DEATH IS LURKING

After the DEATH IS LURKING we read out loud, a sudden explosion came from the sky, sending us flying backwards onto the ground.

We looked up to see the figure that hung with dangling limbs, descending from the sky.

Then as though we had but one terrified mind between us, we scrambled away over the woods and fled.

Prithvi stayed where he was, concealed by the leafs. In front of him hung a dead body upside down. The head of the corpse; dim - eyed, grinned faintly, blood blackened between the teeth.

Even if he shut his eyes the head still remained like an after - image.

Prithvi turned away from the head and began crawling till he was in the dusk of the forest. He walked drearily between the trunks, his face empty of expression, and the blood was dry round his mouth and chin.

A buffet of wind made him stagger and he saw that he was out in the open, on rock, under a brassy sky.

He found his legs were weak and his tongue gave him pain all the time.

When the wind reached the mountain - top he could see something happen, a flicker of blue stuff against brown clouds.

He pushed himself forward against the rock climbing up the mountain and the wind came again, stronger now, to push him down to his death.

Prithvi saw a humped thing suddenly sit up on the top and look down at him. He hid his face, and lost his grip.

He fell into a lagoon as creatures with fiery eyes surrounded the waters.

The strange, attendant creatures, with fiery eyes and trailing vapours, busied themselves round his head.

We ran to the lagoon, paused as a body moved out towards the open sea.

We walked in fear, approaching the body.

We saw a body full of scars.

Annabella squatted, touching Prithvi's face as a teardrop fell from her face.

"I'm dying... It hurts." Prithvi coughed out blood.

Something brushed against the back of the shelter. It's been over 6 hours Prithvi laid inside a shelter and 5 hours ago he was treated.

He woke up, arched in pain as he adjusted and was pleased to see the leafs and concoction around his body but wondered where his friends must have gone to, he wanted to thank them for making sure he stays alive.

There came a vicious snarling in the mouth of the shelter and the plunge and thump of a living thing.

The corner of the shelter became a complication of snarls and crashes and flying limbs.

There came the hitting, biting and scratching of the roof patch of the shelter.

A fist withdrew and came back like a piston, the whole shelter exploded into light, collapsing and Prithvi gaze upon the dragon that he saw earlier descending from the sky.

Prithvi twisted sideways and felt hot breath on his cheek, he stayed motionless.

Silence.

He caught sight of the rise and fall of his diaphragm and was surprised to see how quickly he was breathing. Just left of centre, his heart - beats were visible.

He saw the dragon that turned over slowly as he felt a kind of heavy feeling in his body, his pulse notifying death signals.

Silence again.

He noticed that it wasn't looking in his direction so he flung himself down under the roof bed and waited till his breathing steadied.

The dragon adjusted its wing. It moved forward, Prithvi could only see it from the waist down.

Suddenly the dragon squatted and Prithvi's heart skipped a beat, looking at the beast, he screamed.

He forgot his wounds, and became fear; hopeless fear on running feet.

His legs were getting tired and the dragon advanced with speed.

He stumbled over a root unknowingly dodging the dragon flames, rolling over and over.

He staggered to his feet, tensed for more terrors.