Authors note.

This is the next draft, ah part? Portion, potion, whatever. And if you find some stuff ‘diffuse’ I won’t argue, I’m winging it as I write, I can’t check it up (no internet) ´. Otherwise I would give you a more technical description. Read it anyway, you will make someone happy, namely me :)

Don’t expect me to make sense btw. Only children makes sense, children, fools and (sometimes) drunks. Else wise we grownup’s sadly fail, sorry, but it’s the plain truth as far as I’m concerned. So now you know what category I belong to. Yep, I do like single malt.

As I wrote this piece I remembered something my ex told me once.

She was working at what we call ‘home service’ for old people at that time, visiting and helping old people in their homes. She got to knew an old lady, that in her youth had lived with her man and child on a small farm at that Finnish part that later, after the war, became Russian. The child got stung by a young ‘baby viper’ one summer while playing, they are said to be the most poisonous. The old lady told her how they had realized that they never would get to a doctor in time, living as they were days away, and so they just had to sit with her watching her die.

The child had asked them where she was going to come after her death and they had described, best at as they could, what heaven would be and all the playmates she would find there, and the happiness. The lady was quite old, but as she calmly told her story tears was running down her face. It made a permanent imprint in me hearing Marja tell it, especially as we too had children. I personally expect this to be one of the most terrifying things that can happen to anyone. To watch your child die before your eyes, or any child for that matter, you being unable to stop it.

Now lastly, I just want to get this of my chest. There are some tales that I won’t discuss, mainly those being to abusive to my taste. Manipulating tales can be readable if they’re done with style and that absolute neglect of any decency what so ever. But those tales that want to eat the cookie as well as keep it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. That is, abusing in that syrupy way forcing a gender change, plainly against someone’s will all through the story, but ending it with the victim inexplicably suddenly declaring himself ‘happy’ about it. That’s plain wrong to me, not even Patty Hearst would have swallowed that volume of BS.

Never the less, there are a sufficient amount of stories here to my taste anyway :)
And authors to read

(Should also point out that those I found hard to 'assimilate' were on other sites, not here.)

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--- Crossdressing Stories-

‘Life in the Female State’ by Andrea. She turns it all around, a ‘flip of reality’, questioning gender and behavior.

‘The Ballet Game’ by beffy flowers. Innocent love, but kind of, hmm. Maybe not so innocent after all, spicy.

'Leslie's Story' by Andrea. A seriously good read. The problem being that I only found two chapters. Cheated again, ah well. But those two are very good (and long).

‘Remix’ by Brevdravis. Seriously good too. Same as above in all important ways, but what’s this with only two chapters? I hate that. I mean, ten chapters are better, twenty okay, two hundred? Now we’re cooking.

First ‘Mike’ then ‘Deity Arms & Bridget’. Pure good fun, and ‘WhiteRabbit’ by Barbie Lee, a very competent writer. She’s making it all work, sort of. Lot’s of good tales.

‘Expo Summer’ by Kim EM, it’s dark and strong. About a boy transitioning into a girl, and I think I will recommend it. I hope that people ain’t as bad as those portrayed in this story though. I think Kim should finish it, it needs to, there has to be a window opened somewhere, letting in some light.

School Daze by Bobbie Taylor. Nice innocent one. I liked it, you should like it too :)

‘Being Serena’ Green By Faith DaBrooke. Kind of weird and manipulating, but well written, in a somewhat behaviouristic mode :) Read and decide for yourself.

‘The Wicked Flee’ The First Erinyes Adventure by Bek D. Corbin. I know, I already mentioned her, but it’s fun.
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-------Story - time----------

As Elena and Vanja came over they found the young girls in a state of disorganized excitement. Asking for Katrine they saw her coming rushing down the stairs, her arm filled with clothing.

“Hey girl’s, go to the kitchen. We’ll be there in a moment. Oh, and sorry about that jerk Laila. You’ll have to tell me all about it.”

The ladies went to the kitchen where they found the girls in full order organizing the sleepover’s necessary ingredients like chocolate cookies, wine for their parents, and a diverse arrangement of beverages and food for themselves and the boys. And there they meet Amanda.

“Hi.” She said a shyly.

Elena and Vanja smiled back at the young Japanese Lolita.

“And you would be?” asked Vanja.

“Amanda, miss.” Curtsying with her girlfriends beaming at her side.

“She’s my new girlfriend” explained Laila to her mother. “And she’s my boyfriend too.”

“Nooo.” groaned Adam hearing her, once more creating that wonderful effect, so close to the rising sun.

“You are.” Said Laila a little offended.

“And mine too.” Said Therese, bashfully excited.

Amanda who now started to feel like she wanted to run away got caught up in a protective embrace by Anna, who whispered in her ear.

“Soo, soo filly. They’re not gonna bite you baby, maybe look at your, teeth but they’re not gonna bite.” Turning to the two mum’s smiling widely she said.

“We found her together, but she’s mine on the weekends, I taught her to curtsey too, isn’t she good?” Hoping that she now had made it clearer for them.

Somehow though, it didn’t seem to help, as the women still stared at poor Amanda. Vanja doing her best to assimilate that her daughter had became a lesbian overnight.

"I'm Monday and Tuesday." Said Laila, smiling proudly as she sweetly curtsied.

"And I'm Wednesday and Thursday." Said Therese, wisely nodding.

Adam didn’t say a thing. He just looked down on the floor wishing that there was a trapdoor that could open under him.

Vanja studied Amanda, wondering what the girls meant by ‘boyfriend’? Remembering Jake she had her suspicions, but this was no boy, was it? She wasn’t sure what she preferred here? And Elena who still was caught up in her own turbulent needs missed it all, the only thing surprising her being why they were playing Robinson Crusoe at their age. She sighed a little dependently as she started to chew on a chocolate cookie.

“Yes, I liked that book too. So Amanda, was it? Are you a cannibal then?”

Now everyone stopped to stare at her. ‘Cannibal’? Then Therese looked at the others making that universal sign with a rotating finger to her temple.

“It’s okay Mom.” Sounding very understanding. “Tom was such a dork.”

“Yes, he was, wasn’t he.” Muttered Elena still chewing. “So, can we too play?” Looking at Amanda as she tried for that upbeat tone, feeling that she didn’t want to destroy their sleepover by her problems.

Adam felt like he needed two trapdoors now, and quickly, one just wasn’t enough anymore. He had enough problems coping with those three, but their mothers too? The girls stared at Elena suspiciously with Therese starting to wonder just how bereaved her mother was. Even Vanja shook her head.

“Isn’t she a little too young for you?” she asked.

“To young?” looking at Amanda flabbergasted. “For that? Being a cannibal?”

“A boyfriend Mum, he’s no cannibal.”

Tried Therese soothingly, wondering why mom thought Amanda to be a canibal, she looked perfectly normal to her at least.

“And I think he’s satisfied as it is. You are, aren’t you sweetie?”

As she started to look suspiciously at Adam, if he wasn’t? What could she do? Laila looked at Adam too, wondering unhappily. She had read about how boys seemed to be driven by their sexual cravings on the Internet and? Every minute was it?

“You can control it, can’t you?” She asked, already suspecting those monumental needs to drive all sanity away.

“What! Control what? Being a cannibal?” asked Adam feeling desperate now, and still searching for that metaphorical trapdoor. Now totally blown out of the waters as he tried to get some meaning out of what they were talking about.

“Your craven lusts.” Said Laila, remembering the sentence from her newest novel, starting to get agitated. “Boys.” She muttered darkly. “Always wanting, never satisfied. Mom, don’t let him get to you too.”

Vanja studied poor Amanda again, trying to decide if she was a boy or a girl. Then back at Laila imploringly.

“What?”

Now Adam gave up, redder that a tomato he turned to flee up to his room. Leaving Anna to stare angrily at them all.

“Now, look what you did. She’s crying her little heart out.” Running after him.

As the commotion calmed down slightly the mothers turned to their offspring’s studying them with eyes made out of cold grey steel.

“Well?” said Vanja in a tone tinged with exasperation.

“And what was this all about Theresa?” asked Elena, thinking that the only other cannibal she knew of was Hannibal Lector, but he didn’t have any Friday, had he?

As the girls started to explain the mothers had to sit down, staring at each other. And as Vanja finally understood what Elena had thought she felt a slight relief, as did the girls when they witnessed their mothers finally understand. And as Anna showed them her pictures their mothers got just as angry as Katrine had been.

“Oh, my God. And you thought that I?” said Elena, at last comprehending why everyone had stared at her. She blushed furiously as she found that she couldn’t help wonder?
==

In the bedroom Sarah stared at the assortment of clothes being offered by Katrine.

“Don’t you like them?” asked Katrine surprised and a little hurt.

She had tried her best to pick neutral but nice clothes bringing out her new lovers sweet completion and lovely warm brown eyes. And the dresses were all of the finest quality.

“Ah, there was no other.” Asked Leonard. “Like more normal, you know.” Fearing more than ever how he might be shown of, like some new crossdressing trophy, for the ladies entertainment.

Katrine studied her choice of choices stupefied. What the hell was wrong with them?

“Well.” She asked a little hesitantly. “Did you want to look like Amanda?” again wondering if Leonard wasn’t a little kinky, after all, he seemed to have some odd ideas.

Leonard stared at her; did she want him to look like some Japanese tart now? She had to be kidding.

“No, I do not want to look like Amanda.” He said dismissively. “I just wanted some normal, decent, clothes.”

“Those? Aren’t decent then?” Katrine had to shake her head. “Look Leonard, those dresses are perfectly normal. And you are silly complaining about them.”

Suddenly realizing that he wasn’t getting through at all, Leonard tried to explain himself.

“Katrine, when you talked about clothes I thought you meant men’s clothing, not, this.” Looking at the lovely, but oh so impropriate, clothing she had laid out for him, the panties and those silken slips alluringly calling his name.

As Katrine realized his problem she smiled at him, she too had noticed his look of desire. So, he felt uneasy, did he? Well, she could understand him, in a way, but she would not allow him to hide. Not in her household.

“I’m so sorry sweetheart. I gave them away. I saved those for my own memories, they will fit you just perfect.” She said consolingly. Then she seemed to get an idea.“ There was a pair of trousers though, but I don’t think you would like them.”

“Why?”

“low cut in thin transparent lace Leonard.” She smiled coyly. “Although, I must admit that I did.” Evocatively smiling at him, and then, thinking some more.

“And I’m sure they would be a hit with my friends too, want to try them on?”

“Shit.” Was all he could say, before burying his head in the pillow.
==

Up in Anna’s and Adams room, Adam refused to go back.

“You can have you slumber party. I’m not interested.” He declared eyeballing her, eyes out of green flint.

“I won’t do it Anna, I’m no horse and this is no market. And their mothers are strange.” Questioning both her and him again.

“Baby, It was just a misunderstanding.” At least she thought so, and she wouldn’t give away any days, anyway.

“What about Laila then? She was almost screaming at me.” Refusing to be moved by her persuasive tone.

“She’s just insecure. You’re her first boyfriend ever, Amanda.” Lying slightly for his benefit. Laila had had quite a few actually, but none like Amanda. In vain trying to make him see the light.

After a lot of arguing and persuasion she at last understood that this stubborn stallion, filly? Refused her handling for once, and realizing it she finally sighed, saying.

“You do what you have to do Amanda, but I have to go back.” Leaving him to his sulking as she went down to the others.

“Where’s Amanda.” Asked Laila worried. She was already starting to regret her petty jealousy. If her mother liked him so much, well? Maybe she could get a day from Therese, but not from her. Finders Keepers, right.

“She won’t come down. You made her cry.” Said Anna. “She’s scared of you now.” You silly cow she thought angrily, but as the mom’s were there she couldn’t really start a fight.

And Laila felt bad, both she and her mother had a temperament. Coming from Eastern Europe originally, her mother had a very clear idea of what constituted a boy and what constituted a girl, and their differences. It wasn’t until meeting Jake that Vanja had realized there could be more to being a man than just their clothing. And the same was true for Laila, at least the temperament.

“I’m sorry, I’ll go and get him.” She said.

“Do that. But you better be warned, he’s unconsolable.” Said Anna, looking at her accusingly. “Be nice.”

As Laila came up she found him hiding under the covers, undressed. He couldn’t understand it, he hadn’t asked to come here, or to get dressed up like this. And it had seemed so fun in the beginning, but now he felt like he wanted to run away again. He laid there under the covers, trying to get his ragged breathing under control, as she silently came up to the bed. She sat down at the corner pulling the sheet of him, gently uncovering his face as she tried to apologize.

“Amanda, I was jealous. I thought. “

She didn’t know how to explain it.

“I’ve been reading about boys.” She tried again. “And I thought.”

“I thought you. .” She started to feel very bad about herself as he opened his eyes to look at her, his mascara running.

“Yes?” he asked, not really caring, but seeing her sad expression encouraging her against his wish.

“I was just silly, please, forgive me.” Imploringly.

“Did you really think that I would try?” he asked uncomprehendingly, realizing what she had thought.

Thinking of it she had to look away.

“No, yes. Oh, I don’t know. Me and Mom have a terrible temperament Amanda. And sometimes it takes over, I didn’t think at all, I got angry.”

He couldn’t help it, the idea of him captivating the girls mothers made him smile.

“Ah yes, me and your Mom, right? Eloping or?” he asked sarcastically.

As Lila tried to imagine Vanja and Amanda eloping together she started to laugh, the whole idea was just too ridiculous. She started to undress.

“Move over.”

As he hesitantly drew her closer to him she caressed his face, looking into his eyes. Trying to wipe the mascara of him, only succeeding in making his makeup look even worse.

“I was silly.” She whispered. “But I’ll make it up to you.” Cuddling up to him, warming herself and him. “I’m sorry Amanda.”

“It’s okay. I love you too.” He answered as he felt her against him.
==

Outside the house the darkness almost seemed complete, the only sound being the wind, coming in sudden gusts sweeping leafs around and the light rain hitting the windowpanes. The night had come, and with it the threat of something unknown. The bars and cinemas were strangely empty, with those few working all wishing to be home. Not even the streetwalkers were out this night. But Rachel and Andrew were.

They had finally run away, and they were lost.

As they left their house the unnatural darkness already had lowered itself over the little town. And as they walked away they found the once so well known streets to slowly change character, becoming more and more twisted, and their surroundings more and more strange.

“Where are we sis?” Asked Andrew, in vain trying to find any landmark he could recognize.

“I don’t know.” Answered Rachel, wishing she did.

She had taken what money she and Andrew had succeeded in saving, as well as some changes of clothes, and their sleeping bags. Andrew carried the little tent their mother once had bought for them, the kind that you could set up inside a room, not a real one. Their father would never have allowed to them to get that far away from his reach. ‘But it’s better than nothing’ she thought as they kept on walking, hand in hand, two small dark shapes slowly dissolving into the night.

They had been walking for hour’s now, in the beginning there had been streetlights lightening their way, but as the light had waned so had the streetlights, becoming fewer and further apart.

“Maybe we should put up the tent?” suggested Andrew, trying to sound brave but with his legs so tired.

Rachel looked around. The street they were on now was lined with big houses all dark and silent, their dark windows staring at her. As she looked it seemed to her as the darkness was a little weaker ahead. And she thought she could see a weak light too.

“Not here Andrew, I don’t like this place. Can you see the light over there?” she asked, pointing ahead.

“I think that’s a better place, are you able to walk a little bit more, sweetie?”

Andrew looked at his big sister, hearing her reassuring voice he resolutely nodded before realizing that she probably couldn’t see it.

“Yes Rachel, I can.” Stumbling now, but not giving up.
===

After lying there caressing each other for a while Adam started to feel a strange restlessness building up. It was as if someone was calling for him, and with it a compact intolerable feeling of abandonees. After a while he found that he had to get up. Laila had fallen asleep, a smile on her face, and as he silently dressed, this time in his new clothes, she turned around in her sleep mumbling.
“Amanda”

He went to her, caressing her cheek. “Sleep baby, I’ll be back soon.”

As she sighed contentedly he finished his dressing and went to the window to open it. There was a big tree outside, one of its branches going quite near the window. As he looked out he found that even the streetlights were off and looking up he just found more of that same impenetrable darkness.

But there was something happening, something that needed him.
==

Andrew was so tired now that he was crying, silently without a sound, as he tried his best to keep up with his sister’s longer steps. He had started to stumble several times but his sister refused to stop, she had a very bad feeling of where they were. The light she saw didn’t seem to come any closer either, no matter how much they walked but it had became her refuge.

“Give me the tent Andrew.” She told him as he bent down to give him a hug.

“I think you’re very brave.”

Andrew looked at her and tried to smile, not realizing that he was crying.

“You too Rachel.” he said. “Are we there?”

“No sweetie, just a little longer. Can you manage if I carry the tent?”

“Yes, but I’m not tired. I can carry it.” He offered.

“No, let me Andrew.” She told him as she put his haversack over her own shoulder.

She too was tired now, and desolate too. But as her father had told her about his idea of her and her mother she finally had understood that she needed to get away. If he did, it would leave both her and her mother little more than animated husks, not that she thought in those terms. She just knew that to stay would kill her, and Andrew too. So they had fled.

Taking his hand again the started to walk. As she looked down on him stumbling at her side, refusing to give in to his tiredness she felt a great pride in him. He was the bravest, most unselfish boy she knew, always going out his way to make her and her mothers life easier, seldom thinking of himself. She thought about how her mother used to sing for them when they were small, and remembering she started to hum. Hearing her Andrew too started to sing, first in a low voice but as they walked, stronger and stronger.

“We’re of to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of Oz”
===

As Adam stood there he suddenly thought he could hear someone singing, it sounded as kids he thought. He had this uneasy feeling as if there was something he needed to do, and that song coming from the darkness made it even stronger. Suddenly making up his mind he went over to the old bureau standing in the corner, taking the flashlight lying upon it.

As he came down he found them all in the kitchen, Katrine with her arms around Sarah who looked very nice in her new gray dress, discreetly embroidered with a flowery pattern. As they heard him they stopped talking to look at him, his makeup awry, streaked by tears and with a very concentrated serious expression on his face, carrying Anna’s flashlight.

“I’m going out.” He said. “There’s something I need to do.”

As Anna saw him she knew that there was nothing they could do to stop him.

“I’m going with you.” She said, silently begging her mother with her eyes.

Katrine looked out the kitchen window. The unremitting darkness outside gave her a funny feeling, nervous and ill at ease she was going to refuse them both but seeing the way Adam looked she realized that she wouldn’t be able to stop him.

“Why Adam, what’s so important outside? I don’t like this.”

“There’s someone needing my help Katrine, I can’t refuse.” He told her, not understanding himself but knowing that it was the truth. As Sarah listened, he noticed Katrine’s nervousness. Looking at Adam he made a sudden decision.

“No you won’t Anna. I’ll go with him.” he said, surprising himself. “Do you have any more flashlights Katrine?”

Katrine wondered what it was that was so important that it couldn’t wait until daybreak, but looking at the boy she too saw that he would go out. Better that he and Leonard went than the girls if so. She didn’t like this unnatural darkness that had come over the town. It could be the predecessor to a storm, and a bad one at that. She went up to look, finding another she gave it to Sarah and then followed them out, standing at the front door she gave Adam and Sarah a hug.

“Be careful, there seems to be something wrong with the streetlights. And don’t go too far, I don’t want you to disappear from us again.”

Adam and Sarah smiled, hearing her. Anna and Therese got a hug from Adam as he looked at them encouragingly.

“Don’t worry. I have to do this, Go up and keep Therese company instead. She’s going to be worried when she finds herself alone. We’ll be back.”

Leonard studied Adam wondering what it was the youngster thought. But heck, it would give them some time to talk at least, and he looked serious about it too. As they left they could see the girls standing, the open door letting out a pool of light, penetrating the darkness and giving them both a strange feeling of belonging to those watching, like seeing a ship in night slowly shrinking with the distance.

“I wish I had memorized the streets better.” muttered Adam as they walked the pavement. Turning to Leonard he said.

“Sarah, stay close to me please, don’t you go wandering off by yourself. This night is not normal, it’s dangerous.”

Leonard stared at him again. ‘spooky’ he thought.

“Why?”

“If the streets change I may feel it, you won’t.” Adam answered, once more knowing himself right but unable to explain. “If we get lost, we may never find our way back.”

“Okay Amanda.” He answered, feeling a slight incongruity comparing the name to Adams appearance.

“Adam actually, and you?”

“Leonard.”

As they kept on walking the darkness and silence grew around them, leaving their house as the only light to be seen, but weaker by each step. ‘Adam is right’ thought Leonard, he couldn’t understand it but it seemed as they, by each single step, were traversing an immense distance, soon leaving the house looking like some weak star in the background. He didn’t like it at all, and one small part of him wished that they just could turn around to normality again and walk back.

“Are you sure about this? Shouldn’t we go back?” He asked as he turned the flashlight around lightening up the sides.

Adam was occupied with his own listening now.

“Listen, can you hear it?” he asked.

As they listened Leonard suddenly heard it too. It was very weak, borne upon the wind gusts, but Adam was right, there was someone, or several, singing somewhere in the darkness. As they listened the song slowly became stronger.

“We better hurry.” Said Leonard, realizing that it was children singing, lost somewhere in the darkness.
===

Rachel was starting to give up, the shadows impenetrable. She wished she had remembered to get them a flashlight, but there had been no time. Her father had closed himself in inside his study, after telling her to get ready for the night. And when she had gone to talk with her Mom she had found her sleeping as if drugged, not answering even when she shook her.

As she started to think that Andrew was right about them putting up the tent he suddenly stopped singing.

“Look, flashlights.” He said pointing.

As she looked she saw them too. Two flashlights, quite far away, but steadily growing. She didn’t know what to do, leaving the pavement for the wilderness surrounding them felt strangely repulsive to her, as if loosing all contact with reality. She stopped singing, looking inquiringly at Andrew.

“Do you think we should hide?” she asked.

He shook his head. “I don’t like leaving the street Rachel.” He said in a low voice. “There’s something bad out there.”

Rachel nodded; she had had this uneasy feeling of something keeping pace with them too. Something, just waiting for them to make the smallest misstep. And she was pretty sure they had been going away from their home the whole time.

“We’ll keep on then.” She said, giving her brother an encouraging nudge.

“Hallo.” Called Andrew. “Can you see us.”

“They can’t see you silly” answered Rachel.

Andrew looked at her imploringly. “Maybe if we both called?”

Rachel thought it over for a moment before nodding.

“Haloo, can you hear us?”
==

As Leonard and Adam heard them calling they hastened their steps, soon falling into an easy jog, Leonard thanking his lucky star that Anna had found him some decent flats instead of high heels.

“We’re coming, don’t worry.” Called Adam. “Whatever you do, stay on the pavement.”

As they ran they suddenly heard a scream.

“Andrew, stop” and then there was only silence.
===

As they at last came up to the two figures they found a young girl kneeling at a little unmoving child. She looked up at them dazed, still shocked.

“He wanted to run when we saw you, why did he run? Something jumped at him, a dog or something. I tried to hit it with my bag.” She looked as if she wanted to cry but had forgot how.

Adam looked at Leonard who bent down to tenderly lift up the little kid. He almost seemed as if he was sleeping, if one didn’t look to close that was. But if you did, the first thing you would notice was the white stillness of his face, and then the fresh wound at his side, filling up with a black wetness dripping to the ground. As Adam put the light on it he saw that it was blood, freshly red under his flashlight and bubbling with every breath.

“Sarah, give me your slip.” He told her urgently. “We need to close that wound now.”

As Adam created a bandage of it, using the smaller flashlight to put pressure on the bandage, closing the wound, Leonard keeping his flashlight moving, trying to see what it had been assaulting the boy.

“We also need to get away from here.” He said. “Now Adam.”

As they left Adam made sure that they had Rachel between them, holding her hand as he carried the children’s things.

“Don’t worry, I’ll take us home.” He assured her, not sure if she could hear him as she stared out into that nowhere land her mind now rested. Once more he concentrated on finding their way. “Your friend will be okay.” Praying that he was telling the truth.

They were all jogging now, fearing for the young ones life with Rachel running between them, her tired steps faltering at times but doing her very best to keep up, she was running for her brothers life now. Leonard was immensely grateful it was him that had given after to his impulse to follow, instead of Anna or Katrine, and in some strange way he trusted Adam to bring them home, while he tried to carry the kid as carefully as he could.

Adam didn’t know how he did it. He was running, his eyes unseeing, almost as if in a trance.

“This way.” He told them taking a turn into a new street.

“That’s not the way we came.” Called Leonard breathlessly, almost sure they were taking a wrong turn.

“I told you, the streets move tonight.” Answered Adam, sounding matter of fact, looking at the white face resting in Leonard’s arms. “But I hear her, she’s calling for us. Come on, she knows we must hurry.”
==

In the kitchen the women was all looking at Anna. Suddenly she had stopped talking, seeming to fall asleep but still sitting upright staring. As Katrine shook her she got no response, just that unseeing gaze searching the black glass of the window.

Suddenly she rushed out, as if awakened from the dead, and they heard someone call. As they hurried after her they found Anna all but clambering over Adam, holding to him as if her life depended on it. Between them was a young thin waif of a girl staring as if she had seen straight down hell her eyes two pools of hurt, as she in mute horror stared at the small child Leonard held in his arms.

As Vanja saw the child’s bandage she instantly took commando.

“Get me clean water and antiseptic, bandages everything you have Katrine, and boil some water too.” She said, telling Leonard to carry the child to the kitchen table where he carefully laid it down upon a clean towel. As she loosened the bandage she saw the bubbles coming from the wound, realizing what it meant she turned to Anna.

“We need an ambulance.” She said. “Call them Anna.”

As Anna hurried to the phone Leonard shook his head.

“Can you do anything.” He asked Vanja.

She studied the wound carefully, looking for dirt, particles and other foreign objects. Finding none that she could see she looked back at him.

“You did good, putting pressure on the wound.” She told him. “His lung is penetrated. He’ll need a hospital, it’s hard breathing with only one lung, and the internal bleeding needs to be stopped as fast as possible.”

“It wasn’t me, it was Adam.” He told her as she reapplied a compress and nd the slip to the wound

Katrine came back sounding quite exasperated.

“Anna told me that the phone won’t work, and neither does my cellphone.” She complained. “And when I tried the car it wouldn’t start.” As she was telling them the light flickered and suddenly they were standing in darkness. Anna had to rush away again, finding candles to light them with, as Vanja reconsidered their options.

She had been a medic in the corps, and kept on studying medicine after her time was up, but when meeting her husband and them getting their baby she had stopped. Now she suddenly wished she hadn’t meet him, but that thought she regretted as fast as it came, at least she had Laila to remember him by. Considering the options there was little she could do, the boy needed surgery and antibiotics. At least Anna still had that old wood feed oven she thought. When she bought the house and modernized it Anna had refused to get rid of it. She had a new electrical installed beside it but as she said. “For pies the old one is the best.”

As Anna and Katrine started to boil water on the stove lightening up the kitchen she turned to Therese.

“Vanja, can you bring me my box from the trunk, the one with the red cross on it?”

“Sure Mom.” As she rushed Vanja turned to Elena.

“Elena I need some help here. We might need to sew that lung. We need all the light we can get here, if you have any flashlights in your car get them.” Looking down at the little boy, still unconscious on the kitchen table. She turned to the young girl standing beside her drawing her to her side, holding her as she felt how she trembled.

“Child, what’s your name?” she asked.

“Rachel.”

“Rachel, what happened out there?”

“I don’t know.” Answered Rachel staring down at her brother, lying still as death, his breathing coming fast and shallow. “He started to run and suddenly something jumped him. It was so fast, I tried to hit it but it was gone before I could do anything. I thought it was a dog, but I don’t know.”

“It wasn’t a dog. The wound is totally wrong for that.” Muttered Vanja as she thought. “It’s more like something bullet-like penetrated the lung. Still, if I only had looked at the outer wound you could have been right. I’ve never seen anything like it before.”

As Therese came in with the bulky box she opened it taking out scalpels, strange looking needles, putting it carefully on a piece of blue plastic she had with her. There were strange looking clamps, thread and tweezers of different kind and other stuff Leonard didn’t even have a name for.

She tried to keep her box up to date, changing the antibiotics and other drugs regularly. She had first started to get it together when working as a medic, and had since that filled it out with more stuff while studying medicine. Now she was very glad for it. She hadn’t been expecting to need it all though.

“Katrine, can you blend some salt in the water, about six small spoons a pint should do it.”

When the water had cooled down she inspected the wound again. It was shallow and wide and somehow the lung had been penetrated without breaking the ribs protecting it. She used the flashlight and tried to see the wound on the lung but it was very hard to see anything. After chasing out the kids, promising Rachel once more that her brother really would be okay, she turned to Sarah to say in a lowered voice.

“Sarah, I will need your help here. We will need to force his ribs apart for me to be able to sew that lung. I even may have to saw off one of the ribs, and then you will have to too press the ends aside, can you do that?” Looking at him very seriously

“If you don’t think you could, you better tell me now. We could leave it but I don’t dare too. If there is something still inside he will get a bad infection, and if the rip is too big the same will happen.”

As Leonard tried to collect himself, he found himself promising to do his best. She smiled hearing his dazed promises nodding pleasantly.

“I know you will Sarah, I know you will.” As she prepared a syringe for Andrew and pumped out some fluids while tapping it, getting rid of the bubbles.

“This will keep him calm for some hour’s.” she said trying to sound confident, more confident than she felt, and very happy that the kid still was unconscious.

“You all need to wash your hands and arms, let them air dry and don’t touch anything after that, and Anna, we’re going to need a lot of clean towels, or sheets, he will bleed badly when we start.”

As the others left with only the mothers and Leonard staying they could hear Vanja’s unhurried instructions from the kitchen as she operated. Rachel was sitting staring at the kitchen door, her eyes still screaming in silent despair as the girls and Adam tried to comfort her.

She hadn’t wanted to leave but none of the grownups wanted her to see what they were going to do. They all tried their best to make her think of something else than her brother, Adam carefully explaining how lucky she and Andrew had been, not wandering of that road.

“If you had walked off it I don’t think I would have found you, ever, Rachel. The streets are dangerous tonight, they move.” gently stroking her cheek as he told her, he then turned to Anna to give her a hug.

“Thanks Anna. I don’t know how you did it but I could hear you calling the whole time. You were my beacon of light tonight girl, without you calling for me I never would have found my way back.”

She hugged him back her nose against his hair, inhaling him, as she wondered what she had done. She had no memory of anything, except sitting there staring at that black window in the kitchen, then suddenly knowing that he was back.

As they kept on calming Rachel they could hear Vanja and the others. Then it became silent for some time, and just as they started to worry that something really bad had happened Leonard came out. With blood on his dress and totally white in his face, he still carried a smile as he looked at Rachel.

“Anna, your mom said you should break out the bottle of whiskey she had stashed.”

Then he went over to Rachel to sit down besides her taking her hands in his.

“It’s okay Rachel, your brother is okay. They are fixing him up now, and he’s getting antibiotics. Vanja was right though, she found some strange spores inside the wound. It seems that the already had caught in the tissue and started to grow, so it took her some time getting them off him. But he’ll be okay now, I promise.”

Rachel stood up on unsteady legs to walk to the kitchen but Adam stopped her.

“Wait until Vanja comes out Rachel, let them finish first.”

When Vanja came out she looked tired but satisfied. She went over to embrace Rachel.

“We’ve done all we can without a hospital child. And your brother is young and strong, I think he will recover without problems, I still don’t understand what it was assaulting him though, and those spores were strange, I put them in a jar. You two will sleep down here with me, you don’t want to leave your brother alone, do you?”

Rachel shook her head, still unable to speak.

“Thought so.” Said Vanja, smiling warmly at her. “He’s only sleeping now, and as soon as we got those spores out his breathing became easier. We need to make our room ready, would you help me?”

As Rachel followed Vanja into the guestroom the others looked at each other. Therese was the first to say it. “What’s happening here? First the darkness and then the phones and the light going out, and the cars too? And now you tell me that the streets were changing? I’m scared Adam.”

The others nodded, unconsciously moving closer to each other, quietly agreeing. They were all scared. As Anna and Elena came out, carefully carrying Andrew, they all could see that he had gotten some color back in his face, he also seemed to breathe a little easier, just as Vanja had told them. As they carried him into the room they could hear Rachel whispering to her brother promising him that all would be well, with Vanja soothingly comforting her.

After some time they came out leaving the door open. As the mom’s started to talk with Rachel she first refused to tell what they were doing in the dark alone. But as Vanja took her in her arms she suddenly broke down telling them all. The kids stared at her and Vanja just held her, not knowing what to do. The man sounded just vile, vile and disgusting. At last Katrine said what they all were thinking.

“Child, Rachel. We will do all we can for you and your brother. You can stay here as long as you want, and I will personally make sure that this man never will touch you again.”

“You can trust her Rachel, she’s my Mom and she’s a very good lawyer too.” Said Anna as she came up to Rachel embracing her. “You’re safe here.”

As she said it they suddenly heard a weak voice.

“Sis, Rachel?” Then they heard coughing, almost sounding as if someone tried to retch.

Both Vanja and Rachel rushed in. As the others followed they found Rachel hugging her brother. He was lying on his side with Anna holding a small pail under his mouth. As they looked they saw it filled with something black, something that they suddenly realized had to be blood. But Andrew smiled as he looked up at his sister holding him.

“We made it sis, I had such weird dreams, it hurts, what happened?” he said, half whispering, interrupted by another coughing attack.

As Rachel looked down at her brother she could only nod. Yes, they had made it. And in a way they were home, but she couldn’t help worry for their mom, or what was left of the mom they once had. She knew all to well how her father would take his frustration out on her.

“Yes Andrew, we made it. You got attacked by some dog. You just need to get well again.” She whispered as she held him with her tears falling on his upturned face, herself unbeknownst.
===

The wall of darkness surrounding the little town had by now been building for two days, and the tension built up was enormous. That kind of energy wasn’t anything to be played with, but those who had put those happenings into motion believed they could control it, as so much else. The town was by now totally isolated and when the morning came there would be changes.
======

The father, which is no name for a monster like him, didn’t know what to do. To call his masters to tell them that he had lost control of his own family was bad. He knew they wouldn’t take it lightly. And those waiting on the boy even less, from a rising star to a disaster, over a worthless teenage slut and her brother. But he had no choice, he had to find them. He opened the cabinet to use that strange phone they had installed, instructing him to only use it in an emergence.

“Yes Sir, run away. No, I don’t know where. Yes Sir, yes. Thank you Sir.”

So, they had promised him some help, after all they had his image to protect, same as him. And he was useful to them. But he had heard the veiled threat as the silky voice told him that this ‘unfortunate accident’ better be cleared up, or else. He could guess what ‘else’ meant. Probably a shot in the neck and a quiet burial, or worse? There had been others before him, not that he had been involved in their demise. No Sir, and not that he wanted out either, there was just too much invested in this little venture. Without them he would just become another nobody, no money and no life.

That phone always worked.
==