Death

For fuck's sake.

We are finally here. We are going to finally tell this story.

Where should we start from? Now, when finally Daniel and Ian meet again? From five years ago, when they saw each other for the last time? Or one year before that, when it all started?

Even that would be too late. This story doesn't really have a good starting point.

Six years ago it is then. The point in time that marked the change of all the lives on this god forsaken planet.

August the Second, Year 0

Ian and Daniel are friends since they can remember. They grew up together in this small neighbourhood in the middle of nowhere. Fifteen years here are enought to make someone lose their mind because of the boredom.

Lucky for our friends, Ian's parents have bought a small pool to place in the back of their house, so at least they can have some fun there.

Daniel just arrived at his friend's house and is ready to get in the water to get some shelter from the heat.

"Hey Ian! Are you ready? I'll jump in without you if you don't hurry!"

Daniel starts running, headed to the backdoor when a small figure blocks his path and shoves him to the side.

"I'll be first!"

The object that hit him is Rachel, Ian's younger sister. She's only a year younger than Ian and the three of them grew up as if they all were siblings.

Recently she started going out with a different group of friends, but the cold water of the pool make them hung out together again.

Daniel starts running again, and gets to the door shoulder to shoulder with the girl. They stop at the same time, looking out and to the sky. Something is wrong.

"Why is it red?"

Asks the girl, pointing to what should be a clear blue summer sky.

Ian catches up to them and stops just behind, as shocked as they are.

"I have no idea."

Ian says. But they have no time to think about an explanation, as a loud explosion is heard in the distance.

"What's going on?"

Shouts Daniel, but getting no answer from his friends.

The three run into the house and get to their phones.

"There is no signal"

"Seems like it"

Another explosion shakes the ground. This time it seems nearer.

"What the fuck? Is this a war?"

"How would I Know, Dan? I'm as clueless as you are."

Rachel starts franctically dialing numbers. Every time, just a message saying that she can't make phone calls greets her.

"What do we do now?"

She asks. The two boys look at each other and shake their head, eyes full of fear and confusion. A loud bang comes from the front door and brings everyone back to reality.

"Who's there?"

Ian shouts, but the only answer he gets is more bangs and some growling.

Terrified, Daniel runs to grab a knife from the kitchen and tells the other to hide with him.

All of them gets something to stab or beat up whoever enters the room and they all duck and hide behind the forniture. The door break down. What they see just does not make any sense.

A figure, more than two meters tall slides into the house. They can't recognize any trait of it. It looks like it is made of darkness, without any limb and with no face.

Just a white mask, with some strange glyphs written where the mouth should be.

When the creatures enters, all of them scream and alert it of their presence.

The three jump into action and start running towards the backdoor, but the creature is faster. It stands between them and the door, shocking them. It then spawns a long tentacle of the same dark material it is made of and wraps it around Ian's leg.

He hits it with a broom handle he armed himself with, and the tentacle retracts.

At least it looks like they can harm it.

Again, the creature launches its tentacle, this time in the direction of Rachel.

She stabs it with a long cooking knife, and some black blood splashes on the floor and on her arm. She screams in pain, as the skin that came in contact with the liquid started withering.

Daniel and Ian run towards the creature. Ian hits it with all his might and breaks the broom handle on its head, while Daniel plunges his knife as deep as he can in what he can just guess is its chest.

The black blood covers his entire right arm.

The smell of burning skin fills the room, and the boy screams in pain. At the same time, the strange creature melts, leaving behing a puddle of black ooze and the white mask that once was its face.

Daniel runs to the kitchen sink, washing off the black blood. His arm looks like a thousand years old mummy's. He tries to move it and everything seems fine.

Rachel runs to his side.

"Are you ok?"

He asks.

"You had it worse than me. Can you move it?"

"Yes. It hurts, but it seems to get better each second."

Looking at his skin, it actually looks like it is healing, coming back to its original state. Rachel looks at his arm, and just some red dots remain where the blood hit her.

Ian is kneeling on the floor, holding the strange mask in his hands.

"What the fuck was that?"

Daniel gets to his side.

"I'll be honest. I have no fucking idea."

He puts a hand on his friend's shoulder and looks at the mask. The strange glyphs start to move, rotate and rearrange. Ian drops it for the surprise.

Rachel gets there too and stares at the mask with wide eyes, saying nothing.

A word is forming from the strange writing. "DEATH"