It started on a cool gray morning as every moving thing woke with a start. there at the head of the house lies a small shivering thing that could only be described as the most sad thing you will ever see. With no hair on its body and no teeth in its mouth. As it cried out only then could you see the slit like holes in the side of its head where its ears should be, or the ones where its nose should be, or even the dark black empty space where its eyes should be.

Only then do you realize that this thing was not a thing at all but a monster from childhood nightmares. Only then do you wonder how this thing got there. Then, you hear it, the cries from the youngest’s room, a sad pitiful wail that matched only the beast on the floor. As feet are heard thundering to the child’s room do you look closer at the thing on the floor.

There you see the blood on it’s legs and the trail that lead somewhere. Slowly you follow it when you see it came from the direction of the place everyone ran to. That is when you give a yell and run to the room as well. And then you see it, there lying as well on the floor, lay a dead thing that looks worse than the other. As you give a closer inspection you see the blood on its teeth and the cloth stuck to its claws and you notice that the cloth looks familiar. Then you realize that cloth matches the shirt bought for the youngest a week before. You run to the closest to realize that the closet was no longer there. In its place stood a large gaping hole that lead to a large swirling mass that couldn’t be described.

As you stand there staring you hear the sniffling of the child behind you. As you turn you see the frightened look on their face as they describe what had happened. You listened as they spoke of a battle that ripped forth from where the closet stood. They spoke of how the beast that lied on the floor came racing in and charged right for them but the one that ran from the room later came and grabbed the beast before it could get close. They spoke of how the second seemed to speak to them, telling them not to leave the bed because if they did the spell would no longer keep them safe. You then interrupted to ask what spell but the child did not know.

They told you that their savior just continued to grapple with the beast fighting with it and trying, it seemed, to pull it back to the closet. But when the beast continued to fight the other had no other choice but to kill it to stop it. The child cried as they recounted how the second was harmed as it continued reaching to end the beast’s life.

You felt a deep sadness for the thing lying on the floor just out of the room. But you, as well, feared the thing that came from what seemed an impossible place. Then you turn as you hear a scratching thing from the door. And you jump as you hear a voice from the other side of the door. You walked closer as the voice cried out saying that they must protect the child that more would come and they must be ready.

As you grabbed hold of the door you heard a whooshing sound from the portal thing behind you. You quickly pull open the door as the swirling mass began to glow and hiss as if something from the pits of hell were on their way up. The beast rushed into the room and pushed everyone there onto the bed.

DO NOT MOVE it cried out as another of the beast entered the room. Only I still stood next to the door and was too close to the beast as it grabbed at me blindly as if it could only sense by smell. That is when I realized that the bed had no smell even as overcrowded as it was all of the scents are gone from the room.

GET DOWN the beast seemed to yell as long claws extended from what i could only call its hands as it got into a crouched position. I feel to the floor as it suddenly jumped onto the back of the beast and kicked off of the wall getting them closer and closer to the mass.

When it seemed that the beast would be pushed out it gave a mighty yell and grabbed onto the closest thing to it, which was me. It then fell into the swirling portal dragging me with it. As I fell the mass flickered and then went out. A even mightier yell could be heard as my child's protector fell with us as we fell into the deep swirling darkness.