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Fear overcame every other eed her fist against theand forced her voice to work "Leave my parents alone!"

The beast looked back at her with shockingly lovely eyes that res in a parody of a grin--before slashing its claws across her father’s throat

In an instant, flesh tore and blood sprayed a thin line over the carHer father fell…hit the ground…his hands wrapped around his weeping throat, his asped for air he couldn’t, wouldn’t, find

A sob left her, fore

Her e ide eyes as her father had done, as if she had no idea where the threat had come from Her hands tented over herthe blood already splattered there

"D-don’t hurt us," she stuttered "Please, don’t"

A forked tongue flicked out, as though tasting her fear "I like the way you beg, female"

"Stop!" Annabelle shouted Have to help her, have to help her She wrenched open the car door and flew out, only to slip in a pool of her father’s--no No, no, no Gagging, she fought to stay upright "You have to stop!"

"Run, Annabelle Run!"

More eerie laughter--before those claws struck, silencing her mother HerShe toppled to the floor, uncaring as oxygen burst fro…stilling

"This can’t be happening," she babbled "This isn’t happening"

"Oh, yes," the creature said in a deep, rasping voice She caught the undertone of aame

Murder

Mur Der

No Not murder She could not accept that word They had been assaulted, but they would pull through They had to pull through Her heart sla a path up her chest and past her larynx "Th-the cops are on the way," she lied Wasn’t that what all the experts on all the reality shows about survival said you should do to save yourself? Claiet in any more t-trouble, do y-you?"

"Hmm, I love the sound of rin expanding "I’ll prove it" It began to swipe…swipe…swipe at the bodies…clothes and skin ripping, bones cracking, pulp and tissue flying

Can’t process

Can’t… But oh, she really could She knew If her parents had had any chance of survival, that chance had noithered to ash

Get up! You let that thingto allow it to mutilate you, too? And what about your brother, upstairs, alone, probably asleep and unprepared for a slaughter?

No NO! With a roar that sprang frorief, Annabelle launched herself into that ly face Theher over and pinning her down Wings outstretched, curtaining the rest of the world so that only the two of them existed

Still she punched and punched and punched For some reason, the creature never tried to claw her In fact, it batted her hands away and tried to…kiss her? Laughing, laughing, never stopping with the laughing, it pressed its lips against hers, blew fetid breath into her mouth and shivered with subliue so horribly deep she gagged all over again

When it lifted its head, it left a white-hot sli the lower half of her face Ecstasy shone in its eyes "Now, this is going to be fun," it said, and then it was gone, vanishing in a puff of putrid s while, Annabelle felt paralyzed in mind and body Only her e at an alarainst her chest, nearly suffocating her

Do soht It could return at any th to free herself fro, she made her way to her parents’ bodies Bodies she could not put back together, noinside her rebelled at the thought, she had to leave them behind if she hoped to save her brother "Brax!" she screamed "Brax!" She tripped her way into the house and called 911 After a hasty explanation, she dropped the phone and ran upstairs, again shouting for her brother She found hi peacefully

"Brax Wake up You have to wake up" No matter how hard she shook hi a few minutes more