StarFall (Completed)

Ch. 9 - Land of the Fae

Faster, and faster we ran through the forest as the lizard-wolf glided across the ground like it was walking on air. We didn't need to look back to know it was following us, we could hear its blood-curdling cries. 

"What the hell, what the hell, what the hell?" Madison said, screaming as she struggled to keep up. 

"Shut up, Madison," Bobby said.

"Screw you," she shot back.

"Less talking, more running for our lives," I said, taking a peek behind us at the barreling beast.

Its purple scales shimmered in the sunlight that crept through the treetops overhead. Drool fell from its open mouth as it salivated at the very thought of devouring us. Razor sharp claws adorned its feet, and it was covered in a thick blanket of gray and black fur. The deep yellow of its eyes stared us down.

"I think I see the exit up ahead," Miller said, the book gripped tight under his arm.

We ran back the way we came, but the exit was nowhere in sight. In its place were a tangled mess of vines. 

"Where's the exit?" Bobby said, growing more and more agitated.

"How should we know?" Miller said.

The sounds of the beast grew louder as it drew near.

Madison panicked, her hands felt over the vines, searching for a way out. "I gotta get out of here." Her hands tried pulling at the vines. "Let me out, let me out, let me out." She banged her hands against them and screamed.

A roar bellowed out behind us.

I turned--reluctantly. "Guys, we gotta move."

I started running down one way with Miller and Bobby, but as the beast neared the fear-frozen Madison, Miller ran back. 

"Take the book," Miller said as he handed it to me and ran off.

"Miller, wait."

"I'll catch up, go."

I lingered, watching as he ran towards the danger.

"Run, Summers." Bobby shot past me.

I didn't want to leave him, but I had to trust him. I turned and ran down the forest path. The further we ran, the more I realized these trees were not the trees of our forest. It was more than the bevy of vines surrounding us, it was the trees themselves, the very ground we walked on, even the sky overhead. The more we ran, the more it all looked different.

We had reached a clearing in the forest. 

I caught my breath. "We have to wait for them."

"Forget that, they're probably dead by now."

I couldn't believe he could be any less of a human being. 

"I'm not leaving them."

"Well that makes one of us." Bobby ran off down another path, leaving me alone in the clearing.

I was tempted to run back, but what if he was right, what if they were dead? What if Miller was dead? The thought didn't sit well with me. I couldn't just leave him there. I had to go back.

As I turned back down the path the trees shook, and I could see branches breaking off as something made a mad dash towards me. It was the beast. But there was no sign of Madison or Miller. My heart sank.

I wanted to cry, I wanted to break down, but I didn't. Something inside of me was rising to the surface. I still couldn't control my own emotions, and this emotion was all too powerful: Anger.

The rage swirled around within me, filling every part of me with the desire for revenge. My eyes glowed bright as the beast appeared before me. We both let out a cry, and ran towards one another. It was as if I couldn't control my own feet. Even if a part of me didn't want to run, I seemed to not have a choice.

I screamed as I pushed my hands in front of me. The only thought in my mind was to kill. 

"Miller," I screamed as the beast flung backwards, and crashed into a tree. 

I heaved, and held my arms at my sides, weary. 

"Adeline," a voice in the distance said.

I thought I was imagining things, but the voice grew louder, and more clear as it approached me.

"Adeline."

Miller?

I couldn't move much, pushing that thing back took a lot out of me. My knees gave out as Miller and Madison ran towards me. 

"Adeline, are you okay?" He grabbed hold of me and looked back at the beast. "Did you do that?" He smirked.

I grinned back. "Sure did." I felt faint.

He put his arm around me and helped me up. "We have to get going, I don't think that thing's down for the count just yet."

"Come on, move it, freaks."

Even in a situation like this, Madison was insufferable. Did we have to save her?

The beast grunted, and started to move as we made our way down the same path as Bobby. It was narrow, and twisted at every turn, but I was sure the beast wouldn't be able to follow. We inched our way toward the next clearing, and stopped. I had spoken too soon.

Bobby stood in front of us, cowering before an even larger lizard-wolf. Its roar was deafening. 

"We're gonna die," Madison shrieked.

I hobbled away from Miller and held out my hands. But nothing happened. I guess I over did it back there. I fell to my knees.

"Adeline," Miller said as he helped me back up. "Take it easy, you just flung one of those things into a tree, two may be pushing it."

We watched as Bobby laid on the ground, and backed away from the beast. 

"Stay back," he screamed. He turned to us. "Help me." His cries were drowned out by the creature over top of him. 

It swiped its claw at Bobby, and he pushed it away, fighting for his life. He struggled to get up, and with all his might kept the beast from sinking its claws into his flesh. He stumbled back as the beast lunged forward. 

I wasn't the biggest fan of Bobby's, but it wasn't like I wanted to watch him get mauled to death by some fantasy monster. I searched within for the strength I had just felt, but couldn't find it. I really had no control over this strange power. It seemed to react to my emotions. My ever-changing, unstable emotions. Great. 

Bobby ran for cover behind a tree, or at least what was left of it as the beast followed and cut the tree in half with one swipe. He dropped to the ground and begged for his life. His pleas meant nothing to this monster. In a final attempt to save himself he felt around the ground for something, anything, that could be used for protection. His hands came upon a jagged rock. 

He kept low, and inched towards the beast, he waited for it to show its chest and then he rammed the rock into its heart--or at least he tried to. The rock broke to pieces against the beast's chest. Bobby looked on in horror as the lizard-wolf seemed to grin, and plunged its sharpest claw into Bobby's heart.

Blood ran down his lips as he looked to us, and fell to the ground, limp.

Madison screamed out as the beast turned its attention to us. Everything went silent for me as a ringing grew louder in my ears.