THE DARK NOBLE

BEFORE THE DARKNESS As I grew up in the home of the parents who chose me, I learnt that family wasn't just about blood, but about the love that flowed through every moment. In the warm glow of our kitchen, mom's laughter and dad's stories made me feel like I belonged. Sunday mornings with mom and dad were my favorite- we'd spend hours baking cookies and singing along to old records. My parent's love was a sanctuary, a place were I felt safe and cherished after years of uncertainty. But all of that began to fade away the afternoon I received a letter, the letter arrived with no return address, it's contents a single sentence: 'they're coming for you'. But who was the 'they', and why did they want me. Couple of months passed by and I had totally forgotten about the letter. I thought maybe it wasn't for me. But I never knew the night my word shattered I was just a whisper from forever. As I lay in bed I couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching me. It wasn't until I heard my own voice whisper 'goodnight' back to me that I realized I wasn't alone, then I heard the door creak and immediately fear gripped me, it tried to put on the lantern beside me but it couldn't turn on. I froze on my bed scared to death, but something had urged me to get up from the bed and see what was happening downstairs in the living room. I immediately got up, the room was shrouded with inky blackness, the only sound the creaking of old wooden floorboards beneath my feet. As I managed to leave my room, the light came on, I ran downstairs and what I saw made me shiver, I let out a scream. My mom's lifeless body lay on the floor, a crimson pool spreading from her head. Dad's eyes were frozen in shock, a dark stain spreading across his chest. I saw my parents, their bodies broken and still, and my world shattered. A scream tore from my throat as I took in the horror before me, the sound of my own screams echoed through the house but I couldn't stop. Bloodstained hands grasped my wrist dragging me into eternal darkness