The Silent Ones

Breaking Free

(continued)

The pincer underneath the hand almost looked like it was pulsating in some way and before I knew it the wool holding the glove had started tearing in half revealing the claw underneath. It struck out and grabbed Angie by the throat. She screamed.

Bill who had now come to Angie's side to watch the creature with her was now fully in a blind panic, hitting and pushing the creature as hard as he could to try and release her. Her face started turning a very bright shade of red, the veins in her head turning white as she struggled for air.

"Let go of her you hear? Let go!" Bill screamed into its dead eyes.

A scratching noise began coming from the shed next to me, like fingers scrapping on a chalkboard. I could only imagine the horror inside as the thing tries to claw its way out of the shed and into my garden where I'm standing in complete and utter shock. No amount of school or survival TV can prepare you for something like this. I ran at the shed door throwing my weight against it hoping somehow that would help. I could still see Angie chocking by the creatures hold, its muscular arm showing no sign of letting go off her neck as she started to turn white. Her lips now a shade of blue opened air escaping, possibly trying to call Bill, who was now weeping as he watched his wife choke to death. Do I try and rescue her or keep this one locked away and hopefully be safe? Of course, I had to try and help Angie at least, she was one of the weirdest people I ever met but she was my neighbour. I bolted away from the door as the wood began splintering from the inside leaving dust and holes in different places along the sides of the shed. Mounting the fence as fast as I could, I used what little upper body strength I had to push myself over, landing on my butt, my head bashing the fence, as I dropped the other side.

"Alex, please get something...help...I don't know what to do...she's dying!" Bill cried at me as tears ran down his red and puffy face.

Getting to my feet, I scrambled over to the big pile of logs in their back garden that they use for their wood burner. I picked up the biggest log I could see and used my full weight to slam it into the pale enemies back. It broke in half across it's back, shattering into tiny fragments that flew off across the garden. Still standing strong, it's grasp didn't loosen. It showed no sign that anything had affected it at all. There was a crowbar next to the tires of the lawnmower, so I grabbed that and tried again. The crowbar bent in half. Bill and I both looked at each other in amazement as this creature was left without even so much as a scratch. Angie was still gasping for air, sounding more like dry heaves than anything else. Her lips moved like she was trying to say something to us.

"ssshh...sssssff....ffff....fffrrr....frrr" she chocked out between gasps.
Bill and I had no idea what she was trying to say to us, even though her head was directly in the creatures gaze. "fff...FREE" she suddenly screamed out. The creatures grasp on her neck seemed to loosen a little. Was she talking to it? She kept on trying to speak as Bill and I stood there amazed and completely confused about what was happening.

"ffffreee.....fffaaa...fhhaa..ph....p..h..ast...past" she struggled to speak, her lips still blue but looking less grotesque and dead as they did before, as she began to regain some colour to her cheeks. The creature having showed no sign of understand beyond loosening the hold suddenly leaned forward and starred right into Angie's face. They began a sort of staring contest with each other until it snapped open it's claws and released her neck, dropping her to the floor in a coughing fit. Bill instantly crouched down to her side embracing her and weeping constantly saying over and over again "I thought I lost you, I thought I lost you". Me on the other hand, I didn't know what to do, or what this meant. Had they been talking to each other? Before I had time to work out any answers the shed behind me, in my garden, broke in half leaving a huge puff off sawdust. It had broken loose. I picked up the bent crowbar even though it probably wouldn't help me one bit, but a man's gotta feel some kind of hope right? Nothing. No creature in sight. Bill was still hugging Angie behind me, trying to console her as I walked closer to the shed, building my confidence to see what had happened. The thing had basically used it's pincher like a saw, cutting the shed in as many places as it could trying to escape, leaving claw marks on the remaining wood. I couldn't see any trace that it had been here apart from the damage it had left behind. I turned looking for Bill who had now gone quiet. Angie and Bill were still holding each other on the floor with Angie's head resting on Bill's upright chest. The second creature was nowhere to be seen.