Book 5: Chapter 46 (1/2)

Kenzie held her breath and closed her eyes. She was hiding inside of a closet, not daring to make a peep. Outside, there were scratching and clacking sounds. Occasionally, there’d be a loud thump, the reverberations from the sound almost enough to make her heart stop.

“Kenzie,” a raspy voice said. “Where are you, Kenzie? Come out….”

Tears threatened to fall from Kenzie’s eyes, and she covered her mouth with her hands. Although the voice outside sounded like her father’s, she knew it wasn’t him outside. It was a creature that looked like him but was actually a bloodthirsty monster. She had seen him bite her mother’s throat apart with her own eyes, and the look her mother had given her was burned into her mind.

There was a thumping sound. “Kenzie….”

Thump, thump.

“Where are you, Kenzie?”

The footsteps grew louder and louder. Kenzie opened one eye. Underneath the closet door, there was a slit for light to pour in. A shadow covered the light, and a squeak involuntarily escaped out of Kenzie’s mouth. There was a rustling sound, and from what little light there was in the closet, Kenzie could see the knob to the closet turning. Her eyes widened, and she rose to her feet, lunging at the knob. She grabbed it and leaned back as hard as she could, determined to keep the door shut.

“Kenzie! I know you’re in there, Kenzie!”

The door creaked open, but Kenzie pulled, slamming it shut. She pressed her feet against the doorframe while keeping her hands on the knob. Although she couldn’t stop the beast outside from pulling open the door, she managed to slam it shut every time it did. Her arms burned, and her fingers hurt, but she maintained her grip. “Please, please, go away. Please, stop. Please.”

“Open the door!”

Kenzie could see the creature sporting her dad’s face staring at her. Its eyes were red, and veins bulged on its face like giant pulsating worms. Its lips were bloody, and bits of flesh were dotting its beard. Saliva flew out of its mouth, landing on Kenzie’s face as it roared while pulling on the door. A skeleton appeared over the creature pretending to be her dad, and Kenzie was sure she was going to die. Why would a messenger from the cult of death be here otherwise?

“Whoa there,” the skeleton said. “Let’s take it easy with the door. What if it breaks? Do you know how expensive wood is nowadays?”

The creature that masqueraded as Kenzie’s dad stopped pulling on the door. The closet slammed shut, and Kenzie took in a deep breath. She didn’t dare relax lest the door sudden fly open. She maintained her position, her feet firmly planted against the doorway. There was a roar, and a clanking sound. It sounded like metal striking against someone’s head. Then, there was silence. A few seconds later, there was a gentle knock on the closet door.

“Hello, are you doing alright in there?” a voice that sounded like two stones grinding together asked. “Were you bitten or scratched?”

Kenzie wasn’t sure what to do. Should she respond to the messenger of death? Ignore it? Neither seemed like a good option.

“I’m here to help,” the skeleton said. “I already knocked your dad out. It’s a bit tricky to get the right amount of strength to disable these berserkers without killing them, but I’m getting better at it. I disabled your mother too.”

Kenzie gulped. “My mom is still alive?”

“Yep. Once people are bitten, they turn into berserkers too, and their injuries heal really quickly. Her throat might’ve been torn, but it’s better now—a bit scarred though.”