Project Genesis

CHAPTER FIVE.

Dedicated to Kristie who created the artwork for this chapter!

Orion whipped her head around in horror. Bounding towards them were three large, almost wolf-like, creatures; their bodies dark and disfigured. They were far away but were gaining on them, coming closer with every passing second.

"Orion come on!" Corvus motioned with his hand, panic setting into his features.

Orion's eyes widened in fear as she suddenly noticed that her feet were frozen in place. It was as though everything in her mind was screaming at her to run, but her feet were anchoring her down. She was ripped from her trance by Corvus grabbing her arm, pulling her from her daze.

Her feet slowly began to cooperate, pounding against the sand as she strode alongside Corvus. They managed to catch up to the rest of the group, not ceasing their pace.

"How are we supposed to get inside?" someone yelled.

Orion looked over her shoulder, noticing that the beasts were gaining on them rapidly. Their horribly disfigured faces made her feel uneasy, the black rash covering their entire bodies. Orion tried to push past the burn that had begun to overwhelm her body, her muscles screaming with the sudden exertion of her sprint.

"Look, over there!" Orion looked to where Ara had pointed, her vision landing on a piece of chain that ran down the side of the wall. It didn't look promising, but in the back of her head, she knew it was their only hope of escaping the beasts.

Draco and Ara reached the chain first, pulling on it to check if it would stay in place.

"It's solid!" Draco shouted. He began to swiftly pull himself up the chain, Ara following closely behind him.

Those who had already reached the chain began climbing, Draco and Ara had already disappeared over the massive wall. Orion looked over her shoulder again. The beasts were now so close she could hear the chilling sounds they emitted. They seemed to be communicating with each other through a series of guttural moans and whines that sent shivers down Orion's spine.

"Hurry!" Corvus yelled, motioning for the others behind him to climb the chain. He held the bottom steady, allowing Lyra to jump up onto the chain and start climbing.

Orion reached the chain breathlessly, grabbing it she felt her sweaty palms slip slightly. She suddenly recalled the dust from earlier and quickly ran her hands against the wall, giving her hands a chance to grip the chain. She began climbing, ignoring the burn in her arms as she used them to pull her body upwards.

"Come on Carina!" Corvus yelled out, waiting for her to reach them. She had been one of the last ones to begin running and had fallen slightly behind the pace of the group. Orion watched in horror from mid-way up the wall as the beasts began to gain on her. Suddenly, Carina's backpack flew open, scattering some of her supplies on the ground behind her.

"My bag!" She exclaimed, hesitating slightly in her tracks.

Orion tried to yell out to her, the words trapped in her throat, but it was too late. Carina's momentary hesitation had allowed two of the creatures to catch up to her. Orion squeezed her eyes shut and turned away, a bloodcurdling shriek resounding throughout the air. The sound made her hands clench around the chain, her knuckles whitening as the chain dug into her palms. She heard another scream rip through the air and was startled when she realized that it had come from her own throat. Tears that she hadn't felt earlier suddenly were burning down her cheeks, leaving blazing paths in their wake. Eventually, Carina's mangled screams faded away, leaving only the sounds of Orion's frantic heartbeat and the unsetting growls of the beasts below.

Tentatively looking down, she noticed in shock that the larger of the three creatures had continued running towards them and was rapidly approaching the bottom of the wall where Corvus now stood.

"Hurry Orion, climb up!" Corvus was beneath her, the last one to grab hold of the chain. Orion moved quickly, the adrenaline she felt in her system overpowered the burning in her arms and the pain in her lungs. As she finished climbing to the wall she threw her feet over and, to her relief, found a solid ledge on the other side. Grasping the top of the wall, she looked down at Corvus. He was almost all the way to the top of the rope when Orion noticed the beast had approached the bottom of the chain and was gazing up at them with a malicious look. Orion realized at that moment that he was hunting them.

Hunting his prey.

"Grab my hand!" she yelled out, trying to keep the panic from her voice. She extended her arm over the side of the wall as he began to reach out his hand towards her. They were able to grasp hands just as the wall trembled with a tremendous shudder.

The beast had begun to scale the wall.

The sound of claws shredding metal squealed in the air, the beast faltering to get a hold on the slick metal.

Her arms burned as she pulled on Corvus' arm, trying to help him clear the last portion of the wall. Suddenly, her shoulders were yanked forwards and Corvus let out an anguished yell of pain. As she looked down, she saw the beast tumbling to the ground, unable to clear the wall entirely. It regarded them, before slowly walking over to where its pack had gathered around Carina's remains.

It took the remainder of her strength, but Orion managed to pull Corvus over. She collapsed against the wall, her chest pounding as her lungs fought to pull in air. She turned to face Corvus before recoiling in shock. His leg. The beast must have gotten hold of it as he had jumped up on the wall. He clutched it, cursing in pain.

"Let me see it," Orion demanded, rummaging in her back to find the gauze she had seen earlier. He flipped around, revealing his leg to her.

"Jesus Corvus." Orion's face fell. While she had been expecting a bloody gash, nothing had prepared her for the black gouge that ran from Corvus' knee to his ankle. The black seemed to be seeping through his veins, making it look as though his blood was black rather than red. She quickly began to wrap his leg in gauze in an attempt to shield the wound from his sight, but it was too late; he had already seen the extent of the wound.

"What are we supposed to do now?" Corvus winced, hissing as Orion moved his leg slightly.

In the distance, Orion could hear the unsettling howls of the beasts. She looked up at Corvus, his face contorted in pain.

She couldn't help but recall what she had been thinking about earlier that day:

They were almost certainly, undeniably, screwed.

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