March City: Land of the Gifted [Book 1 | Fantasy/Sci-fi | Complete]

Chapter 5: Eyes in the Dark

Ari swallowed. She didn't dare move for a good few seconds. Her left hand clutched her necklace. It didn't store much electricity, particularly after all the cameras she'd broken, but it would probably be enough to disable one or two people so she could flee.

The shuffling continued. A few stones were knocked rolling to the ground. The panting increased; the thing was approaching.

Ari glanced around the room. There was no light to see by. A table was to her right, the broken cupboard and collapsed bed to her left. She couldn't hide inside anything. One glance inside and they would see her, if they wielded some sort of light.

The footsteps stopped. The thing sniffed. Ari held her breath, turning her body into stone. Blood drummed in her ears. If she were caught now, she'd be arrested for trespassing for sure. And once they searched her, they would find the document and know her link. The Peacekeepers must be aware of the scientists' potential link to the explosions this time. Not even Shon could get her out of that, for sure.

A dark shape stopped at the doorway. Bright eyes gleamed at her like glowstones.

Ari's heart stopped.

That wasn't a Peacekeeper.

An animalistic snarl ripped through the air.

The creature rushed towards her. There was a clumsiness in its gait, but Ari wasn't going to stay and observe how sharp its teeth or claws were. She'd seen animal projects in class videos and knew how vicious animals had evolved to be, although there were none to be seen in March City. She threw herself to the side, gasping with pain as she rolled over rocks. She heard her long-sleeved top tear. Pain throbbed over her back.

The animal passed by, causing a gust. Ari could barely see it, but it was obvious that thing didn't use sight as its primarily sense.

She wasted no time. Her feet hit the floor and she ran to the door. The creature followed her closely. She narrowly avoided another attack. It skimmed by and slammed into the wall. The floor vibrated beneath her feet.

Her heart thumping, Ari didn't care to look behind her. Adrenaline pumped through her body. Sweat broke out. The corridor seemed endless. The panting and rustling continued behind her. It sounded like there were more than one of them on her tail.

Her hair plastered to her head. Her chest burned with each breath. Every step hitched her breath as she expected to fall onto her face and be savaged.

Try as she might, there was no way of seeing in the dark. The stairs from which she'd descended seemed to be the only way out. The basement flats had no windows, no light, and no holes. Before her, melting into the darkness, the corridor stretched. Eager pants filled her ears, bloodthirsty and close.

Something caught her foot. Her heart rose to her throat. Her feet left the ground.

Wind rushed past her ears. Pain exploded on her hands and knees as she crashed onto the ground in a heap. She let out a yell of pain. The injured skin stung.

One of the animals sailed over her, slamming into the nearby wall.

To her surprise, a grumble filled the air. Cracks then ensued and she felt dust flow over her as the structure collapsed. She reached out. A jagged hole, large enough for her to crawl through. At the base of the wall was the heaving creature, dazed from the contact. She didn't waste time. Diving head-long, she squeezed through. Some of the bricks gave way as she wriggled. She clawed at the sides desperately, yanking her body through just in time.

The other pursuers arrived, sniffing and panting at the hole. They clamoured over each other, clawing at the wall, to no avail.

Ari backed away from the hole. Her legs gave way and she slid down the far wall. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness. She could make out the hole and the shapes moving about. Their feet pattered on the floor. She was in another room. A wider one.  Perhaps one inhabited by students who weren't at the direct bottom of the economic ladder.