Return of the Titans

CHAPTER THREE

I only had time to duck before an SUV was thrown at me.

I leaped backwards just in time to not get crushed. But I felt the cool metal fly by my face, inches from me, and that snapped me out of my shock. I turned and bolted, just as the three monsters followed suit.

Doc was already on the other side, frantically waving for me to meet him. I crossed the street in the blink of an eye, but didn't stop to catch my breath. I sped by Doc without losing speed, but as I passed, I grabbed his free hand and dragged him after me. I'd be damned if he was going to be left behind. After a few awkward stumbles, he decided to throw his cane over his shoulder and step in line with me.

"Ohmygodohmygodohmygod," I gushed between breathes. I forced myself to breathe in a pattern that wouldn't tire me, because I was going to need all of my energy to get as far away as possible. However, I couldn't think well, and it was all because of the trio of the... what were they again?

I caught my voice again when a mailbox barely skimmed my side, striking against a lamppost. An enraged roar came from behind us, but I dared not look.

"Monsters!"

Doc was muttering words I didn't understand, nor really hear. We were running so fast, that the wind tore into my ears and made listening a struggle. But why listen when you could get the hell away from whatever those things were?

It then occurred to me that Doc might have been able to answer that. He was the one that sensed that something was wrong.

But that could have been anything, I contradicted. Bad plumbing, or... something. Anything but a trio of fuzzy monsters.

I didn't want to linger on the "what if". I wanted answers, especially when it came to how the three knew me, but not the other way around.

We were approaching a busier street. Right above our heads, Cabrillo Highway roared past, and beyond that were a series of homes and a few side shops. While the corner was a memory, I actually traipsed around these parts. If I remembered correctly, an herb shop was installing a patio outside their front doors.

That was all I needed to know.

I made a grab for Doc's suit collar and twisted him around the upcoming corner. He might have been tall, but he was still light, so it was easy to abruptly propel him in front of me. I went the opposite direction, going right to his left.

Doc barely was able to control his movements, but planted his cane into the ground just in time to keep from falling flat on his face. When he straightened, I was already halfway across the street. "Where are you going?" he called after me.

I turned myself around, jogging backwards, and cupped my hands around my mouth to amplify my voice. "Apollo! Go down Apollo, and don't stop!" I pointed to the sign that marked the side street downwards.

I couldn't wait on whether Doc caught on or not, as it wasn't long before our furry entourage pounded onto the scene. Mufasa skidded to a halt where the sidewalk ended, and looked both ways. His eyes narrowed once he met mine, a raging gold hotter than the sweltering summer sun, and he held out a hand (paw?) to stop his comrades.

"Follow the creature," he commanded, then went to glare toward a frantically hobbling Doc. "I'll get the Gigante."

I didn't have time to chew on this new information before the other two monsters -- pale yellow twins, and shorter than Mufasa -- turned on me. They flexed their claws that chipped the concrete, pale green eyes glittering in bloodlust, and I gulped before continuing on with running for my life.

I ran past the guards that were stationed at the base's entrance. One was about to take a bite of a six-inch sub when I shoved into him. He cried out as spicy mustard and Italian meats spilled onto his uniform. I had no time to offer apologizes, especially when the Twins had then leaped across the wide stretch of street in a single bound. Hissing swears on my head, they switched onto all fours, and cut through the sidewalk with unnerving speed.