It all started one friday night, when dad came back from the bar, his usual hangout, breathless and shaken. Since he got fired from work he's been, pretty useless. Mum became the new breadwinner of the family but still focus on finding dad a new job.
"Yay! Dad's back!" Zinnia, my little sister, whooped, spilling cereal all over her booster seat. Her silky, short black hair bounced across her face.
Dad locked the wooden door set in its iron frame. He stood there for a moment, panting, his gaze flicking between us. Then he rushed around the house, shutting every window. Fear was written all over his face like he was afraid of something, something big.
"What's up dad? Gotten into trouble?" Fred, my elder brother scoffed as he had a sip of mums homemade banana smoothie.
Dad came over to the table after making sure every door and window was shut. He was panting, his torn clothes soaked with sweat. His messy bluish-black hair framed his face as sweat dripped down.
"We need to leave," he said, his fist slamming against the table.
"Watch it Zande, the kids are trying to have a proper meal" Abby, mum said as she dished out a bowl of rice for Fred and I.
"I need to tell you guys something, something unbelievable " he said trying to remain calm as he paced around biting his fingers, he was nervous.
"That can wait till after dinner" mum said gesturing for him to sit.
"No, it's important," Dad insisted, staring straight into her hazel eyes. Her dark-blue hair, tied in a messy bun, danced across her face as she shot him the non-negotiation look.
"Mum!" I chimmed in, curious as to what dad has to say "let's hear him out. Something tells me he won't stop until he gets it out."
Abby signed taking her seat beside Zinnia. She turned looking at Zande, Dad, with the 'you've got five minutes' eyes.
Dad took a deep breath as he also sat down beside mum looking at us with all seriousness, as if every word he's about to say has a meaning.
"Remember when I told you guys about demons?" He began clutching a little picture in his hand like he was trying to hide it and at the same time show us.
"What's this about?" Mum roared looking at Zinnia, she did not seems to be paying attention as she was peacefully playing with her cereals
"It's about the truth," dad blurted "they're real"
We paused for a moment, even Zinnia as we looked at him, then brusted out laughing.
"Yeah dad, demons do exist, I mean why else would a man kill his fellow man in cold blood" I mocked
"I'm mean actual demons, Lucifer minions" he said as we once held our breath again, Zinnia whimmered in fear.
"Okay, that's enough, you're scaring the kids" mum cut in but dad wasn't done yet
"Look, I don't have time to tell you all the full story but we exist"
"We?" I frozed "What do you mean we?"
He looked at us again, he voice trembling as he spoke "I'm a demon" he said turning to face mum "so are the kids, except Zinnia and you of course"
The table feel eerie quiet as we all looked at him in disbelief, mum already feeling worked up then Fred broke the silence with a clap
"Wow, good one dad"
I scoffed, " Mum, dad seriously needs to get a job, the alcohol is getting into his head, now he thinks he's a demon"
Mum signed, "okay, that's enough"
"I'm dead serious guys. We have to leave before they finds us"
"Who are they" Zinnia asked with her tiny voice as she had been listening wholeheartedly to dad's bullshit
"Yes, Zande, who are they" mum asked sarcastically, folding her hands
"Whoa, this is getting dramatic," Ferd chimmed in standing up packing his dessert "I'll be in bed if you guys need me"
He stood up, his hands filled with bun. He turned to go to his room before dad's voice cut through like a sharp spear.
"Fine!" He signed in defeat "I'll prove it."
Fred halted and turned toward Dad. Seeing how serious he looked, Fred pulled out his phone to record whatever Dad was about to do, planning to tease him about it later.
Mum and I exchanged puzzled looks, then focused on the old man with deep concern. I noticed the strands of grey in the midst of his once-rigid black beard, and how his midnight-black eyes were dulled with exhaustion. I had always known Dad as a workaholic, defined by his bright smile, neat obsessions, and perfectly shaved beard. But ever since he was fired, I had begun to notice how old he truly was.
In that moment, I pitied him… a lot.
For a split second, the house grew eerily quiet. Mum dragged Zinnia closer, her arm trembling as she pressed her against her side and stood next to me at one corner. Dad stood alone at the center of the room, shoulders heaving as he drew in a shaky breath. I could tell it wasn'teasy for him.
After a while, he closed his eyes, humming a strange, unfamiliar tune. When his eyes snapped open, my stomach dropped. His midnight-black eyes has turned blood red, veins bursting and snaking outward, splitting his skin as they spread across his face like living cracks. I stumbled back, my heart hammering so hard it hurt, but it wasn't over.
His body convulsed.
Muscle swelled beneath his skin, thickening, tearing through flesh as if his bones were expanding. His arms bulged grotesquely, veins standing out like cords ready to snap. His skin bleached from human warmth to a dead, stone-grey, hardening as it spread. Then he collapsed, slamming into the floor, clawing at himself, screaming through clenched teeth as though something inside him was trying to rip its way out.
And then it did.
A wet, ripping sound split the room. Blood sprayed as his back tore open, skin and muscle peeling apart while massive black wings forced themselves free. I gagged. The smell of iron flooded the air. His ears stretched, cartilage cracking as they lengthened into sharp points. Two thick horns burst through his forehead, splitting skin and bone, blood running down his face in dark streams.
I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe.
He raised his head and looked at us.
His eyes, God, his eyes. Thin red irises floated inside a pit-black sclera. And there were three of them now, two familiar, one opened above the bridge of his nose, blinking wetly as it focused on us.
"Does this prove what I was saying?" he growled.
The voice wasn't his anymore. It scraped and echoed, layered with something ancient and cruel. It vibrated through my bones, and I felt it rattle my soul.
No one screamed, we couldn't.
Fred was frozen, his phone still raised, fingers locked mid-record. His mouth hung open, his face drained of all color, eyes glassy and unblinking.
The house swallowed us in silence again, thick, suffocating, until Dad spoke once more.
"I know you're terrified," he said, softer now but no less monstrous. "And I'm sorry. I should've told you sooner. I'll explain everything once we get out of here, once you're safe."
There was a sudden thud, Mum hit the floor.
I lunged toward her, my knees slamming hard against the ground as I grabbed her shoulders. Her body was heavy, cold was already creeping into her skin. I pressed my fingers to her neck, desperate, praying, begging for something, anything.
But Nothing, my chest collapsed in on itself.
"No… no, no, no..." My voice broke into sobs. Tears blurred my vision as I shook her, screaming her name, refusing to believe what my hands already knew.
I looked up at him, at that thing wearing my father's face and screamed until my throat burned,
"She's dead!"
Dad, no, the monster collapsed to his knees. A thick, black liquid poured from his eyes, steaming as it hit the floor, filling the room with a bitter, burning stench. His massive shoulders shook as he sobbed.
"Oh, Abby…" he wept, reaching out, desperate to hold her then Zinnia screamed.
I felt the terror rip through her voice, raw and unfiltered.
"Monster!"
Dad froze.
He stared at his precious baby, the little girl who used to wait by the door every evening, clutching her stick-figure drawings, bouncing on her toes until he came home. The one he'd lift into the air, tossing her up and catching her while she laughed, before proudly sticking her artwork onto the fridge. Their bond had been untouchable, stronger than anything, stronger even than Mum.
And now she was staring at him like he was something straight out of her nightmares.
Tears flooded her eyes. Fear carved itself into her face.
"Zinnia… Zinny baby," Dad whispered, his voice cracking. "It's me. It's still me. Dad."
She screamed again and buried her face in Mum's corpse.
Something inside Dad broke. He stared at us like a man watching his entire world crumble to dust. The family he had protected, loved, sacrificed everything for gone. Shattered in seconds.
Then, the dining room wall exploded.
Plaster and debris rained down as Dad was shot from behind. An electrified bullet slammed into his back, sending him crashing face-first into the floor with a deafening bang. His body convulsed violently, wings twitching as electricity tore through him.
That's when they came.
Not soldiers, at least, not the kind I expected.
A group of armed women stormed in, their faces cold, their eyes empty. They wielded strange, unfamiliar weapons that hummed with deadly intent. Without hesitation, they surrounded Dad's body and they butchered him.
They cut into his flesh like he was livestock. They tore out his organs, heart, lungs, kidneys, ripped his horns from his skull, snapped off his claws, pried out his teeth. Black blood splattered the floor as they peeled back his hardened skin piece by piece.
I watched, frozen, as they split his chest open. A small yellowish wisp slipped from his ruined body, glowing faintly as it tried to escape. One of the women reacted instantly, trapping it inside an airtight glass jar. The lid snapped shut with a soft click.
That was it, that was all that was left of my father.
My stomach twisted violently. I didn't know whether to scream, cry, or feel relief that it was finally over. My mind was breaking, until another thought crashed into me like a blade.
Dad said we were demons too, I and Fred. If they found us… would they do the same?
Panic surged through me. I scanned the room for Fred but he was gone.
I slipped away quietly, my heart pounding so loud I was sure they'd hear it but then I stopped. I forgot Zinnia.
Guilt slammed into me. I turned back, ready to risk everything to take her with me but it was already too late.
One of the armed women was holding her, murmuring softly, trying to calm her as others carried Mum's lifeless body away. Zinnia clung to her, sobbing.
I stood there, shaking. I wanted to go back for her. God, I wanted to. But it was too dangerous. Dad had said she was human, If that was true… then maybe she'd survive this world.
I turned away, tears burning my eyes as I ran. Wherever I was going, I prayed desperately that someday, somehow, we'd meet again.