A child in the woods

Emma was staring at the black ceiling of her room, as her entire body was rested on the higher section of the bunked bed she shared with Beth. Emma's hands were tangling her blonde and black highlighted hair from its tidy state before she stopped while watching Beth open the door with a stupid grin on her face.

Emma rather looked through her window and focused her attention on the stars, spread across the sky and shining like the fireworks, which were launched on the first day of the year. The stars may have been distant but that didn't stop Emma from making lines to join them together and making objects and animals with it.

Emma may not be old enough to study astronomy, but she knew more than a student who had studied astronomy for two years. The pale moon was a luminescent light for the people, who were still moving at such a time, it reminded her of one of her most liked lines in her favourite novel.

The moon shined on those who were caused to live on their one forever but the sun choses those whose lives will protect the others around them, which is why the moon has always been avoided as it was another way to be like the monsters of the dark. As the night reveals the monsters and flourish under their source of power but in the day, the people were allowed to roam free and not worry about such creatures, as they lived their normal lives without fear until the clock strikes eight pm as they will slowly come around and the time for survival of the fittest for the humans will be at midnight.

Emma didn't even notice she was reciting the words out and Beth didn't seem to mind telling her at all, as she shouted her name to bring her out of her fantasy world. Emma was startled by the shout of her elder sister, who was soaking in the lamp's brightness, making her black hair look more like silk than the bed cover.

Emma blinked before turning to her left side of her bed and covered herself with her blanket, as Beth deadpanned at her younger sister's childish behavior before refreshing herself and joining Emma to bed.

"Good night." Beth had said her good nights first before dozing off and leaving her sister awake.

"Same to you." Emma said it a bit later than Beth, but still followed her to doze off.

In the middle of the night, a tall yet muscular man was seated in the deepest of the forest around a campfire site with his tools scattered around as he sharpened their blades and kept the flames to a minimum as the smoke could alert the other monsters of the night and his companions were too exhausted to fight them.

'Before the monsters only dwell at night but now they come at any time.' the man thought as he continued to sharpen the tools. The man felt the sudden need to use himself and walked through the thorny shrubs and the overgrown vibrant green grass stained with the bloods of the victims and the monsters. He sighed at the image before his eyes and looked for a well-trimmed bush as he connected himself with mother nature.

The man felt relieved as closed his eyes for a short minute before opening his eyes once again to find a three year old child with dual hair color drenched in sticky mud but was still able to enjoy her sleep and was unharmed nor scratched by the broken branches and thorny flowers around.

'What a peculiar sight.'

The man was suspicious of the child who slept rather comfortably and worry free unlike most children he had seen sleep during such a time in his life and wasn't hurt by a thorn nor had gotten a splinter from the pointy and broken branches. The man was careful as he walked to the child and held her up in his arms, staining his clothes in the process, but that was the least of his concerns as his clothes will continue to be dirty as long as he survives.

He and the unconscious child had arrived at a small pond; however, he didn't enter the pond as his main goal was to wash her, it was hard, but she was asleep making his goal easy to accomplish. The child was slowly waking up as he dried her up with a handkerchief, he was happy to find in his pockets.

The child was awake, staring at the stranger in her eyes and the unfamiliar surroundings and wanted to cry but the man had noticed her whimpering lips and carried her into his arms and rocked her. The man decided to reveal his name as he felt the need to inform her.

"My name is Matthew." Matthew had declared and watched the child droopy eyes and sluggish movements.

"My name is Emma." The dual hair colored child had said before allowing herself to fall asleep in the stranger's or rather the new-named Matthew's arms.