Fever

Chapter 3

"What's down there?" whispered Liam frantically.

"I don't know," I whispered back before holding a finger to my lips. Whatever it is...I think it's trying to find us!

A loud thump reverberated through the barn.

Liam squeezed my hand ever harder, sending shooting pains through my fingers and up my wrist.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

My body trembled. What's going on down there?

Deciding I had no other choice, I let go of Liam's hand and crawled toward the edge. Before I could peer down, a long yellow claw reached toward my face and sliced my cheek. Letting out a shriek, I squeezed my eyes shut and swung the axe toward my attacker.

An inhumane scream erupted from somewhere below as I felt the axe pull from my hands. A series of crashes were followed by a sickening thud.

"What the..." I said as my voice quickly trailed off. Did that really just happen? I asked myself. Those nails... Did they belong to a human or an animal?

Forcing my eyes open, I peered over the edge. Bales of hay were scattered over the floor. It was stacking the hay to try to reach us, I thought as the sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach grew. I squinted, trying to make out our attacker, but the soft glow from two lanterns hanging on hooks below didn't provide enough light.

Training my eyes on the middle of the haystacks, I watched for any signs of movement.

"Clara! Is it gone?" asked Liam quietly, crawling beside me.

"Stay back, Liam!" I ordered.

He instantly scooted away from the edge of the loft.

"I think it's buried under the bales of hay below," I whispered. "It's not moving."

Liam nervously fidgeted a few feet away. "Did you see what it was?"

Turning to face my little brother, I shook my head.

Liam squinted and reached toward my face. "Clara! You're bleeding," he gasped.

I quickly brought my hand to my cheek. "Ouch."

Liam slipped off his right shoe and slipped off his sock. "Here, press this against your face to stop the blood.

Accepting the sock, I folded it in half and held it against my cheek. "Thanks, Liam."

"Do you think it's safe to go down there?" he whispered.

I shook my head. "No, not yet."

"But, I want to know what came after us," he said.

"I think we should stay up here and wait for-" Before I could finish, two figures burst into the barn.

"Clara? Liam? Are you in here?" called a familiar voice.

"Grandma! Grandpa! We're up here!" Liam and I called in unison.

"Oh thank goodness," Grandma Catori proclaimed.

"Wait!" I shouted. "There is something under the hay. It was trying to get us! Be careful!"

Grandpa raised an object that looked like a riffle as Grandma tugged on a dispersed hay bale.

"Help me secure him, Toc," Grandma said.

Secure? Him? So it was a man? Goosebumps spread from my neck down to my toes.