Terrestrial Alien ✔

[ Part III ] Chapter 25: Don't Leave Him

Trigger warning for violence.

Joshua

Go, go, go.

"To the school!" I scream to Ethan as I spot it, my heart pounding a mile-a-minute and my legs stumbling under me as I push to go faster.

That's it. We have to get there.

"Way— ahead of ya." Ethan pants in my ear, right behind me.

Behind the both of us, as the monster tramples after us, the street is smeared with a broken trail of sticky dark green blood. I'm positive the only reason it hasn't caught us yet is because of the blood oozing, bubbling from the fracture running down its temple. It wobbles from one side to the other, jerking to correct its course as its head snaps in our direction; Its sense of balance seems to be fucked up, and that's... my fault.

Stumbling, it growls as it rolls onto the concrete with a crack and the splat of the dark liquid that simmers under the sun. Almost immediately it's staggering to its feet and pounding after us again, much to our utter dismay.

Its fury is tangible: I can feel it breathing hot down my neck with each cracking gallop of its talons on the concrete. I don't feel like I can go on any further, but I know if I stop now it'll be on me in an instant. The street spacing the baseball field from the school has never seemed longer.

Finally, finally, Ethan and I are tripping over the concrete ledge of the street onto the school's lawn, and we stumble to the nearest door.

Please, please be unlocked. I beg without the breath to whimper aloud.

Ethan grabs the handle and throws his full weight back into yanking at it. I sway uneasily as I stand next to him, and for a terrible moment I worry the door's been locked. It is a Saturday afterall.

But then the door gives, and suddenly it's flying open with a metallic CHING, tossing Ethan backwards. I burst in first, stumbling onto my knees on the doormat with our school mascot emblazoned on it. Ethan tumbles into the dim hallway right behind me.

"Close it, close it." I pant urgently from the ground where I've fallen. I try to push myself up, but my legs shake and I almost fall again.

Ethan groans, and he lurches up on shaky legs of his own to slam the door shut before it can leisurely creak closed on its own.

"How—how do you lock it?" Ethan asks with breaths that come too quick. "How do you lock it?!"

"I don't know!" I exclaim, finally on my feet again. "Fuck, fuck, just leave it! Come on! It's coming!"

Through the door's windowpane I can see it racing over the sidewalk now, and I can see it on Ethan's face as he spots it again. I'm already stumbling backwards and whirling to run down the hall, and Ethan's footsteps are quick behind mine.

I pull and rattle at every door knob of every classroom until I come across one that I can tug open. My heart is weak from how fast it's working as I fling the heavy door open; grabbing the front of Ethan's shirt, I haul him in after me, simultaneously yanking the door closed behind him. He ends up knocked back against the door as it clacks shut, and his wide eyes focus on mine, his nose inches from my own.

Both of our chests are heaving, and we're both dripping sweat. His breath is hot on my face, and I stumble back from him, heaving to catch my own breath. Trembling, I latch onto a nearby desk for support, lest my legs finally give out on me.