eyes.
The slicing claws he anticipated never arrived.
A loud, wet thud hit Sam instead of the attacking body he’d expected. He squinted around the blood in his eye as he opened them and saw the young woman collapsed on the floor, the back of her head matted with blood and thicker things. Standing behind her, white as a casket occupant before the makeup and holding a smashed laptop in his trembling hands was Austin.
The teen dropped the broken piece of machinery like it had burned him and stared with wide, teary eyes at the very still form on the floor.
“I-” he began, but Sam cut him off.
“Don’t talk, just go,” the firefighter urged as he moved forward.
He expected the girl would grab his ankle as he passed, digging those talons of hers into his Achilles tendon and laming him. She remained still, however, and Sam was through the doorway without incident within a few moments of Austin’s last-second rescue.
“I told you to go if I didn’t come back out,” Sam said harshly as the two of them rushed through the house.
“I didn’t want to leave you,” Austin said without turning around. He sounded equal parts stubborn and relived.
Sam grabbed the boy by the wrist and stopped him, turning him around so that he could have eye contact when he next spoke.
“Well, thanks,” Sam said. “You saved my neck. You’re a hell of a kid.”
Austin smiled weakly at the compliment, and then his eyes widened as he spied something behind Sam.
“Holy shit!” the kid squeaked. “Run!”
Sam didn’t have to turn to know the young mother was up and out for blood behind him. He wasted no time turning Austin around and pushing him toward the exit. It wasn’t far now. They’d be out in less than a minute.
With a howl that sounded partly like a wolf and partly like a hell spawn banshee, the young woman gave chase. Sam could hear her behind him, crashing through the hallway, thudding after them as they entered the foyer and Austin shoved opened the front door and fell out.
Sam felt her behind him, those clawed hands outstretched inches from the back of his neck. He pushed his speed and stumbled out the door into the welcome sunlight. Austin was already off the front porch, running to the car with the keys in hand, clicking the unlock button frantically.
Sam was out. He hit the pavement of the driveway and turned just in time to see the young woman fling herself out the door after them.
And burst into flames.
Mouth agape, Sam watched as the harpy-looking woman shrieked and screeched, writhed and burned. She tore at the remnants of her hair, her clothes, flinging burning pieces of skin and fabric away from her as she screamed.
Austin, having turned to look at the spectacle, was shaking visibly as he watched the woman burn. She went up like someone had soaked her with gasoline and lit a match, but Sam knew no such thing had happened.
He looked up, at the bright ball of daytime and the epiphany struck hard and clear. She’d burned because of the sunlight. Like a fucking vampire, she’d taken one step into daylight and gone up in her own fiery funeral pyre.
“Holy shit,” Sam echoed Austin’s earlier statement in a surprisingly mild tone as he backed away from the still-burning body of the woman. She’d stopped screaming.
“Let’s go,” Austin said in a barely-audible whisper as he held out the keys to Sam. They jingled with the force of his trembling. “Please, let’s go.”
Sam took the keys, and his own hands shook just as badly. They went.
Chapter Seven
Amy decided to stick to the freeways in order to get back to her family. She knew it was probably slower than going straight over land, but she also knew she was wont to get miserably lost if she tried
The slicing claws he anticipated never arrived.
A loud, wet thud hit Sam instead of the attacking body he’d expected. He squinted around the blood in his eye as he opened them and saw the young woman collapsed on the floor, the back of her head matted with blood and thicker things. Standing behind her, white as a casket occupant before the makeup and holding a smashed laptop in his trembling hands was Austin.
The teen dropped the broken piece of machinery like it had burned him and stared with wide, teary eyes at the very still form on the floor.
“I-” he began, but Sam cut him off.
“Don’t talk, just go,” the firefighter urged as he moved forward.
He expected the girl would grab his ankle as he passed, digging those talons of hers into his Achilles tendon and laming him. She remained still, however, and Sam was through the doorway without incident within a few moments of Austin’s last-second rescue.
“I told you to go if I didn’t come back out,” Sam said harshly as the two of them rushed through the house.
“I didn’t want to leave you,” Austin said without turning around. He sounded equal parts stubborn and relived.
Sam grabbed the boy by the wrist and stopped him, turning him around so that he could have eye contact when he next spoke.
“Well, thanks,” Sam said. “You saved my neck. You’re a hell of a kid.”
Austin smiled weakly at the compliment, and then his eyes widened as he spied something behind Sam.
“Holy shit!” the kid squeaked. “Run!”
Sam didn’t have to turn to know the young mother was up and out for blood behind him. He wasted no time turning Austin around and pushing him toward the exit. It wasn’t far now. They’d be out in less than a minute.
With a howl that sounded partly like a wolf and partly like a hell spawn banshee, the young woman gave chase. Sam could hear her behind him, crashing through the hallway, thudding after them as they entered the foyer and Austin shoved opened the front door and fell out.
Sam felt her behind him, those clawed hands outstretched inches from the back of his neck. He pushed his speed and stumbled out the door into the welcome sunlight. Austin was already off the front porch, running to the car with the keys in hand, clicking the unlock button frantically.
Sam was out. He hit the pavement of the driveway and turned just in time to see the young woman fling herself out the door after them.
And burst into flames.
Mouth agape, Sam watched as the harpy-looking woman shrieked and screeched, writhed and burned. She tore at the remnants of her hair, her clothes, flinging burning pieces of skin and fabric away from her as she screamed.
Austin, having turned to look at the spectacle, was shaking visibly as he watched the woman burn. She went up like someone had soaked her with gasoline and lit a match, but Sam knew no such thing had happened.
He looked up, at the bright ball of daytime and the epiphany struck hard and clear. She’d burned because of the sunlight. Like a fucking vampire, she’d taken one step into daylight and gone up in her own fiery funeral pyre.
“Holy shit,” Sam echoed Austin’s earlier statement in a surprisingly mild tone as he backed away from the still-burning body of the woman. She’d stopped screaming.
“Let’s go,” Austin said in a barely-audible whisper as he held out the keys to Sam. They jingled with the force of his trembling. “Please, let’s go.”
Sam took the keys, and his own hands shook just as badly. They went.
Chapter Seven
Amy decided to stick to the freeways in order to get back to her family. She knew it was probably slower than going straight over land, but she also knew she was wont to get miserably lost if she tried
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