Worlds of Waves and Shadows

Twenty Eight

Adrenaline shot through her body as Kaenisa narrowly dodged the twisted claws of whatever that thing was, watching from the corner of her eyes as Zaira pulled out a six-inch cylinder and pressed its centre, resulting in what she could only describe as a pulsating white rod, crackling with what looked like lightning in a bottle. 

Zaic, on the other hand, removed a rectangle the size of her palm, out of his waistband before pressing its top twice.

Kaenisa watched with some semblance of relief as it unfolded itself into a moderate-sized gun.

Without wasting a second, she sprang to her feet, freeing her twin daggers. Just as the snarling creature lunged for Kaenisa again.

It was impossibly fast, but she managed to spin on her heels, dodging its active attempts at tearing her throat out and driving her blade into its back.

An ear-splitting screech followed her actions, the creature falling flat onto its face.

Kaenisa took the chance, sprinting to where Sarina and Rolan stood.

"Why the hell are you standing there like mice cornered by lions!? And where the hell are your weapons!?" She hollered. 

Kaenisa watched, with incipient dread, as shame and guilt forced their eyes to the ground, "We...kinda...um....forgot to bring them?"

"Are you out of your fucking minds!? This isn't a school trip on which it's okay to forget your water bottles guy! It's LIFE AND DEATH!" She screamed.

Letting out an exasperated sigh, Kaenisa began to look around frantically for something for the two morons she called her friends to protect themselves with. 

She handed Rolan a chopping knife from the vegetable cart next to her. 

Sarina, on the other hand, grabbed a cabbage. 

"Why the hell did you take that!?" Kaenisa hissed. 

"What!? It's the first thing I could find!" She explained, throwing the vegetable at the second abomination, who the twins were struggling to kill. 

The three of them watched as the squashed vegetable sloshed onto the ground, giving them a momentary pause.

Unfortunately for them, all it managed to do was annoy the screeching beast who was now sprinting towards where they stood. 

"Now look at what you have done." Kaenisa gestured, throwing her hands up, jutting out her chin.

They watched as Zaira broke into a run, leaping up and onto the creature's shoulders. The thing was at least seven feet tall, she observed.

Kaenisa turned to her friends, "Whatever you do, do not die." She ordered, hoping that her eyes had managed to convey everything she couldn't say, before running towards the twins.

But just as Kaenisa raised the remaining dagger over her head, the creature grunted, mouth yawning wide. 

She watched, horrified, as it began to spew fuming black.....vomit onto the ground. Some of it landed on her arm, instantly searing through her skin. It burned enough to make her wince. 

"It's corrosive!" Kaenisa declared, staggering back, as Zaira continued to push the crackling sword further into the beast

She whipped her head back to where Zaic had been standing, heart pounding.

To her crippling relief, he had managed to dodge most of the black goo, but not before it had charred half his hand.

"Zaic!" She yelled, running towards him. Everything else seemed to fade into the background, his face contorted in unimaginable pain, the only thing that mattered.