Too Late

Allen's eyes fluttered open after hearing multiple noises coming from all sides. Opening his eyes, he looked around and shock overwhelmed him the moment he saw his house right before him.

'Wh-what is happening?' He thought as he got up but the moment he tried to walk, his head felt heavy, his vision blurry, and he fell to his knees.

That was his house right there, he was still in the same place but why does it feel that a time long had suddenly passed? Something didn't feel right and he could not discern what it was.

He looked up to the sky and saw how dark it was. Of course, it was still night but why did the sky seem darker than on other nights? The moon no longer shined brightly but had a crimson color. And... Why does his senses seem overly heightened now?

He could hear the sounds of animals from afar, the sound of the howling birds, the sounds of crickets, and even the sounds coming from all the corners. He felt stronger inwardly but for some reason, his legs were numb; what was the reason for it? What happened to him? Didn't he die? He couldn't remember what happened before now but he still remembered why he left his house, and for this, the sudden feeling of anger and hatred swelled up in his heart.

"Ah! Help" He suddenly heard a scream and it was coming directly from his house. And it happened to be his mother's voice. "No! Get off me!" She yelled again.

'Mother?' He thought and tried to stand up but his feet failed him again. As he knelt there, he thought of how his mother had treated him the past years again and gave up the idea of knowing what was wrong with her. He concluded that whatever was happening didn't concern him anymore so he stayed at that same spot while staring at the house.

All of a sudden, he saw a bloodied hand on the glass window, followed by the bloodied face of his mother who seemed to be staring at him. She stretched out her hand as if toward him and muttered the word 'Help me!' to him.

Allen was unmoving, confusion and fear crowned him as he watched what was happening. A large pair of claws came from behind and grabbed his mother's head, the thing which seemed very tall raised her so that her legs were dangling in the air. The curtains blew open and Allen caught sight of the thing that held his mother — A tall human-like monster with large claws and feet. Its body was covered in black and golden scales, a monster that could be mistaken for a human.

As Allen watched in horror, the monster turned his head in his direction, their eyes locked on each other and Allen could swear that the monster grinned at him before returning its attention to his mother. The monster then drove his other sharp claws into her chest and pulled out a beating heart. Right before his eyes, the monster raised its head and opened its mouth which seemed to expand continuously, it threw the beating heart into it and began to chew it. All these happened before Allen's eyes, he watched his mother being devoured by the monster and he could not do anything about it.

Was that the extent of his hatred toward her? No, no matter what, she was still his mother after all. A monster was in their house, destroying things and feeding on his mother, but wait, what about his father? And David! Could it be that...?

He suddenly gathered strength and dragged his legs toward their house, he didn't know what to do but all he wanted was to see his family safe. As he went, he hoped that everything happening was just a dream because, he had never thought of losing his family, not in a manner like this.

As Allen approached the door, he caught a whiff of something metallic and sweet. Blood. His stomach growled, a deep, primal hunger stirring within him. It felt like he hadn't fed in days, and the scent was like a siren's call. But he pushed the craving aside, his heart heavy with foreboding.

He pushed open the door, and a sight met his eyes that made his blood run cold. The monster, its eyes glowing, sat atop his mother's lifeless body. It chewed slowly, deliberately, as if savoring the taste of her flesh.

Allen's vision blurred, his mind recoiling in horror. He felt the hunger within him surge, but he fought it, refusing to give in. Not now. Not when his mother lay butchered before him.

The monster looked up, its gaze meeting Allen's. For a moment, they locked eyes, and Allen felt a spark of recognition.

With a snarl, the monster returned to its gruesome feast, and Allen felt his world shatter. He stumbled backward, his heart shattered into a million pieces.

Allen's eyes widened as a surge of adrenaline coursed through his veins. He felt an unfamiliar strength and ferocity erupt within him as if his body was no longer his own. With a cry, he charged towards the monster, his fists clenched and his heart racing.

But to his surprise, the creature let out a terrified screech and fled in the opposite direction, abandoning its prey. Allen skidded to a stop, his chest heaving with exertion, and stared at the spot where the monster had vanished.

His gaze slowly shifted to the lifeless body of his mother, her eyes frozen in a permanent stare. A wave of anger and frustration washed over him, mixed with a deep sense of regret. He had been too late to save her.

"Why did you run?" Allen bellowed at the space, his voice echoing through the desolate landscape. "Come back and face me!"

But only silence responded.

Allen's eyes fell upon his mother's body once more, and he felt a pang of sorrow. He knelt beside her, gently closing her eyes, and whispered, "Mother, failed you. I wanted you to pay for all the things you and Father did to me but not in this manner, I never wished that you two would end up like this, in as much as you hurt me so much, I am not heartless enough to make a mockery of your death. Whatever did this to you, I will hunt it down and make it pay a million times for what it did to you. "

As he stood up, his fists still clenched, he realized that his newfound strength and ferocity had not been enough to save the one person who had once shown him love even if it lasted for just a few years. The anger and helplessness simmering within him threatened to boil over, and Allen knew that he would not rest until he found the monster and made it pay for what it had done.