The Monster [H.S.]

Prologue

"Come on!" my dad shouted, as we ran through the subway station.

The wet ground under my feet caused me to slip, but my determination kept me steady. Rain leaked from broken pipes that no one was there to fix. Trains sat on the tracks, rusted and broken down. Everything was silent other than the rhythmic patting of our feet.

"This way!" my dad instructed, sticking a hand to the right in the direction of a new exit, soon followed by his body.

It was becoming harder to breathe, and the lactic acid swirling around in my body was only adding fuel to my ever burning fire. The burning in the back of my legs was warning me I wouldn't be able to last much longer. Cold air attacked my throat due to my deep breaths, only making it harder to breathe, as I attempted to wheeze through the pain.

"Daddy" I weakly called, my body decelerating at a rapid rate, before coming to a full stop.

"Come on sweetie, just a little further" my dad soothed, sweat trickling down his face.

"I can't" I stated.

Noises erupted from the end of the tunnel.

"Get on my back" my dad ordered as I quickly obeyed.

"Get a move on!" my grandpa shouted from behind, and I felt my dad's pace quicken to a sprint.

The end of the tunnel was in sight, and just witnessing light made my insides fill with excitement.

"We're gonna make it!" my brother yelled through a grin, as we quickly approached the light.

Suddenly, the light became darker, and silhouettes blocked it from our view. My dad slowed down, turning to face the other end of the tunnel, where countless blue eyes stared back.

"Shit" my dad whispered, his shoulders sinking in defeat.

We just stood for a while, watching them as they reciprocated with a stare. The blue eyes. They were unforgettable. They would gleam in the darkest of places. I would call them beautiful, but they were possessed by a monster.

"I hope you guys are ready for a fight" Daryll spoke, causing my heart to bang against my rib cage, desperately trying to escape from it's cell and run, far away from what was coming next.

My dad took me down from his back.

"Remember what I taught you" he whispered.

I nodded. I knew what to do and how to do it, I had done it before, but only to 1 or 2 of them. Now there was an army, at least 200 of them caving us in.

"I love you" he told me, taking me to his chest and wrapping his strong arms around me as though he never would again.

"I love you daddy" I replied on the verge of tears. Too much had happened to make me shed one. The people I loved and the things I had taken away from me.

Before I knew what was happening, the blue eyes accelerated closer, shouts erupting all round. Me, my dad and Grandpa facing one way, my brother, Daryl and Steven facing the other, our backs turned to each other. The tunnel was closing in as they rampaged towards us, my dad gripping a shot gun, anger storming in his eyes.

"Ready!" my dad screamed, but I wasn't.

"Now!" he yelled, as him and Daryl chucked smoke grenades to each end of the tunnel, timed perfectly.

The monsters ran towards us, their faces becoming clearer.

"3..2..1.." My dad shouted over the commotion.

Suddenly smoke filled the area, at each end of the tunnel. They kept walking towards us, giving us good aim. They had been blinded and confused, giving us a good 2 minutes to commit genocide, killing as many as possible as they stumbled out of the smoke. Gun shots sounded, banging against my ear drums. I turned back for a second to check on the others, who had our actions mimicked. Daryl pulled back his bow, letting go quickly, killing 4 of them with a single arrow. But that was standard. I turned back just as quickly, and fired my gun, killing 2 at once as the bullet sliced through their heads. I had learned how to deal with the guilt of killing them; to not have any. They weren't people, and they weren't nice. there was nothing humane about them. I had also learned how to trigger my anger; my mother. I triggered it, grabbing my second gun from my back pocket that should have been back up. I didn't care. They were headed for us in fifties, firing unknown substances at us, but were were taking them out quicker than they could throw them. More and more kept emerging from the tunnel ends and we needed a new strategy.

"We need to get out!" I screamed over the noise.

"Daryl, Aaron, Steve, walk backwards, we will walk forwards!" my dad commanded.

We slowly travelled forwards, firing rapidly. I was running out of bullets, and I desperately needed to reload, but it wasn't the time. While we moved I wouldn't have time. I took less shots, taking more of them out at once. I was breathless, beads of sweat dripping down my body, but I continued to fire. The exit was only about 10 yards away.

"Annabelle, run outside!" my dad screamed, using my full name to emphasise it wasn't an option.

I sprinted forwards battering them over the head with my gun. I pulled open the hard, heavy door, sliding out when I heard a scream arouse from behind. I turned to see my dad being attacked by 5 of them, my grandpa by 3.

"Daryl!" I screamed, but it was useless.

I fought my way back through the door I had opened a few inches, back towards my father.

"Daddy!" I screamed.

I ran forward, smacking one across the head with my gun.

"Get away Annie!" my dad struggled.

"No-"

"Now!"

I backed away. I couldn't just leave him, but if I had tried to fight 5 of them I would be dead, and useless. I shakily took my gun from my back pocket. My dad let out an agonising yelp, and I fired.

I pulled the trigger, and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. I was out of bullets.

His screams became louder and more violent as I watched him trying to wrestle them off him.

"Daryl, Grandpa, Steve!" I yelled.

They all had their own battles to fight.

Slowly his screams died down and his fight became weaker. They backed away, to reveal my father laying lifeless on the ground of a cold, dark train station. The usual glint in his caramel eyes had left, and his tinted, glowing skin became pale. They had done what they always do; removed his heart.

"He's gone" I stated, as I watched the man who had led me through life, shown me how to jump over the bumps it had, and picked me back up when I couldn't do it myself, fall into an eternal sleep.

A tear fell from my eye for the last time that day, and I haven't shed one since. Any emotion I had left in me they stole the day they took my father, and I swore to seek vengeance until the day I died fighting as dignified as him.