Skye Crying

11 ║ Amara

~ Hope: Noun ~

A person or thing that may help or save someone.

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Clip Eleven - Amara's POV:

Ever since I was little, I had used my heartbeat as a way to measure time in a world where clocks and watches had long ago been destroyed. My heartbeat was reliable, strong, and steady. Perfect for telling how much time had passed.

I listened closely to the erratic rhythm in my chest, falling back on my old habit of counting the beats. 

One. Two. Three. Four. Five.

At least thirty seconds had passed and the Mendeni hadn't made a sound. And then the monster moved, raising its deformed head to stare in my direction.

In that one, terrible moment when all seemed paused, my eyes locked onto the Mendeni's. A thrill raced through my heart, causing it to pulse wildly with an emotion that I could not name. All sound disappeared, replaced by a insistent pounding in my ears.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

The monster takes a slow, unhurried step towards us and the surrounding world comes rushing back. The Mendeni emits an ominous, echoing chittering sound and it breaks the spell that had settled on our little group. Three of the scouts let out screams of pure, undiluted terror and turn and run in the opposite direction. 

I hold my breath, my eyes still focused on the monster. Something flashes in its flaming eyes, and my heart stops. 

The monster lets out another chilling shriek, and starts to scuttle towards us with unnatural speed. Without thinking, ignoring the immense fear that fills my whole being, I fire once, twice and then a third time. 

I seize Cole's hand and run to the left down a different street, not looking back to see if my shots hit their mark. I hear an unearthly howl that seemed to shake the ground beneath my boots, and I know that I was able to hit the Mendeni at least once.

Alarm and terror shoots through me like lightning, making my feet fly. I scan the passing buildings as we run, my brain scrambling wildly to come up with a way out, but I know that it's hopeless. Pounding footsteps come up behind us and I risk a glance back to see that the fourth scout is following us, terror shining starkly on his face.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

The city flies by as we sprint aimlessly through the broken streets, panic and adrenaline fueling our pumping legs. I can hear the petrifying screaming and clanking of the Mendeni as it chases after us, its spiked metal tail scratching harshly against the concrete. I can tell that it's gaining and I desperately yank Cole to the right, trying to lose the monster in the maze of abandoned avenues.

I dart to the left when we reach an intersection and out of the corner of my eye I see the monster closing in fast. The scout that has been trailing us is losing ground to the Mendeni, and he lets out a wordless scream, pleading for help that will never come.

A horrible, throat-scorching shriek reverberated through the air, making my heart tremble with horror. I don't need to look back to know that the Mendeni caught up with the scout, and the monster had won.