War from Under the Bed

Close Call

The storm seemed to push Jack faster as he fell, the rain making him heavier and the wind sitting on his stomach. The thunder laughed maniacally as he reached for Sam's hand, who was racing toward him in a desperate attempt to stop his fall. He grazed Sam's fingers, his eyes swelling with tears. He felt sick as he saw himself, lying on the grass in a broken heap. The air whizzed past his ears, making it impossible to hear anything that Sam was yelling. He kicked and stretched, wishing he was like the boy Sadie was talking about, that he could fly without wings. He felt stupid, why didn't he hold on tighter, why wasn't he as smart as Sadie and actually try to stay on Sam's back? He made another attempt to grab Sam's outstretched hand, taking hold of it. Sam held on with strength that hurt Jack's hand and tried to slow his fall, but the rain made his hand slick and Jack's hand slipped out easily. Jack's fall seemed to quicken and Sam was once again in pursuit. The wind pushed Jack and turned him around, causing him to fall with his gaze planted on his ever-nearing death, the grass swaying violently in the wind and the mud looking deep enough to swallow him. He felt a panic and gave one last terrified scream before he squeezed his eyes shut. That's when someone grabbed him and his fall was stopped. He clung to whoever caught him, trembling violently and sobbing in relief. His stomach flipped and he emptied the contents of his stomach out into the empty air.

"Hang on a little tighter next time..." Jenny's tired, strained voice said softly and Jack nodded furiously, just wanting to have firm ground under his feet. The thunder roared above, like it was frustrated that Jack hadn't completed his journey down, and lightning flashed nearby. Soon, Jack was placed on the ground and he crumpled to the floor, his legs still weak with shock at what just happened.

Sam quickly landed next to him, "Oh my gosh Jack, what the heck happened up there?!" He asked as he pulled him closer.

"The wind...it was too strong...and..." Jack mumbled with increasing heaves of his breath. He fought back tears and rushed into the protective shelter of Sam's hug, "I'm sorry, I tried to hold on, I really did..." Sam stroked his curly hair and sighed, a look on relief on his face.

Sadie slid off Henry's back as they landed and forced her trembling legs to move, "You okay Jack?" She asked, her heart still beating hard against her ribs and her eyes wet with tears.

Jack nodded as he pulled away from Sam's embrace and turned to his best friend, "I'm fine..."

"You're always so clumsy..." She said with a bit of anger welling up. She let it out in a big sigh and shook her head, "We might need rope next time we try to fly." She added and Jack snorted with laughter at her comment.

"You guys, let's get out of here..." Henry said as he approached, grabbing Sadie's hand and helping her stand, "I don't like this..." Mud squelched in between Sadie's toes as she looked around, a sudden chill settling over her. The feelings didn't go unnoticed by everyone else and soon they were all scrambling through the mud toward another crop of trees nearby.

"I didn't even know there was so much forest left..." Sadie muttered nervously as they entered the trees, the rain penetrating the leaves above and managing to find their way to the group. She pushed her wet hair out of her eyes and grabbed her locket, hoping the warm metal might help warm the rest of her body.

A soft hiss rolled through the air and everyone froze. Sadie felt her heart quicken as they stood there, waiting for another noise to follow. The rain was the only sound they could hear. Henry's hold on her hand tightened and Pang whimpered softly from his arms. She looked up to see his eyes warily searching the woods, a fire burning inside those soft eyes. After a while, she was about to start moving again, when a voice that made her shiver came through the noise of the storm.

"This storm is making it impossible to find a trace of them!" It screeched, a sort of gurgle accompanying them.

"We lost them before the storm anyway." Another one answered, this one raspy and quiet, "That ooze of hers is the only thing keeping them alive..."