'Moon Shapes'

Chapter 40: After Shock (Dannity)

There was nothing I could do, as I struggled with his continuing tight grip, while looking on in disbelief as she stuffed my dead best friends' heart down Talek's flopped attempts in refusing the silky meat; I teared with the actions sprouting before me.

Had this been what caused her to not take much of anything too seriously; being carefree in her everyday attitude.

As I heard him speak so calmly but with a chill to his tone; It made even more discernment as for Nikki's unusual approaches to any problem that she or we, ever went face to face with. I finally got her; the rambunctious nature she developed after leaving High School... she was, incredibly sub-consciously and interiorly scared of how long she may have left; her mortality... the same fear that any heart beating being carried not far from the forefront of their mind or at least a sane creature.

I got Talek; I understood the madness; the hopelessness he seemed to carry with him. I wanted nothing more than to protect him from all the pain corroding at him; the horrendous family he instilled; the bastard holding me hostage; I wanted to kill him especially – not just for Talek, but for all those who've been altered and tainted in some way without their consent by the sleaziness of monsters that walk this earth; how they still roam without any repercussions is an ultimate slap to any good that remains.

Was this why Nikki had been getting closer to Blayke... had this been the reason why she was gone?

I tugged on my arms to just enough to feel if he still maintained a decent squeeze on my wrists.

Barely any resistance, he must be preoccupied with Talek, to worry about a simple little girl like me...but as I forced my arms free and turned to greet his face with as much strength I cold get out of my small hands, something else hit him from the side...

POW!

– bone cracking hard; a whishing blur of fur whipped by my pupils. A paw of razor claws pushed me onto the ground all in a single motion; digging just slightly into my sternum; bringing spots of blood to soak up and into the thin blue fabric of my buttoned-up shirt.

I tossed my eyes to the blurs of both beings, and found that it wasn't hard to distinguish that underneath those gravy brown wavy locks of sparse body fur and protruding muscles that it had been Ben that had been fashionably late to crashing this party; he and Blayke tumbled and fumbled until they hit one of the tombs at the south end of the yard. Blocks and dust powdered the area and themselves as Ben appeared from the clouded wall; thundering out roars and tearing at Blayke's retaliating hits and humanoid yells.

The group were all directed towards the rumble, while I gathered up onto my feet and ran to Talek; who stood still eerily calmly.

"Talek..." I squealed. "We've gotta go... you hear me!"

He stayed oddly couth with my attempts to get him to comprehend.

"Just a few more seconds..." he confessed.

I didn't understand the meaning behind his cryptic syllables.

"What do you mean... err... what's going to happen in a few seconds?"

The ground shook as I finished the sentence.

SNAPPING!

GRUMBLING!

SPLITTING!

The heat was the first to touch the air and me; it was as if we were in a giant steam room with temperature gage set to hell. Spilling onto the damp ground, only to hiss and crackle with every inch it crawled; reaching beyond us and onward to the entire cemetery.