Mythical Link ▸ Link Neal {Book One}

Forty Three

     The animal roared and jumped through the air. Rhett threw his arms out in front of him just in time. The motion he used mirrored using defibrillator paddles. Both the lights touched each of its sides and the entire hall lit up in a blue iridescent glow. Link half shielded his eyes from the brightness. Rhett dropped the lights and stumbled backward. He held his arms up over his eyes just in time before he was blinded. 

     With a step backward, it convulsed and foamed at the mouth as a crackling sound emanated from its entire being. An electric blue web of light overtook its body as it collapsed to its knees, the bright light in the hall growing dimmer and dimmer as its body swallowed all of the light. The both of them lowered their arms and watched as the beast fell to its stomach, every muscle in its body totally paralyzed. 

     Link slowly approached Rhett. As he neared the wolf on the ground, he breathed like he was outside in the cold. He raised his eyes to look at Rhett, who had the same look of alarm on his face. "It worked. It actually worked. I can't believe it worked," Rhett murmured. Link stepped over its body to stand beside Rhett. Rhett looked at Link, who was nearly covered head to toe in sweat. His hair had fallen flat, and his glasses were skewed. Rhett moved to fix them on his face before clasping him on the shoulder. "You alright man? It didn't hurt you at all, did it?" 

     Link shook his head as he glared at it intensely. He could have been shooting fireballs at it through his eyes if it were possible. Link didn't want to tell Rhett about the pain in his hip, so he stood there in silence. His heart lurched in his throat as he watched its breaths fall from shallow to more erratic. "How many lights did you bring in?"

     "Just two. Why?" 

     Link gaped at the two lights on the ground, then he tapped Rhett's arm. The both of them watched as the animal slowly started to rise to its knees. One look into its grey eyes drew an alarmed sound out of Rhett. He took Link by the arm and they ran for the stairs.

     Before they knew it, the animal had caught up and took Rhett down at the legs. Rhett lost his grip on Link's arm and the wolf rolled with Rhett down the stairs. The sound was like a car rolling as their bodies meshed together, and Link let out a gurgled cry. "Rhett!" He looked about wildly as he realized he'd dropped his knife in the grapple. 

     He dove for it, then ran for the top of the stairs. He watched as the wolf held Rhett to the ground by the shoulders and roared in his face. It then took him forcefully by the jaw and straightened his head. Link wondered why Rhett hadn't been struggling to have the wolf release him when the cold hard reality gripped his heart.

     Rhett was unconscious. The wolf raised a clawed paw in the air and all Link could see were the claws catching the moonlight through the rippling curtains. His eyes widened and he shook his head. Something had snapped in him, and he ran backward before he flung himself forward. He flew through the air with the knife held over his head.

     He seemed to cascade down the flight of stairs in slow motion. His mouth was open as he bared his teeth, his eyes wild as his intentions were set on impaling the beast. His landing on the ground and his arm coming down with the knife in hand were simultaneous, and he felt as the blade wedged through the flesh and bones between the wolf's shoulder blades. The crunch sound was oddly satisfying to Link, and the wolf threw its head back with a pitiful howl.

     Warm blood oozed out of its injury and trickled down Link's hand. He grinned as he yanked the knife out of the wolf, twisting as he drew his arm back to cause even more pain. That was for hurting his best friend and for scaring his family.

     The howl split through Link's head like someone blew a whistle directly in his ear and he stumbled. He'd dropped the knife and held his head as he fell to the ground on his knees. The ringing was incessant and he couldn't think clearly. His vision started to blur and he took his glasses off so he could rub his eyes.

     He then felt a hard kick to the side and he flew through the air, smacking into a side table that had a vase with flowers sitting on top. The vase hit the floor and ceramic shattered everywhere. He shielded his eyes from the shards, then felt his arms being pulled away from his face. He opened his eyes and he couldn't see anything clearly. He was gripped by the shoulders and slammed into the wall. He knew his head went through the wall, the vibrations causing his head to swim.

     "Stop," he whispered, feeling the brooding darkness of unconsciousness wanting to drag him down under. The beast roared again and he felt a shower of spittle on his face. He squeezed his eyes shut as his lips trembled. Link felt a rush of wind and he heard a crash into furniture in the other room. 

     He couldn't feel the wolf's breaths on him anymore, and when he opened his eyes, he saw somebody on top of the animal hitting it repeatedly. The figure was tall and grunted with the brute force he used behind each hit. "Rhett," Link said weakly. Link heard Rhett cry out and then he jolted as Rhett collided right into him. 

     The two of them had smacked heads and it literally sounded like two coconuts clapped together. "Ow, oh my God," Rhett cried out again. He rubbed the back of his head gingerly. Link brought his palm up to his forehead and squeezed his eyes shut as he laid there propped against the wall.

     Suddenly they heard a roar from the opposite end of the room by the front door and the both of them swiveled their heads. Rhett's mouth fell open. Even though her facial features were far more developed and was covered in hair in places that a woman shouldn't be covered in hair, he knew immediately who it was. "Terra?!"