DESCENDED

THE DESCENDED

The messenger leaps onto Sam's car, causing the roof to crumple a little, and panic shoots through me. Samuel is going to be crushed. And I need to distract it long enough for him to wretch himself free. So, I turn and start running. Waving my hands in the air to get its attention and screaming.

But I have no idea where I'm going...

There's nothing but trees around us for as far as the eye can see.

Running as fast as I can, I nearly topple over as the ground quakes behind me. And a look back at the messenger sends me darting to the right. Narrowly dodging an arrow that flies by my head.

Wow, these Messengers are fast, and its aim is beyond good. Hoping to avoid getting shot by an arrow, I run in a zigzag pattern to throw it off. So far, it seems to be working.

Somehow, I make it back to the road where I remember I have my phone in my pocket. Taking it out, I quickly dial Sebastian's number. Sighing with relief when he picks up on the second ring. But I'm so winded I can barely cry for help.

"Help me!" I shout. "There's a messenger... it's after me... and Sam... he's trapped inside his car!"

"What?" Sebastian's alarmed voice shouts through the phone. "Where are you?"

"I don't know! We were leaving my grandma's... and we were about halfway back when we were attacked! Help! It's shooting these arrows at me, and it's fast! I don't know how much longer I can outrun this thing!"

"Listen to me, Angel. Stop where you are and hit it with everything you have," Sebastian instructs. "You can do this. It will take me at least five minutes to find. So, whatever you do, don't let it hit you with one of those arrows. They're poisoned."

"What?" I balk. "I can't fight this thing!"

"You have to," he yells at me in a tone that leaves no room for argument. "Now do it."

Sebastian hangs up the phone, and my mouth drops open.

I can't believe he just hung up on me...

I've been running as hard as I can, but now I'm tired. I can't keep this up. And Sebastian's right... I must do something. And since I don't have the strength to keep running, I do as he says. Stopping and turning around to face the messenger. Only... it's no longer there.

Spinning around in circles, I look for it, but it's vanished into thin air.

Steadying my breathing, I focus on my sense of hearing. Listening for it. But it's eerily quiet out. And there's no sign of it anywhere.

A buzzing sound captures my attention and I drop to the ground just in time for an arrow to whiz by my head again. It lodges into a tree behind me.

When I look back in the direction the arrow came from, the Messenger is standing there sizing me up. Then it grabs me by my shirt, tosses me into a tree, and my body slams into it with a sickening thud.

I hit the ground hard. With the messenger coming after me again. But I pound the ground and send a wall of dirt and rocks colliding into it. Flinging it backward. Which gives me time to get to my feet.

But now it's gone again...

Frightened, I back up to a tree. Keeping my ears open for it again. Or at least I thought I'd backed up to a tree.

Only, trees don't move.

I swing around to face the messenger just as it lets another arrow fly. And fall backward onto the ground trying to get away from it.