Extraordinary by Amanda McGee Page B

them?”
    Calm was not a part of this scenario. I struggled to decide our next move and found it miraculous that I had managed to get this far. I was incapable of processing any further than locating my car keys. The vision had my brain going haywire in the painful fog of a migraine.
    “Here they are,” Sadie said, tossing them to me with immaculate precision.
    The keys landed in my palm as a brilliant glow illuminated the house. I prepared for another vision to begin but this time it wasn’t in my head.
     
     
     
    ****
     
     
     
    Chapter Nine
     
    Light radiated through every window like the sun had returned and was now hovering in my front yard. All movement and conversation halted while our terror escalated.
    I looked to Sadie, who was motionless in the puddle of dishwater. The front door flew from its hinges and slammed into the side of the staircase that I was clinging to, shattering into millions of tiny splinters.
    Sadie screamed as the back door crashed into the dining-room table and shoved it into the adjacent wall. Each chair scattered across the kitchen floor, sending Sadie into an immediate crouch position. I remained near the staircase, hiding as best I could in the corner.
    The unmistakable sound of the windows shattering on the second floor cancelled any hope of finding solace upstairs. One after the other, as if perfectly timed, glass exploded from each frame and rained down on the unsuspecting bedrooms.
    “What is happening?” Sadie screamed, peeking around the kitchen island.
    Little did I know that the strong emotions in my vision would all be feelings of mine. Aside from the fear of what was causing this disaster, my heart broke for my home that was now destroyed.
    A stray piece of wood pierced my right forearm. I plucked the large splinter without a flinch and silence fell on the house. Something told me it was not over. Sadie appeared on the other side of the island, terrified and borderline hysterical. Her mouth moved but no words could form.
    “Get back down!” I screamed. The window breaking on the second floor had just completed its revolution. I suspected the downstairs would be next.
    Pouncing into the kitchen, I tackled Sadie just as every window exploded. Shards of glass blasted throughout the house like sharpened confetti. Neither Sadie nor I said a word or moved an inch. We huddled together waiting for the storm to finish, happy to have each other to cling to.
    The glass settled, the window frames were bare, and the haunting quiet set in. It had ended. We cowered together in total darkness. The shock of what happened and what was to come had paralyzed us both.
    Broken glass crunched under out feet as I helped Sadie up. We gawked at the massive amount of damage the unknown force of nature had caused and I was just grateful I had put on sneakers. A hint of pain in my forearm reminded me of my injury. Upon evaluation, the wound was nowhere to be found. My home was in ruins but the place I pulled the splinter from contained nothing more than a splash of dried blood.
    “Wait. Where did I hurt myself?”
    "Alex..."
    I recognized her tone. I gradually lifted my head, afraid of what Sadie had seen. A meddling, shadowy presence blocked what used to be the front door.
    Only the outline of the figure’s flowing clothing and the glow of their piercing eyes were visible. The mere presence of the frightful being created full body shivers and wholehearted regret that we had not managed to escape in time.
    “That’s the lights from the woods,” Sadie said as I pushed her behind me. “Who is that? What is that?”
    “I don’t know but I felt better when I thought it was bugs.”
    Sarcasm is a completely useless defense mechanism.
    There was a squeaky voice coming from behind the figure. I could not see or understand them but I pictured a child.
    Sadie peered from behind me, set on not missing a thing. The mysterious person lifted their hand. The hand was far too dainty to be male but ordinary