Nightmare

The night was cool and serene. The kind of night made for warm milk, whispered lullabies and bedtime stories.

"Mama, one more story!" Seraphina pleaded, her brown eyes were wide with stubbornness. Her ink black curly hair scattered all over the white pillow.

Her mother, Alina, smiled as she brushed a curl from Seraphina's forehead. "Only one more, my little firefly. Then you go to bed. Okay?"

Seraphina nodded solemnly clutching her stuffed lion to her chest. "Okay mama. Tell me the one about the lycans and werewolves."

And so, Alina wove the tale of a mighty lycan who protected a weak magical creature, his heart glowing with love for the creature. As the story ended, Alina's voice softened.

"You know, Seraphina – sometimes the most powerful things in the world are hidden inside the smallest hearts"

Alina smiled.

Seraphina Gomez was an adorable nine years old girl. She was the first and only child of her parents who loved her to the brim.

Alina kissed her daughter's cheek, lingered at the dimples with a loving smile, and whispered, "I love you, my star!"

"Goodnight mummy" said Seraphina while cuddling her stuffed lion. Her cute cherry lips formed a cute yawn and her eyes flutter as sleepiness started to get the best of her.

The door clicked shut. Silence wrapped around Seraphina like a cocoon she curled beneath her blinked, watching the moon as she stared out of her window. Soon her eyes flutter shut, and sleep pulled her under.

It began with a tickle. A subtle warmth at first. Seraphina frowned in her sleepy rolling to the other side of the bed. She started sweating profusely. Her face flushed. Sweat damping her curls. In her dreams, she heard a faint crackling sound.

Seconds later, little Seraphina felt it. A wave of scorching heat against her cheeks. She woke up, her vision still fuzzy, a strange golden light danced across her eyelids. That's strange.

Her eyes flew open.

At first, she thought the golden lights flickering on the walls of her bedroom were from night light of the moon. But no. As her eyes got rid of any sleep left in them. Panic set in. Fire. Real fire.

Dancing like angry spirits, it licked the corners of Seraphina's room. Smoke filled the whole room making the air thick, hot and choking.

Seraphina gasped and sat up. Her little chest heaved. "Mama?" she croaked. "Daddy?"

There was no answer.

She scrambled away from her bed, clutching very tightly to her stuffed lion. She coughed violently. Just as her feet touched the ground, smoke detectors were heard.

She tried her door. Tried to open it. It was too hot, very hot. Hot tears welled up in her eyes. "Mama!" She called again, her voice higher than before. "Mama, the— the house is on fire." She coughed again, more violently than the last.

Seraphina turned around looking for another alternative. She ran to the windows, her breath coming out in rasps. The backyard was below. Her tiny palms pushed against the glass, but it wouldn't budge. She tried again and again until finally it opened. Cool air rushed in which made her dizzy. Turning back, the hallway beyond her room was a tunnel of fire. Her parents were nowhere in sight.

But she heard her mother's voice and stopped. It was quiet and terrified.

"Seraphina, baby! run!"

The voice came from somewhere in the house, but she couldn't tell.

"Mama, I will run and get help for you and daddy!" She screamed, tears welling up again. Her feet moved on instincts. She climbed through the window, dropping onto the patches of grass beneath with a thud.

Seraphina cried out in pain. Her knees scraped and her leg bone throbbed. But she didn't relent.

She was about to run but something or someone grabbed onto her legs. A cold, unfeeling hand. Seraphina turned, thinking it was her mother or father.

The next thing she knew, the grip tightened. Seraphina's eyes widened as she looked down to her legs. Her eyes bouncing back up from the hands of whomever touched her to the person's face. There she met a pair of eyes, as red as blood. They were locked to hers.

Her body went cold instantly. And that thing with red-eyes was crawling on top of her too.

Its teeth glowing down at her. Its cold hands moving from her legs up to her neck, trying to strangle her.

Seraphina was frightened as its hot breath blew in her face.

She couldn't breathe, she was frozen and in shock. She couldn't even scream for help. It wasn't possible with the huge

hands surrounding her little neck. Hot tears spilled from her eyes and that's the only thing the little girl could do – cry.

Her body trembled uncontrollably.

She was breathless... as if the air was

sucked out of her lungs.

Little Seraphina's body convulsed. She tried kicking the "Thing" that strangled her, she tried with all her might, but it was just another futile attempt.

When she felt her vision started to turn blurry and darkness was about to pull her in, she looked to her side. More

tears spilled out of her eyes as she saw another person but this person didn't look anything like the "Thing" strangling her.

This person looked more like a man but the ruthlessness seen in his eyes was enough to drain blood out of the little girl.

And this person... this man held her mother's neck tightly, strongly.

"Ma ... ma" she managed to call her mother weakly.

"Mama" she called again between her sobs.

However, her weakened voice was no louder than a whisper.

Her mother's eyes looked with hers. Alira's face blackened with soots and burns. Her father was no where to be found. Alira looked at her daughter and smiled a little.

Tears dropping from her eyes, dripping down to the hand hefting her neck "I love you, my firefly" she muttered. That was the end. The man snapped her neck ruthlessly and threw Alira's body into the fire watching it burn as he smirked wickedly.

Seraphina broke into a cry with the little strength she mustered,  she screamed "No!! Please NO" Her little feet kicking and kicking.