Prologue
It's dark. The walls of the cellar are too thin to block out the noises of the outside- screams, roars, and the snap of wood breaking. Around me, the bated breath of the children. A baby's cries echo off the wood.
My thoughts are gone. I can't deal with the terror. The panic overcomes every cell of my body. My mind is blank. I can't think. I can't move. I can't FEEL.
Except for my heart.
My heart - It's still beating. It's frantic pound grounds my racing mind. Suddenly, thoughts flash in. Dad, Mom, where are they? My sister, where did she go? She pushed me into the cellar when the disaster started. When that THING started attacking. How much time has passed? I try to make out the figure of the people around me, but it's too dark. It gradually quiets.
Suddenly, a small beam of light illuminates the dark world. As I look up, I see the locked door of the cellar open. A figure stands in the now open doorway, illuminated by the moonlight. With the light, I now make out the figure of my sister. Relief washes over me. Then I notice. I notice the blood on her clothes, the gash under her right eye, and the tears throughout her dress. One of her arms hangs limp while the other clutches a slender sword. Our family heirloom. Dried blood garnishes the blade. As I gaze upon it, a feeling bubbles up from the depths of my heart. It takes me a moment to understand what this despicable feeling is. Not hope. Not gratitude nor admiration, but envy and shame.
She stands there, radiant in the moonlight — the brave hero.
And me? I'm still here in the dark.
The coward hiding beneath the floor.
The rabbit cowering in its den, staring at the wolf — strong, fierce, brave.
Something it could never be.