Shifting Life

7. Smoke and Darkness

Jacklyn came to, laying on her side. There was rubble digging into her cheek. She stayed absolutely still with her eyes closed.

As far as she could tell she was still in one piece. Her head throbbed, but that was about it.

Note to self. Don't break a magic circle.

She opened one eye.

A dozen amber eyes glittered in a semi-circle above her. Glints of sharp teeth. The air was thick with unwashed fur. Claws clattered on the concrete floor.

She sensed them, but couldn't feel their body heat. She should have. They were way too close. It was like they were the same cool temperature as the basement.

Jacklyn's ears twitched.

Bad. Bad. Bad. Bad.

One of them, a large darkness of massive proportions, leaned in even closer.

The leader?

It sniffed so hard Jacklyn felt her hair move.

It ran its tongue over her eye and cheek. Cold tongue. Cold spit trail.

Slowly the creature opened its huge jaws over her face and neck. Gusts of cool rotten breath hit her face. The teeth were enormous. And sharp. They looked as sharp as blades.

Jacklyn was too terrified to move. She was too terrified to breathe. She was too terrified to close her eyes before the inevitable.

The giant jaws snapped shut.

Through her, like she was air.

Instantly, blood splashed down on her, cool as November rain. The creature fell beside her, throat slashed. Its amber eye stared at Jacklyn in silent surprise.

With an inhuman cry, the next beast came down on her to tear her guts out.

The bite went through her, but ripped the belly of the attacking beast open. Wet, stinking innards poured out, drenching her legs and feet.

Silence fell.

The beasts' eyes darted between Jacklyn and the others. They hesitated. A third beast bit off her leg, only to discover its own leg ripped away. The beast shrieked and fell. It tried to get up, to stop the bleeding, but the injury was horrific. Blood splurged. First in hard, fast splashes, but soon the blood leak stilled with the beast.

Silence fell again.

The beasts growled and shrieked at her, but they didn't attack her.

No more.

As if one of them had given a signal, they all backed away, snarling and screaming. She saw them fall back, like a wave of darkness withdrawing, finding the exit and disappearing out into the corridor.

The large room cleared of big things, but there was plenty of smaller creatures still roaming around her.

The creatures soon circled her, but kept a safe distance. Their little amber eyes seemed to glitter with curiosity. The great beasts had let her be. Why?

Jacklyn could feel their stark hunger, but the three dead beasts around her gave them caution.

Her heart beat like jungle drum.

Careful not to do any sudden movements, she rose. The room tilted precariously. Jacklyn leaned on the brick wall for support until the room stopped shifting and her balance seemed to work again.

The smaller creatures seemed to be losing power at first. They lost substance and defined outlines. Soon they looked more like dark smoke than beasts.

Jacklyn started walking toward the door. The dark smoke around her grew darker and thicker. The smoke was expanding fast, like a sudden thunder cloud. The bigger the smoke clouds around her grew, the harder it became to move, like she was walking in quicksand.

The smoke creatures must be packing themselves tightly in her path, the darkness almost pitch black around her now. They hissed like an enormous cloud of crickets. The noise pierced her ears so bad she covered her ears with her hands.

Angry more than frightened, she pushed forward, one step. Then another.

The dark smoke fell back a step, but seemed to become darker, thicker, more vibrantly black. She could see the creatures swarming in the smoke, mouths open, fangs bared.

She walked faster.

The smoke seemed to make way for her faster too. It became thinner where she put her foot, as if losing power.

It seemed as if the harder they tried to stop her, the easier she could move.

"Get out of my way," she said and started jogging. She tore through them. They screamed.

She liked the sound.

Jacklyn made it back to the corridor.

Smoke things poured ahead of her, but in narrow strands. They stayed clear of her, creating long fluid strands of smoke instead.

Jacklyn opened every old wooden door, calling Toby's name. When the door was locked she kicked it in. Horse power came in handy.

No little white dog.

Jacklyn ran back upstairs.

"Toby," she called.

Dark smoke crept up the stairs and began to fold into the shop. She shut the door downstairs with a bang. She hoped it would stall the creatures.

A whimper.

She found a second door, out of view behind a narrow cupboard. Inside was a tiny kitchenette, a café table and a single chair. There was a narrow two pane window with a view of a dark dead end alley.

Jacklyn opened the door under the sink.

A gray plastic crate with something white and fluffy inside. She pulled it out and fumbled to open it. Toby rushed out. He jumped in to her arms. His heart beat like crazy and he was rigid with fear.

Jacklyn felt her backside turn ice cold.

She didn't need to turn around to know there was a black wall of frenzied smoke beasts towering up behind her. The hissing and chattering increased in volume. Her skin prickled. The dark smoke creatures were amping their powers.

Jacklyn kicked the door shut without turning. She slipped Toby inside the thief's black coat and crashed through the window.