“Shhh, Alexandria,” my mother begs me, slamming her dusty hand onto my mouth as she holds me to her chest in the closet, so close I can hear her heart beating fast. My messy brown hair covers my face as I try not to sneeze from the dust on the toys in here. These are my toys long forgotten over the years, and now they hold some comfort. Like they can protect me somehow. Tears fall down my cheeks, dripping onto my mom’s hand as I try to stay quiet, to do as I’m told. It’s so dark in here, only a strip of light sneaks through the bottom of the door, shining on my red shoes that Dad bought me last week. Where is Dad?
I try to think back to today. I was drawing in my room, doing as I was told because Mom had friends over, and then suddenly Mom ran in and grabbed me, hiding us both in my cupboard by my bed.
“Shhh! It’s going to be okay,” Mom whispers to me, her voice catching. I’m not quiet enough. My tears are too loud; my breathing is too loud. I have to be quiet. All I can hear from the other side of the cupboard door is screaming and shouting, the sound of breaking glass and loud smashes. I don’t know what is out there . . . but I’m scared because my mom is scared. My body shakes so hard as I watch the cupboard door, endlessly waiting until there is nothing but silence. I look down and gulp as I see thick red blood sliding through the gap under the door, making the light disappear as it hits my red shoes. It’s not the same red; it’s different.
It's dark, it’s frightening, and I want to crawl away from it, but I can’t move as Mom holds me so tight.
I soon realise the silence is worse than the noise, every loud heartbeat of both mine and my mom’s jolts me. Suddenly the doors are pulled open, and Mom throws me off her lap, protectively standing in front of me. I’m sure her hands glow red, but when I look again, it’s gone.
“Leo!” Mom shouts, throwing her arms around my dad, who is covered in black blood. He looks frantic as he runs his eyes over me and then to Mom. Why is he covered in blood? Why does he look so scary?
“We have to leave. Now!” he desperately tells us, letting Mom go. He picks me up off the ground, holding me to his chest. “Cover your eyes and count to ten. You don’t need to see this.” I bury my head into my dad’s shoulders, closing my eyes and counting like he tells me to.
Ten.
Nine.
Eight.
Seven . . . and I open my eyes. Just once. Just to see what Dad didn’t want me to see.
I saw nothing but death.
Chapter 1
The cat talks
“You know my bowl is still empty as you feed these mortals,” Amethyst protests, sliding her tail around my legs as I try not to smile while I serve a middle-aged woman soup from the steaming pot in front of me.
“Thank you,” the woman gratefully says as she gets a bread roll off the side, and I nod, smiling gently at her.
“Don’t forget to check in at the clothing and bedding section before seven o’clock. They close up after seven for the night,” I explain to her, knowing she is new and it’s getting late. Then again, everyone is new these days. I run my eyes over her patchy and ripped dress, the rucksack on her back, and her hollow cheeks. She isn’t eating much, and I bet she is sleeping rough most nights.
My parents have been runing the local food bank for many years while we live in the church apartment. The food bank started as a small organisation and turned into one of the most needed organisations in the world after New York, London, and Greece were destroyed a few months ago by god knows what. Many people said it was a natural disaster; some said it was a woman who had powers. It’s hard to know what photos are photoshopped and what story is real these days.
Either way, the world changed from the peaceful one I had grown up in. The survivors didn’t have anywhere to live, let alone a way to find work and get food. Food soon became scarce as world trade came to a stop, and only