What Lies In Me

Chapter 4

A soft thwump.

The impact from the fall knocks the wind out of me, but I am alive. I am buried in cold darkness, but it feels familiar. Snow. This is snow that I'm stuck in. I push myself out and land on my back, gasping for air. The bitter cold causes me to shake uncontrollably, and needles run through my legs as feeling creeps back in. As my eyes adjust to the blinding brightness of the snow, relief spreads over me. Everyone survived.

Tony and Jackson, the two closest to me, gasp as they work themselves upright. Jackson immediately tumbles off of the pile of snow and runs away from the snake without saying a word. Tony looks at me with astonishment written on his face.

"Did you do that?" he asks. I have no idea what he is talking about, so I shake my head. Sadie, who was also trapped near me, begins to crawl off the snow. Her friends appear terror-stricken and they are all frantically trying to get away. I glance at the snake, and my eyes widen in horror. It has left its curled perch around the library and is slithering towards us.

"Stop now or you will die!"

"Run!" I shout, pushing Tony off of the pile of snow and leaping off to follow him. The snake hisses and doubles its speed, chasing after us. People around me scream and scatter, nearly tripping in their haste.

"Do not run from me, I will not let you go. Your life is worth much, do not force your death..." The grating voice continues to spit and slide, giving me a headache. My body is numb and my lungs are burning, slowing me down. I can't run in this condition. I'm going to be captured.

No. Growling in frustration, I redouble my efforts, nearly stumbling as the muscles in my legs struggle to keep up with my frantic pace. If this snake wants me, it will have to chase me down. As I reach the other end of the library parking lot, I look back to see that I am actually putting some distance between myself and the giant snake. It has stopped, and is now hissing furiously and thrashing its tail against the turf. For once, its furious gaze is directed elsewhere.

An earsplitting shriek splits the sky. A colorful ray of light shines down, causing the giant snake to reel back, sparkling in the blinding glare. I shield my eyes and look up, squinting. There above us I see a flaming beast. It is enormous, the size of a small plane, and its eyes burn with an intensity that causes me to shrink back. The flames that make up the beast burn bright hues of red, yellow, blue, and green. I can feel the heat from the great beast warming me even from this distance. It shrieks again, and the snake hisses back at it furiously. It appears that the two monstrous beings are in a standoff.

"Stop interfering, he is mine!" The snake lets out a grating scream that lances through my mind, but I only grimace and turn away. My legs begin pumping again, and I check to make sure Tony is still following. Luckily, he is, and so is Sadie.

A horn honks, and I look forward again just in time to see Jackson's truck screech to a halt in front of us. The truck has seen better days. It lacks a tailgate and the paint job is an old rusty red, which disguises the numerous patches of corrosion, but Jackson couldn't be prouder of his wheels.

"Jump in the back!" he yells. I dive for the truck bed, landing on my side. Tony is close behind, and he jumps in next to me. Sadie is still trying to catch up.

"Wait for me!" she pleads, waving her arms. Jackson doesn't drive off until she jumps into the bed of the truck with us, gasping for breath.

"No, I have to stop him!" the hiss screeches.

"LEAVE HIM BE!" Another voice thunders through our heads, cutting off the slippery words of the snake. I have no doubt that it is the fiery being that has spoken. Jackson hits the gas, and we pull away. The voice continues to shriek, but the snake seems to fear the great beast, and it doesn't approach us anymore. I sigh in relief.

Tony begins snapping pictures of the beast with his phone. Sadie sits back in a corner of the bed, gazing at the two beasts in wonder and fear. Exhausted and still cold, I recline next to the cab, holding my limbs close for warmth. Still, even with the warmth from the flying beast running through my limbs, I can't stop shivering. My teeth are chattering, and every turn Jackson makes threatens to knock me over.

"Jackson!" I yell. "Do you know where we're going?" The wind tears my words away, but he seems to get the idea.

"Somewhere far away from here!" I hear him yell back. Good enough. I relax, my vitality drained.

Tony finally turns to me, pocketing his phone. "What was that?" he asks, in a forceful tone. "What did you just do?"

"I- what?" I stare at him, trying and failing to understand. "Do what? Talk to the snake? Are you blaming me for all of that?" My voice began to pick up in anger. "You really think that I would-"

"Come on." Tony snarls, fire lighting up in his eyes. "Don't give me that crap. We all saw you communicating with the... thing." He gestures at Sadie, who nods. "We saw everything. Tell us, how did you melt the ice?"