Unknown Title ATM

Prologue

PROLOGUE

         "How many times have I told you not to steer from the path?" chided her mother.
         Kate shrugged her small shoulders and shifted nervously from foot to foot. She hated it when her mother was mad at her, but if she had only been there and saw what Kate had seen, she would have understood this time.
         Slowly she looked back up, tears brimming her eyes. "I'm sorry, mama. Please don't be mad at me..."
         Mama smiled softly, her cool demeanor melted instantly. How anyone could stay mad at her daughter with those giant blue eyes was beyond her.
         She bent down and wrapped her arms around Kate. "Oh darling, I'm not mad at you. I just wish you would listen to me more often. There are dangers out there and you could get hurt. I just don't know what I would do if something every happened to you."
         Mama.
         She was always so kind.
         So caring.
         Yet, why did she look so scared?
         "Mama...?"
         Her mother was looking past her now, out their cottage window. Out their cottage window and at a faceless shadow staring at them.
         She pushed Kate behind her as she straightened back up. In a stern voice she commanded her, "Kay, whatever you do, don't get in front of Mama, you hear?"
         "What's going on, Mama? What's wrong? Why do you look so frightened?"
         Her mother looked behind her at Kate and offered her a small smile but nothing more.
         There hadn't been time for more.
         Just as she had looked behind her, the window on the cottage door was shattered and a hand was thrust through it.
         Kate screamed.
         Mama cursed.
         Turning away from her, Kate's mother started to walk slowly towards the door, grabbing a near by table lamp.
         The hand in the window was moving.
         Searching.
         Not for long, though.
         It soon found the lock, throwing it and then vanishing once more.
         Mama took this second to position herself quickly by the entrance of the door, waiting for it to swing open. She also took this time to tell Kate, who had started to follow her, to "Stay back! Get out of here, Kate. Do you hear me? Get out! Go out through the back, a window, something. Just get out of here!"
         "But Mama!" pleaded Kate.
         "Do as I say, Kate!" screamed her mother just as the door was kicked open.
         The monster from outside stepped through the door frame and Mama brought the flowery lamp down upon his head.
         He cursed and Mama ran.
         She scooped up Kate and rushed toward the kitchen, where there was another door leading to the backwoods.
         They were almost there.
         The door was in sight.
         Falling.
         She was falling! But why?
         As she hit the floor, Kate looked behind her. Of course! The monster had snuck up on Mama and her and grabbed Mama from around the legs. Well, there was no way she was going to tolerate that.
         Kate quickly picked herself up, ignoring the shooting pain in her wrist, and started to rush to her mother's aid.
         "Dammit, Kate, leave!" Her mother's eyes were ablaze as she glared up at her.
         Kate stumbled and almost fell on her face. Luckily she managed to maintain her balance.
         "Mama..."
         Her eyes stung.
         She was crying.
         Her mother was no longer paying attention to her. She was struggling with the man on top fo her. He had a gun. Or was that a knife? Either way, Kate didn't stay around to find out.
         She ran to the backdoor and threw it open, racing out of the cottage and into the woods behind it. In no time at all she was on a dirt path, following it and being careful not to steer away from it. She didn't want to disappoint Mama again.
         As she ran deeper and deeper into the woods, she heard a piercing scream and a gunshot. Then nothing.
         God how she hoped it wasn't Mama.
         Kate kept running, though, staying on the path as her mother had told her to do all those times before, and didn't look back.
         Not even when she heard a harsh voice calling her name from behind her. "Kate! Come back here, Kate! I have a little treat for you!"
         Tears were streaming down her cheeks as the eight year old pushed herself harder.
         Got to keep running, she told herself. For Mama.
         She tripped on an overlarge root and fell face first into the dirt. Sobbing she started to scramble too her feet even as she heard him getting closer.
         She was up again and running, only to slip once more.
         This time no matter how hard she tried, she kept falling back down in the mud. The last time she fell, she was sobbing so hard she could hardly breathe, let alone try to get up and run a little bit more.
         She turned over onto her back and sat up on her elbows, catching her breath as she watched the monster get closer and closer.
         Time was running out.
         He was going to be on top of her in a matter of minutes.
         And then she was floating.
         No. Not floating.
         Someone was carrying her. But who?
         "Shh. It'll be okay. You'll be okay." It was a man. His voice was soft, gentle. Caring Not at all like the monster's. He was strong, too. She could tell by the way he moved. And he was fast. That was most important.
         He had a hand on the back of her head and as they came across an open field, he pushed her head into his shoulder lightly, protecting her eyes from the brightness of an awaiting helicopter's lights. He helped kate into the helicopter and then pulled himself in, giving the pilot the okay to lift off.
         As they were lifting off, and just before he shut the door, Kate looked out into the darkness, beyond the woods to where her mother's cottage was.
         Or rather, to where it had been.
         Because where it once stood, there was nothing more but a giant cloud of black and orange smoke.
         And as she glanced down, actually looking into the woods, she could see the monster. He was carrying something. What was it?
         She squinted, leaned forward. Screamed.
         "Jesus!" The man who had saved her lurched forward and slammed the door shut and pulled her closer to him. "Don't worry... Everything will be alright..."
         No.
         He was wrong.
         Nothing would ever be alright.
         Mama was dead.
         It had been her head the monster was carrying.