"Dang!" The abrupt slam of the front door startled Calix from his deep slumber.
Rubbing his eyes, he turned his head to the right, where he saw his twin brother sound asleep. Hearing the commotion coming from the living area, he wondered what might be happening and then he overheard his parents talking.
"He's here!" his father announced, his voice filled with urgency and fear.
"What?" he could hear his mother exclaim in shock. "Are... Are you sure?" she stammered, but there was no response from his father.
"But how is that possible?" his mother continued. "How could he find us after all these attempts?"
Calix, now wide awake, wondered, "What are they talking about?" as he pulled himself up.
"We are in the safest place," he could still hear his mother say. "We've done our best to disguise ourselves as..."
"I guess our best wasn't enough," his father interrupted. "Now it's better you stop wasting your time. Go and get them."
Claxi then could hear his mother's footsteps approaching their room, and shortly after, the door was thrown open wide.
"Mummy!" He called out as soon as he saw his mother standing at the door. "What's going on?" he couldn’t help asking out of curiosity.
"Nothing serious, sweetheart," she replied, walking into the room with a forced smile on her face, which he could clearly identify. "We just need to clear out the place. Is your brother awake?"
"But why, mummy?" he whined. Without answering him, she reached out to shake his twin's arm to wake him up. "Wake up, sweetheart."
Stirring from his slumber, his brother rubbed his eyes and stared up at their mother in confusion.
"Mummy, what's going on?" he questioned, his voice tinged with weariness.
"It's nothing, sweetheart. We're just going on another trip."
"What? Another trip?" Both brothers muttered, their voices carrying a mixture of exhaustion and resistance.
"But I don't want to go anywhere. I like it here," Calix whined.
"So do I!" added his brother.
She sighed heavily before replying, "There's no time for explanation, my sweethearts. Trust me, this will be the last and best trip ever. And then we can live happily ever after."
With a kiss of assurance on their foreheads from their mother, they were then dragged outside of their bedroom. Calix could see his father already at the door with bags in his hand. Leaving was what they were supposed to do, but it happened much sooner than he had expected.
"Let's go!" said his father, but just as he turned toward the front door, a chilling howl reverberated through the air.
Out of fear, Calix clung closer to his mother and whispered in a quivering voice, "Who... Who was that, mummy? Why does his howl sound so creepy?"
Caressing his head, she replied in a comforting tone, "Don't worry, sweetheart. Everything is under control. We are here to protect you both."
Stiffly, he nodded his head when suddenly a forceful knock interrupted the situation. Hastily, Calix and his brother were then dragged to the wardrobe.
She whispered, "Get inside."
Scrunching his face in confusion, Calix looked up at his mother, demanding that his curiosity be satisfied.
"It's just hide and seek!" She said something very different from what he had expected.
Puzzled, he questioned, "Really? But you said we were leaving..."
"There is a slight change in the plan. We need to play this final game before leaving. Now hide yourself!"
Not convinced, he was about to speak out, but she pressed a finger to his lips, signalling for silence.
"Shh!" she hushed gently. "If anything happens, just remember to run, sweetheart. You should both take care of each other and then keep on running. Don't let him find you!"
The pile of questions inside Calix grew larger and larger, but finding answers to them seemed nearly impossible. All he could do was peep through the gap in the door.
After his mother returned to his father's side, she nodded at him. He then placed the bags to the side and reached out to open the door.
Calix tried to find out who the person was at the door, but his father stood in front of him, not allowing him to catch a glimpse.
The man at the door spoke, his voice dripping with malevolence, "Where is the child?"
"Child? There is no presence of any children here," said his mother. "We have no idea what you are talking about."
"Enough with the games," the frustration was evident in the stranger's voice. "Just tell me where the hell you have hidden that child."
"You've got it all wrong," his father replied, trying to convince him. "There is no child here."
"After evading my pack for years, now you're trying to convince me I'm mistaken? Do I need to remind you who I am?" his voice was laced with anger.
"Don't get offended, my lord. But trust us," the father interjected, his voice calm yet resolute. "We're telling the truth. There's no one here except the two of us."
Suddenly, the man pushed his father aside, and finally, Calix was able to see the stranger with a mask entering the house. His presence cast a menacing shadow.
Ignoring his parents' protests, he roamed around the house, running his fingers on every item. Then, suddenly, his eyes fell on the wardrobe, and Calix was startled, feeling as though the stranger had locked eyes with him. Hastily, he moved aside.
His curious brother whispered, "What is..." but Calix quickly reached out to cover his mouth.
"Leave!" his brother grumbled out of frustration.
"Shh!" Claix hushed before peeping outside again.
As he saw the stranger moving closer to the wardrobe, one thing he was sure of was that the man was there with bad intentions. He could feel it from his core.
"Let me see!" as his brother whispered and pushed him aside to take a turn peeping.
He then could hear his mother saying, "My lord! You need to trust us, my lord, there is..."
The sudden silence and the shock evident in his brother's widening eyes piqued his curiosity.
"What's going on?" he asked, but he received no answer from his brother.
Compelled by his growing curiosity, he pushed his brother aside, then peeked outside. Seeing the stranger strangling his mother, his eyes widened, chills ran down his spine and his heart began to beat loudly.
He could see her feet gradually leaving the ground as she gasped for breath, gripping the man’s wrist.
Unable to resist the urge, he was on the verge of opening the door, but his brother's firm grip and whispered plea halted him.
"No, please, I'm scared," his brother implored in a hushed tone.
He glanced at his brother and then back outside. He could see his father desperately reaching out to protect his mother, his fists engulfed in flames. However, it was too late, because by the time he reached them, she had collapsed heavily on the ground.
Staring at the blood pouring from her wounded throat, tears rolled down his eyes silently. Gulping hard, he shifted his gaze to his father, witnessing him strike the man's chest, but it didn't budge the intruder even an inch.
He could see that the intruder's strength far surpassed his father's, a fact further reinforced when the man seized his father's wrist and expertly twisted his hand behind his back.
It took him no second to slit his father’s throat and throw him to the ground. As they lay on the ground, their lives slipping away, the man let out a chilling laugh and then returned to the wardrobe.
When he drew nearer and nearer, Calix clutched his twin tightly and closed his eyes in a desperate embrace.