Artemis Fowl: A Call for Help

Chapter 18

Inside the house
Jade stood frozen, staring at the beast that had appeared in her room. This is the first time it has confronted me, Jade thought.
"What do you want?" Jade asked, her voice suprisingly calm.
The creature simply stared at her, its eyes void of feeling. A low growl rose in its throat. Jade's eyes widened. This is not good.
"Help!" she yelled. Her window was open so maybe somebody would hear her.
Jade edged towards her bedside table. She kept a kinfe in the drawer. Jade never took her eyes off the creature. She reached the table and edged open the drawer.
The creature snarled, and said something that sounded like gibberish to Jade. The creature was speaking in gnommish. And Jade had never heard of fairies, or gnommish, for that matter.
Jade reached into the drawer pulling out a throwing knife. She hid it behind her back.
I have to get out of here, Jade thought. Jade realized that there were only two ways to get out of the room. Past the creature, or over the bed. I don't know what I'm up against with the creature, so it would be safer to go over my bed. I'll have to make a run for it, Jade thought.
Jade shifted her grip on the knife. She leaped up and rolled over her bed, landing on her feet. Jade ran for the door, not looking back.
She heard a growl, and then heavy foot steps. Jade ran faster, out of her room and down the hallway. The creature was catching up to her, and she could hear it breathing. Jade turned her head slightly to look at the creature. It was coming straight for her, a vicious look in its eyes.
It caught up to her, knocking her to the ground. She threw the knife as its claws slid out. The knife caught the beast on the shoulder, making it howl in pain. This gave Jade just enough time to get up and start running again. Jade ran down two flights of stairs and through many corridors, finally reaching ground floor. She burst out the door, with the feeling of the creature's breath on her neck.
She might be able to hide somewhere out in the yard. Over the fence was a densely wooded area, and she was practiced in the art of fence jumping. There was bound to be a thicket she could hide in. She ran, but not fast enough to escape the creature. It knocked her over again, but this time she didn't have a weapon.
"Help!" she yelled, hoping that someone would just happen to stroll by.
The creature's claws looked razor sharp. So this is how I will die, Jade thought. Ripped apart by a savage, unidentified creature. Lovely.
Just then a shot flew over her head, hitting the creature. It toppled over and lay still as if it were dead, but Jade could still see ot breathing. What was that, Jade wondered. Whatever it was, it saved me.