Chapter 20 (Revised 4/21/2019)

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I couldn't move. The sight of this creature, this kind creature who had lived with me for a month, transformed into this was too much for my brain to process.

Cory scoffed. "What's his problem?"

I made a slight noise in my throat but could do nothing else

Miles turned to look at Cory. The scales on the back of his neck sharpening into long spikes. He lifted his hands, the reddened ends of his fingers sharp claws. He stood crouched, looking fierce and wild—nothing like the skittish creature I had found in the woods.

Cory dropped his beer, eyes on Miles. "What the Hell is happening?"

Then it was over.

Miles charged forward, hands extended to knock Cory to the ground. I screamed out, and people nearby gathered to see the fight rather than run away. They came in time to witness Miles tear Cory's throat apart. At the sight of blood, I wasn't the only one screaming. The party erupted into fear and pandemonium as they ran away in all directions.

I couldn't move. I knew I should follow in their footsteps, but I was rooted to the spot, unable to do a thing. Then, Miles looked up at me, blood dripping down his chin as he crouched over the mound that had once been Cory.

When his beady eyes focused on me, I found the ability to take a small step backwards, crashing into the house in my desperation to escape. I looked left and right, but it suddenly occurred to me that I was the only one left out here—everyone else was gone.

I looked back to him, and as soon as our eyes met, he lunged at me. I tried to move out of the way, but he was too fast, and before I knew it, his teeth connected with the flesh of my shoulder. Pain flooded through me as he tore a chunk right off my body leaving me screaming in agony.

I punched at Miles' but it did no good. Then his teeth loosened before he was sent flying across the field to where he landed on his back. Cameron stood before me, panic wearing on his face.

"I heard screaming," he said desperately.

And that was all it took for me to start crying. The pain in my shoulder was intense, blood running down my skin and soaking my shirt.

"Oh my God Maya, what happened to you?" he said sounding even more desperate than he had a few minutes ago.

With a shaky hand, I pointed to Miles, and Cameron turned to look at him just as he stood to his feet, growling. Cameron led me away to the street where a few bystanders had remained. Now, they were beginning to scatter, and Cameron and I stared at each other, confused and pained.

"We have to get out of here, Maya," he said, trying to lead me away, but I couldn't go.

"What about Clarissa?"

Let me find her," he said, eyes on my wound as he scanned the faces of the people around us.

I watched him, head spinning as I watched Miles across the field, chasing after a couple who lagged behind the rest of the group. When Cameron came back, his face was grim.

"I can't find her, Maya, but we're going to have to go without her."

I stood my ground as he tried to pull me away.

"We don't have much time," he insisted.

Finally, I gave in as a swoon of dizziness caused my peripheral vision to blacken. The damage Miles had done was bad, and the fact I was even still on my feet was probably a direct result of my adrenaline. However, that wouldn't last forever, and if I passed out, that would be a burden for Cameron to deal with.

I let him move me away when a voice stopped us.

"Guys! Wait!" It was Clarissa.

I turned, relieved as she trotted up to our side. "What's going on?" she demanded and then her eyes dropped to me, to the blood soaking my shirt. "Maya!"

"No time to explain," Cameron said. "We have to get to your car. It's not safe."

"Where's Cory?" she asked.

I gagged at the thought of the sound of Miles ripping out his throat. "He's...he's..."

Clarissa's eyes were wide.

"We have to go," Cameron said again, every word slow.

"But..." Clarissa protested, glancing back over her shoulder toward the house.

"He's dead, dammit," Cameron said, the time for pleasantries gone. "Let's go!" Cameron insisted, one hand on each of us. "Your car, Clarissa!"

"And then what?" I asked, swallowing roughly. "Where do we go after that?"

"I heard people are sheltering in the community center," Clarissa said, running just a few steps ahead of us. "We'll go there."

"Not without my grandma," I insisted, the horrible thought of Miles tearing her apart at the front of my mind.

Nobody else spoke after that as we made the frantic dash to Clarissa's car. She undid the locks and we climbed in, Cameron holding me in the backseat as she fumbled with the keys, desperately trying to get the car started. Then, Miles appeared, face pressed to the window and bloody fingers scratching at the glass.

He growled, punching the window just as the engine started. She pressed her foot to the gas, her car flying down the street. I worked up the energy to sit up, to glance through the back window to see Miles standing in the middle of the road staring after us.

I let out a shuddering sigh of relief and relaxed against the seat. The movement caught Cameron's attention and his eyes lingered on the bloody bite missing from my shoulder.

"You need stitches," he said.

"Not right now, I don't," I said. "I need to get to Lilliana."

"If you don't stop that from bleeding you're going to lose consciousness, and soon." He didn't wait for me to speak before he took off his shirt. Shirtless Cameron was something I had seen a hundred times in the past, but there was something so different about this, so intimate.

Then his fingers lingered on the bottom of my shirt, and before I knew it, he had pulled mine off too, leaving me in my bra in the backseat of Clarissa's car. His eyes were on my wound, and I didn't look at it, finding that I couldn't look at it for fear of what I'd see. He pressed his shirt to the wound, attempting to tie it around me in a makeshift bandage as he gagged, turning his head away to take in a fresh breath of air.

"This isn't working," he said after a few minutes. "I think it needs pressure, lift up your arm."

I opened my mouth to argue with him but the look on his face convinced me otherwise. I sighed and lifted my arm and watched as he looped the shirt over the wound and underneath my armpit, tying the two ends together to make a makeshift bandage.

I looked at him appreciatively. "Thanks, Cameron."

He looked away then just as Clarissa pulled to a stop. Even with Cameron's bandage, my vision was starting to grow hazy, but even in this state, I could recognize my home.

"Go get your grandma," Clarissa said.

I made a move to get up when Cameron put his hand on my not devastated shoulder. "I'll get her, stay here."

"No," I said, pushing open the door before he could stop me again.

Cameron gave up then, and we hurried out into the night, rushing up the path into the house. We slammed the door behind us to keep out anything that might've noticed our mad dash. Inside the house, Lilliana's records played from her room.

Then it skipped, repeating over the same line three or four times. Desperation tugged at me, and I ran down the hall, flinging open the door, before I collapsed to my knees at the carnage ahead of me.

Midnight Disaster ~FINALIST Watty Awards 2012~Where stories live. Discover now