Emily Inman reached down and picked up the book she’d dropped on the floor. She was almost asleep before a lighting flash lit up the entire master bedroom. Now the tornado-warning siren was going—or some type of siren, anyway. It didn’t sound like the one the town normally used when the county was under a severe weather alert. But whatever it was, lightning followed by an alarm was a good indicator that no one should be outside.

For a moment, Emily considered going downstairs to call Maggie and her friends inside. Then she thought better of it. Kids weren’t stupid. They knew to come in if there was lighting. And they probably had some time since there wasn’t any thunder.

Ten minutes. If they didn’t come piling back through the door the next ten minutes, she’d go yell for them to come in.

Emily sat back down, propped her feet up, and resumed her book. The mom part of her felt guilty about not being on top of things, but the Emily part of her knew it wasn’t worth the effort. There was no way to get a huge group like that under control. It would be like herding cats. And besides, they were all good kids. Maggie ran with a much better crowd since Walt began acting like her father instead of a legal guardian.

Walt.

Her blood didn’t exactly boil at the thought of him, but it definitely rose a few degrees. The timing of his ‘EMERGENCY AT THE BASE’ note on their bed—and his subsequent exit—seemed a tad too convenient. Sure, leave her with a house full of kids to go do something for the same people who almost got him killed. Didn’t he realize how much his daughter wanted him here this weekend? How many kids actually want their dad to be around when they have friends over?

Emily took a deep breath. She wasn’t being fair. Walt was probably just as upset as Maggie that he couldn’t stay. It wasn’t the first time he’d had to break a promise to her, but at least he was making an effort to keep them. Before, he would simply not be there and expect her to understand, as if a little girl was supposed to accept that her father seemed more interested in his job than his daughter. But ever since Afghanistan five years ago, Walt made it a point to ensure that happened as little as possible, sometimes to a degree Emily worried would get him in trouble.

One night last year, the Lanier base wouldn’t stop calling. He finally picked up the phone and said “I told you my girl is playing a solo at her concert tonight. Go blow it out your ass” and hung up. His phone buzzed like a bee on crack for the rest evening, but he ignored it. There’s no way he’d break a promise to her or Maggie unless it was a real emergency.

Emily smiled. It was strange to think how much Walt had changed as a father and a husband since his last trip. She also couldn’t deny feeling a bit jealous about how their daughter clearly favored him. She’d felt like a single parent for most of Maggie’s life until Walt decided to finally become a part of it. The positive effect it had on their family was worth it, though. Maybe now that it had been a few years since his recovery, they could start thinking about having another—

Emily’s thoughts were interrupted by a crash of shattering glass followed by a loud thump. She jolted out bed and instinctively opened the nightstand next to Walt’s bed. Her hand came up empty. Then she remembered locking up the guns in the laundry room safe. There would be kids in the house, after all. She crept towards the bedroom door. The glass sounded like it had come from the window at the end of the hall. What was that other sound, though?

Probably just a tree branch.

Her theory was immediately disproven when another loud thump came from the down the hallway followed by three more.

Call 911. Then call Walt.

Emily picked up her phone, dialed, and pressed it to her ear. She’d never called 911 before. She didn’t know if there would be a series of rings or someone just picked up on the other end and started speaking. When nothing happened, she pulled the phone from her ear and looked at the screen.

Call failed. No bars.

The landline was downstairs in Walt’s office. If she could get out the door quickly enough, she might be able to get there and lock herself in.

The thumping in the hallway became louder and more pronounced, like two people walking side by side. It stopped a few feet outside the door. A low machine-like rumble purred through the walls and floorboards. Emily reached for the door handle and gasped, unaware that she hadn’t been breathing. The rumbling continued, rattling the lamps and picture frames in the room. She drew in a deep breath, then yanked the door open and darted out of the bedroom, taking a fraction of a second to look down the hall before sprinting towards the stairs.

Not one person. Not two people. One horrible thing. Run.

The thumps started again, this time at a gallop that quickly gained ground behind her. Emily reached the stairs and took three steps before a blinding pain seared into her back. She screamed as the world turned upside down and spun out of control. The fall should have hurt, but every nerve in her body was focused on the fire burning between her shoulders. She hit the landing and slid onto the living room floor. The distance her fall had provided from whatever was chasing her evaporated in a flurry of thumps and clicks. Emily tried to shove herself forward. Something that felt like a million knives cut into both sides of her torso and pulled her back. The rumbling bass sound started again, this time inside her flesh. She wanted to scream, but no sound came. Instead, two thoughts burned through her mind.

Walt. Maggie.

The knives released. Something warm and rough clamped down on her head and twisted it hard to the right. A loud pop followed by a flash of white sent the world away, sparing Emily from having to feel the teeth tearing into her again and again.