Dark Sight

Chapter 11

Not knowing what else to do, I decide to head back to the hotel -- even though that's the last place I want to be -- but my feet freeze when I spot a group moving down the road, away from me. The group of teens dressed in black.

A warning bell chimes in my head, telling me I'm about to be a dumbass idiot, but I can't stop myself now. My curiosity winning out, I decide to follow them.

When telling Jensen about everything that happened to me the night of the Siren attack, for some reason I couldn't tell him about the creepy teens that always appear to be watching me. Maybe it's because I'm not entirely sure this is paranormal, or it could be I just want to prove I can handle this myself. I dart my gaze around, as I suck in a deep breath, ensuring no one is watching me before I move. I keep a slow pace, but still not slow enough to lose them.

The group turns down a street that looks like a quiet residential area. Identical two-storey dark brick houses line both sides of the road. Each home has two stairs leading to a small verandah. A long drive-way runs down the side of each house, leading to a closed garage. Each house remains dark and silent with thick curtains blocking all view into the homes. The first thought that runs through my mind is that 'they sure do like their privacy around here'.

The smell of wet grass and sea salt floats around me with the crisp breeze. The soft hum of crickets is the only sound reverberating around me.

My feet freeze as the group of teen stop. My heart jackhammers as I dart my gaze around, looking for a place to hide, but before I have a chance to move, a voice calls out from nearby.

"Evil is coming." A familiar old man in ragged clothes stands on the lawn of a nearby house. How the hell didn't I notice him when I passed the house?

A chill creeps up my spine as my gaze meets his. One corner of his thin lips raises in a lopsided smirk. "You stink of evil," he spits out, revealing a mouth of sharp, yellow teeth.

Now the alarm bells areareally screaming. It doesn't take a genius to realise that this guy is not human. Tearing my gaze away from him, I turn towards the main road and start walking at a brisk pace.

A stench of rotting meat and dust cuts across the crisp, wet grass scent. I don't need to hear the heavy breathing behind me to tell me to run.

I force my feet to move faster. My heartbeat speeding up as the sound of stampeding hooves hitting the concrete path echoes around me. Crap, I don't want to know what the hell is chasing me now. The only thing going through my mind is 'Shit, I need to run!'

I don't want to look at what's chasing me, but I need to know if I can take care of it without Jensen's help. I risk a glance back and my feet tangle on a fallen branch, sending me crashing to the ground.

What looks like a giant horse bounds towards me. Mud and blood tangle its black fur. Its nose sniffs the air like an angry bull with its black eyes focused solely on its target -- me. A twisted ebony horn pierces from its forehead. Opening its mouth, drool drips from its jagged, yellowish teeth.

My mind freezes for a moment as I think about what the demented horse is, but finally come back to my senses as it barrels towards me.

I clear my head with a couple of rushed breaths before I reach into my pocket and retrieve a brand-new can of mace. I guess Jensen is right. Even if mace can't kill, it definitely has other uses.

I wait until the creature is right in front of me and I can feel the warmth of its rotting breath on my face before I push the trigger. The cloud of pepper spray reaches the monster.

The beast careens out of control. I roll to the side, hitting the cement with enough force to knock the air out of me. Ignoring the pain surging up my arms, I push myself to my feet and dart my gaze around. It only takes a few seconds, but I only have one chance to lose this thing. I don't have much time before it'll be after me again.

Taking off up the closest house's driveway, I grab a hold of the fence beside the brick building and pull myself over.

'I hope this thing can't jump,' I think as I run through the pristine garden I'm standing in. Past the bright coloured flowers and pergola laced with climbing vines.

Various types of monsters flash through my mind as I try think about what the hell this is and then realise how stupid I am. The one horn should have given it away. So, how do I kill a unicorn? Stake, no vampires. Silver, no werewolves. I'm sure werewolves and unicorns are both shapeshifters of sorts, I don't think it works the same way. Decapitation is also option. That works on most things it appears, but once again, here I am without a weapon, and decapitation sounds so messy.

The sound of thick hooves hitting the ground and a crash of metal tells me this thing can't jump, but it won't stop it from chasing after me as well.

I reach the back fence and reach up, but before I can pull myself over, pain shoots through my body as a hard object barges into me, the twisted horn grazing my side as it narrowly misses skewering me. The fence shatters beneath our weight, and I fly forward, crashing into the icy water on the other side.

The unicorn's teeth sink into my arm, sending a stream of blood mixing with the clear water. I scream out, gulping a mouthful of water down into my burning lungs.

I struggle in the grip of the beast. Water fills my lungs, choking me, as the vision of drowning loops my mind, my drowning. Panicking, I thrust my arms about, with no success. The four hooves batter my body, and I'm stuck beneath its weight.

Familiar, dark shadows circle me and fear rips through me. This time I'm the one who's going to die.