Chapter 1 A NIGHTMARE

Kyomi’s POV

“Happy birthday to you!” They all chorused, their faces beaming with endless, happy smiles.

“Blow the candle Kyomi!” My younger sister Letitia shouted excitedly.

“Don't forget to make a wish.” My elder sister, Juliet reminded me.

I closed my eyes, blowing out the candles and making a wish almost every ten year old would wish for, a happy family forever.

“What did you wish for?” Phoebe asked excitedly. “I wished that we would both grow fast.” Phoebe announced, giggling.

Everybody laughed at her silly wish, as much as I wanted to grow and have all the things I want to have, this moment right here was everything I needed and wanted.

“Now let's cut the cake,” my mom said, turning the cake towards us. It was a big chocolate cake, good thing Phoebe and I had the same taste regarding our choice of cake. Phoebe was practically like family to us and it just happened to be that her birthday was also on my birthday too.

“Kyomi, why don't you go get us some plates so that we can serve for everybody.”

“Yes mummy.” I answered, standing up from the chair, scanning the area and counting the number of persons present.

My dad, my mum, Juliet and Justin, Letitia and Phoebe. I ran inside the house, to find varieties of birthday gifts arranged for me. My mom sending me inside was because she wanted me to see the gifts that they had prepared for me. I got carried away, unwrapping every single gift, I was filled and overwhelmed with joy, they were the gifts I had told my parents that I wanted every single of them.

“I see that you've found the gift.” My dad said from behind me. I turned around and gave him the biggest hug.

“Thank you so much Daddy.” I hugged his leg tightly.

He carried me up and playfully poked my nose. “It's not everyday that your once little girl turns ten.” He planted a kiss on my forehead. “You're growing up too fast.”

I could feel the sadness in his voice when he said that but well, Phoebe made the wishes, we're growing fast after all.

“Your mom told me to come get you and the plates, we had a feeling you'll end up getting distracted by the gifts, now let's go have some fun.” He tickled me, I giggled loudly.

He carried me on his left arm, the plates on his right hand as we stepped back out to the backyard to meet the others outside.

My dad stopped in his tracks, I could feel his arms trembling. I wondered what made him stop in his tracks, I turned around in his arms to see a bloody sight in front of me. My mother was on the ground, her hand cupping her neck trying to stop the blood, Juliet's head was ripped off from her neck, Justin's heart was pierced with a stick, Phoebe's body was ripped apart limb from limb and Letitia was been drained by the monster.

“Daddy, Kyomi, Save me.” She whispered, before she drew her last breath. I couldn’t understand how I could hear her whispered voice from the distance but I did.

I struggled to free myself from my father's arm who was still in shock from the sickening sight of flesh and blood everywhere.

“Daddy! You have to help them, help them daddy!” I cried, hitting his chest to snap him out.

The monster turned towards us, its speed unlike anything I've seen before, I saw those in cartoons but this is reality.

The monster closed the distance between us about to snap my father's head, I didn't stop hitting my father either and that was when he snapped out of it. He quickly moved his hand forming a golden thread into a circle and drawing unfamiliar runes in the circle and then shoved it towards the monster. The Golden circle flinged the monster across the Yard, its back hitting hard against the fence.

My father held me tight, running out of the house into the forest, our house was in an isolated area. My parents believed, living in isolation was freedom from the pollution of the world.

We got to the forest, he set me down and tears started streaming down my eyes.

“Daddy, what happened to mummy and Letitia, Phoebe, Juliet and Justin, why are they not coming?” I sniffled, tears running down my eyes.

He drew a straight line, moving his hands in a certain way I couldn't comprehend, drawing golden signs in the air as they stood still.

Then he turned towards me, crouching down to my level, his trembling hands on my shoulder. “I need you to run Kyomi, go to your grandmother's house and never look back.”

“What about mummy, Juliet, Justin, Letitia and Phoebe?”

“We will be right behind you, we will just be late, now ru…..” he was cut off, blood running out of his mouth, the vein on his head popping out, his eyes bulging as he fell to the ground.

His eyes lost their color, he lay still on the ground, blood from his chest flowed towards my shoe, I walked backwards slowly, fear gnawing at me. I fell to the ground, my gaze still fixated on the lifeless body.

“Daddy, daddy…..” I whimpered, crawling backwards.

A man suddenly appeared before me, it bared its bloody fangs and let out a deep, guttural snarl. Red dripped from its chin as its eyes burned with pure rage. He leaned over me, the blood on his mouth dropping on my face.

“Daddy told you to run!” He gnarled at me about to bite my neck.

“Kyomi! Kyomi! Kyomi!” A distant feminine familiar called out to me.

I gasped, jumping out of my bed, rubbing my face over and over again, cleaning off the blood on my face that wasn't there. I quivered in fear, looking around my environment to make sure I wasn't in a forest, my gaze landing on Phoebe in front of me.

“Kyomi?! You didn't use your medication again right? I keep reminding you and you keep forgetting.” She sighed out of frustration walking to get my medicine and water, she walked back to me, placing them in my hands. “The same nightmare right? You haven't seen your therapist in a while, I think you should start seeing her soon, the nightmares are becoming too much.”

I swallowed the drugs she gave me while still taking in the environment. There were two beds, two desks, two wardrobes, basically two of everything.

“Where are we?” I asked, looking at her slightly confused.

She scrunched her brows looking at me, worry filled her face.“We're at Grand Oaks University.”

Oh! That's right, I was a college student and my nightmare was an incident that happened ten years ago, a memory that I keep reliving over and over again.

“Are you okay kyomi?” Phoebe asked, placing her hand over my head, checking my temperature.

“I'm fine.” I lied. For fuck sake I wasn't, the nightmares were beginning to have a toll on me.

I looked down on my hand to see blood, my heart hammered a frantic rhythm against my chest. It was the blood from my dream, I needed a distraction and a way to stop Phoebe from being a hovering hawk over me.

“Let's go to the Halloween party!”