The Heirs of the Night

The full moon always made Lucas restless. He never got why. Nothing special ever really happened when it was full. That’s what he kept telling himself anyway. He was lying on his bed staring at the ceiling. Rain tapping the window soft. Across the hall Adrian was probably still up. Selene texting someone. Iris… he checked the clock. 11:47. She was probably asleep. He hoped so. Didn’t feel like dealing with one of her weird moments tonight. Then that cold feeling hit his stomach. He sat up. Something was off. Didn’t know what. Pushed the blanket off and stood. Room felt too small all of a sudden. Hands shaking. “Not again.” Looked down at them. Fingers curling into fists. Breathing getting heavier. Then the pain. Grabbed the edge of the desk. Started in his chest and spread through his arms and back. Jaw clenched. He’d felt this before. Every month. Always around the same time. But tonight it was worse. Stronger. A loud c***k from downstairs. He froze. Aunt Katherine’s voice. “Lucas?” Didn’t answer. Something hit the front door hard. Heart jumped. He ran out into the hallway. Dark except for that little lamp by the stairs. Adrian was already at the bottom looking annoyed. “Why are you up?” “I heard something.” Adrian glanced at the door. “Probably just the wind.” Another bang. The whole house shook a bit. Adrian’s face changed. “Okay. Not the wind.” Selene showed up behind Lucas. “What’s going on?” “Nothing,” Adrian said. She raised an eyebrow. “You always say that when something is going on.” “Trying to keep everyone calm.” “You’re bad at it.” Lucas almost laughed. Almost. Door rattled again. Katherine came out of the kitchen. Not smiling. “All of you. Upstairs.” Adrian looked at her. “Who is it?” “Nobody.” Selene crossed her arms. “That doesn’t make sense.” Katherine walked toward the door. “Upstairs. Now.” Something in her voice made them shut up. Lucas watched her. She looked scared. Aunt Katherine didn’t get scared easy. Not when the power went out. Not when someone messed with the garden. Not even that time Adrian set a kitchen towel on fire when they were kids. But now she was scared. That pressure started building in Lucas again. He grabbed the railing. “Lucas?” Iris’s voice from upstairs. Everyone looked up. She was standing at the top in her pajamas. Face pale. “I saw this.” Katherine stopped. “What did you see?” Iris stared at the front door. “The house. Burning.” Silence. Katherine’s face went still. Adrian noticed. “What does that mean?” Iris shook her head. “I don’t know. I saw papers. You were burning them.” Katherine’s eyes got wide. Lucas felt the pressure turn into anger. “Why were you burning papers?” “I wasn’t.” Iris frowned. “You were.” “Iris, visions don’t always mean what you think.” “Then why do you look scared?” Katherine didn’t answer. A second later every light in the house went out. Selene gasped. Adrian moved closer to them. Lucas heard something outside. A low growl. His body went rigid. “What was that?” Selene whispered. Katherine turned to the windows. “Stay here.” Adrian stepped forward. “No.” She looked at him. “I said stay here.” “And I said no.” They just stood there a second. Then something scratched across the front door. Slow. Three long scratches. Lucas’s breathing got heavier. Pain came back harder. He bent forward. “Lucas?” “I’m fine.” He wasn’t. Heartbeat too loud. Skin hot. Vision blurring. He could hear everything. The rain. The clock. Selene breathing. Adrian’s heartbeat. Katherine’s footsteps. And something else outside. He lifted his head. “It’s not alone.” Everyone stared. “What?” Adrian asked. Lucas didn’t know how he knew. He just did. “There’s three.” Katherine’s face lost all its color. “Everyone upstairs.” This time nobody argued. They ran. Lucas got to the stairs first. Then the front door exploded inward. A dark shape rushed in. Katherine threw her hand out. The thing slammed into nothing. Like an invisible wall. For a second Lucas forgot the pain. Just stared. Her hand was glowing a little. Not bright. Just enough. Selene whispered, “What the hell?” Katherine turned. “Don’t look at me. Run!” Another one crashed through a window. Adrian moved in front of Selene. Lucas heard a growl. But it wasn’t from outside this time. It was coming from him. Fingers dug into the railing. Eyes burning. Didn’t understand what was happening. Then Iris behind him. Staring at the creature. Eyes going unfocused. “No.” Adrian grabbed her arm. “What?” She shook her head. “I’ve seen this.” “Where?” She looked at all of them. “Not this. Us.” The creature lunged. Lucas moved without thinking. Jumped down the stairs. Hit the floor harder than he should have. Didn’t feel it. The thing turned toward him. He stared back. Something inside him snapped. He charged. The creature flew backward and slammed into the wall. Everyone froze. Lucas stared at his hands. “What did I just do?” Katherine looked at him. First time in his life he saw that look in her eyes. Fear. Not of the creature. Of him. Then the second one attacked. Adrian stepped forward. Caught it with his hand. The thing stopped. His face changed. Eyes darker. Grip tightened. And somehow he threw it across the room. Selene stared. “Adrian…” He looked at his own hand. “I don’t know.” Katherine whispered something under her breath. Iris suddenly screamed. Everyone turned. She was staring at the floor. “There.” “What?” Selene asked. Iris pointed under the wooden boards. “The symbol.” Lucas looked down. Faint purple light glowing through the cracks. Katherine closed her eyes. “No.” Selene looked at her. “You know what that is.” Katherine didn’t answer. The ones outside started growling again. More coming. Adrian stepped next to Lucas. They looked at each other. Neither said anything. For the first time they both knew the same thing. Their aunt had been lying. Their mom didn’t just die. Their dad didn’t just disappear. And whatever secret she’d buried under the house… It was waking up.