(second) brush with death

Coming after us in hordes are monsters that are ET-like, clothes hanging off insect-looking frames that are big white man tall, eyes waving about in stalks, blasters in hands.

Fear surges through my veins, searing down my gut, seizing my heart and squeezing it with no mercy.

“Run, Haven, Jesus! You got a death wish?” Rain tugs me to action. “Your friend will be fine. They’re after us.”

Hesitantly, I follow Rain. He is fast, and he has long legs. He runs ahead of me, through the network or alleyways and puddled concrete, but paces himself when he realizes I can’t keep up with him. I’m slowing him down, and suddenly I feel guilty. If Rain had been the only one running away, he would have been safe. But now I’m here, the monsters are gaining quickly.

Rain twists back and I watch as he aims a hand at the monsters.

One moment they are on our tail, the next about half of them fly into the air.

“Holy-” I jump and speed up. “Rain, what the heck?” Rain growls and his arm drops. The monsters drop with it.

Telekinesis?

He has telekinesis. Oh my God. That’s a movie superpower, no way a guy actually has-

Rain swipes an arm behind him, and three monsters fly off into the bushes as the side of the road.

Damn, he really does.

He's slowed the monsters down, but barely. I'm not the best at math, but I don't need to gauge distance to know they're bearing down on us. Fifteen feet away.

Rain grabs my hand, his brows knitted and colour shading his cheeks ruddy with exertion, sweat clinging his raven-black hair to his forehead. His hand is clammy but strong, pulling me forward with an iron grip.

Ten feet.

“Come on, Haven!” He pulls me forward. Doesn’t make a difference.

My legs burn. I keep trying to remember my training in canoeing, but I’ve always been better when I paddled than when I ran. Plus, my ankle is beginning to throb.

My desperate gaze meets Rain’s pleading ones.

Hurry up, he’s saying.

I wish I could tell him it isn’t that easy, but my breath catches in my throat and air feels like solid around me. No matter how much I try to breathe, nothing fits into my lungs enough, and I feel like I'm drowning above ground.

The monsters are five feet away now.

“Haven!” Rain yells as the monsters come on us.

“I’m trying, asshole!” I yell back.

Rain whips me a glare, but he doesn’t comment on my word choice.

I scream as long, branch-like fingers brush my heel. Rain keeps tugging me forward but I’m definitely behind.

Then I trip, and I stumble and that’s the end of me.

Long, dagger-like fingers claw at my clothes and rake a painful mark down my back. They grab my shirt and my ponytail and pull me to them and I punch backwards as I run. All the move does it slow me down. No, no, nonono.

One of them brandishes a dagger and charges at me.

The rest of them grab me, stopping me from running any more even as I kick and pull against their hands. Where the hell is Rain? I search the hideous faces of monsters to hopefully see him in the space between their stupid heads, but I find no one.

The monsters’ scaly, sharp appendages are scratching my skin red. Goddamnit, they are strong. No amount of struggling frees me from their hold.

Pain flares up my skin and I close my eyes. I’m going to die, and I don’t want to see it.

******

I have a break from my lectures so here I am!! super excited to update you guys with this, thanks so much for reading again <3 if my little notes at the end of each chapter get annoying, please tell me!