KADE PART 2
The sky was a brilliant blue with not a single cloud in the sky. Kade floated on top of the water enjoying its gentle sway. It was turning out to be a wonderful day. Her mother would be mad, but Kade was ok with that. Feeding the animals wasn’t her chore anyway. She closed her eyes relishing the freedom. This was as close to flying as she would get.
Hours passed. Or maybe it was minutes. Kade didn’t care. This was probably the last bit of freedom she would get after going home. Her mother was sure to ground her for years.
Loud noises interrupted her peaceful drifting. A high-pitched scream jarred her, stiffening her body and causing her to sink. When she came above water, more screams followed. The final one sent Kade into a full out run.
“Mom!”
She turned a corner, and her cottage came into view. The door hung loosely by its hinges. Blood stained the earth. A limp hand lay on the ground barely visible from the doorway.
“Mom, no!” Kade threw caution to the wind running to her mother. She didn’t know if the one responsible for this was still here, but she had to find out if her mother was alive.
She grabbed the door and swung it out of the way throwing herself down. Kade slide to her mother’s side smearing dirt and blood all over her.
Her mother’s chest rose and fell in staggered breaths. “Oh, mom. You’re still alive. Thank the goddess. What happened? Tell me what to do to help you?”
A weak hand grasped Kade’s where it lay on her knees. “Kade… I love you. Remember that.”
“No, no, no! Don’t die mommy. Don’t leave me.” But she was already gone.
In the dirt, in her own blood, her mother had written one word… Tylestaes.
Her mother’s body grew cold as Kade sat crying. Once in a while she would call out to her hoping for an answer. It started to grow dark, and the child looked up. Now she noticed how badly her mother had been hurt. There would have been no helping her. She no longer had legs and blood drenched her flowery apron.
“What did this mommy?” Kade knew she couldn’t answer but asked anyway. She finally stood up and wiped her eyes with the end of a long brown sleeve. The burlap tunic she wore was filthy with blood and mud. Her bare feet bled from sliding across the floor. Kade stood dazed not knowing what to do. She had never taken care of herself before. One thing was certain, she had to go into town and see if anyone survived.
The thought terrified her. What if whoever did this was still there? Well then, I’ll be with mommy again. She took a deep breath and headed out her door. Before turning the corner, she looked back. “I’m sorry mommy.”
The sun had completely set by the time she reached the town square. It was pitch black without the aid of the village torches. Why has no one lit them? On closer inspection she got her answer. Bodies and pieces of bodies lay scattered everywhere. Blood-streaked walls and dirt. Kade gagged at the smell of rotting flesh.
Movement from an ally caught her attention. She started to run hoping to find someone alive. A pair of red glowing eyes stopped her in her tracks. A second set rose up from the ground abnormally close to the first.
Kade’s breath came in shallow spurts as the thing came out of the shadows. It crawled on the ground with eight arms and four legs all black as the night around it. Long talons dug in the ground. Blood dripped from two heads filled with dagger teeth.
It came at her, and she stood planted to the spot in fear. More monstrosities peeled away from every corner of the city. They were almost upon her, mere inches from their next meal. Kade’s heart tried to beat out of her chest and escape. Not a single thought could enter her mind. She was frozen.
But then, something happened…
