Territory 14

Chapter Eight

The thing, well I hadn’t really got that long to come up with the full scientific name of this new species, blew through the glass like paper and hit with such force that I was thrown into the nearest wall. Greyness tinged the edge of my retreating vision. Adam was stabbing at it with a sword he had packed.

            Though my vision was failing fast I reached for the bag I was packing and rummaged in the contents. The textures all seemed foreign to me now: clothes, metals, plastics. When my hand finally found its goal there was a quite click. Adam heard it and ducked to his right. The thing didn’t stand a chance. I blew its face off. Great, now I definitely had to do some washing before we left as blood, still warm from the creature, splattered my only t-shirt. I think I may have stretched a thin smile before giving in to the darkness.

            I sat up if somewhat painfully. There was no light and I couldn’t see what was surrounding me. Suddenly, warm arms snared my waist.

            “Be quiet. They’re still out there.” Adam’s voice tickled the small hairs round my ear with a warm breeze. As my vision became more acquainted with the low light situation I began to notice things like the dagger in Adam’s hand, the vacuum cleaner and a couple of mops. Looking closer I saw a spider scoot across my vision and I snuggled closer to Adam. One, it was comforting, and, two it had the advantage that his scent blocked out the musty smell of what must be the cupboard under the stairs.

            CRASH! I heard the sound of all the plates in the kitchen becoming no more than dust as the second creature made its way like a bull in a china shop round the kitchen. Brilliant, I really didn’t want to clean that up. Abruptly, however, broken china became the least of my problems as the sound of dragging feet made its way into the front room and toward the cupboard where we were hiding. I felt Adam tense and move carefully round me so he was between me and the door. That was when the ominous sound of a key being turned. The key to our cupboard. The key to our very survival.

Just then I heard the sound of a key turning in the lock. Adam lifted the sword into a more of an en-guard position, not sure if that made me feel safer though. The handle turned, I held my breath. The light cracked under the door as if a creeping fairy and, I have to admit, I had forgotten how much dark affected me as; as soon as a beam of light fell over my face I felt stronger. I centred my power ready and then the door was open.

            “Juan!” I gasped as the figure appeared to us. I had forgotten that she must have made her own escape, must’ve risked coming back to save us when she should’ve run the little loyal idiot. I cursed myself. She should be safe and Adam and I should be the only ones in trouble here.

            Moving back into the light I felt my power restore. I flexed it like a waiting muscle and lifted the table in the centre of the room, only to find there was a body on it. It was one of the things. On closer examination the things resembled the children they once were but they were twisted whether it was by their experience or simply the transformation process I didn’t know but I felt bile rise in the back of my throat as I considered it.

            The thing- for I feel there’s no other way to really convey what they were to you- had normal features but they were stretched. The jaw was bloodied from tearing human flesh; the skin was stretched over the thin frame like an animated skeleton and their eyes were red as if their vision was clouded by their bloodlust. Oh, and there was one other thing. They almost always travelled in packs and settled in settlements. As much as our survival instincts made us form the warehouses theirs had made them travel like hyenas in packs. Hunting blood.