He watched, content, as his child slept soundly in her crib. He had worked hard to build this house. Four white stone walls, wooden floor, thatched roof. A window just in front of him which the moonlight was streaming in through while the trees outside blew gently in the breeze. The lulling sound of the church bells echoing softly in the distance only completed the picturesque scene. Wait, church bells? They were in the countryside, surrounded by fields for miles in every direction.

The bells were ringing louder now. He felt a tingling in his hands, he looked down and saw his bones stretching and convulsing beneath his skin. Just then, the tips of his fingers split open and sharp jagged bones escaped from within. A black substance trickled from the opened skin and devoured the little flesh that the hands still ha. Meanwhile, his bony fingers had transformed into serrated talons that seemed to glow in the moonlight. The bells sounded like they were right outside now, resounding loudly through his brain.

His claws moved quickly to the cot as he realised to his horror that he couldn’t control his body. His knife-like talons reached hungrily for his child, his three-year-old daughter. ‘No!’ he shouted pleadingly as he realised what was going to happen. He strained with all his might against his own hands and somehow managed to pull them slowly away from the cot. His strength was fading rapidly though and the claws were only getting stronger. ‘No.’ he whispered again, his strength too depleted for anything louder.

The noise from the bells was deafening, as if someone was hammering the inside of his skull. The talons lunged forward in a burst of speed and plunged themselves into the soft chest of his daughter. Blood spurted everywhere and pooled darkly on the hardwood floor. She opened her mouth to scream but the energy had drained too quickly from her body and she only succeeded in a gurgling cough, peppering her lips with droplets of blood. Her eyes looked up her father, full of shock and pain until her hand dropped limply to her side, dead. Tears in his eyes, the man fell down on his knees as the ringing slowly faded into the distance, and cried.