Horns and Halos, page 3
Grunts were not ignorant creatures, but they were far from intelligent. They didn’t know how to speak and could only act like wild, starving dogs. IQ aside, it didn’t take a genius to realize that it had come across easy prey.
It growled, and a series of guttural clicking sounds rolled through the small crawl space. The hairs on my arms and the back of my neck rose up—and I swallowed hard. This wasn’t good. My eyes darted around, and I saw the leech hovering over me. I felt tired again, and I knew that it had been feeding on my negative emotions. I swung at it, and the ball of worms blipped in and out of sight. Just as I turned around, a maw filled with daggers for teeth was lunging right at my face. Out of sheer reflex, I raised my arm to block the attack and pushed out, and I slammed the creature in the throat. The grunt’s claws grazed over the side of my neck, and I felt the blazing trail of heat engulf my skin as its talons scratched me.
My hand clamped down over the inflicted area, and I quickly pulled it away to inspect my palm. My stomach knotted as my eyes took in the few tiny dots of blood. A scratch had never seemed more deadly as it did in that moment.
My eyes fixed on the grunt that I had tossed off of me, and the creature hissed and swiped at the open-air while hunched up against the far wall. Dread washed over me, and I felt dizzy. The leech was close enough to feed off of me again.
Swinging wildly, I managed to clip the edge of its oblong body, and a high-pitched sound rang through the cave as it writhed in agony. The grunt scratched at the wall trying to escape both my swinging blade and the painful sound of the wounded leech. I stumbled for the entrance, gagged a few times as the fear had soured my stomach, and I crawled desperately for the opening. As soon as I was out in the open, I froze in horror.
The eerie glow of multiple sets of hungry eyes shimmered like dangerous jewels at the bottom of the mountain. I could hear a jackal-like cackle and a series of hisses. I held my neck, but it was too late. From behind me, there was a snarl, and the grunt that had been in the cave darted out and grabbed hold of my ankle. A sharp pain shot through my bone as it clamped its dirty mouth over its prize and tried to rip my foot off. I heard my teeth grinding in my ears as I tried not to yell out in pain. Sure, I was pretty much on death’s doorstep at the moment, but I didn’t want to go ringing the doorbell to announce my arrival.
I kicked my leg, but the grunt didn’t let go. Raising my machete, I pointed the tip down and stabbed it in the head right as it looked up. A second before my blade rushed through its unsuspecting face, it let out an earsplitting cry. No sooner had the noise been made, it was snuffed out with gargles. Wanting to be free of the bloody carcass, I kicked the thing off my leg with all my might, and it slammed into the edge of the cave entrance with a sickening snap.
Turning on heel, I went to address the matter of what little distance was left between me and a hungry horde of demons. The answer was: not a lot. Already, a few were scaling the base of the mountain, and the few that hadn’t fallen off were almost near the ledge. Adrenaline coursed through me like a forest fire. Frantically, I rushed over to the crumpled body, grabbed it, and chucked it at the landing where the closest demon was. I didn’t hit anything. I wasn’t exactly trying to. My goal was to let them feast on the grunt’s remains while I made a dash for even higher ground.
The first demon hissed and sniffed at the body before laughing and diving into its meal without restraint. I could hear things ripping and tearing as more joined in to feast. Suppressing the urge to hurl, I ran around a bend in the path and started to climb up. I didn’t want my movement to call them to me. However, my bloody scratch would no matter how far I went. I wasn’t going to make it easy on them, though. From the looks of it, they were all grunts. Grunts weren’t the best climbers. I wasn’t either, but I was betting I was better at it than they were.
At least ... I hoped that I was.
Without a massive backpack strapped to me, it was a lot easier than the climb I made earlier that afternoon. I hoisted myself up to the first ledge and stole a peek to the ground below. Already, I could see the boney corpse of the grunt peeking back up at me. The few that had had their fill were waddling down the side of the mountain happily while the others fought over the remaining meal. I clamped a hand over my mouth and stifled the urge to gag with deep, slow breaths.
A screeching cry jolted me, and I lost my footing. I stumbled back to catch myself and grabbed at nothing but air. I could hear the rocks slide under my feet as they gave way, and I fell down. My nails bit into the rocky face of the mountain, and my legs slammed into the hard surface before dangling helplessly. The force of catching all of my freefalling weight at once caused my left elbow to dislocate. I felt it pop, and hanging onto the ledge was bringing me to tears. I still didn’t scream, though. But the rocks had made enough noise for me. I looked down and saw a few of the grunts dancing about the ledge as they dodged the falling stones. One of them got mangled by the falling debris and hungry, nearby grunts wasted no time in putting the limping creature out of its misery.
I turned my head away from the sight, but it didn’t save my ears from the sounds. The wounded demon was still howling in pain when the others started to devour it. Fearing a similar fate, I muscled through the blazing pain, managed to get my footing, pulled myself up, and knelt down when I got to safety. My ankle throbbed, and I could feel my sock, thick with blood, adhering to my leg as it dried.
I took a moment to try and gain my breath. It was hard to find a steady rhythm when I felt the pulsing pain steal the air from my lungs. I was going to have to pop my elbow back into place now, whether I wanted to or not. I panted, held my breath, and laid my arm on the ground at a ninety-degree angle. Scooping my other hand under the wrist of the injured arm, I turned the appendage with my free hand until both were palm up. Slowly, I guided my arm up to my shoulder. I growled as I felt searing white-hot pain rush through the bend of my arm until it went back in place. I wiggled my fingers, double-checked to see that it was fully functional again, and sighed—relieved that the remaining pain was something that wouldn’t hinder me and my climbing.
Quickly, I looked over my shoulder to see if I had gained any of the grunt’s attention. It was too dark to be a hundred percent sure, but it didn’t seem like I had. However, the wails of the (now dead) grunt had gained more dinner guests. I’m sure that the scent of blood in the air was doing no favors to repel the new throng of drooling creatures. I picked up my machete and hobbled around the ledge until I found another way further up the mountain.
Everything on my body felt stiff or sore, and hoisting myself up the steepest incline wasn’t my favorite thought at the moment. However, I was willing to muscle through the pain if I could live another day. I found another good spot to climb and tied the machete belt around my waist. Finding grooves within the crag, I started my ascension up the mountain. Blazing discomfort flared through my ankle with each step, and I didn’t make it far before my luck ran out. Overhead, I heard the growling and clicking of a grunt, and I gasped as I locked gazes with the creature.
Tiny stones pelted my face as the demon skittered over the rocky side toward me. I tried to sidestep and reach for my weapon, but I was too slow. The grunt threw itself at me and landed on my arm. Immediately after impact, it tore into my shoulder as its claws possessively sank into my flesh. I let go of my hold on the grooves of the wall, and we plummeted a short distance before we slammed against the mountainside and then rolled down to the ledge. My cries mingled with the grunt’s as we fell.
Once at the bottom, I could use both my hands to grab hold of the demon’s head, and I twisted. I felt resistance. Gritting my teeth, I twisted more. The grunt howled and fought against me until I heard a well-defined snap, and the body went limp. I chucked it off the side without a second thought. I couldn’t dwell on what I had done. Survival hinged on my need to keep moving. Checking over myself quickly, I ensured that I had my weapon still attached to my person. I felt a rush of relief hit me when I saw the blade’s handle next to my hip right before the pads of my fingers brushed over the hilt.
Hoots and yips could be heard close by. Some of the approaching demons were already feasting on the new body. But there were more hungry creatures than there was food. I wasn’t looking to be their next meal. There wasn’t time to climb anymore. The ones that didn’t want to fight among themselves for the fresh carcass had fixed their sights on me. I jumped over a small break in the narrow path and hit the ground running with a hiss of pain.
I could hear them behind me, gaining ground. Their talons were scraping over the stone underfoot as they galloped on all fours for me. I couldn’t outrun them, not while my ankle was flaring with mind-numbing pain and every thundering footfall I made was soaked in a fresh wave of agony. Eventually, I would have to make a stand. There was no way I could keep this up. There wasn’t a lot of time to devise a plan. I had miscalculated the shadows in the distance.
One step.
Two steps.
S
L
I
D
E
The world became a blur as I rolled down the mountain. Jutting rock slammed into my spine, my hips, my knees ... I covered my face with my arms and cradled the back of my head as I tumbled toward the bottom. I tried with all my might not to clench up, but I was sure that I had fractured a rib (at the very least) on the way down.
Drawing in air was painful, and I could feel my whole body shaking as I willed myself to stand up sooner than I would have liked to. My vision swam, and the scene around me swayed like I was aboard a boat atop an angry sea. I hit my knees and dry heaved.
“Get ... up, Sia,” I growled to myself between gulps for air. “If you’re going to ... throw up ... do it ... while running.”
I could hear the grunts trying to reach me, but they were heading toward me with the same grace I had exuded on my way down the mountain. Up ahead, I saw my first glimmer of hope on the horizon. The faintest of light could be seen starting to chase away the evening shadows, but it was still about an hour away. Would I last long enough for the glaring rays of sunshine to send the demons back into hiding for another day?
I hoped so. I really, really hoped so.
Moving my feet, I tried to run as fast as I could, but—as I did—I could feel every strain on my body. I could feel every sore muscle move against its will as I hobbled further away from the snarling doom behind me. My injured leg was dragged more than it was lifted. My wounded shoulder throbbed with a sharp ache from the bite mark, my chest felt heavy, and I slowly drew out my weapon as I limped along.
It wouldn’t be long now. They were right behind me. I needed to save my energy for fighting because it was clear that I wasn’t going to make it very far at the rate I was going. Ducking behind a thin collection of gnarled, thorny trees surrounding a few boulders, I tried to calm myself. Emotions can mess you up in a fight. My daddy taught me that, even though my momma was very expressive with how much she didn’t like me fighting a man his size. He only told her, “The world won’t care that she’s a young girl. I’ll teach her how to protect herself so I won’t have to weep over a corpse.” Momma didn’t protest anymore after that.
A foolish part of me thought that slipping behind the foliage and rocks would somehow help me, but the realistic side of me knew that I was helplessly trying to survive by running away from certain death. Unfortunately, my wounded body couldn’t take me as far as my heart desired. As I stood there wishing that I could manage a miracle and stay alive for another hour, I knew that I couldn’t. But I had promised that I would swing my blade until I couldn’t anymore. My chest rose and fell rapidly with my labored breathing as I tried to rest as quickly as I could, but every inhale made my upper body feel like I was being stabbed.
It was in that quiet moment that I felt the ghost of an emotion wash over me. Oddly like the residue of dread that the leech had left behind, but this felt different. It felt smarter ... crueler. It felt like I had someone whispering to me to run before laughing at my clear misfortune. This thing was watching and enjoying the torment I was going through. There was nothing kind about it, but it made me feel all the more vulnerable. As if, at any minute, some new demon would rise out of the shadows and claim me in ways teeth and claws couldn’t. It made my skin crawl and my insides knot up in disgust, but I still couldn’t shake the undeniable feeling.
My eyes scanned the surroundings, trying to pinpoint where this new threat might be lurking, but my vision paused when I saw the glimmer of the first set of hungry eyes coming around the boulder. The gunt’s victorious, hissing laughter caressed my senses like sandpaper. I licked my dry, cracked lips and quickly lifted my weapon in front of me as I tilted my chin up.
“Forgive me, momma ...” I felt the first tear blaze down my cheek like a falling star, full of heat and destruction. My lip quivered as I whispered, “I tried.” Though I knew she would never hear my final moments, I said them to bring me comfort. But I wanted nothing more than for her arms to wrap around me one more time and for us all to be together once more. “I tried so hard,” I faintly repeated, and the first grunt lunged at me, slicing a talon across my face. I could feel fresh, warm blood spill from my forehead all the way down to my chin and a sick, itching feeling soaked my skin. I resisted the urge to hold the wound and grabbed the grunt by the leg and slung it toward the boulder.
Another tried to gain the upper hand while I was distracted. I was quicker. I sliced its arm off as it reached for me, and I kicked it away. As it slid across the desert floor, another dove at me from behind and slashed wildly at my back. Hitting the ground with a piercing cry, I noticed that there were more heading my way. While some of the demons saw the rising sun as the apparent threat that it was, the rest were too hungry to ignore a potential meal. In a panic, I slammed onto my back and repeated the action until the grunt was dazed enough to let me go. I rose to my feet and hacked at the body lying there until I was sure that it wouldn’t get back up. And then, like I told daddy, I stabbed at it again.
Sweat was pouring down my face and brow when I lifted my hardened gaze to the horde of grunts cackling and licking their lips at me. The vision in my left eye was hazy as blood flooded the socket. I closed that eye to keep my gaze fixed on the approaching demons. Rage bubbled inside me. Tears mingled with the crimson liquid on my face. I felt dizzy and tired. But I let all of my anger ball up inside, and I released a bellowing roar to the approaching creatures.
“Come on!”
Chapter 3:
Those Gold, Uncaring Eyes
When the sun rose, I was sure I was going to die. Either from a vengeful straggler, blood loss, or from the elements themselves, but I wasn’t going to last on my own. That much was for certain. I reserved myself to that ugly truth as I felt the first rays of light warm the back of my pant legs.
It should have been a moment full of glee and happy tears. Instead, I could feel the hot tears of sorrow rolling down my face as I struggled to take in another ragged breath tinged with a metallic perfume. My mind ticked off a list of things that were in my duffle bag that might help me out in my current situation. However ... I didn’t have the energy to go get them. No matter how many times I told my limbs to move, they twitched and lay motionless. I opened my eyes after managing to roll over on my back. I wanted to see the sky. I wanted to watch the glittering stars fade from midnight hues and deep purples into a splendid baby blue sky kissed with morning sunshine.
From somewhere behind me, I could hear one of the grunts try to crawl toward me. I was pretty sure it was the one with only one arm and two broken legs as it was taking its sweet time on getting to me. I didn’t know if I was upset or glad about that. I was happy about one thing, I didn’t give up. I fought as hard as I could until I couldn’t. My body refusing to react to my commands to get up and flee the area was proof of that fact. Slowly, I closed my eyes.
After several minutes of quieting the trepidation that had mounted within my being, I had finally stopped crying about my soon-to-be death. A few silent talks to myself had brought me to accept my undeniable fate. I reminded myself that even if I wanted to fight, I didn’t have the strength to. I told myself that relentlessly until I didn’t think of a way out of my conundrum.
If I just rested my eyes for a moment, maybe I could regain enough energy to fight off that one, lone grunt and hobble back to my stuff to try and rest and mend before racing off to somewhere safer. There was far too much blood around me for this place to be safe. I was bleeding too much.
Drat. I had done it again. I had closed my eyes long enough to fantasize about trying to escape my doom. I had daydreamed about the possibilities of my life existing beyond this moment. The quiet talks that had silenced my natural desire to fight and survive had been forgotten. Lazily, I gave a corner smile and shook my head.
“Silly, Sia ...” I whispered to myself.
Closer now, maybe a few feet away, I heard the hissing of the grunt. I could hear the pebbles as they were dragged over the desert floor under the weight of its body while it scooted closer to me. I could smell its searing flesh as it cooked under the rays of the sun. I let out a slow breath, and my fingers twitched over the handle of the machete.
With my eyes still closed, I suddenly felt the same dread that I had before the sun rose. It was as thick as a humid day in the south and as uncomfortable as a sunburn. It felt like something that you wanted to wash away with a whole bar of soap and a steaming hot shower.
