Heeding her mother's words, she ran as quickly as she could, dragging her younger brother with her. He was still confused, crying and asking her to take them back to their parents. The banging on the door got louder and louder. The wood splintering and cracking with each blow coming from the other side.  The little girl huffed, her little legs running as fast as they would carry her. She dragged her brother into their parents' room and went inside the closet, closing the door. She wrapped her arms around her terrified sibling and placed her hand on his mouth, as well as her own. 

She could hear her father yelling, telling their mother to get the domina from the rack. She saw her mother through the closet's blinds, taking the domina and tossing it to their father. She watched as their parents braced for whatever was on the other side. 

The monsters. The ones her mother had always told her about. The stories. They were real.

"Light a torch! They hate fire!" her father commanded, pointing toward the kitchen. The door was about to break. He shouldered the domina and pulled the hammer back, keeping his aim steady and trained at the door. 

Her mother quickly ran into the kitchen and grabbed a mop. She reached into the cabinets and snatched a few bottles of alcohol, smashing it on the mop and soaking it before heading to the stove. She turned it on, the flames flickering to life. She lit the mop head aflame. 

The door broke. A pale arm with talon-like nails clawed out from the hole.

Her father fired twice, iliciting pained shrieks from the intruder. 

"It's getting through!" he cried out, cracking the domina open and taking out the shells. His fingers shook as he struggled to place in the new ones. 

The little girl's mother made it in time, standing by her father's side with the mop-torch at the ready. The door burst open as the pale monster broke inside their house.  

"I need it. I need it!" the creature growled. Pale skin. Red eyes. Pointed ears. Sharp fangs and talon-like nails. The creature looked like a deranged man, snarling and clawing at itself. It dove for the girl's father first, but her mother was quick. She slammed the flaming mop like a bat and smacked the monster a few back, setting its clothes on fire. It reeled and screeched as the flames quickly spread throughout its body. 

It looked like a demon with the fire licking its skin and covering its body. It got up again, seemingly not caring anymore that it was slowly burning alive. It dove for her mother this time. Her mother tried to defend with the torch again, but the creature slapped it away from her arms. It landed on the living room carpet, quickly setting it ablaze.  

The creature slashed at her mother's neck, tearing it open. She gurgled, her hand immediately flying to her open throat as she fell to the ground. 

"Lily!" her father screamed, firing another shell as soon as he reloaded. The slug hit the monster's shoulder, blowing away a chunk of flesh out the other side. But it only made it stumble as it dove for him next. Her father struggled as he was tackled to the floor. The flames spread from the monster to him. 

"Blood! I need blood!" The creature growled, snapping its jaws. 

It was too strong. Her father couldn't stop it. 

The monster leaned it and closed its maw around her father's throat. A pained scream escaped his mouth before it slowly faded. The monster fed on him. Greedily lapping up the blood from her father's neck.

The little girl gasped, shaking in the closet. She hugged her younger brother tight.

The monster's ears twitched, glancing up to the open door of their parent's room. The fire was spreading through the living room now too.

 

"Children?" the creature spoke. "Don't be scared... I just. Need. A taste. Blood. Young blood." 

It walked inside the room, sniffing around as the fire continued to cook its body.  It didn't seem to care as burning pieces of its flesh fell off and landed on the floor, spreading the flames. Her younger brother was sobbing now. Drawing the monster's attention. 

The little girl saw the monster visibly smile wickedly, turning its head toward the closet. She closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable. The heavy thuds of its footsteps getting closer by the second. 

She suddenly opened her eyes, clutching her chest. She looked through the cracks, seeing the monster's head blown to pieces, falling to the floor. Three large men entered the bedroom, scanning around. "This room is clear!" one of them called. "Recover the bodies and get out of here, this place is burning down!"

"W-wait!" the young girl called out, opening the closet door.

The men turned back, surprised. "We have two survivors! Report! Get them to safety, now!"

The men scooped her and her brother up quickly, and ran out of the burning house. The smoke was already rising up high into the sky. 

"Take these children away from here," one of the men commanded. He looked back at the house as it slowly broke apart. Charred wood toppling down to fuel the fire. Everything the children knew disappeared in a single night. 

There was nothing left to save.