Tap. Tap. Tap.

Ten-year-old Alicia trembled in the corner, clutching her notebook in her arms. If she let go, she would fall apart. Her light brown hair clung to her face from the many hours in the rain, her dress freezing and heavy.

Her mother, Lila, was sitting at the kitchen table, anxiously tapping her fingers on the cold wood. Her dark brown hair was swept into a bun at the back of her head, her coral-green eyes tired and hollow. A simple old shirt and pair of jeans were all she had on, not even bothering to get a sweater for the cold.

“Alicia, dear,” she finally sighed, sliding her fingers off of the table. “Come here.”

Alicia hesitated before walking over. The floor was cold beneath her bare feet, the steady patter of rain echoing throughout the room. The dark sky mocked her many fears as she slid into a vacant seat around the table. There was a long moment of silence, lightning crackling overhead.

“He’ll come,” Alicia’s mother promised, voice soft and soothing compared to the storm outside. “I know it.”

Alicia watched as her mother put her fingers back on the table. She only did that when she was worried, so she obviously wasn’t very convinced.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Reaching over, Alicia gently placed her shaking hand over her mother’s. Alicia’s fingers looked tiny compared to hers, and they were inkstained from the hours spent scribbling in her notebook.

Her mother looked over with a quivering smile, and mouthed the words ‘thank you’.

“Mom, it’ll be fi—” The door suddenly crashed open, slamming against the wall. Lila shot up from her chair and reached for the gun propped up by the wall, pointing it at the intruder.

“Don’t shoot!” the man cried. Squinting, Alicia saw familiar blond hair and brown eyes staring at them. He was bundled in a thick brown coat, a rain hat covering most of his face and huge boots on his feet.

“Peter!” Lila cried, dropping the gun and running over to him. Tears were streaking down her face and she buried her head in his coat.

“Dad,” Alicia whispered, slowly standing up. Her heart was pounding a million miles.“What’s going on? I heard people talking about a raid.”

He sighed, pulling away from his wife and turning to Alicia instead. He smiled down at her, but worry lines were sketched all over his face. She didn’t feel much reassured as he said, “It’s being handled.”

It didn’t feel like it.

“Well, nobody knows for sure,” he muttered when Alicia gave him a look.

Lila sniffled in the background, going over to the window and looking out at the dark, quiet town.

“But…you know!” Alicia said. She could only imagine what it would be like if they really did come.

Peter glanced at his wife. She nodded, barely. He cleared his throat and closed his eyes. “Yes, Cia.”

“So…we’re leaving, aren’t we?” She looked at them. “...aren’t we?”

Peter shook his head sadly. He stared into her stormy grey eyes, red from all the crying. “There’s no time.”

“Peter—” A loud gunshot cut Lila off, and her scream echoed off the walls. Alicia froze.

Peter immediately ran over to the lightswitch and flicked it off with a faint click. The only light was that of a candle, faintly flickering on the mantle. He gently led his wife away from the door. “Alicia, grab my hand. Don’t let go.”

She did as she was told. Her father’s grip was warm and strong, as if it was saying that everything would be alright. Still, her breath caught in her throat as he led them through the dark hall, gripping tighter with every step they took. He soon let go, however, and groped around in the darkness. Apparently he found what he was looking for, because a trap door swung open a little ways in front of where they were standing.

“Careful now,” he whispered, helping his wife down the rusted steel ladder. Soon, it was Alicia’s turn, and before she even put her foot down on the top rung, she heard the front door crash open and footsteps thunder inside. Blood pumping, she scrambled down the ladder as fast as she could. Her hand was bleeding from a small scrape by the metal, but she barely noticed. She jumped down, the landing jarring her. Immediately, the musty smell of the cellar met her nose.

Peter climbed down last, just as calm as before. He grabbed a rope dangling from the ceiling, and the trap door shut tight, a tiny parade of dust falling from the ceiling.

Alicia turned around, trying to settle her heartbeat. She heard the steady thump of the soldier’s boots above, shaking the roof of the cellar. Silently praying, she walked over to the corner of the small room, sinking down onto the straw floor. It somehow felt safer there.

Lila went over and lit a candle sitting alone on a wooden shelf. The light cast the whole room in a faint glow, chasing away the shadows lurking in the corners.

“See, it’s alright,” she said softly, wincing as the pounding of footsteps got louder. She looked over at her husband, her eyes watery. “Right?”

He averted his gaze, fidgeting with his hands. It was very uncharacteristic of him. “I'll try,” he mumbled. Alicia stared at him, wondering what they never told her.

Just when she was about to ask, a loud creaking echoed overhead. The trap door swung open, and three men jumped down. The impact didn’t even seem to jar them. They didn’t raise their weapons or voices. Just stood there, perfectly calm.

They were wearing silver armour with a strange symbol tattooed on their left hand. Helmets covered their heads, and they all looked the same. What was really bothering Alicia, however, was their eyes. Empty and hollow, they didn’t even have any colour to them. Just a void of blackness.

Before anyone had time to even move, one guard said something in a different language. It sounded like, “Sumo gary” or something around those lines. Immediately, Alicia’s parents slumped over, asleep.

“Alicia Kathren, you have been chosen for something more,” the guard said in a robotic tone.

Alicia stared into the guard’s eyes, dimly noticing another guard stepped forward and clamped a glowing band to her arm. Surprisingly, she wasn’t afraid. A dull numbness had settled into her heart instead.

“It’s time,” he said.

And, just like that, everything turned to darkness.