We Were Monsters

By Liza Katha

All Caleb wanted was a date from the popular girl in school, Nadia. However he finds out there is more to her than meets the eye and that the father that raised him has secrets he is unaware of. Thrown into an underground world filled with cannibalistic monsters and the humans that care for them, it raises the question, who are the real monsters here?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Liza Katha
• Release date: Sep 27, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386571841

Liza Katha

Liza has been writing ever since she was 6 years old and has not stopped since. She currently lives in New Jersey and has a love for Japanese animation, video games and her collection of stuffed animals.

Book preview

Chapter 1

Caleb knew she was the one from the first time he saw her.  

Long ebony hair that barely grazed her mid-back, dark brown eyes that reminded him of dark chocolate, she was a sight to behold. She didn’t just have her looks though. She was smart. Caleb saw it from the way she always knew the answers when the teacher called on her in class and from when they got their test scores back. He saw it in the way that she always helped the other students when they were having trouble understanding the lesson. Smart, beautiful and kind. She was everything rolled into one.

I’m going to ask Nadia out! he announced one day during the lunch period.

His small of group of friends stared at him like he had grown another head, which he might have in the few seconds he had made the announcement.

Ummm dude, do you hear yourself right now? Seth rolled his eyes.

Of course, replied Caleb with a sharp nod. I am going to ask Nadia out and nothing you say will change my mind.

So he says, but I’m sure he’s going to change his tune real quick, mumbled Jake. He had the homework for their afternoon physics class spread out on the table. His pencil moved furiously across the page to get all the answers down in the twenty minutes he had left.

Caleb rolled his eyes and stood. There was no way they were going to stop him, that was for sure! Watch, I’ll be back in five minutes with a date.

Yeah, you do that-Jake, the answer to that question is six not ten.

Jake paused and stared at the work he had done so far. Crap. Where did I mess up...

Caleb weaved his way through the crowded cafeteria. Annoyance welled up within him. Didn’t they know he was going to change history here? That he was going to be the person that finally got Nadia Annett to say yes to a date?

In the back corner of the cafeteria, at a small table, was where she always sat. Unlike the other girls, she did not sit with a bunch of friends. She sat alone with a paper bag lunch. Usually she would have a book with her or a folder with some loose leaf inside. Today it was the second.

Her eyes did not leave the page as he approached her. Yes? she asked. Her voice was angelic. It wasn’t too loud or too soft. Just right. It was music to his ears. She put down the paper to look at him. It seemed to be gibberish or a different language using the same alphabet. Do you want something? she repeated.

It was then that he realized he had been standing here, staring at her, for too long. It was time for him to shine, to ask the question what every single boy (and even girls) have asked her. Nadia...will you go on a date with me?

He saw the way her eyes twitched slightly. He focused on her pretty mouth as she opened her mouth to say the words he had been dying to hear.

No.

Of course, we can go to the movies or- His ears finally relayed the single word she had spoken. No? Wait...you don’t mean...

Nadia picked up the paper and continued reading like nothing had happened.

Caleb stared at her. At her long ebony hair and those cute lips. How could something so pretty and kind be so cruel? Is...is there a reason you said no?

I need to have a reason? She glanced up at him over the page. No, there is no reason in particular. Dating does not appeal to me.

But...give me a chance! protested Caleb.

He had imagined it for so long. They would go on many dates together. She would be a bit nervous at first but slowly she would open up to his charm. They would go to college together, him studying something artsy and her something smart, like medicine. After they graduate he would propose to her at the location of their first date. She would say yes and then they would get married at the church down the street from his place.

However, his dreams were being turned to smoke before his very eyes. But Nadia, please!

Nadia just put down the sheet she had been reading and picked up another.

Caleb knew he would need to admit defeat.

Sorry to bother you, he mumbled as he walked away. A couple people from the nearby tables gave their condolences. It seemed like Nadia had burned another victim.

I told you, you would regret it, said Seth.

Caleb collapsed in a chair and rested his head on the table. Where in the world did he go wrong?

***

Caleb returned home that evening to see all the lights in the house were off. Normally that wasn’t odd. His father always worked late and would come home at odd hours in the morning. However, this morning, his father had made a point of telling Caleb that he would be home before Caleb was back from school.

It wasn’t like his dad to forget to turn on the lights though. If it was one thing his father didn’t like, it was darkness. He was the only adult Caleb knew that kept a nightlight in his room. Also, since the house rested on the bottom of a hill, the setting sun always had a hard time reaching it, so the lights were usually blazing around three in the afternoon during the winter.

It was winter now.

Caleb opened the front door and he thought he heard scuffling coming from the kitchen. Dad? he called.  It was weird seeing the home in shadow like this. The sun’s last few rays were trying to penetrate the windows but all it did was cast a weak glow.

He flipped the switch and the chandelier overhead bathed the foyer with its warm light. It was an expensive thing, but Caleb’s mother fell in love with it as soon as she saw it. When she wanted her way, she would get it. That is why, even though the chandelier did not fit the overall feel of the foyer, it was still here. That, plus his father seemed to like the fact that chased away all the shadows from the room.

Dad? You here? Caleb called into the depths of the house. It wouldn’t be the first time Caleb had caught his dad asleep in a random room. Work always seemed to make him very tired, leading him to sleep at odd hours. If he woke up in a dark room, he would always jump to his feet and slam on the nearest light switch like the boogeyman was on his tail. When he was a kid, Caleb found it funny. Now, he wondered if his dad needed to see a shrink.

Being the dutiful son, he turned on every light as he made his way to the back of the house. He could hear something coming from the kitchen. The scuffling sound. Dad, really, falling asleep in the kitchen of all places? He turned on the light in the living room on his way to the kitchen.

The kitchen was an unnaturally large room as compared to the rest of the house. His mother wanted it that way.

"The kitchen is the heart of the room, of course it needs to be the biggest!"

That was her mantra. The kitchen had gotten the most out of the house. An extension was added on in the back to make it larger and it was fitted with the state-of-the-art equipment, the best pots, pans, knives and everything else that would make a chef drool.

She never ended up using the finished kitchen.

Caleb stepped into the kitchen and squinted at the darkness. There seemed to be something near the back of the room, leaning against some of the cabinets just beyond the reach of the light from the living room.  Whatever it was, let out a small groan.

Dad? Caleb reached behind him, to the light switch on the wall.

Something warm grabbed his arm. He tried to turn but something smashed into the back of knees. His legs gave out under him and his head met the wooden floor. There was a weight on his back, like something was sitting on him.

Something was definitely sitting on him.

Ready to talk now? A woman’s voice came from somewhere above him.

Caleb? whispered the lump in the corner of the room.

Caleb tried to crane his head back but was met with a hand shoving his face back to the wooden floor.

Stay down.

Listen to her Caleb, don’t fight her. She’s not- The cough his dad emitted did not sound good.

Caleb tried to wiggle his way out from the woman’s grip, but she did not seem to care. He could feel something pressing against his spine near his shoulder blades. He stopped moving.

Speak now, ordered the woman.

Please, let him go. He knows nothing about this. Another cough. He has nothing to do with this.

Caleb could feel the pressure against his spine increase slightly.

I’m not asking again.

Whoa, hang on there. Don’t get too ahead of yourself.

A new voice. Someone-a man was by the door. The light was switched on, bathing the room in a bright glow from the many lights from the ceilings and walls. The woman let out a small hiss.  Caleb had the same sentiment. The bright light burned his eyes for a few moments.

Sorry, should have warned you. A pair of loafers stopped in front of Caleb’s side. Stand him up.

The weight on Caleb’s spine went away. He didn’t have any time to relax as he was yanked roughly to his feet. The first thing he noticed was his dad lying pathetically on the ground. He was holding a hand over his stomach. His clothes were torn up in a few places along with specks of blood here and there. His eyes were wide in horror as he stared at Caleb. Or, to be more precise, the person standing behind Caleb.

They...they aren’t afraid of light...

Common misconception really. The man was larger than Caleb originally thought, wearing a suit, slightly disheveled hair, he would fit really well in one of those old detective shows. Two gun holsters were strapped to either side of his waist with guns to match.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes and stuck one in his mouth. They are more sensitive to light for sure but we don’t let the virus spread out far enough to make it too much of an issue. He leaned forward slightly. Caleb wanted to lean back but the woman behind him was like a rock. Cute kid you have. In the rebellious stage for sure.  

He made a gesture with the cigarette of getting the ashes off despite it being unlit. "How about this.