Don't Let Them Catch You

23• Under attack

She wasn't a child anymore.

She was not a child.

"I will DISMEMBER your rotten genitals and feed it to pigs—" The angel roared before the monster cut her off and forced her head to the side. Her right cheek slammed harshly onto the cool temperature of the ground beneath them.

Despite her struggling, it completely ignored her threat. The sudden silence persuaded her to freeze, realising her pulse had left it in a trance of lust. Quickly she noticed through her ire that one of two things could happen.

If she was still, in it's current state of distraction it could drop its guard— which she could use to her advantage. If she kept flailing she could eventually find an opening but it was more likely to snap and tear into her throat first.

Deciding the latter was too risky, she waited in baited breath for an opening.

If she was quick enough, she would only have one chance.

"It shouldn't... just one—"

The second the angel felt a grip relax on her left arm, she wrenched it free and swung for the head at her neck before it could finish its sentence. Her fist collided into something squishy as though she'd punched through a raw brain.

It went lax atop her, she'd hit hard enough to disorientate. Before she could use the moment to her advantage and kick herself free, the door above the stairs shattered across the room and slammed into the invisible weight, spilling light into the darkness.

Ignoring the stinging cry of her body, now free she flipped onto her feet, motivated by the wrath of the presence behind her. Spitting out the blood that had gathered at her lips, she wiped her sleeve across her lips with the grace befitting a troll and straightened her stance as a show of strength she didn't feel.

"You slimy bastard." Only a fool would have mistaken the quiet in Amos' voice for calm as he sauntered towards Aura. The gentle hand he placed on her waist was the only acknowledgment he gave in the moment for her well-being, though Aura knew the tightness in his fingers betrayed his worry. The subtle consolation did nothing to ease the disgust within herself.

Bile rose in her throat, she might have been free but she could still feel it's revolting essence all over her skin like ants crawling over her flesh. She fought the urge to lean into the giant that had stopped beside her protectively, for support and stayed upright.

The arch of his wings casted deep stygian against the dim light. "I should've picked up on your putrid odour the second I opened the door."

Kissed by hysteria the voices collapsed into a fit of screeching laughter. Aura snapped her attention to the direction of the sound, her knees finally steady. It came from where the door now lay splintered against the wall at the end of the basement, past the heavy storage lining the sides.

"It's too late." It cackled. "It's too late — it's too late."

On repeat came those words as though from a broken record serving only to aggravate her. It got hard to hear her own thoughts passed the noise, and just when she felt like her ears were going to bleed— "It wasn't hard to get the lion cubs to let us in...." She could feel it's eerie smile.

Amber—. Aura exhaled deeply, stopping the direction of her own thoughts before she cursed someone who may not have been in control of her body.

Amos' thumb stroked a quick circle into her spine, his touch lingering before she noted the release of the comforting weight with a hint of sadness.

"Especially the tiny one... oh the envy, the rage that plagued her mind —corruption is easy between likeminded souls such as ourselves...." It paused. "It took little to no convincing. We will feed on every single person in this little hideaway. Kill me if you so wish, but it won't stop the inevitable."

Her protector took measured steps forward, reaching behind his back to unsheathe a great sword that glowed sinisterly in the darkness, a sword Aura had never took notice of before.

"What happens next should feel like déjà—"

He didn't even give it time to finish its sentence.

Aura didn't know how he could see it, she didn't know how he knew where to strike, but when Amos made a a single wide arch swipe of his arm he struck true. Dark smoke dispelled from beside the splintered door, sinking into the ground and turning into ash, before it disappeared altogether.

Only once the enemy was dead, and there was no shame in displaying weakness did she give in to her crying limbs. The angel folded over, pressing a hand against her pummelling heart and the other on her knee.

Her features scrunched together as she quietly recalled the threat she had delivered and failed to follow through.... It may not have been a promise & she might have had to search... but she did seriously intend on tearing out its balls. Or ripping off its clit if it lacked a penis.

"Why do you frown?" The giant asked with an incline of his head, the dim light casting shadows against the hardness of his jaw.

With his back turned to her, a quiet shock coursed down her body at the fact that he even knew what face she was making.

"I was supposed to dismember its balls." It sounded ridiculous out loud stated so matter of factly after what had just went down.

Aura caught the ghost of an amused smile tugging at his lips, but the triumphant feeling from this was short lived. Her eyes were drawn back to the splintered door, zeroing in on the horizontal claw marks it must've left before it's demise. The only sign it was here.

She had never faced something so powerful before... had no idea of it's existence and she had spent hours with her nose tucked into pages studying what she thought was every demon over the last decade.

It unsettled her.

What if there were more? More she knew nothing of?

"Thank you." Her voice was but a whisper. Though she had found a way to gain the upper hand there was no telling what would've happened had he not came. She was embarrassed.

With his back still turned, Amos inhaled deeply. There was a pause... a sheathe of the heavy sword—which disappeared into nothing behind him— before the giant turned to face her. Those storm cloud eyes were hard, a muscle ticked in his jaw. "You have nothing to thank me for."

"We have to get you out of here." He started towards her, "Forget the arranged time we have to get to the mer folk now."

Aura accepted his guidance at once, allowing him to lead her to the stairs with a swipe of his arm.

"It was telling the truth wasn't it." Aura muttered sombrely.

"It was." Amos responded. She glanced up at him, seeing only his chocolate curls brush against his neck.

They were of one mind, he knew what she'd asked.

The compound was under attack.