Leave!

I tried taking the hand out of my mouth as fear crept into my essence, making my whole body tremble. My chest rose and fell so fast I thought I was going to faint. Then I turned my head to see who it was, and my eyes widened in shock.

It was Dad.

His face was dripping with sweat, his lips trembling as he pressed a finger against them, silently telling me not to speak a word. My throat tightened. My father’s face always carried a calmness that gave me comfort, but right now it was full of fear. Something was terribly wrong.

The sweat on his forehead, the way his lips moved without sound, his unsteady breathing... it was all a sign. A warning.

Was there another case of deaths?

My heart stopped at the thought. I nodded at him in understanding, and he finally removed his hand from my mouth, though he immediately grabbed my wrist and walked faster, dragging me with him. He didn’t want us to be seen.

We hid behind a wide, old tree. My pulse was pounding in my ears, so loud that I was scared people would hear it. Dad bent forward, catching his breath, and I leaned closer.

“Dad, what’s wrong?” I whispered, my voice shaking so badly that I could hardly hear myself. My stomach churned, and my mind was filled with dark thoughts I couldn’t even put into words.

When he turned to me, his expression froze me in place. It wasn’t anger. It wasn’t sadness. It was worse. It was fear mixed with sorrow.

“Maiveline… listen carefully,” he said in a raspy, uneven voice. “All of Mr. Galeryo’s sheep died last night. Every single one. Then… several cows on the ranch. And the two men patrolling that area… they were killed.”

My breath caught. I gasped, covering my mouth with both hands. The world around me felt like it spun, tilting and falling apart.

“What?!” My voice cracked. “Dad, how… how did it happen?”

I could barely think straight. Mr. Galeryo’s house was the closest one to ours. The ranch was only five hundred meters away. Our home wasn’t far from the killing grounds at all. Which meant one thing... the killer was getting closer.

Dad shook his head. “We don’t know. No one knows, Maive. But…” His eyes burned with pain. “You know how people think about us.”

Tears pricked my eyes. I didn’t want to hear it. But I nodded slowly.

“D-do they think… w-we did it?” I stammered, my voice a fragile whisper.

Dad looked away, his silence speaking louder than his nod.

“No…” I muttered in disbelief. My chest ached. “No! That’s unfair, Dad! We’ve been nothing but good to them. We’ve never hurt anyone! We’ve lived quietly, we’ve stayed out of their way. We—”

I was about to step out from behind the tree and march to the gathering crowd, but Dad’s grip on my wrist tightened like iron.

“Don’t!” he hissed, his voice full of desperation. “Don’t go there, Maive. Don’t even let them see you. Don’t try to explain because they will never listen. Do you hear me? Never!”

“But—”

“No buts! Go back to the house. Stay with your brother. Don’t trust anyone.”

And before I could respond, he vanished.

One second he was there, and the next he was gone, swallowed by the shadows between the trees.

“Dad?” My voice shook. “Dad!”

No answer. My heart dropped into my stomach. I was left standing there, my hand outstretched into nothing. Alone.

I felt my knees weaken. The air was too heavy to breathe. My hands were shaking uncontrollably.

Why did he leave me like that? Why now?

“Zonen…” I whispered, my brother’s name slipping from my lips like a prayer. I couldn’t stay here. I had to go back home. My legs began to move on their own, running as fast as they could. Tears blurred my vision, but I didn’t stop.

People thought of us as devils, a curse that shouldn’t exist. They called us monsters even when we never once lifted a hand to hurt them. But this... this slaughter... this wasn’t us.

We didn’t kill those sheep. We didn’t kill those cows. We didn’t kill those men.

Someone else did.

And whatever it was… it wasn’t human.

My heart hammered harder with each step I took.

When the house came into view, I pushed the door open with shaking hands and hurried straight to the room where Zonen usually slept.

But the bed was empty.

My heart dropped. “No…” I whispered, shaking my head in disbelief.

I checked every room, throwing doors open, my voice growing more frantic with each call. “Zonen! Zonen!”

No answer.

Panic burned in my chest until I thought I would pass out. My eyes darted to the window, and that’s when I saw him... standing outside in the backyard, staring blankly at the darkening clouds.

I rushed out to him, my legs nearly giving out with relief and fear at the same time. When I reached him, I grabbed his hand roughly.

“What are you doing?!” I snapped, my voice sharp with panic.

His body jolted at my tone, his eyes wide and startled. The fear on his face cut me like a knife. I bit my lip hard and immediately pulled him into a hug.

“Oh, Zonen… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” My throat tightened. “I just thought… I thought I lost you.”

My whole body shook as I held onto him tighter.

“Maive…” His small, shaky voice broke me even more. “Will everything really be okay?”

I pulled back just enough to look into his eyes. “Why do you ask that?”

He hesitated, fidgeting with his fingers. “I had a dream…”

My heart sank. His dreams. Always his dreams.

“What kind of dream?” I asked carefully.

He swallowed, his voice trembling. “People were mad. Very mad. And… they were accusing us… of murder.”

My stomach twisted violently. His dreams had always been strange, frightening... and sometimes they came true.

I forced a smile for him even as my insides screamed. “No, no. Don’t think about that, Zonen. It’s not true. We’ll be fine. Okay? We’ll be fine.”

He nodded slowly, but the fear in his eyes remained.

“Come on,” I said softly, holding his hand. “Let’s wait inside until Dad comes back.”

But the hours dragged on. The sun set, darkness spread across the land, and still… Dad hadn’t returned.

I paced back and forth across the living room, my fingernails digging into my palms. My chest was tight, suffocating me.

“Can you stop that, Maive?” Zonen finally muttered in irritation, slumping on the sofa.

“I can’t,” I admitted, my voice cracking. “What if… what if something happened to him?”

Before he could reply, a loud thump hit the window.

Zonen jumped to his feet. “What the heck was that?”

“Watch your mouth!” I scolded him automatically, though my voice shook as I slowly walked toward the window.

Another thump.

And then…

“Sheon!” I gasped, recognizing the familiar shape pressed weakly against the glass. My heart leapt, my fear momentarily breaking.

I threw the window open and Sheon collapsed inside, falling onto the floor.

The relief vanished instantly, replaced by horror.

Blood. So much blood. Her body was torn apart with wounds, her wings shredded and scratched as though they had been ripped at by claws. Her breathing was ragged, shallow. Her eyes fluttered as she fought not to close them forever.

“No… oh no, Sheon!” I dropped to my knees, tears spilling freely as I reached for her. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. This is my fault.”

My hands hovered, afraid to hurt her more by touching her. My chest ached so badly it felt like it was tearing apart.

Zonen’s trembling hand touched my shoulder. “W-what do we do, Maive?”

I couldn’t answer. I didn’t know. I had never felt so helpless.

“She’s dying…” My voice cracked.

I finally forced myself up, desperate to get something... anything to help her. But before I could, the door burst open.

“Dad!” Zonen cried.

I froze.

Dad stumbled in, his shirt soaked with blood. His hand pressed against his side where a deep wound bled heavily. His face was pale, his lips trembling.

“Dad…” My voice came out broken.

The sight of him bleeding, barely standing, it was too much. My mind screamed, my body wanted to collapse.

“Zonen, help him sit down!” I cried, panicked, running toward the kitchen. “I’ll find medicine, bandages, anything-”

“No!” Dad’s voice was weak but sharp. His hand reached out, stopping me in my tracks. His eyes, though clouded with pain, were filled with urgency.

“We have to leave. Now.” His voice cracked, his breathing shallow. “They’re coming.”