The Host of Hyperion

Chapter 10 - Kennedy

Warning: Graphic depictions of gore

Sounds.

They wailed in my ears like distant cries. The world was a serene ocean that glazed over my thoughts and soothed my panicked heart and mind. They sang so vibrantly, I felt myself glide off the ground, hanging in the sky.

That's when the most ear-shattering, blood-curdling scream rang out, like a cat was vomiting up a hyena that had just gotten stabbed a thousand times at once.

"NO! NO-AAAAAAIIEEEEEEEAAAA!!!!!!!"

I jerked awake, my head pounding in pain from being so harshly interrupted from a pleasant dream. A second later, I wished I had just stayed asleep.

A long black rope was wrapped around my boost, and my torso had the same treatment. A gag had been placed in my mouth, but that wasn't what really scared me.

Hunched over Elisabeth was a dark, hooded creature making strange gurgling sounds, with long white fingers that slowly began to secure the rope tightly over her wrists.

I opened my mouth to scream, but the gag wouldn't allow. My hands were free-the thing obviously didn't think I'd wake up-and I remembered.

My knives!

I reached down and shook some of the tight rope free to reach down my boot. The cold handle of my dagger rewarded me, and I slowly pulled it out, trying not to alert the thing to me, and started on my legs.

There was a gurgled cry, it seemed Elisabeth had been woken up, too.

The creature growled and loomed over her, but she was faster than I thought. Despite her wrists, her legs were free. She rolled hard onto the nightstand, smacking her shoulder into the lamp and hit the floor with a grunt. She then promptly rolled underneath the bed, making the creature shout in outrage.

The creature had a surprisingly feminine voice.

I was still working on my legs. With another angry tug, I pulled the rope free and went for the one on my torso, which half-binded my triceps. Within seconds, I had gotten my arms free, but Elisabeth wasn't doing so well. The enraged creature stooped down and grabbed the underside of the bed. With a jerk, the bed went flying out the barred window. Elisabeth yelled, but her gag held most of the shout.

"Elisabeth!" I shouted through my gag.

My hands fumbled and I reached into my other boot for my other knife. I tossed it towards her. She nodded, however, I had almost missed it for I had a bigger issue.

I had gotten the creature's attention.

It hissed, and made for me,  but the glass shards seemed dangerous to go running on, and it staggered. I took that moment to cut through my gag, holding my dagger at the creature, shaking all the same.

"Elisabeth! We've got to bloody run!" I cried, looking to see her fully cut gag.

    "No shit, Sherlock! Let's go!" she yelled, making her way over to the door leading out into the main hallway.

I threw the lamp as hard as I could onto the beast's head, and bolted after her, my hand gripping the dagger hard.

"Elisabeth!" I yelled, "Hurry, we've gotta hide!"

    "Where do we hide?" She craned her neck to look at me, "We can't exactly hide in here, we'd be found to quickly!"

I thought hard. We were running down the grand halls, our clothes torn from the harsh ropes. I wracked my brains.

"Maybe we can-"

My words were interrupted by an ear splitting crash.

Behind us, the creature howled something we couldn't understand, and the ground began to shake. Elisabeth and I screamed like the scared children we were as we saw the first skeleton hand claw up.