew it her right arm was pinned behind her back. Pain flared in her shoulder as she felt the humerus dislodge from the joint, ligaments tearing apart. She gritted her teeth and closed her eyes against the pain.

            “Now,” the woman said, straightening out her suit. “I was hoping we weren’t going to have to go down this path. Apparently we do. Tell me where your daughter is Celina. She’s the only one we went, you can live of course, if you can keep your mouth shut.”

            “Go to hell.”

            “Fine then.” The woman looked at the man and nodded.

            His arm wrapped around Celina’s neck and twisted, an audible snap resounded and a soft gasp left Celina’s lips before her lifeless body hit the ground.

            “Go ahead, drink. Make it quick will you.”

            The man bent over Celina as the woman moved towards the stairs and climbed them one by one.