Chapter 25 The Creature
928words
A burn spread across my palms as I blocked my fall against the pavement.
Peering down, I reached for the thing around my ankle and shrieked with panic.
It was a large tentacle attacking me, like the one you would find on an octopus.
It sprouted out from the pavement, flailing back and forth before it launched itself toward me.
The adrenaline was so thick inside me I couldn't process what was happening, or what I was seeing.
I had to be dreaming.
Yep, that had to be it.
This had to be a dream. I was still in the theatre, snoring, and matching up to the zombie growling fest unfolding on screen.
It was the only way to explain this.
More tentacles popped out, inching toward me. The closest one got hold of me, and the tentacle tensed around my leg.
I gasped out a cry of pain, attempting to tear the thing off from me.
That's when I saw him.
Standing in the middle of a nest of tentacles protruding out from the pavement, surrounding him like some kind of wayward shield.
His long, silver hair shimmered unnaturally, his skin pale and taut. Eyes the color of ice were set on me, observing me as I rolled around and kicked to fight off the tentacles.
The corners of the man's lip tipped up into a malevolent smile.
"Humans are so frail and weak. It's a pity you're not so smart, either."
"Humans?" I mouthed to myself, stopping for a moment to allow the scene to unfold in front of me.
I was in the middle of nowhere, out in the dark, alone and fighting off some kind of octopus man.
This couldn't be real. I contemplated staying still, hoping if the worst happened I would jerk awake from this wild dream.
Another tentacle hooked around me, tearing me back to my senses.
The pain felt real.
"Let. Go. Of. Me!" I rolled sideways, fighting the tentacles slithering across my body, wrapping their way around me.
They were a color of decaying bone, covered in moss, and a few seashells grew out of the flesh, cutting my skin where they made contact.
"I will wipe out every, single, last one of your kind, girl," he snickered. "You will be the example left behind as a forewarning for them, staining these streets."
I processed what he had said, when he turned, vanishing into the darkness and the tentacles followed, dragging me after him.
I opened my mouth to scream, but this time no sound came out. There was too much pressure around my neck, and as I lifted my hands, another tentacle coiled around my neck.
I was completely ineffective and unable to fight back.
Except...
I lifted my shoulders up and slammed down. Hard.
Only one of the tentacles retreated. The tentacle man's laughter echoed from somewhere inside the darkness, and he clucked his tongue.
Another tentacle vaulted down, slapping me through the face, and my cheek planted against the pavement.
I tried resisting the darkness luring me in, but I felt night wrap around me like a thick cloak. For a moment I thought I was unconscious, lost in a sea of stars and blurred objects.
The pressure around my body slipped away, and an animal-like screech sounded. The noise cut into my eardrums, but I was unable to cover my ears, my arms dead weight at my sides.
Whatever was screaming—it was the cries of someone in pure agony.
Then, silence.
Darkness.
"Carly?" I heard a familiar voice. "It's okay, you'll be okay."
I attempted to lift my head, but the person held me down. "Don't move too fast. You hurt your head."
The voice was calm and soothing. A gentle heat formed at the base of my neck as a hand cupped it. "Here, let me."
Another hand looped around one of my arms I held up in the air. My eyes fluttered open and for a few seconds, all I could see was a blurry face hovering over me.
"Do you think you'll be able to sit up?" he asked.
I tried to nod and gasped as a sharp pain shot through my head. "It—the...the thing. Where is it? Where is he?"
"The man? He's gone," he answered. "He ran off."
"Man?" I blinked, regaining my vision. The first thing I see is a pale, beautiful face. Aquamarine eyes. "Kayn?"
"It's okay. Be careful, you got hurt."
"He had—" I choked as Kayn helped me sit up, allowing me to rest with my back against his chest. Kayn remained silent for a moment, allowing me to finish my coughing fit. "What are you talking about?"
"The man who attacked me. He had tentacles. Like the ones on an octopus."
"Carly, you got drugged."
"You were following me earlier. I thought it was you." I tried to move my head to look at him, but it hurt too much so I buried my face onto his shoulder instead. "Why did you follow me?"
"I was in town and saw you," he said. "I was trying to avoid you."
The pain inside my head began throbbing so much I thought my brain was about to explode. It felt like we were floating, and the world began to spin around us.
"I know you're lying," I managed, my body feeling limp against his.
He lifted a hand, grazing my cheek. "Help is on the way," he whispered.
