Demon Breathing Down My Neck

Chapter Twenty: Secret Drones

I whoosh through the air, my arms outstretched towards Kiara. "Don't kill her!"

Big Baby scoops her up. His eyes burn brighter. He rips Kiara's head off. Her neck spews out liquid the color of a fire hydrant. He throws her at me. Kiara's little body crashes down in a twisted, unnatural position. Still and unmoving. "YOU KILLED MAMA, I KILL HER!"

"NOOOOOOOOO!" I slam down in front of Big Baby, my chest heaving and my vision blurring.

His red, slick claws flash towards Tyrone. I fly forward in air as thick as soup. Time slows to a crawl. Kiara sits up in midair and looks around. A dark ocean opens on her left, cold, unending waves undulating. It seems to pull the crackling of the fire, the buzzing of my energy armor, and my ragged breathing into its silent waves.

A light brighter than the sun shines at her right. A bronzed hand with a scar across the palm reaches out of the glimmering sphere. Two men in shimmering, white robes flicker at the edges of the orb. A hauntingly beautiful song spills out of the brilliance, but it sounds muffled and far away.

Kiara stares at the ocean. The sphere of light, as bright as it is, is like a star twinkling far off in the dark night sky. She jumps to her feet and runs towards the water. The star way off in forever blinks on and off, on and off. Her trembling hands grab the edges of the portal. The star is so faint now I can barely see it. She peers into the waters, the glacial wind ruffling through her curly hair. The star is swallowed by the shadowy waves.

"KIAAAARA, NOOOOOOOOOOO!"

She halfway turns her head towards me. She whispers over her shoulder, "I'm going to see my parents."

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!" I reach out and grab her small, warm hand. "DOOON'T!"

Kiara lets go of my hand. She leaps into the darkness. If she screams as she hurtles downwards towards the black waters, I can't hear it. Chilly spray hisses against my face guard. The portal snaps shut.

Dashing midair towards Big Baby, I knock his claws out of the way right before they shred Tyrone. "YOU!" I scream.

I grab his bulging neck and squeeze as hard as I can. My rainbow knives spark against his dark energy. Pumping my wings against the air, I squeeze until I feel his shield tighten around his neck. Big Baby grasps at my arms, but my muscles are rigid and immovable. He tries to shift away, but I flicker through the dimensions with him. She just needed time! But you took it from her!

We end up back in the physical realm, then shift through multiple spiritual dimensions. We flash physical, then spiritual. Over and over. His shield tightens more and more around his neck. His bulky, shadowy arms struggle to break my hold. I spin violently vibrating razors over my energy claws that eat away the first layer of his shielding.

Big Baby collapses onto his knees, sinking into the concrete. Beating my wings into a blur, I drag him upwards off of his feet. His chubby legs kick back and forth in empty air. My razors cut into the second layer of his armor. He tries to grow black spikes out of his energy, but I saw right through them.

Big Baby's arms flop this way and that. His legs, as thick as stone pillars, flail around weakly like an infant's. My claws slice through the second layer of his shield. His arms flap this way and that. His kicking legs gradually slow down. His glowing red eyes bulge out of their sockets.

My razors tear away his last armor layer. His red stars blaze so bright I can't look directly at them. My claws slice through heavy, cold air. They hit a thick cord. I cut it in half. Big Baby's legs droop. His spazzing arms fall down to his sides. His eyes blow out with gusts of gray smoke. The thin strands of shadow still holding his head to his body snap.