The bell is very loud. Dong... Dong... Everyone is running. I don't know why, but I am very scared. The cowboy man, Boyd, is already walking away, helping some old people.
The kind lady, Fatima, comes to my car. She opens the door.
"Come, Omar! Quickly!" she says. Her voice is worried, not kind anymore.
I get out. My legs are shaking. I don't take anything from my car. Only my phone with 0% battery.
"Where are we going?" I ask, running with her.
"To my house. It's safe," she answers.
We run past the diner, past some other people. Everyone looks terrified. I don't understand, it's just night time.
We arrive at a small house. There are many other people inside, maybe ten. There is an old man, and some kids. They are all sitting on the floor.
Fatima locks the door. Then, she checks the windows. Every window has a heavy curtain. She pulls them all down, very tightly. She looks at me.
"Do not touch the curtains. Do not look outside," she says, very serious.
A young man, maybe my age, comes to me. His name is Kenny.
"You are new?" he asks.
"Yes. Who are those people outside running?" I ask.
Kenny looks at the other people. Everyone is quiet.
"Those were just people hiding," he whispers. "The problem is not people. The problem is... the others."
"What others?"
Before he can answer, the room becomes silent. I hear a sound. From outside.
It's a voice. "Oh, Kenny... are you inside? Open the door, friend."
It's a sweet voice. Like a child or a nice person.
Kenny becomes very white. He looks at Fatima.
"No," Kenny whispers, stepping back.
Then, I hear another voice from the window near me. It's right outside the glass.
"Hello, Omar," the voice says. It sounds like my mother's voice. I freeze.
"M-mom?" I whisper, moving to the window.
Fatima grabs my arm, very hard. "No! Don't look! That is not your mother!"
"But it sounds exactly like her," I say, my heart beating fast.
"They can sound like anyone you love," she says. "They want you to open the window. If you look at them, they smile... and then they will hurt you. Very bad."
I don't believe her. This is too crazy.
But then, the voice from outside changes. It's not my mother anymore. Now, it's a deep, scary growl.
"Open... the... door!"
Then, I hear a noise on the roof. Something is walking up there. Slowly. Scratch... Scratch...
I cover my ears and sit on the floor.
"Please," I pray. "Please, I want to wake up."
This is not a dream. The monsters are real, and they are outside.