46

“I’ll be bait,” her partner, said and slid off her back at ran a noticeably slower pace. “Before you argue, you’re the only one strong enough to push it off the edge.” He said.

She inhaled her retort, she had to trust him, she wasn’t sending him to die but to pave their success, she didn’t believe, “Be safe,”

He laughed, “I’ll try,”

She split from him and raced to where she thought the group was, she closed her eyes. The monster was nearing. “Jessy, cover me.” She hoped she guessed right.

The others popped into her awareness, Tessa pulled a bleeding Jeremy into a hobbling run barely keeping pace with the children.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Tessa rambled.

“No time.” She pulled Jeremy from her arms and carried him.

A crash echoed behind her, Lane looked back and froze, Tessa picked him up and kept running, mumbling all the while. She checked the monster.

The creature reared and slammed into the ground then charged Mensha in a maelstrom of torn stone. She looked ahead, Mensha sprinted eating ground with every stride yet the thing was fast approaching.

“Stop,” she commanded. They turned to her and she met them with a burning stare. she laid Jeremy on the ground. “Jessy, I need your help,” she said forcing a calm voice.

The girl nodded, for a moment Summer questioned what she was doing but, then Mensha mad dash swept it away.

“Good,” she hoisted the child onto her back, “Hold tight and close your eyes.

Her gaze swept over the small gathering, Lane hung lump and crying in Tessa’s arms. Whom stared at Summer with wide desperate eyes that flicked to Jeremy. The trifecta huddled together, their eyes blank save fear.

“I’ll be back,” She promised, then ran. Eyes closed she bounded over the grey stone, towards the pair racing along the edge. The air whipped at her air, and she ran as if winged, despite her package and fear’s weight.

Mensha flagged and panic beyond the supernatural flooded through her. She leaped at the creature’s midsection and swung. Panic and determination gave strength to strained muscles, that forced tortured metal into carapace.

A deep yet sharp crack split the air and the bat broke yet her momentum continued and broke into flesh. She distantly noted a scream, but her attention was consumed by how the creature lurched, and her impact site was sent hurtling over the edge. With her attached.

She tore her legs free of its mush and jumped. She swung Jess into her arms and curled into a ball. She bounced and rolled to stop surrounded by the groaning stone. She lurched to her feet and released the dazed child.

Deep cracks shook her bruised bone and she swung her attention. The monster clung to the platform with a few impaling legs. Its lesser limbs stabbed for purchase or scratched uselessly against the stone. She sighed and dragged herself towards it.

Mensha stood beside it his ragged breathing music to her ears. She ensured the monster wasn’t in her line of sight and opened her eyes.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

He smiled one of his rare full smiles. As if the world hadn’t ended and everything was okay. She pulled him into a hug and rained kisses down on him. “You lovely idiot,” was all she managed before words escaped her. He returned the embrace and everything was okay.

He nestled into her neck, “Love you too Summer, but we should do this after dealing with that thing.” He said with tired amusement.

She almost followed his gaze before closing her eyes. The centipede desperately struggled in a cacophony of clicks and clacks. Yet had found no purchase. She frowned, It hadn’t lost any either. Of it’s sinuous body only its head remained on. Three long limbs dug deep into the stone as if arms stretched for purchase and maintained its precarious position. The rest scrabbled to no end.

“I’ll break them,” she said her partner squeezed and released her. She walked to the nearest jointed limb and reached for her bat but it was gone. It arched almost two meters into the air and she couldn’t help but be amazed by its peculiar biology.

She rubbed her hot fingers over the joint’s smooth carapace. She curled her other hand into a fist and struck relentlessly until it shattered and she could tear free the fragile tissue beneath.

She rolled her tired shoulder flexed her aching fingers and set to work on the others. Her new companions approached cautiously guided by Mensha and by the time they arrived she steadily wore the others down. To the centipede’s increasingly desperate scraping.

She broke the final limb and the jolted back wards flailing its shortened appendage but remained. She gasped ragged breaths and glared at the damn thing, she noticed some of its small libs anchored in the stone and hissed.

She walked to the creature it struck at her legs, she stomped the limbs. She clenched her hands, her knuckles were bruised to bleeding but she raised them.

She sighed and there was nothing but boiling anger inside. She struck the carapace cracked, and skin tore. She struck again and again each strike tearing new cracks for every drop of blood. She crushed its stubborn legs and struck until her bones cracked and she dug into its soft flesh.

She didn’t know when she started screaming but she howled as the creature slid back and it waited sheered its desperate limbs.

She opened her eyes, and she looked down at a thing of dappled green and black, long sharp legs of all sizes ran along length kicked into the air. Numerous eyes broken and whole stared at her as it into a platform below with a deep thud.

Summer stumbled back and walked to her companions on unsteady legs. Mensha was perched over a mewling Jeremy his hand stuck in the team’s abdomen. While the others held him down.

“What’s happening,” she drawled losing strength with every step,

Her partner glanced up at her, “Making sure he doesn’t die.”

She stared into his impassive face, “How,”

“I’m stitching him together, so he doesn’t bleed out, I’ll fix him when he’s not in immediate risk,” she stared at him, “I’m using some of my flesh to put his together, don’t worry I’m pretty sure I remove all my immune agents.” He smiled lightly and raised his other hand.

It was covered in blood, but no his fingertips were without skin, and muscle was visibly flexed. She grew very dizzy.

“And done,” he said and removed his other maimed digits.

Tessa bent to tao the boy on his cheek and Jessy ran to Summer, the little girl was covered in green gunk.

“When are you redoing your fear,” she said and Supported herself with Jessy’s help.

“I don’t know how, but I’ll figure it out,”

She sighed and glared at her partner, “How do you not.” A deep reverberation crash interrupted her and a hot gust threw her to the ground.

She wrapped around Jessy and rapidly blinked her eyes darting around for threats before she looked up. A fiery streak split the air apart, its yellow and red tail led over the edge, while at its head, a bird flew. Feathers as vibrant as its wake It hovered in the air staring down at them with curious sapphire eyes.

It trilled the sound bright and happy, one of the children waved. Then it was with another crash and burning trail. Tiredly her gaze followed it into the city.

She sat up, Jess stared awestruck at the burning trail as did Lane. Jeremy was thoroughly unconscious and Tessa seemed caught between trying to rouse him and staring into the distance. The three other kids shared the other’s amazement though theirs was tinged with fear.

She shared a glance with Mensha, he chuckled, and she laughed and tears joined her. In the distance a chorus of shattered glass played like crystal rain.