Our Days Are Numbered

The cold air was a relief as it hit my dry lungs. I breathed in the night, the fresh smell, the silence… It was beautiful. The moon glowed perfectly as it contrasted with the dark sky. A shiver went through me as I hugged my ebony leather jacket close to my body, trying to grasp some warmth from the cold temperature which stunned me.

I slowly walked to the end of Vlad's garden, the silence being interrupted as I heard the door shut behind me.

A few footsteps followed me something grabbed my hand.

I smiled as Alexey slotted his fingers through mine. A feeling of bliss overwhelmed me as we walked in rhythm down the empty street, only our footsteps echoing through the night.

Alexey and I had been dating for a year now. I found I was able to open up to him. I felt that I could trust him easily. I find it difficult to establish a connection with most people. It takes a lot for me to trust them. I used to be someone who didn't know how to deal with people. I used to be a push over, taken for granted and unappreciated, then I changed.

I made promises to myself. I wouldn't, and couldn't, let myself get close to people. When you get closer to people, it's easier to get hurt. I wouldn't tell people my past, about how my Father died when I was young, about how insecure it made me and about how bullies and arrogant little children made me feel… It had nothing to do with them. They weren't worth enough to know. I wouldn't open up to people.

With Alexey, I broke all these promises. I found myself telling him more about myself, about how I felt and how people have made me feel, and I found myself getting closer to him. I let my guard down for him. I told him personal things, family things, secrets… I left myself open and vulnerable to him. We developed a close bond.

He was my boyfriend, and my best friend.

We carried on walking through the dark streets, enjoying the peace and tranquillity that we lacked in everyday life. We paced down familiar paths and moonlit roads until we found ourselves at a park. The parks in our area were normally filled with graffiti and broken beer bottles, whereas this one was actually clean and peaceful, a change to the stereotypical leisure areas around here.

We walked through the park to a duck pond, surrounded by green grass and weeping willows. The moonlight bounced off the rippling water and made everything seem a lot more beautiful. I relished the silence.

I closed my eyes and just enjoyed the moment. The cold wind dancing around me, brushing my skin and giving me goosebumps; the moon full and bright, casting shadows of everything below it; the fresh air filled my lungs as I smiled happily.

My phone vibrated in my denim pocket, loud music erupting from its small speaker. I pulled it out and read what it said: "'Mum' Calling'."

A wave of confusion ran through me. Mom never calls me at night, especially when she's away. I signaled to Alexey to give me a minute as I pressed the 'receive' button.

"Mum? It's after midnight, what-"

"Tatiana! Oh god, it's happened. It's happened, it's happened, it's happened…" Her frantic voice echoed through my mind as I heard her fear. She sounded terrified. I heard her voice shaking, I could hear her choke and sob. I felt uncomfortable and helpless.

"Mum, what's happened? What's wrong?"

"I shouldn't have looked, I shouldn't have let them know I was here. I'm so stupid, so so stupid," she stopped talking and I could hear her moving around, pacing, "…They're everywhere, oh god, they're everywhere!" She spluttered as she begged… Begged for a way out.

I found myself shouting at her down the phone.

"What's happened?!" I felt tears roll down my cheeks as my throat went raw, "Please… Please tell me!"

"I love you… I love you so much. You've always been my life. Promise me you'll stay safe. It's all over the television Tatiana, please find out, please stay safe. They're animals, they're people… I don't know what they are, they're destroying everything. There's blood everywhere!" She whispered down the phone, he voice hitching, stopping at point.

The silence was ended by a blood-curdling scream, then my own Mum's scream.

"They've found me… They've got me, they've got me! Where's the door?! For god's sake, get me out! I'm gonna die! They'll kill me! Please, anyone! I'm so sorry, so so sorry." The phone dropped to the ground and I heard her mumble uncontrollably.

"Mom?! Mom, what the hell's going on?! Please, please talk to me!" I sobbed into the phone. I stopped breathing as I heard a loud bang, a door being forced open, followed by the sound of my Mom crying.

My eyes widened, tears stinging them as I listened to a nightmare. Another scream was heard but it was unfamiliar. It was angry, it was lethal…
It was human.
It was male.
I heard ripping. I heard tearing. My Mom's scream turned into a strangled groan, a bubbling cry for help.

I could feel blood pumping through my veins, surging towards every muscle. I dropped my phone and screamed. I screamed for my Mum, I screamed from fear, I screamed until my throat felt like it was torn and bleeding.

My head pounded and my eyes were bloodshot, my whole body throbbing as I fell to my knees.

It took me a while to realise that Alexey was standing in front of me, violently shaking my shoulders with wide eyes, worried and panicked.

"Tats?!?!, what the hell?! Why are you screaming?! Stop crying, what's happened to you?" He tensed and squeezed my shoulders, trying to bring me back down to earth.

I opened my mouth to speak but no sound came out. My throat felt dry and raw. The night lost its beauty. The darkness now surrounded me, suffocating me, pulling me deeper into confusion. I opened my sore eyes and stared into Alex's icy blues, tears streaming down both our faces.

"…My Mum… I think she's died…" I breathed.

Alex's face fell and a look of shock took over him.

"…What?"

"My Mum phoned me… and something killed her. She just died, Alex. Something just killed my Mum."

"What do you mean? What happened to her?" He quickly shot back.

My voice cracked and I broke into sobs again.

The sounds of her screams ripped through me as I tried to control my breathing. The ripping, the snarling, the animalistic screams, the chaos… She was in Vladivostok, she was meant to be safe. What did she let in? She said they were everywhere. I panicked.

I ran.

I ran back to Vlad's.

Alexey was shouting at me and running behind me, but I couldn't stop even if I wanted to. My legs hurt, my eyes were throbbing and tears were blinding my vision.

I felt my heartbeat in my throat and the blood surging through me. I felt lost and alone, running from something I couldn't have helped. I'd lost my closest relative, I'd lost my mother, and I heard her beg for help.

I couldn't help her.

I need answers.

Please. I need help.