Sarah stood frozen, watching the house burn. The wooden walls crumbled into ash before her eyes.
She was too shocked to cry. Was Mom okay? Where is Selim? How did this happen? Where are the police?
Summoning her courage, she ran toward the crumbling house. As she reached the entrance, a flaming plank fell right behind her. She screamed, sweat dripping down her face from the intense heat.
With all the strength she could muster, she kicked open the blocked door. Heart pounding, she called out, "MOM?! SELIM?!"
There was no answer—only the crackling of the fire.
Coughing, she turned to find Selim in the hallway. His eyes were blood-red. He was holding their mother by the neck.
Sarah screamed—and woke up in the safety of her bed.
She quickly scrambled up and ran out of her room. She rushed past the kitchen toward her mom's room. She flung the door open.
Relief washed over her. Her mother was alive, sleeping peacefully, unaware of her daughter's terrible dream.
Sarah slowly closed the door, making as little noise as possible. A sigh of relief escaped her lips. Everything was fine.
She walked to the living room, the clock ticking ever so loudly. It was almost time for school anyway. She should get ready.
Sarah walked into the cafeteria, her mind still numb from the boredom of her previous class. Why did her teachers have to be so... difficult?
As she stepped into the room, she spotted Selim immediately. She couldn't miss him. He was like a light in the dark; students flocked to him like moths to a flame. She watched as they crowded around him, obviously captivated by his aura.
She couldn't stand it. She chose a table far away from the crowd. Setting down her tray, she stared at Selim. She couldn't help but feel fear. The nightmare she had seen was all too real. Was she going crazy? Was she overwhelmed by stress?
"Hey... sorry to bother." A voice broke her train of thought.
She looked up. It was Josh.
"Hey... no worries. What's up?" Sarah asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Do you mind if I sit here? I'm not exactly a fan of big crowds," he asked, his eyes gazing softly at Sarah.
"No, I don't mind at all. To be fair, I'm not that big of a fan of crowds either," she replied, trying to ease the awkwardness.
Josh smiled, putting his plate on the table. "Your brother really is something, huh?" he asked, finally taking a seat.
"Well... He is... something... alright," Sarah replied, her eyes glancing back at Selim. People surrounded him; you would think he was a celebrity. Just what kind of spell had he put on everyone?
"Yeah... to be honest, you remind me of him quite a bit." Josh's voice broke Sarah's intense focus.
Her eyes jerked back toward Josh. "What do you mean?!" she exclaimed. Why was she being compared to that monster? The brother that, in her mind, was all but dead.
Josh jumped a little, startled by her sudden outburst. "Sorry if that offended you..." Josh said, his voice weak and nervous.
What was she thinking? She couldn't believe she let that reaction slip out. Sarah felt a pang of guilt. "I am so sorry... I've just been under a lot of stress as of late..." Sarah's eyes held nothing but sincerity.
Josh looked intently at her. A gentle smile slowly emerged on his face. This girl... she was sincere. He could see her heart. However, she was afraid.
"It's okay... I just thought you and your brother both treat me like a human being. That's all." Josh's eyes shifted down towards his plate.
Sarah was confused. She never mentioned that Selim was her brother. How in the world did he know? "I'm sorry, but did Selim tell you he was my brother?" she asked cautiously.
Josh's eyes lit up. "Oh... yeah... he couldn't stop talking about you. So I had to see what kind of person you were," Josh replied, his deep brown eyes peering through his thick, black glasses.
Sarah felt a chill go down her spine. What did Selim say about her? Why was he talking to Josh about her to begin with?
"Uhm... what did... he say... exactly?" Sarah asked, her face worried and conflicted.
"I just mentioned how lovely of a sister you've been to me!"
Selim's voice echoed from right behind Sarah's ear.
Sarah spun around in her chair. Wasn't he just over there with all those people?
She turned back toward where the crowd had been surrounding him.
Nothing. No one to be found. The crowd had vanished.
Her heart skipped a beat. Josh quickly got up and greeted Selim.
"I'm glad you suggested I sit with your sister... She is very kind, just like you said," Josh said, shaking Selim's hand. "I was worried you wouldn't make it..." Josh added, letting go.
What was this? Sarah thought frantically. Did Josh not see the crowd? Then why did he imply he did by making that comment about crowds earlier?
Sarah's mind raced again. Seeing Selim up close gave her flashbacks of her dream from the night prior.
"I'm glad you are fond of my dear sister!" Selim replied, a gentle gaze resting on Josh.
Josh shifted his focus back to Sarah. His eyes deeply pierced her very soul. She could feel a sense of depth to Josh now. He felt different... almost similar to her brother.
"Everything will be made clear to you, Sarah. Everything in its rightful time."
Josh's gentle gaze stayed on Sarah. He could see past her mask. Sarah was a little girl in a big play. She was someone who had lost her very sense of what made her human: common sense. She could no longer rely on her environment to explain itself. She felt alone.
Josh knew this. Her heart was like a glass window; he could see right through it.
Sarah's eyes widened. Josh was not normal... not in the slightest.
She quickly stood up, shaking. Not another one. Not another monster.
She ran, leaving Selim and Josh behind.
Josh tried to stop her, only to feel a hand grip his arm. Selim looked intently at Josh, maintaining his gentle smile. He shook his head kindly.
"Let her go... She will come around," Selim said, keeping his elegant demeanor.
Josh turned his head back toward Sarah, watching as she fled.
"Luke! I'm telling you! You are making a mistake!" Anderson exclaimed, slamming his hands on Luke's desk.
Luke's eyes sharpened. "You forget that it was you who got us in this mess! By not telling me—your closest ally—the truth!" Luke shouted, standing up from his seat.
"What do you think that monster will do to you? And all your damn Awakeners, if you kill his family?!" Anderson's voice grew stronger.
"That thing is not human! He probably won't even care! It's a few innocent lives for the sake of the world!" Luke yelled back. "We have a responsibility! We must protect the masses. And if that means we have to kill a couple of innocent people to draw out that monster... then so be it!"
Luke's face turned red, his eyes sternly fixed on Anderson.
Anderson was taken aback. Luke was not thinking straight. Was what Selim said true? Was this organization as good as he believed?
Anderson was scared—not of Luke, but of the consequences. That monster would kill every last one of them. He saw it that day: Selim was still human. However small, he still had a human conscience. If Luke went through with this... they might push Selim over the edge. Then they would truly have to deal with a monster.
Anderson had no choice.
"How is it that you have proven that damn monster right?!" Anderson exclaimed, pulling his gun from his waistband.
Luke's eyes intensified. The very air around the room became thick, authority radiating from him.
But to Anderson, this was nothing. Nothing like that monster. This, he could handle.
"So this is how it's going to be." Luke suddenly sat down in his chair and beckoned someone to come in.
Anderson quickly turned around, but it was too late. A bag was thrown over his head as Linda and another Awakener grabbed him, holding him in place.
"If we can't draw that damn monster out now and kill him, there is no hope left for humanity!" Luke shouted from the direction of his desk. "Now that we know for sure it's related to Zachariah, we know it can't be contained! Just like Zachariah couldn't!"
Luke's conviction filled the room, heavy and suffocating.
Under the hood, Anderson became very still. His breathing was calm and collected. All he could think about was his precious boy.
But right now, Luke was putting the whole world at risk for the sake of his version of justice—raw, unfiltered justice.
Anderson felt like a nobody. He was neither a good guy nor a bad one. His identity was fractured.
Selim's words echoed in his mind. That monster... he was right.
How can a human define right and wrong anyway? What if it takes a monster—or what we think of as a monster—to truly define right from wrong?
But all Anderson could do now was hope and pray.
Sarah kept running, her feet splashing through the puddles lining the sidewalk. The rain dripped down her face, mixing with her tears.
She couldn't help but cry. Why? Why did this happen to her? Why couldn't she just be a normal teenager?
If there was a God... why did He choose to make her life so miserable? She cried even harder.
Visions of her nightmare flashed rapidly through her mind as she approached her street.
A sudden, crushing urgency overtook her. What was this? Why was she sprinting toward her house?
Something was wrong... and she had to find out what.
Sarah arrived breathless at her street. But to her horror, she could see smoke rising from her house.
Fear gripped her. No way... Her dream... was it coming true?
She rushed toward the house, her heart beating frantically. It stood before her, smoking and burning. Tears welled up in her eyes. Suddenly, she remembered—Mom!
With every last ounce of courage she had left, she kicked the burning door down. Smoke quickly overtook her.
Coughing, she screamed, "MOM?!"
The fire crackled as it demolished everything she once knew. She turned her head toward the living room.
It was Selim. Just like in her dream.
She cried bitterly; she couldn't believe it. Her mom was hanging from Selim's hand, barely breathing.
But something seemed off. This didn't feel like Selim. It felt bloodthirsty, almost like a demon. Even if her brother was a monster, he wasn't bloodthirsty.
She quickly regained her composure. Grabbing a nearby plank, she charged toward the supposed Selim.
Its eyes turned. Seeing Sarah, they filled with rage and hunger. It dropped Sarah's mom, quickly grabbing Sarah by the neck.
Sarah's feet dangled. She didn't care. Her vision became blurry; this was it. This was the end. By the hands of the one she feared most. At least... that's what it looked like.
Tears trickled down her face. "I love you... Selim... Mom..." she whispered, barely having enough strength to speak.
The creature's hands gripped her neck even harder.
She didn't care how much she thought she hated her brother. In the end, he was always there for her... even if he was a monster.
Her eyes began to close.
Suddenly, a loud scream pierced the air. The monster's grip loosened immediately. Sarah fell, but was quickly caught by someone.
With the last ounce of strength she had, she looked up.
It was Selim. It was her brother.
Selim watched as his sister closed her eyes in his arms.
Rage overcame him. His head snapped back toward the creature with a speed impossible for a normal human.
Selim glared. Standing before him was Luke—or rather, something wearing Luke's face. Selim knew it wasn't the real man, but he didn't care. He was going to tear this creature limb from limb.
The creature's eyes widened. This was the Selim they spoke of? They told him nothing about him being so powerful. All they said was he could finally eat! They said nothing about such a monster being their family member!
But no matter what, it had to survive.
Regaining its composure, the creature lunged at Selim. Nothing mattered anymore; the only thing that mattered was killing him.
But before the creature could even react, it watched as its other half separated entirely from its body.
The creature, confused, fell.
Two halves hit the burning floor. Its screams were quickly overtaken by the crackling of the fire around it.
Selim quickly ran to his mother. Holding his unconscious sister in one arm, he scooped up his mother with the other.
Suddenly, Selim stopped.
Someone else was here. And it wasn't friendly.
Another creature... something no longer human.
"Brother!!" the creature screamed, dropping from the burning roof. It cradled the severed halves of its kin, then turned its head toward Selim, glaring intently.
Its eyes burned like the fire consuming the house. It was focused, observing and analyzing Selim's every move. This was its time to strike—it was now or never, while Selim's hands were bound.
The creature suddenly vanished.
This one was different. More powerful than the last. Selim knew he couldn't fight in his current state; his first priority was getting his family out.
He ran, dodging a falling plank.
The creature, screaming, sprinted toward Selim from behind. Selim turned his head, watching the beast close the gap. The creature looked like a lizard—its claws sharp and serrated, its eyes dilated and thirsty for blood.
It ran with precision. It launched itself high, mouth gaping open—
And suddenly stopped.
It froze inches from Selim's face, suspended in mid-air. The monster was baffled. How was it floating like this?
"Sorry I took so long, Sir."
A voice spoke from the shadows. Josh walked forward, his eyes glimmering through his thick, black glasses. His arms were held out toward the monster.
It was him. This random kid was holding it back with invisible force. The monster knew instantly: this kid was dangerous.
"Tear it limb from limb," Selim commanded, his sharp eyes fixed on the creature.
"As you wish, Sir."
Josh quickly moved his arms in a crushing motion.
The creature screamed as everything inside it was pulverized by the weight of Josh's mind. Selim only watched, a wicked smile stretching from ear to ear, as the lizard squealed in agony. Blood splattered from the creature's mouth before it breathed its last.
"Leave the creature here. Let it burn in its own destruction," Selim instructed.
Josh's eyes lit up. "As you wish." His tone remained formal and obedient.
Selim walked out of the burning house just as authorities arrived. He quickly rushed toward the ambulance, setting his sister and mother down on the stretchers. He watched as the paramedics rushed to treat them.
His eyes were full of compassion as he watched his beloved mother and sister leave in the back of the ambulance.
Josh only stood behind Selim, his eyes fixed on their surroundings, guarding his master.