The Destined Protector (The Chronicles of Mistar - Book 1)

Five · · · Monta (.3)

Knowing this, Monta scrambled out of the hole as fast as he could kicking the mognog in the face. The creature roared and charged, pushing Monta's feet through the hole. When Monta was finally through he turned around to see a small constant metal door overtop of the hole. He ran to the door and used all his might to push the door down. Finally, the door snapped shut and the mognog's shriek was cut off short. The creature's black tongue and blue blood were scattered across the floor.

The mognog tongue was squirming and wiggling as if it was still alive and Tapalla crawled backward to get away from it. Blue blood colored the tips of her shoes, so Monta looked down to see if any blood was on him. The mognog's blood coated Monta's pants and shoes. Monta tried to wipe it off with his good hand but it only stuck to his fingers.

When Monta looked around, he found Tapalla and himself in a little circular room. Its wall was covered with constant metal plates that were somehow stapled into the wall and constant metal wire. There was just enough space for three people. On the ceiling was another hole that showed the sky and a rope hanging down from one of its edges.

In the light, Monta could finally see Tapalla's face. Under the smudges of dirt, her cheeks were bright yellow. She was scared and Monat didn't know how to soothe her. Nothing like this had ever happened before.

Instead, he was stupid and asked no one in particular, "What is this place?"

Tapalla just shook her head. Her beautiful brown eyes were staring at one of the wire fences behind Monta. She had dropped the pistol in the center of the circle next to Monta's backpack and rifle.

Monat was worried, so he asked, "Tapalla? Are you okay?"

Tapalla took a quick glance at him and looked away. Why didn't she want to look at him?

"What's wrong?" Monta bent down next to her. He was about to take her hand but thought against it because it was covered in mognog blood.

Tapalla's body shivered. "I don't know what happened in there. I don't know what happened to you. I couldn't see. I don't know what happened to the mognogs. I just... I just don't know. And that gun. I can't."

"It's alright," he soothed. He tried to move his right hand but hissed at the thought. Instead, Monta put his left hand on his shoulder. It burned with a ferocity that he had never felt before.

"Are you hurt?" Tapalla asked trying not to look in his eyes. She was hugging her arms as if she was cold even though she wore a heavy coat. Monta would have given her his white elckon coat, but his arm hurt too much to take it off.

"Yes," Monta grunted.

Tapalla slowly stood up and walked over to him slowly. The dead silence made him feel awkward. Especially when Tapalla started looking at him again. Disgust had been on her face earlier, but now it was orange with curiosity. Her eyes moved along his face and he could see the worry etched into them. It made the skin around her eyes turn red. Tapalla's hand stretched towards his face, but she was hesitant as if Monta would pull back.

Yes, Monta was tempted to pull back, but he didn't when Tapalla's smooth, gentle hand touched his face. It was cold on his cheek and it made him shiver. He was sweating from all the running they did in the mognog tunnels.

"Your face," she whispered. Tapalla's finger ran along one of the scratches on his cheek.

Monta pouted and asked, "What wrong with it?"

Tapalla smiled at him and almost laughed. "You can't feel it?"

Now Monta was confused. "Feel what?"

Mona watched Tapalla look away and bend down. As her right touched the ground, she closed her eyes and looked to the hole in the ceiling where the sky was. Her now purple face tightened and pressed the palm of her hand the hardest she could to the dirt. Tapalla then slowly lifted her hand and sprouting from the dirt was a sapling of some plant Monta had never seen.