Shattered Horizon

08 Liam

BANG...BANG... Wood splintered, the sound of something monstrous breaking free. Bo's grip tightened on my arm, his urgency a jolt that pierced the numbing fog. "We have to go!" he roared, propelling me forward.
The Vrys. Their screams, a symphony of horror, spurred me on. I ran blindly, a puppet propelled by terror.  Behind me, Iris stumbled.  Bo skidded to a halt, his eyes locked on mine. "Keep running!" he shouted,  a desperate plea for trust.
Adrenaline overrode grief. I burst into the blinding sunlight, holding the door open as Iris and Bo emerged, faces white with terror. Then, the monstrous wave of Vrys spilled into the open.
"Bo, the door! It's stuck!" My voice cracked.   He was beside me in an instant, our combined strength forcing the warped iron into place. A clawed hand shot through â€" too late!
Iris, eyes blazing with desperate resolve, lunged forward,  her fingers tearing at Bo's sleeve. The fabric ripped.  With a final, desperate heave, we slammed the door.
A sickening thud. The Vry arm, severed, lay twitching on the ground.
We collapsed, gasping. Not a sound now except the pounding of our hearts mirroring the fading, furious snarls of the Vrys.
The Sun beams down on us as we up, Iris gives me a hug, "I'm sorry about your grandpa" she says
I return the hug and look over at Bo, "Thank you for everything!" I say to him, he smiles and nods at me.

THUDD... THUDD... THUDD... Each monstrous footstep sent tremors through the ground. We glanced up, the elliptical lights in the sky almost at their zenith.
"Must be near noon," Bo said, his voice grim.
"The eclipse...it's almost complete," Iris whispered, her voice tinged with awe and terror.
The behemoth loomed large, a grotesque mockery of life against the twisted sky. The clash of gunfire and desperate screams  echoed below â€" Vrys and raiders locked in a struggle made futile by the approaching threat.
Bo moved first, heading down the hill, his steps determined. We followed close behind, the world darkening with each passing minute.
Guilt gnawed at me. More lives lost, Grandpa among them. All because of me. I stared into the dying embers of the fire overlooking the raiders camp, a hollow ache settling in my chest. A guttural growl pierced the silence, sending shivers down my spine. Before I could react, a monstrous weight slammed me into the dirt. Razor-sharp teeth sank into my side, a searing pain exploding through me. I screamed, the sound choked off by another wave of agony.
Bo and Iris whirled around, their faces etched with horror. Iris snarled, the kick landing with a sickening thud. The Vry recoiled, but before it could retreat, a gunshot rang out. The creature twitched, then lay still.
Bo yanked me up, his grip surprisingly gentle despite the urgency. "You okay?" he demanded, his voice tight.
I could barely breathe, let alone speak. "Im okay" I tell them both.
"Iris!"  A shout, desperate and relieved.
She gasped. "Ryan! He's alive, thank god!" A figure bolted from the parked car, very tall, powerfully built, with unkempt red hair. Iris sprinted towards him, flying into his arms with such force they toppled to the ground.
Iris gets up "I'm sorry" she says to ryan. He looks at her with a sign of relief that she is okay.

"The giant is getting closer we need to go", yelled Teddy from the backseat

We scrambled into the car, relief washing over us momentarily. Ryan slammed the backseat door shut and sprinted towards the driver's side.  A glimmer of hope flickered in his eyes, maybe we could make it. Maybe we could escape this nightmare.

Then, a monstrous blur a Vry, surging from the shadows. In a heartbeat, it lunged at Ryan. Teeth sank into his neck, the sickening crunch of bone and flesh piercing the sudden silence.

Crimson erupted, splattering the car. Ryan's eyes, wide with a horror that mirrored our own, locked onto Iris for one agonizing moment. Then he collapsed, life draining from him as blood poured over the dusty ground.

"NOOOOOOO!" Iris's scream tore through the air, a guttural cry of despair. Teddy swooped in, wrapping his arms around her in a desperate attempt to hold her together as she sobbed.
Bo, face white, stumbled into the driver's seat. The engine roared to life.  With a jolt, the car lurched forward, leaving Ryan's lifeless body behind.
"Shhhhhhhhhhhh, he's gone, i'm so sorry" teddy kept saying in the back, crying himself, "Bo makes a right, we all stay in silence you can hear a little sob here and there from Iris.
"Bo" I whisper, "Where is Annalina?" he looks in the back of the car using his rear view mirror, "Simon has her, he is waiting, it should be another 15 to 20 mins, before we get to him.
"Is she doing okay? I ask
"Yeah, she's okay, don't worry about her right now okay? She is safe. "
I nodded at Bo, then turned to the window. Iris's sobs echoed through the car, a painful reminder of my own grandfather. A wave of grief threatened to pull me under, but I held it back. I had to be strong for them.
"Liam." Bo's voice was soft.
My eyes found his, and his hand closed gently over mine. "It's okay to cry," he murmured.  His touch, the warmth in his eyes it undid something inside me. I didn't let go, heedless of anyone else watching. At that moment, he was an anchor in the storm.
The past few days had brought an unexpected closeness between us, and it stirred feelings I'd never explored before. It was unfamiliar territory, but something about it felt right.