Kissed By Death

Chapter 1

I was cold, wet and terrified. Even in the familiar grip of my mother's warm arms wrapped tightly around me didn't help keep the fear away. My parents were worried, no matter how many times they told me otherwise, I knew. I knew deep down that something was terribly wrong. I could see my father's shadowed figure grabbing our bags from the small boat in the darkness.

Lightning flashed across the night sky as the thunder continued to grumble loudly causing me burrow deeper into the safety of my mother's arms. My body starts trembling uncontrollably, I try to stop it, try to keep my body as still as possible, but it was useless. The Rain continued beating down at us, the feeling of dread filling me as I watched dad's shadowy figure run towards us without the bags. He started shouting, waving his hands frantically at us, but the sound was lost over the sound of the storm, the harsh noise of the waves crashing against the rocks. I feel my mum's body suddenly freeze and tense up so much that I instantly felt the invisible threat out in the darkness. My fangs slowly lengthen, my vision, hearing and sense of smell sharpening as my instincts took over. Just like my mother, I knew my eyes would be glowing electric blue right now, showing the world exactly what I was.

I was instantly assaulted by the scents of the sea and storm, but there was something else there too. It smelt familiar, yet not, something I should know but didn't, a scent that I couldn't even begin to describe. And that's when I spotted them, six huge dark figures slowly rising up out of the ocean, cloaked and hidden in shadows. Their green eyes glowing brightly through the darkness, scanning and searching their surroundings, then finally turning and settling onto us. A deep chill ran down my spine at their icy stares, my mother's grip instantly tightening more securely around me, hissing venomously in their direction.

My dad finally reaches us, panting and shouting at my mother to run, not waiting for her to react by grabbing her arm and pulling her into a run beside him. My heart is pounding furiously in my chest. All I could do was grip on to my mother's clothes as my body trembled uncontrollably in her arms as she ran. I felt completely powerless, my body useless as we ran, knowing that something dreadful was going to happen.

"Run faster Elizabeth!" My dad shouted. "NOW!" His frantic words seemed to jilt my mother to pick up more speed, sending her into a panicked run.

The rain still pounded at us unmercifully as we ran, the force of it hitting me hard enough to sting. Ignoring the pain, I noticed that my parents were heading towards a forest, hope flared inside me, knowing that we could easily hide in there. My hope soon died the instant I heard my dad grunt then shout out, my mother spinning around so fast she stumbled. I could see four of the huge men beating my father. Their shadowy cloaks no longer hiding them as their green eyes shone, giving them away as the same men that rose out of the sea. Another bolt of lightning lit the sky, revealing their faces briefly. Faces I vowed to never forget. I screamed in horror as I watched them ruthlessly attack my father while he lay on the floor, all of them punching and kicking him, allowing no time for him to recover. I tried to struggle out of my mother's grip to help him, but her grip only seemed to become stronger as we both watched the attack helplessly.

"Gareth!" My mum cried out in misery. Her strained voice only making me cry harder

"Run!" My father managed to moan out before his eyes closed and body stilled. The air in my lungs burned as I stared at his motionless body. Was he dead? I couldn't tell. Mums muffled cry reminded me to breathe, her arms pulling me so tightly against her chest that I found it hard to take my next breath. She ran, going so fast that everything became a blur as she weaved gracefully through the forrest. I could feel mums' silent sobs as she carried me, never missing a step, trying to get us to safety. The Next thing I knew, I came tumbling to the floor with an 'oomph', scraping my face, knees and hands as I skidded across the hard floor.