A single moment can change the world.

That's how it was that night, when they came;

our neighbors, starving for blood, animal in every way.

I had just one moment to hide before it all went wrong.

The cabinet door let out a shrill whine when I climbed in,

my parents hurrying to make sure I was hidden.

With a bang, the door was broken down, and I could sense my mother's fear.

It floated off in waves, each one a slap in the face.

Only one wretched sound reached me, relevant above all else:

her tortured screams.

I longed to open the door, to see what the monsters were doing to her;

in agony with my ignorance.

My father once told me that knowledge is the most painful thing.

Now I disagreed. That could never hurt as much as this -

this constant anguish of not knowing, writhing inside me like a snake,

my imagination running rampant worse than any reality.

If only I could be with them, even for seconds before life's end.

If only my stomach wouldn't turn like this.

If only the darkness wasn't coiling tight around me.

If only I could've done so many things differently.

My heart was beating as loud as an aircraft when the thought came:

It shouldn't be like this.

Our prized possessions shouldn't be shattering.

Our faiths shouldn't condemn us to a fate like this.

But there we were. A family of three

with one hidden away in hopes of survival.

Here of all places, survival wasn't possible.

Not for my mother. Not for my father. Not for me.

I curled up in a corner with the shattering glass ringing out like a symphony.

My heart leaped to my throat when the realization hit -

screams no longer penetrated the sound.

Their time was up.

With the crystal night's tune around me,

I mourned them silently.

I had just a single moment before the door was ripped open.

A sneering face stared down at me, preparing to destroy me.

I pushed past, narrowly escaping his grasp. They couldn't be... Not really...

To let out the immense pain, I screamed,

long and loud, until my throat was raw.

A hand stopped me, yanked me back so I stared into the eyes of evil itself.