The Price Of Wishing

The Wall

She turned away. When she did she saw the girl running towards her. The monster wasn't growling anymore but screaming. Miriam turned her head to look at it as the girl seized her hand and started to run, pulling her sideways.

The monster passed them, so close Miriam felt the heat of it. The monster was fast, faster than Miriam, but it had to slow considerably to turn. The girl used this time to help Miriam to her feet. They started to run.

The cat ran with them, and then it front of them. Miriam noticed the girl's pack swinging from her shoulder as she ran. Although the girl looked like her, she was much faster than Miriam. Miriam was throwing her legs behind her as fast as she could, but barely kept up.

They slid down the side of the dune, Miriam trying to stay upright She could hear the noise of the monster as though it was right beside her screaming into her ear. The cat was much faster than they were. This time it didn't stop to wait for Miriam to follow. It didn't even look back.

The girl didn't let go of Miriam's hand. It dragged her after the cat with an expression of grim determination on her face. The cat sprinted ahead of them and it wasn't long before Miriam saw where it was running. The ruined town that she had seen much earlier was before them. Many of the buildings were only half shapes in the distance.

The two girls zig-zagged sharply, making the creature turn, avoiding the creature gaining too ground. Running on the sand proved easier than walking had been. Her legs didn't have time to sink.

She somehow thought it would be a good idea to look back. It wasn't. The teeth were so close she couldn't even see the rest of it. Too out of breath to scream, Miriam still opened her mouth to do so. She jumped onto the girl out of terror. They tumbled sideways.

The creature sped passed them as they tumbled through the sand. The girl was up and grabbing a stunned Miriam by the hair to get her up faster. Then they were running again, but Miriam's eyes were glued to the creature. She wasn't watching where she was going. She almost fell over something jutting out of the sand. If she fell again, it would be on her before she got up.

She forced her eyes to look where they were going. They were closer to the ruins than she expected. This gave her a burst of hope and speed. She almost ran as fast as the girl.

The cat was nothing but a little black dot in front of them now, just a shade darker than the wall she was scaling. Miriam glanced back. The creature was screaming in frustration.

It didn't have any eyes on its enormous head. Yet somehow, it had found them again. She looked away again before it began its charge.

They reached the wall and Miriam began to look for a door or a gap. The girl didn't waste any time. She started to climb the pitted and aged wall. Miriam looked at her once before finding her own handholds and starting to climb. The creature was still on track. Miriam climbed, delighted when she reached the point she knew would be above the creatures reach. She kept climbing.

The creature could jump. It leapt from the sand and into the old wall. Miriam felt her support crumble under her hands.