This Time

Chapter 12

I grabbed Niall’s hand and led everyone out of the room. We rushed down corridors, stumbled down stairs until we reached the entrance. I looked out the giant glass doors at the base grounds.

Row after row of Atars stood there, ready to fight. 

We all came to the entrance doors and stopped, in awe of the scene.

Big and small, every Atar was out there.  The words ‘united front’ sprang to mind.

‘Stay inside these doors.’ I whispered to Niall, who nodded immediately.

 I could see it on their faces, the fear. I could see the beads of sweat and the nervous swallowing.

I, myself, swallowed back bile as I had flashbacks of earlier lives.

The shredded flesh, the agonised screams. Blinking back tears, I gave myself a prep talk.

That won’t happen this time. You have help now, and you will survive. All of you.

I turned to Rachel and she looked back at me. She then whispered into Zoe’s ear, who nudged Nicola and repeated it. Simultaneously, we stepped back from the group and lined up.

The boys turned to us, both confused and scared. I smirked a little as I let the heat take over.

Stretching out, I realised my claws weren’t that sharp.

But as I run my rough tongue over my teeth, I felt that they were.

I flicked my tail and rolled back my shoulders, falling to all fours.

Being in Atar form again made me feel stronger, more agile; ready for the fight.

I glanced to either side of me. Nicola was scraping her claws against the linen floor, and Zoe was shaking her light fur, getting used to it again. I grinned.

Rachel leaned her body next to me, a low growl escaping her throat.

I whipped my head back around and saw the gates opening. Hissing aggressively, I lunged past the boys and out into the harsh sunlight. Every Atar seemed to lower themselves to the ground, readying themselves. The gates revealed thousands of Elicks. Teeth bared in ferocity, I had never seen so many Elicks at one time. They completely outnumbered us.

I tightened my muscles, feeling a prick of fear. There were so many, and they looked strong.

The pack of Elicks suddenly parted and out came something completely grotesque. His fur was mangy, his eyes were cold. I watched him scan the crowd and catch my eye.  Baring his teeth in glee, he kept his gaze locked on me. My hair stood on end and I arched my back.

Rachel, pushed in front of me and hissed at him, making it clear I had protection.

 He dropped the smug look and narrowed his eyes. Every Atar head turned to look at us, wondering who he could be targeting.

Why did he want me so badly? I thought, clenching my claws as Rachel moved back into line,

Zoe looked at me in worry and I resisted the urge to look back at Niall. I couldn’t let the head Elick know about him, otherwise... Niall would become a target too.

I watched as the aggressive Elick disappeared back into the pack.

Silence filled the air, mixing with the stone cold tension. A slight breeze blew and I shivered, but I wasn’t cold. Nobody was moving and I was getting more anxious by the second.

Suddenly, an Elick lunged and all hell broke loose. Atars launched themselves into the pack, Elicks charged into our own. It was a bloodbath.

Hissing and growling filled the air, creating a horrible sound that made me squeeze my eyes shut.