mouthed a response, but swung her head toward me. “Becca?”
Martin sighed and looked at me as well, as if waiting for me to talk some sense into my friend.
I wanted to help Karla look for her dad. I definitely could relate to her situation, seeing how I didn’t know if my parents were even still alive. But a glance at the gory puddle where Mr. Jenkins had been torn to pieces made up my mind for me.
“I don’t know, Karla. I guess Martin’s right.”
Karla bit her lip and looked back at the hospital ruins. She wrapped her arms around herself and shuddered, crying.
“Don’t be like that, Lala. I mean, there might be more of those monsters lurking arou—”
As if on cue, a deep growl echoed throughout the ravaged streets, settling the argument for good.
“Oh, Jesus,” the security guard said and raised his gun. A chorus of roars, howls, and screeches answered the monster’s growl. Dozens of red eyes blazed from within the shadows of the wrecked buildings surrounding us, their demonic glares fixed on the slain monster at our feet.
Chapter 11
“Oh God—run, run!” I screamed. We rushed down the street that led back to the park, the only gap left in the wall of demonic eyes surrounding us. The creatures leapt off the crumbling buildings, eager to cut us off. I could only catch a glimpse of them as they dashed into the murky crimson light of the eclipsed sun. It looked as if they were all made up of a grotesque mixture of animals.
Gunshots rang out behind us. I glanced over my shoulder. The school’s security guard lay flat on his back, firing wildly at the monsters swarming toward him. I looked away just before his screams pierced the air.
“Don’t look back—keep running!” Martin shouted.
The guard’s agonizing cries didn’t last long. Paws banged on car roofs, and hooves thundered on the pavement louder and louder as the infernal menagerie drew closer. Karla panted, thick beads of sweat dripping off her chin. Her bookish ways hadn't left much room for sports. We’d barely reached the end of the block when she started lagging behind.
“Come on—hurry up!” I grasped her sleeve.
The fabric stretched more and more with every stride I took. Martin ran five feet ahead of us, then ten, then twenty. Karla slowed me down, but I wouldn’t loosen my aching grip on her. I wasn’t thrilled to leave the security guard behind, but leaving my best friend to die under the storm of claws, fangs, and hoofs gaining on us… well, that just wasn’t happening. We’d all probably end up dying anyway. The beasts’ relentless pursuit showed no sign of abating. Their sulfuric stench hit me as they came closer.
“Turn right, right!” Martin frantically waved his right arm as we approached the corner. The tactic seemed pointless, but he’d saved my life once already, so I did as he said.
The intersection lit up with bursts of gunfire just as we turned the corner. I’d been so worried about Karla and the demons that I hadn’t spotted the soldiers charging toward us from the park, probably alerted by Martin’s shooting.
The crack of their firing was answered by the monsters’ booming wails and moans, but we didn’t dare slow down. The soldiers might’ve been able to buy us some time, but they fought a losing battle. Four or five guys—even armed with assault rifles—couldn’t resist the advance of at least a hundred demons, each one capable of taking thirty shots to the face before dying. I thought of the young soldier I’d met at the park, of the confusion etched on his boyish face. Tears rushed down my cheeks with every stride. I hadn’t even bothered to read the nametag on his uniform.
We managed to put four city blocks between the monsters and us by the time the soldiers’ rifles had been silenced. At the end of the fifth block, we saw a group of at least three hundred survivors fleeing eastwards. Their unhinged screams and the panic on their faces made it clear what they ran from. The
Martin sighed and looked at me as well, as if waiting for me to talk some sense into my friend.
I wanted to help Karla look for her dad. I definitely could relate to her situation, seeing how I didn’t know if my parents were even still alive. But a glance at the gory puddle where Mr. Jenkins had been torn to pieces made up my mind for me.
“I don’t know, Karla. I guess Martin’s right.”
Karla bit her lip and looked back at the hospital ruins. She wrapped her arms around herself and shuddered, crying.
“Don’t be like that, Lala. I mean, there might be more of those monsters lurking arou—”
As if on cue, a deep growl echoed throughout the ravaged streets, settling the argument for good.
“Oh, Jesus,” the security guard said and raised his gun. A chorus of roars, howls, and screeches answered the monster’s growl. Dozens of red eyes blazed from within the shadows of the wrecked buildings surrounding us, their demonic glares fixed on the slain monster at our feet.
Chapter 11
“Oh God—run, run!” I screamed. We rushed down the street that led back to the park, the only gap left in the wall of demonic eyes surrounding us. The creatures leapt off the crumbling buildings, eager to cut us off. I could only catch a glimpse of them as they dashed into the murky crimson light of the eclipsed sun. It looked as if they were all made up of a grotesque mixture of animals.
Gunshots rang out behind us. I glanced over my shoulder. The school’s security guard lay flat on his back, firing wildly at the monsters swarming toward him. I looked away just before his screams pierced the air.
“Don’t look back—keep running!” Martin shouted.
The guard’s agonizing cries didn’t last long. Paws banged on car roofs, and hooves thundered on the pavement louder and louder as the infernal menagerie drew closer. Karla panted, thick beads of sweat dripping off her chin. Her bookish ways hadn't left much room for sports. We’d barely reached the end of the block when she started lagging behind.
“Come on—hurry up!” I grasped her sleeve.
The fabric stretched more and more with every stride I took. Martin ran five feet ahead of us, then ten, then twenty. Karla slowed me down, but I wouldn’t loosen my aching grip on her. I wasn’t thrilled to leave the security guard behind, but leaving my best friend to die under the storm of claws, fangs, and hoofs gaining on us… well, that just wasn’t happening. We’d all probably end up dying anyway. The beasts’ relentless pursuit showed no sign of abating. Their sulfuric stench hit me as they came closer.
“Turn right, right!” Martin frantically waved his right arm as we approached the corner. The tactic seemed pointless, but he’d saved my life once already, so I did as he said.
The intersection lit up with bursts of gunfire just as we turned the corner. I’d been so worried about Karla and the demons that I hadn’t spotted the soldiers charging toward us from the park, probably alerted by Martin’s shooting.
The crack of their firing was answered by the monsters’ booming wails and moans, but we didn’t dare slow down. The soldiers might’ve been able to buy us some time, but they fought a losing battle. Four or five guys—even armed with assault rifles—couldn’t resist the advance of at least a hundred demons, each one capable of taking thirty shots to the face before dying. I thought of the young soldier I’d met at the park, of the confusion etched on his boyish face. Tears rushed down my cheeks with every stride. I hadn’t even bothered to read the nametag on his uniform.
We managed to put four city blocks between the monsters and us by the time the soldiers’ rifles had been silenced. At the end of the fifth block, we saw a group of at least three hundred survivors fleeing eastwards. Their unhinged screams and the panic on their faces made it clear what they ran from. The
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