The Last Theiro

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My heart was racing. The cool winter breeze whipped against my cheeks and the heels of my feet ached from walking for hours. We were walking in the thick bush, his grip so tight on my hand, pausing my blood flow, when there was a distant sound.

Immediately he began picking up his pace. I looked up at him, his face a mirror of my own anxiety. We walked as far as we could get from that blaring noise, but everywhere we went, it seemed as though we were surrounded and engulfed by that particular sound. The noise became louder and louder and soon we were inundated in a pulsating noise. We came to a halt where he bent down in front of me.

"You have to run Teddy. Run straight ahead and Cassia will be waiting for you at the cabin. Don't stop running." He then took my small face between his large callused hands. I watched as a tear escaped his large hazel eyes as he said, "Remember Teddy, I love you."

He got up and pushed me away and I turned to run, but it was too late. The creatures had already surrounded us. The creatures were huge and grotesque with matted hair and huge twisting horns protruding upward into the dark midnight sky. The contorted figure eclipsed the moon. It stood on its hind legs like a man, but quite the opposite. It gave off an aura of pure hatred with evil expressed in its dull black eyes.

I turned around to look for my companion and found that he was being forced to the ground by the creatures. A few grunts of protest escaped the struggling man's mouth, but then he immediately stopped when I felt something cold pressed against my head.

"Leave her alone." He grumbled. One of the creatures chuckled and walked over to the man. The creature drew out a shiny metal and slit the man's throat with such force that his head detached itself from his neck. A metallic smell hit my nose and my face contorted in disgust at the horrid scene before me.

My vision went blurry and I staggered towards where the man's lifeless body lay. I touched my cheek, where only moments ago, his hands had been. It was then that I noticed my cheeks were wet...wet from the tears my eyes had been shedding. I turned around and gave the creatures a loathsome glare for they had killed my only companion.

A creature walked towards me, bent down and took a lock of my brown hair between his stubby hairy fingers. I involuntarily took a step back and the creature chuckled. "It's over, Tessa. Erebus will be glad for your capture." The creature's voice was hoarse and rough.

I bit my lip and looked around me. I was surrounded by all of them, engulfing me in their unnerving presence.

My chest began rising and falling as my breathing increased. That was it. It was all over. "Welcome to the beginning of the end." The creature said and lifted me up, carrying me closer to my fate.

"Put me down!" I squealed and began squirming in the creature's grasp. The creature huffed and set me down on the floor, his dark eyes glared angrily at me. "If you don't stop squealing, I will have to take your head and eat the rest of your small body!" He growled and I crossed my arms defensively.

" I'm not scared of you," I said and spat in the creature's face. I then kicked him hard in the crotch and the creature let out a scream of pain, falling to the ground.

I turned around and ran as fast as I could, but one of the creatures grabbed the back of my hoody and threw me to the floor. I rolled in the dirt and looked fearfully at the creature, who had now regained his posture and was walking towards me, his grotesque features twisted in vexation.

The creature grabbed me by my long hair and dragged me off the ground. I yelled in pain and tried to break free of the creature's grasp, but his hold on me was firm, not repeating his first mistake. The creature brought his razor-sharp teeth to my neck and I felt it graze my skin. "I warned you." He threatened before he dug his teeth into my neck and I screamed from the discomfort as I felt my blood being sucked out of me, draining me of all power.

Tears rolled down my cheeks as I continued to break free of the creature's grasp.

"Leave her alone!" Shouted a voice, but I was too tired to turn my head towards it. Immediately, the creature's teeth were ripped out of me and I fell to the ground. I watched as Noah attacked all the creatures, either by sinking his own razor-sharp teeth into their necks or simply by cracking it. I watched as Noah ran over to me and I was lifted off the ground. He examined my neck and whispered,
" Repudior." The pain in my neck faded away and Noah began carrying me through the thick bush. I looked up at my savior and met his chest-nut brown eyes. Noah smiled gently at me and I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding in.

"Noah..." I whimpered as I clutched onto his arm. I wanted to tell him that the creatures had killed my companion, but my voice cracked and my eyes burnt with tears.

"Shhh," Noah cooed. "You're safe now Teddy."

And I felt myself sinking in the darkness. My eyesight blurred, but not because tears were welling up. Everything became fuzzy; then I saw nothing at all. My consciousness was floating through an empty space filled with a thick static. Throughout the inky space, my heartbeats pounded loudly, echoing in my ears, alongside fading pleas for help.
Every feeling in my body drained away until finally, all was black.