Shadow Bound

It ATE him

Screams of triumph, surges of confidence, and taunting erupted outside. The Alpha had gathered everyone to it's side. That shook some people. Some lowered their weapons a little bit, some tightened their grip out of fear, and Crazy Bob sat laughing his head off, screaming back. There was no wind, no other noises. They didn't quite come in yet, they just sat out there, taunting all of us.
"Come on in and face us, stupid! We aren't afraid of you!" Edmund howled, holding his bow close to his face, ready to shoot. They became deadly silent again. We will get you, Erin. You will join our side, a voice in my head rang out. It wasn't my voice. It was the one back in the cave, the one that lead me through the trials. "No," I whispered. "I will not,"
They charged. One after another entered the building, some tiny little soldiers that we could take out no problem, and about three Grunts followed in after them. The Alpha roared, and I noticed that the Grunts stopped as it did so, and then screeched in response. I wish I knew what they had said. Whatever it was, it wasn't good. The Grunts increased their speed, swinging at the people with flamethrowers. They all ducked, dodging each blow. Even Crazy Bob, and that was unusual. Even in jerky movements, the guy was pretty agile. Two soldiers came up to me, hissing and trying to grasp onto my limbs, but I was too quick. I burned their faces off before they had time to scream.
After everyone else had filed in, the Alpha decided to reveal himself. He was as big as the breach in the wall, and he was absolutely terrifying. Depression, anger, and despair oozed off of him, taking my breath away. His eyes were filled with envy, disturbance, and everything that everyone secretly hated about themselves. He didn't move much, just examined, admiring the work of his minions. I couldn't look him in the eye, and could barely look at him in general. His aura spread to my body, turning my blood to ice. I lost my confidence, I lost everything in me that kept me fighting. Despite the overwhelming feeling to just give up, I grasped tightly to my lighter, and charged at the nearest Shadow, the one that we could kill at least. Baby steps, baby steps. I torched everything that I saw, and quickly found my pace again. I looked for Matt, trying to see how he was holding up. I ran up the stairs to check on Edmund, to see how he was enjoying himself.
"Havin' fun up here?" I asked, giggling as he let out another bolt.
"Oh yeah, love it up here! They get torched before they have a chance to visit, so I don't have to worry about gettin' up close and personal with one. How's it goin' down there? Having a blast, I hope?" He shot another bolt, tagging one in the forehead, causing it to dissipate.
"That Alpha makes it really hard, stay away from him if you can. Although with your amazing attitude, I doubt he'd do much. He influences whoever looks, I'm surprised people are still fighting down there, and not just lying down and allowing themselves to die. That's the kind of effect that the Alpha has. Like I said, stay away from him," I warned, patting him on the back as he hit another Shadow in the chest. "Try hitting one of the Grunts. Maybe the metal will do something to them," I suggested, although I knew it wouldn't work. He aimed carefully, shooting one in the center of it's forehead. It howled in protest, and turned to dust.
"Woah," Edmund muttered, and jumped up. Aiming again, he took out another one.
"What are your bolts made out of, Edmund? We just found out how to kill the Grunts!" I grabbed him by the shoulders, shaking him. "You're amazing! What are these made out of?" My body filled with happiness. I resisted twirling around, knowing that it was inappropriate for the situation.
"Scottish gold, my friend! I've been makin' these ever since I was little. I guess my heritage is good luck after all!"
"Well kiss your family for me! You're all amazing!" I squealed, giving him a quick hug before allowing him to shoot more Grunts. No matter how many were taken down, twice as many flooded in, ready for a fight. I continued to eliminate the smaller ones, watching as Edmund very enthusiastically took out the bigger ones, yelling out names with each shot. We might be able to win this.
I looked for Matt. He wasn't anywhere. I took out another Shadow, and that was the one blocking my view. Matt was on the ground, heaving. He was sick. I rushed over to his side, my mind going into panic mode.
"What's wrong?" I asked, cringing as I looked down. He was choking up blood.
"The Alpha," He managed to stutter in between hacking. "Too much," The Alpha was killing him.
"You need to get out of here," I muttered pulling him to his feet. Just as I did so, I could hear my name being called from the balcony. Dalton stared down at me, a giant grin plastered on his face, helping Edmund and Gertrude with the stationed flamethrowers.
"I'm not dead yet!" I could hear him exclaim, as he set a bunch of shadows on fire. I smiled back, and tried to help Matt again. He pushed away, denying assistance.
"I know what I need to do. I'm sorry, Erin. I'm so sorry. Please forgive me for this. I will always be here for you, even if I'm not actually here. Remember that," He looked me straight in the eyes, tears forming in his. He gave me a tight hug.
"What are you doing? What are you going to do, Matt? Don't do anything stupid, please," I begged, keeping a hold on his arm.
"It's the only way we'll win this. The Alpha needs me."
Then he was gone. He sprinted to the Alpha, and stopped directly in front of him. He held his hands out, surrendering. The creature stared back down at him, his intent clear. He wrapped his fist around Matt's frail body, bringing him close to his face. I gawked, helpless. I couldn't do anything to help him.
The Alpha gave one squeeze to Matt's body, and I heard several snaps, followed by Matt's blood curdling scream. Everyone stopped, even the other Shadows, to watch this horrific event. Matt instantly bent in weird directions, and fell limp. Then the Alpha did something.. unexpected.
It. Ate. Him. Just take a second to let that sink it. It ATE Matt. I couldn't process it either. The thing plopped him in his mouth, and CHEWED. Savored the taste of flesh and bone. My jaw dropped to the ground, as did everyone elses. The thing looked like it had a smile on his face. It continued to chew, and then laughed as it swallowed Matt.
"I can't believe you just did that!" I screamed, sprinting at him with the nearest object I could swing. Someone- Edmund- had raced down the stairs, keeping me from the same fate. We all just sat there, dumbfounded by what had just occurred.
Then, the Alpha twitched in discomfort. Again. Again. It seemed disturbed, hurt, pained. He threw his arm, trying to hit whatever was causing his pain. But no one was touching him. We backed away as he thrashed harder, yowling in pain. His body began to glow a brilliant white, exploding out his abdomen and into the room, blinding us. We shielded our eyes as it's screams became louder, deafening. He was in a lot of pain. We heard a familiar voice echo from nowhere.
"This is the only way we'll win," It rang out. It was Matt. With those words, the Alpha exploded into dust, as did all of the Shadows around us. They fell to the ground, filling the air with a dark, chalky powder. And in that instant, everything was over.
We were safe.
We were free.