the left but she could see nothing through the mist.
“Hilly! We need you!”
A tortured howl of pain followed Meg’s cry. Hilly’s heart jumped into her throat.
“Where are you? I can’t see you!” Although she could hear their crying, she wasn’t sure if they could hear her. “Answer me. Please.”
Hilly recklessly stumbled forward, her arms outstretched, her breaths coming in pants. Her sisters’ sobs grew louder, and she hurried on, picking up speed.
A roar ripped through the mist, making her skid to a stop. The chilling sound echoed in the darkness, surrounding her until she couldn’t tell which direction it came from.
“We’re here. Please come.” Allie’s voice was barely more than a whisper, and Hilly sensed she was trying not to attract whatever had growled.
“I’m coming,” she shouted, hoping to draw whatever was threatening her sisters toward her.
At once, the mist parted as she stepped into a large circular area of black grass. Meg and Allie crouched at the opposite edge of the circle, their arms wrapped around each other. A huge hulk of a beast towered over them.
Short, straight horns studded the tail that swished as the thing turned toward Hilly. Blazing red eyes flashed with hunger in a face covered with boils and warts. A short snout resembling that of a hog blew black smoke. Matted gray fur covered its fat body in patches that grew thicker along its six legs then disappeared on the furless feet. Red stains covered the long, curved claws.
She gasped at the blood. Were her sisters hurt?
“Back off, beast.” She spoke with more authority than she felt, but she had no choice but to try.
The monster snarled at her, then opened its mouth wider to expose row after row of sharklike teeth. A purplish-black tongue flicked out. “Who says?”
Hilly swallowed hard. “I do. Get out of here before I pull your guts out through your fat ass.”
The horror threw back its head and laughed. The sound, at first deep in tone, changed, becoming higher in pitch like the voice of a woman. “You miserable piece of mortal, how dare you tell me what to do.” It shook its head, throwing spittle into the air. With another laugh, it twirled and snatched up Allie, then held her high in the sky.
Allie screamed and beat her fists against the creature’s claws, but she was no match for the monster. Meg threw herself at one of its legs, but it only laughed and kicked her away. Her body flew through the air to land in a lump at Hilly’s feet.
“Meg!” Hilly fell to her knees and turned her sister over. What was once Meg’s beautiful face was now a bloody mess. “No! You can’t die.” She shook her sister’s lifeless body. “Don’t leave me. Please don’t die.”
But her pleas were useless. Meg was gone.
“Hilly, help me!”
Hilly looked up to see blood spurting out of Allie’s mouth. Gurgling red bubbles ran down her chin, a second before she slumped over the monster’s paw.
“No! You can’t have her.” Hilly morphed, changing into an exact replica of the creature. Growling, she rammed into the monster, shaking Allie free from its hold. Allie fell to the ground in two pieces, the top of her torso rolling several feet away from her bottom half.
Hilly howled a tortured noise, clutched the creature’s fur and hung on. They rolled, each with a death grip on the other.
But Hilly couldn’t match its strength. Claws raked through her, and pain seared into her soul. The creature pinned her to the ground and held her down.
A wicked gleam shone in the monster’s red eyes as it gazed down at her. Hilly struggled, but couldn’t get loose. She morphed into her human form, hoping the change to a smaller body would give her room to wrench free, but the monster only tightened its hold on her.
“I hope it was worth it.”
Hilly tried to catch her breath and panted out the words. “What are you talking about?”
Saliva dripped off the chin of the monster and splattered on Hilly’s
“Hilly! We need you!”
A tortured howl of pain followed Meg’s cry. Hilly’s heart jumped into her throat.
“Where are you? I can’t see you!” Although she could hear their crying, she wasn’t sure if they could hear her. “Answer me. Please.”
Hilly recklessly stumbled forward, her arms outstretched, her breaths coming in pants. Her sisters’ sobs grew louder, and she hurried on, picking up speed.
A roar ripped through the mist, making her skid to a stop. The chilling sound echoed in the darkness, surrounding her until she couldn’t tell which direction it came from.
“We’re here. Please come.” Allie’s voice was barely more than a whisper, and Hilly sensed she was trying not to attract whatever had growled.
“I’m coming,” she shouted, hoping to draw whatever was threatening her sisters toward her.
At once, the mist parted as she stepped into a large circular area of black grass. Meg and Allie crouched at the opposite edge of the circle, their arms wrapped around each other. A huge hulk of a beast towered over them.
Short, straight horns studded the tail that swished as the thing turned toward Hilly. Blazing red eyes flashed with hunger in a face covered with boils and warts. A short snout resembling that of a hog blew black smoke. Matted gray fur covered its fat body in patches that grew thicker along its six legs then disappeared on the furless feet. Red stains covered the long, curved claws.
She gasped at the blood. Were her sisters hurt?
“Back off, beast.” She spoke with more authority than she felt, but she had no choice but to try.
The monster snarled at her, then opened its mouth wider to expose row after row of sharklike teeth. A purplish-black tongue flicked out. “Who says?”
Hilly swallowed hard. “I do. Get out of here before I pull your guts out through your fat ass.”
The horror threw back its head and laughed. The sound, at first deep in tone, changed, becoming higher in pitch like the voice of a woman. “You miserable piece of mortal, how dare you tell me what to do.” It shook its head, throwing spittle into the air. With another laugh, it twirled and snatched up Allie, then held her high in the sky.
Allie screamed and beat her fists against the creature’s claws, but she was no match for the monster. Meg threw herself at one of its legs, but it only laughed and kicked her away. Her body flew through the air to land in a lump at Hilly’s feet.
“Meg!” Hilly fell to her knees and turned her sister over. What was once Meg’s beautiful face was now a bloody mess. “No! You can’t die.” She shook her sister’s lifeless body. “Don’t leave me. Please don’t die.”
But her pleas were useless. Meg was gone.
“Hilly, help me!”
Hilly looked up to see blood spurting out of Allie’s mouth. Gurgling red bubbles ran down her chin, a second before she slumped over the monster’s paw.
“No! You can’t have her.” Hilly morphed, changing into an exact replica of the creature. Growling, she rammed into the monster, shaking Allie free from its hold. Allie fell to the ground in two pieces, the top of her torso rolling several feet away from her bottom half.
Hilly howled a tortured noise, clutched the creature’s fur and hung on. They rolled, each with a death grip on the other.
But Hilly couldn’t match its strength. Claws raked through her, and pain seared into her soul. The creature pinned her to the ground and held her down.
A wicked gleam shone in the monster’s red eyes as it gazed down at her. Hilly struggled, but couldn’t get loose. She morphed into her human form, hoping the change to a smaller body would give her room to wrench free, but the monster only tightened its hold on her.
“I hope it was worth it.”
Hilly tried to catch her breath and panted out the words. “What are you talking about?”
Saliva dripped off the chin of the monster and splattered on Hilly’s
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