I was laying in the middle of the road. I couldn’t move. Flashing lights surrounded me. It was very bright. My body was cold. Small white flakes were falling onto me. It was snowing. Caution tape was circling me, warning everyone against coming near me. A reporter stood a dozen feet away from me. “With six people dead and nearly a dozen injured, this is without a doubt the start of a new era in Salef. An era where the demons have returned. Unlike last time, these demons can attack whenever, wherever, and whoever they would like. It is advised that all people stay indoors until further information is received. Back to you in the studio, Ted,” the reporter said. Police quickly ushered the woman away from me. She climbed into a van, along with the people who’d been working the cameras and microphones. I turned my head, trying to get a sense of where I was. I was completely disoriented. I heard the crunch of snow behind me. I turned over completely, so I was laying on my stomach.
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A girl, maybe ten or eleven years old, was standing in front of me. She was clutching a stuffed blue axolotl to her chest. A bit of snow sat on top of her head, complimenting her long blonde hair. “Cleo! Get back in the house. I told you, don’t come outside. I need to do some work, but it’s very cold. Go back inside. I’ll be there in a minute,” someone shouted to the child, Cleo. I looked over to where the shout had come from. A man wearing a police uniform was watching the girl. “Go inside now, Cleo,” the man said, a bit calmer this time. Cleo took a step towards me. “Don’t go near it. It’s dangerous,” he said. Oh, so I’m an ‘it’ now? And how was I dangerous? I just wanted to get home. Cleo bent down, and with one of her fingers, wrote something in the thin layer of snow that had accumulated on the ground. I watched patiently as she wrote. Finally, she threw the stuffed toy down and ran back inside. I slid forward, towards the writing so I could read it. I know you aren't dangerous. I’m not scared of you. I saw you earlier when you killed him. I’m not scared of you- Cleo’s dad stepped in front of me and stamped out the rest of the message. I’d killed someone? When? What did the rest of the message say? I reached out and grabbed the toy from the ground. Snow stuck to the bottom of it, but I could still feel the warmth of Cleo’s hands wrapped around it.
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The man bent down in front of me. He shined a bright light in my face. I shielded my eyes and moved away. He spoke into a device. “It’s ready. You can bring them in.” Bring who in? The man walked away. Two figures jumped out of a van and came running towards me. They were wearing normal clothes, so it took me a moment to recognize them. It was Eliet and Letie. “Get up, Elias. We need to get back. Now,” Letie said. I sat up. Climbing to my feet, everything started to spin. Leite grabbed my arm, steadying me. Carefully, I took a step forward, then another. I was standing outside of the caution tape. Leite led me to the van. I climbed inside, sitting on the bench attached to the wall. She offered me a bottle of water and a granola bar. I didn’t realise how hungry and thirsty I was until now. I inhaled the food and water in what felt like seconds. The van rumbled to life and started back towards the Brick. “Let’s get you home, Elias,” Eliet said. I didn’t object. After all, if I wasn’t going back to my real home, why fight being given a new one?180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ65qDl3Ul3U
