“The sun is going out”, Naomi whispered.
Muzin took note of the terrible sight and yelled, “Lama!”
Lama had just stuck her key into the car’s door when she realized the warmth and hotness she had marveled in within the past few seconds was no more. Droplets of water began hammering into her hand, causing her to look up into the darkened clouds as rain began to fall.
“Oh no!” she muttered, realizing the doom about to come.
“It is as Nora had read in the cards”, Laura broke through with her voice.
Muzin motioned to head down and towards his wife, but the Onamegas had already swarmed out from their hiding spots as they rushed towards Lama’s car. Lama looked at Muzin with nothing but regret mixed with an ominous smile on her face as the first beast attacked her and dragged her to the ground. Muzin remained where he stood, shocked and too frightened to make a move or even move a muscle.
The creatures dragged her around, yanking her from side to side, while Muzin decided he wasn’t going to look away from his wife.
“Daren”, Naomi muttered in tender tone, causing the others to look in her direction.
Definitely standing out in appearance, in difference to the rest, Daren galloped towards Lama on his hands and legs, before momentarily looking in Naomi’s way.
“That’s Daren!” she cried, lunging forward and caring less for what could become of her.
Muzin reached to hold her back but found himself to be too late as she raced faster than he anticipated. The Onamegas suddenly stopped tearing Lama to shreds as Daren neared, slowly paving way for him to come through as he settled himself nicely before the barely breathing corpse.
“This is interesting”, Laura purred, before catching Muzin’s blood red eyes and frown.
Naomi stopped dead in her tracks, some feet away from the area crowded by the creatures, as Daren jammed his hand into Lama’s chest and yanked out her heart. With Lama dead, they scattered off into the distance and out of sight again, with some hurrying past Naomi as if they could not see her and as though her presence meant nothing to them.
“Why aren’t they attacking her?” Muzin asked.
Laura remained silent, carefully watching the incident before them continue to unfold.
“Why aren’t they attacking her!?” Muzin turned around, stood before Laura and yelled.
Laura ground her teeth and replied, “They have no reason to harm her because her cards and fate have not been read yet”.
Muzin gasped and turned back around. He realized he could have tried to save his wife without having to cower like a coward in the manner he had done.
“What have I done?’ he asked himself in serious guilt.
Daren turned around with blackened eyes and his face absolutely pale as he stared right back at Naomi. Naomi wondered if anything about the boy she loved and admired remained in the frame staring back at her. She wondered if his soul still existed and if the memories they shared together remained in him, even if it would be in the slightest.
“Daren”, she called out with an outstretched hand.
Daren slowly approached, but stopped within three feet from her as he slowly rose to his feet. He gawked hard and long at her hand and leaned closer to sniff at it, before turning around and hurrying away.
“Daren!” she yelled after him but he was too fast and unwilling to listen to her call.
She lowered her head in pain and began to cry as a gentle hand came to rest on her shoulder. “We need to go back in and not further tempt the nature of the chaos already around us”.
Naomi nudged his hand off and began to sprint south of where they stood, which connected to the main road. Loud growls emanated from corners around her as the creatures seemed to be getting edgy.
“They will not let you leave!” Laura cried atop her voice. “Don’t be stupid to let them decide your fate before the cards even do so!”
Naomi didn’t care, and she would take any chance she has to escape the hellhole they have gotten themselves into. She lessened her pace while the creatures gnarled and growled from within the shadows, just as the clouds cleared and the rain ceased immediately.
“The sun is up and they cannot come out!” Naomi thought to herself, gladly.
She raced ahead and hurriedly came to a halt as the familiar sight of one of the beasts stood right there, under the sun and in the middle of the road before her. Daren gnarled and growled aloud, intending to scare Naomi back but she continued to walk towards him.
“If there is a part of you still in there, please, listen to me”, she begged, reaching out her right hand towards Daren.
Daren gnarled at her again and lunged at her hand with his, managing to scratch her wildly as Naomi cried in pain and hurried back. He stepped closer, driving her to move backwards while he gnarled some more.
“They will not let you leave… nobody can leave until everything is done”, Laura sighed from behind Muzin.
Muzin lowered his head as Naomi returned with her hand bleeding and her face wearing the look of a person absolutely drowning in disbelief by what was happening to her.
“I want my daughter back, Laura”, he muttered. ‘I have lost too much and I will be damned to lose anything else!”
Naomi returned and hurried through the door, while Muzin did the same, leaving Laura alone to continue to gawk at Daren who scampered off into the woods again. Her face lit with a rather worrying smile as she closed the door behind her and returned into Muzin’s house.
“He wounded me”, Naomi sounded in shock and disbelief. “He looked right at me and didn’t seem like he ever knew me”.
Muzin remained silent as he walked to the fridge to take out a bottle of wine. He poured himself some and did the same for Naomi, before settling into his favorite chair to
