Released (16 page)

“Taya we aren’t trying to make it worse, I’m just being a realist and teling you what I think is going on. Do you want me to lie to you?” Carter asked.

“Yes! Things are already worse than any of us could possibly have imagined in our most horrible nightmares and you want to tel me things are going to get worse, I just can’t take it!” Taya stormed off then, walking into the distance toward the top of a smaler dune. I agreed with Taya. Now realy was not the time to be worrying about these things, al we should be focusing on is getting to the military base. We shouldn’t be making things any harder on ourselves then they already are.

“You should probably go after her,” I said looking to Carter. He was gingerly touching his swolen eye with his fingertips.

“What, why me? She’s the one that’s over reacting. I’m not the one who sent these demons out.”

“Carter, don’t you get it? She’s scared, and damn it I am too. Think about everything she has gone through. We are almost to the base, just when we think we might finaly be safe, you go and tel us that everything is even worse than we think it is.” I shouted the words at him harsher than I had intended, but I needed to get it through his thick skul. He stood there for a moment considering what I had said.

“Besides, she shouldn’t be sitting out there alone anyway.” Max added.

“Max is right. At least go check on her Carter.”

Without saying anything Carter nodded and headed up the smal dune to stand beside Taya. I watched their forms standing in the white sand for a moment. Their bodies bathed in the light of the ful moon that reflected off the white sandy dunes.

“Think she wil be ok?” Max asked sounding sincerely concerned.

“Yeah, I think she has just reached her limit. That was a pretty big bomb Carter just dropped on us. There is no way to realy prepare yourself for something like that, and we are worn pretty thin already at the moment.”

“How are you holding up?” Max held my face in his hands, brushing back my hair as he looked at me.

“Honestly? I’m scared out of my mind, but I feel almost numb to it al, like it won’t soak in. What are we going to do Max? What are we going to do if Carter is right?”

Max puled me into his arms and kissed my head. “Tomorrow we are going to get to that base Abby. That’s what we are going to do. We are going to tel the military everything that we know and then we are going to help them fight. Everything is going to be ok.”

“Do you realy think so?” I asked wanting to believe what he was teling me.

“Of course I think so, and I’m never wrong am I?” He looked down at me with a smirk and I kissed him.

My emotions took over me and I took his lips against mine and kissed him more deeply than I have ever kissed anyone. I felt warm tears trickle across our lips and I could feel the pain and fear I had held onto and buried away slowly break free, if only for a moment.

Our single moment of bliss quickly shattered at the sound of Taya shrieking at the top of her lungs. Max and I jumped up to see her and Carter nearly tumbling down the dune toward us.

I started to rush for them, but Max quickly snatched my arm and pointed to the top of the dune. “Don’t Abs.”

“What? Why not?”

“Abby look! It’s a hound.”

“I don’t care, that’s my brother.” I shouted as I yanked my arm from his grasp and ran for my shotgun. I sprinted the short distance to Carter and Taya. Just as we neared each other the sound of another hound came from my left.

A second hound was descending upon us. Judy noticed it quickly and was scrambling to shake Norah and Savannah awake.

“They are surrounding us!” Max shouted as he ran up behind me.

“Get over here!” I yeled for Judy and the others to come toward us, but they were moving too slowly in their fear as they kept stumbling in the thick sand. My heart pounded in my chest as I tried to figure out what we should do.

The hounds slowly made their way down the dune, closing in on us. Carter grabbed his crossbow and quickly landed an arrow into the head of the first hound. It wailed in pain and swiped at the arrow with its paw, but it didn’t stop in its descent.

They continued steadily moving in on us. Taya quickly puled out my knife from the strap on my leg and held it in front of her, while Max handed a smaler knife to Norah. We joined together, our bodies trembling as we prepared for the assault.

Carter fired another arrow at the second demon. It hit with a heavy thud into its shoulder. They were about twenty feet from us now, stepping back and forth. Then I realized that the demon hounds had done something we had never seen them do before, they stood and watched us. Their black fur glistened in the moonlight displaying the ripples of muscle under their large bodies.

“They aren’t attacking. Why aren’t they attacking?” I asked as the breeze carried their rotting stench into my nostrils. I gagged, but didn’t dare try to cover my nose because I needed both my hands free.

Savannah screamed from inside Judy’s arms and she pointed toward the dune behind us. We al turned quickly and saw, at the top of the dune was the demon from the basement of city hal.

It looked like a massive bear atop the dune. It stood up onto its hind legs and howled into the night. Its growl was unlike any animal I had ever heard. We puled in closer to each other as the demon glared down at us.

“Dear God,” Judy said, her voice shaking in fear. I could feel everyone beginning to panic as it walked slowly toward us.

“It folowed us!” Taya yeled in panic.

The demon turned its head toward the second hound and suddenly it bolted into a sprint toward us to attack. Carter and I jumped into action as it came barreling toward us with its teeth barred. Carter fired another arrow at it as it opened its mouth in a loud snarl. I watched the arrow fly into the back of its mouth and I puled the trigger of my shotgun hitting it right in the head sending its body faling into the sand at our feet.

I glanced at the dead hound for a moment, just long enough to ensure it was dead. I heard a gun fire and quickly turned to see Max fighting the first hound. He already unloaded his clip and was holding his knife at the ready. Taya was shaking, barely holding onto her knife as her body trembled in fear. I shoved her aside with my shoulder as I ran to Max’s side and cocked my shotgun. I blasted the demon and only slowed it, but Max lunged quickly. Slicing the demons throat as blood sprayed onto us.

Dark blood gushed in streaks across my jeans and I swalowed the urge to vomit at the foul stench coupled with the scent of blood. I glanced over at Judy and Norah who were holding Savannah tightly between them. Their eyes were ful of fear as they stood like deer caught in headlights.

As the second demon hound fel the large demon from city hal leaped for us like a lion. We al ran, but Savannah was frozen in fear. Judy remained tugging at her arm, but couldn’t get her to move fast enough, finding it difficult to get traction in the sand.

Carter grabbed his last arrow, knocked it and I watched him take a deep breath as he tried to steady his shot as the demon fel onto Savannah. Max ran for it, slicing off an ear, but it fiercely swatted him with his paw like he was a fly, sending him soaring in the air to land like a rock ten feet away.

Carter took his shot and the arrow sliced right through the demon’s eye. It roared in pain as blood streaked down its face and dripped off its muzzle. Judy screamed as she tried to drag Savannah’s body away. The little girl’s form looked like a bloody rag dol as Judy puled her across the sand. Taya quickly ran to help, tears streaming down her face and I knew this was our only chance.

I fumbled trying to reload my shotgun and only managed to load one shot before the demon started for Carter and me. He puled out his knife as I fired the shotgun into the demon’s face. Blood splattered everywhere as the shots hit it, but it only shook its head violently before continuing its advance. I went to pul my knife, but realized Taya had taken it earlier.

Suddenly Max came flying at the demon, he slammed his knife into the demon’s back and held on as it swung and bucked trying to get him off. I was relieved to see he was ok, but the sight of Max’s body flinging around like that made me sick to my stomach. Carter looked to me and then at the demon, slicing at its face and trying to dodge its swings.

“Load your gun!” Carter shouted.

I bolted into action and dove for the rounds I had dropped on the ground. I quickly loaded them and realized I couldn’t get a shot. If I fired I would hit Max who was stil being violently tossed like a cowboy riding a bucking bul.

Max saw my struggling and quickly released as the demon bucked, sending him flying again across the dark landscape.

“Move!” I shouted at Carter. He jumped out of the way but not before the demon thrashed at him, hitting his legs and sending him tumbling face down into the sand. I puled the trigger and the spray of bulets flew into the demons face.

It howled so loudly I wanted to cover my ears and then it looked right at me. Our eyes locked and I had never been so terrified in my life, as its eyes bore into me.

Into my soul. I could feel my body freezing in fear, but I couldn’t turn my eyes from it. A sense of overwhelming dread crept through my body like thousands of tiny spiders crawling under my skin. My mind filed with images of horrifying sights that I had never witnessed before and my body trembled as the demon dug at the ground like it was readying itself to charge at me. My breathing grew quick and ragged as my body trembled in fear.

I squeezed my eyes shut as he came for me, tensing my body for the pain I knew was coming, but it never did. I opened my eyes to see that Judy had thrown herself in front of me.

The demon had latched onto her and was shaking her around like a dog would a chew toy. She had to have been in tremendous pain, but she was screaming out in pure rage as the demon clamped down on her midsection. She repeatedly stabbed at it with a knife until it bit down even harder, severing her in half.

The sight of Judy’s body faling to the ground in pieces made me drop to my knees. Complete defeat washed through me and I lost al hope. Al I could manage was to repeat in my head over and over that we were al going to die.

Suddenly, Norah was at my side trying to load my shotgun as I sat frozen in shock, watching the demon devour Judy into two quick bites.

“Abby!” Norah screamed at me and hit me hard in the face and I felt blood trickle from my nose. My face burned, but it broke me from whatever trance the demon had placed on me.

Just as she handed me the shotgun the demon slashed at her with its claws, her blood splattering al over my face. I saw the whites of her eyes expand as she looked at me in agonizing fear and pain. She gurgled and blood began to pour from her mouth as her body fel onto me. I screamed out in rage as the weight of Norah’s body colapsed on me.

I quickly caught her and dropped her to the ground, trying to avoid the demon as it swung at me. I desperately tried to get back on my feet as I struggled to get away, but the demon was gaining on me. I scrambled through the sand trying to gain my footing as the demon took its time as if it were enjoying itself immensely.

I saw something move from the corner of my eye and saw Carter running at ful speed toward the demon. Then I saw Max coming from the other direction, both of them screaming a battle cry as they carried their knives above them. They each lunged for the demons neck, slicing as deeply as they could. As their blades tore through the soft flesh of its neck I felt arms grab me.

Taya dragged me farther away as I watched the demon stagger. It whipped around and slammed Carter to the ground. It quickly smashed its large claw onto Carter. He struggled and grunted as it pressed down on his chest with its giant paw.

Max lifted his knife again and sent it screaming down the demons neck. The demon staggered again and looked up at Max, its body shuddering. It tried to bite at Max while keeping Carter contained under its foot. Fear for Max and Carter coursed through me as I saw them struggling in their fight.

I quickly wiggled out of Taya’s grip on me and pried the gun out of Norah lifeless hand. “Get Carter!” I shouted to Taya as I ran for the demon. She folowed close at my heels and quickly grabbed Carter’s arms trying to pul him out from under the demon’s foot. The demon’s eyes were on me and he ignored Taya as she struggled futilely to free Carter.

I ran to Max’s side as I loaded my last two shots and cocked the shotgun. Max saw me and dove to the side to avoid being bitten. Just as the demon turned his head I fired at the open wound in its neck, quickly firing again, before the demon turned for me. It tried to move, but faltered. Blood was gushing from its neck into dark pools on the white sand. As the demon began to slip and struggle for footing in its puddles of blood Max took another final swing, completely severing the demons head.

It fel to the ground and roled to my feet, leaving its black eyes looking up at me. “Abby, Abby are you ok?” Max ran to me, squeezing me close to him. We both began to weep as we shuddered in each other’s arms.

“I’m ok I think. Are you hurt?” I asked and he shook his head.

Not wanting to feel the demons eyes on me I ran to where Carter lay on the ground. “Oh my God, is he ok?” I asked Taya as I ran to my brother’s side.

“I’m ok Abby.” I hugged him as tightly as I could without hurting him and he let out a slight grunt, but didn’t tel me to let go.

“Is it dead?” Taya asked, her voice wavering.

“Yeah, it’s dead,” Max said with satisfaction.

“What should we do now?” I asked as I helped Carter get up.

“Wel, we definitely can’t stay here can we?” Carter said, anger building in his tone.

I saw Taya staring at the bodies that lay strewn about our tiny campfire. I grabbed her shoulder and tried to turn her head away. “Don’t look at them Taya. Don’t remember them like this.”

“Why not? You want me to just forget them then?”

“That’s not what I meant,” I stammered. The anger in her voice surprised me.

“Of course that’s what you meant! You only care about yourself, it’s your fault they’re dead. You just stood there like an idiot!” Taya got in my face then as she continued to blame me.