Prologue
Sixteen Years Ago...
Her eyes snapped open as she lay in the darkness of her bedroom. Slowly turning her head, Ella looked around at the shadows that filled the room. They clung to the corners, dark and thicker than cobwebs. Her pulse quickened as a sense of fear and foreboding descended over her.
“H – hello?” she called.
There was no reply, but the sense of tension and anxiety that saturated the air persisted. It was as if the world around her was holding its breath, waiting for – something. But what that something was, she hadn't the first clue. Judging by the way it was making her feel though, she didn't think it could be anything good.
Ella slipped out of bed and on bare feet, padded across the bedroom floor. She didn't know what had awakened her and left her with this feeling of fear, but she didn't like it. And being the precocious girl she was, she was going to find out.
Gently turning the handle of her bedroom door, Ella quietly opened the door and stepped out into the hall. There was nothing but silence throughout the house, though she didn't think she was alone. Ella didn't know how to explain it, but the house usually had a certain feel to it. A residue of energy left by her and her parents. It was a comforting feeling. Familiar.
However, what she was feeling as she stood in the hallway was something entirely different. Something that was entirely wrong. She couldn't feel the energy of her parents, but something that made her skin crawl.
Ella edged her way down the hallway, taking care to avoid the floorboards that she knew squeaked. She paused when she reached the top of the stairs and looked down at the floor below. It too, was bathed in darkness and she couldn't see much. She noticed that the light was on in the kitchen, so she quietly picked her way down the stairs, listening for the voices of her mom and dad.
Adrenaline flowed throughout her body and Ella felt her hands trembling. She hated being afraid of anything. Her dad was a policeman and she'd always tried to be as brave as he was. Even though she was only eight, she tried with all her might to banish her fears, but things still frightened her.
Trying to slow her breathing and control herself, Ella hugged the wall and, on tiptoes, edged down the hallway toward the kitchen. As she moved closer to the kitchen, she heard a noise that she couldn't identify, but it sent sharp daggers of fear lancing through her nonetheless.
Ella opened her mouth, wanting to call out, but resisted the urge. She didn't know why, but she didn't think drawing attention to herself would be wise. She felt it down deep inside of her. Coming from the kitchen was a sound like something wet being torn. A second sound also came from the kitchen and it was a noise that reminded her of the way her friend Tommy ate – loud and with his mouth open.
Ella was scared, confused, and had no idea what was happening or what to do. But like her father had always told her, when she was scared, all she could do was press forward. Confront the thing that was scaring her and banish it forever.
Taking a deep breath and quietly letting it out, Ella slowly stepped into the kitchen and paused, unable to comprehend what she was seeing. Her mother and father were both sprawled out on the floor surrounded by a pool of crimson blood. Kneeling over them were two – creatures – unlike anything she'd ever seen before. And they looked like they were eating her parents.
They were tall – as tall as her father. Built like men, but covered in green scales and eyes that were pure black orbs. They had blunted snouts and hands with fingers that ended in claws. To Ella, they looked like some hideous cross between man and lizard.
She stood frozen, rooted to her spot, unable to do anything but stare at them with wide eyes and her mouth hanging open. The sound of choked gasping came to her and it took her a moment to realize that the noise was coming from her. The lizard-men looked up at her, their mouths covered in blood, meaty chunks hanging from their mouths. One of them opened its mouth, a hissing noise issuing from its mouth.
The sound from the creature broke Ella's paralysis and the scream that came flowing out of her was one of pure anguish and utter terror. The two creatures got to their feet and it was only then that she saw the true carnage on the kitchen floor. She gaped at the sight of her parents, their mid-sections torn open, their insides devoured. Tears flowed down Ella's face and she shook her head, trying to deny what she was seeing.
The creatures took a step toward her and she looked up, finding herself unable to move. Her mind screamed at her to run, to get out of there, only her body would not obey. Her gaze slipped back down to the faces of her parents, their eyes wide open and staring at something far off that she couldn't see.
Suddenly, the front door crashed inward. It slammed against the wall behind it with a sound like a cannon firing and Ella was vaguely aware of a man rushing by, her eyes remained fixed on the bodies of her parents.
One of the creatures hissed and then let out a sound that could only be described as a squeal, and then abruptly, it fell silent. She heard the man grunt, which was followed by another of the strange squealing noises. Ella finally looked up to see the man, who was holding a curved, wicked looking sword covered in a viscous green fluid, standing with his back to her.
On the floor at his feet were the headless corpses of the two lizard-men that had been eating her parents. A puddle of something dark and green – which she assumed was blood – spreading out from their necks and mixing with the crimson of her parents' blood.
Slowly, the man turned to her and Ella wet herself, and then immediately kicked herself inwardly, hating that she'd shown weakness. But she was terrified about what was going on, about who this man was, and she was distraught about her parents.
The man wore a dark cloak with the hood pulled up over his head. A mask covered the bottom half of his face, leaving just his eyes exposed. The eyes were cold. Emotionless. The eyes of a killer. Ella felt herself trembling and backing up until she ran into the wall with nowhere else to go.
“Its okay,” the man said. “I'm not going to hurt you. Are you okay? Were you hurt?”
Ella shook her head, her heart thundering in her chest, her eyes still wide. She couldn't move. Couldn't speak. She could barely form a coherent thought as she looked at the man and the cutting edge of the dangerous looking sword in his hand.
The overhead lights in the kitchen gleamed coldly off the edge of the steel and glistened wetly on the green liquid splashed across the surface. Terror stole through her and she couldn't pry her eyes off of the blade. Ella's mind told her to turn and run. To get out of there. Still, her body failed to act.
“It's okay,” the man said. “What's your name?”
She finally managed to tear her eyes away from the sword and looked up at the man. He pushed back his hood and pulled down the mask, revealing a gruff looking face. His eyes were as dark as the thick beard that covered his face and he had long, dark hair shot through with gray. Ella just stood there and stared, her body trembling and tears flowing down her cheeks.
“I – I wet myself,” she said softly.
A gentle smile touched his face. “That's okay, little one,” he said. “What's your name?”
“E – Ella,” she said.
“Well, Ella,” the man replied. “My name is Jacob. And it's really important that we get out of here.”
“B – but, my parents,” she said.
He let out a soft sigh, an expression of sadness upon his face. “They're gone,” he said. “There's nothing you can do for them, Ella.”
She let out a choked sob as the reality of the situation hit her like a baseball bat to the stomach. Warm, fresh tears streamed down her cheeks and the trembling in her body grew even more pronounced. Jacob looked at her, an incredulous expression on his face. It was as if he were having some sort of internal dialogue or debate with himself. After a moment, he nodded and his face grew grim.
“One thing I can tell you,” Jacob said, “is that your parents would not want you to suffer the same fate they did.”
Ella looked up at him, not understanding what he was saying. He gestured to the dead lizard-men on the ground.
“There are more of those things coming,” he said. “A lot more. It would be in our best interest to not be here when they show up.”
Ella looked back at the lifeless forms of her parents. She shook her head, still trying to deny what she was seeing. What she was feeling. Ella was wishing desperately to wake up in her bed to discover that this had been all part of some incredibly vivid nightmare.
But when she felt the man's hand on her tiny shoulder, the truth and reality of the situation came crashing down on her all over again.
“Ella, I can protect you,” he said. “But we need to go. And we need to go now.”
She looked up at him, her fear so great, it felt like her every nerve ending was on fire. She shook her head, not wanting to leave her parents. Her home. Though a quick look back at the carnage in the kitchen told her that she no longer had parents. No longer had a home.
“Ella,” Jacob said, urgency in his voice. “I don't want to leave you here. But there are too many out there for me to fight. You either come with me now or...”
His voice trailed off, but Ella followed his eyes, seeing that he was looking at the bodies of her parents. She looked back up at him, giving him a small nod of her head. A gentle smile touched his lips again and a look of determination flashed through his eyes.
Ella cast one last look back at her parents as Jacob took her by the hand and led her out of the house. She felt her heart breaking a little more with each step she took, but deep down, she knew that Jacob was right, her parents would have wanted her to live.
And to avenge them.