Creature A-93

The lights had gone out an hour ago, leaving us huddled in the darkness, blankets on our shoulders and listening to the static of the radio. I had my two daughters at my side, curled in close. My youngest, Alicia, was asleep; Gretel, the eldest, was awake, shaking all over. I rubbed her hair, muttered calming words into her hair. The nine o'clock news came on.

From the radio came the staticy voice of Jane Baxter, the lead scientist who was heard every night to alert the public of new threats that may be out there.

I pulled both my girls closer to me. Alicia was mussed from her sleep and Gretel had stopped shaking. We all held our breaths.

“Good evening, listeners. Tonight is June 13th, three months since the radiation has happened,” Jane had an appealing voice. As I listened to her, I pictured a pretty young lady with a tight ponytail  speaking into a microphone. At first the image was pleasant, until the despair in her voice hit my ears. “The weather is humid outside, but please, please keep your windows and doors shut for your own safety. A new subspecies has been discovered today and is currently being studied by our professionals. These new creatures are extremely dangerous to humans. Multiple people have been reported attacked by them as of yesterday.

“The creatures share many resemblances to raptors- birds of prey. Their beaks are long and sharp enough on the tip to seriously injure the soft flesh of a human being. Their wing span is estimated to be about 3.2 meters long. The force they can exert with said wings is also deadly. We have deducted that they are nocturnal, hiding during the day and hunting at night; their eyes are 40 millimetres in diameter, thus standing out boldly against their grey feathers and perfect for seeing with minimal light.”

Alicia crawled into my lap. She balled her fists into the front of my shirt and then started to cry. My jaw hung open as I kept listening to Jane's words. Suddenly I was focusing on Alicia's tiny voice. She was only seven, Gretel was thirteen.

“Daddy... Pl-please turn it off...” Alicia wept.

I took my arm from around Gretel so I could cover Alicia's ears. Gretel remained curled into my side, stiff as a board. Jane's voice continued to rattle off details about the creature.

“Finally, the most disturbing discovery as of it yet is its methods of luring prey.” There was a long moment of silence, just that horrible static noise, before Jane continued on. She sounded scared and regretful about the news she had to present to us. I wondered briefly if there was a reason why the scientists had chosen her to be our announcer; perhaps it was because she had such a nice honey voice. It covered up what she was actually saying. “The creature, which as I have just been informed will be referred to as A-93, has evolved to repeat human dialect. In the dead of night it cries out like a child looking for its mother in a guttural voice in hopes of luring survivors out of their homes.

“We please ask that everyone seek shelter and stay there. Lock your windows and barricade the doors; we are uncertain if A-93 is capable of breaking into homes as of yet and we will have more information on them tomorrow. Thank you, listeners, and please stay safe. Bless you all, good night.”

Everything was silent again. Nothing but static and our breathing. I didn't want to say anything and Gretel rarely spoke since we lost Maria and Anthony, their mother and brother. The air in the room suddenly felt heavier, I was hot under the blanket. I know I should have been setting an example for the girls by putting on a brave face, but faking it was the one thing I couldn't do. I was terrified and the girls knew it. There was no reason not to be scared. Closing your eyes and pretending that everything was fine was entirely futile. This was happening and there was nothing we could do about it, only deal with it.

Gretel's quiet voice cut through the silence like a knife.

“Daddy... Our window is open.”

The fear gripping my heart with its icy clutch was suddenly more real than ever. Far off, barely an echo, there was a scream bouncing around in the night. I got up with shaking knees and went towards the open window. My eyes had adjusted to the darkness enough that I could barely see the curtains fluttering softly in the wind. I advanced with caution, manoeuvring around the couch. I wanted to be someone else at that moment, I wanted to be somewhere else, but my children were in danger. That was one thing I couldn't stand for. Breath stuck in my throat, I reached out to the window, pulse pounding. I thought I was going to throw up.

Razor sharp talons grabbed my hand, puncturing my skin and drawing blood. My eyes went wide, but I did not scream; instead I just looked up at my attacker. Two giant, marble black eyes caught the moonlight, staring at me with a head that was cocked to the side ever so slightly. It opened its beak and out came the brittle voice of a child trying not to cry.

Mmmoo-oooomm?