Minstrel

Chapter #14 ~ Creak

He looked at her with so much pain and she wanted so bad to understand why he was hurting. "If you sleep now, Creak, I'm afraid you won't wake up."

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"Creak! Run!" A body slammed into her and knocked her out of the silent siren's spell. The spell... whatever she saw would have to wait until she was safe.

The siren screamed in rage at losing its prey and Creak grabbed her head in her hands. It felt like a nail was being hammered into her temple.

Vern grabbed her hand and ran, pulling her along with him. His lips moved, but the sound was lost to Creak. She shook her head and gestured at her ears with her free hand. Vern nodded in understanding and turned his attention to getting them away from the siren.

Creak could feel it in her head still. The death. The pain. It was with her and she couldn't bring herself to look behind her. The silent siren was there, nipping at her feet. She was sure of it.

Vern lead them through alley after alley, but Creak was sure they were lost. Everything looked the same in the StoneCold. Bright buildings boarding narrow streets. Creak risked a look up as her a ringing returned to her ears. Nothing. Just the normal overcast sky. A promise of snow blew in the icy air.

"Do you know where we're going?" Creak asked as the ringing finally faded and they turned down another alleyway.

"No." Vern's voice was different. More stern and without the friendly, lightheartedness she was used to. "Now be quiet."

Creak wasn't sure what his problem was, but she guessed it had something to do with stress. 'I'll listen to him.' She thought to herself. 'He seems to know more about what he's doing than I do, so I'll just have to trust him.'

Angel's singsong voice came to her. "ɬཞųʂɬ! ơɧ, ῳɧąɬ ą ῳơŋɖɛཞʄųƖ ɠıʄɬ ɬơ ɠı۷ɛ!"

"What are you even talking about?" Gorgos spat at her.

Creak smiled. It wasn't a real crisis if her two internal companions didn't argue about something.

"ıɬ'ʂ ƈơɱıŋɠ ƈཞɛąƙ! ყơų ɧą۷ɛ ɬơ ცɛ ƈąཞɛʄųƖ!" Angel's lovely voice warned her. "ıɬ'ʂ ƈơɱıŋɠ!"

"Oh really." Gorgos said with thick sarcasm. "And I thought it was just going to leave us alone."

Creak rolled her eyes at them, but didn't let Angel's warning go. Shutting out the voices in her head, Creak looked around.
There was nothing behind them, nor above them. Then she saw it. A small slimmer of displaced air at the corner of the alley.

Holding her breath, Creak quickly grabbed Vern by the shirt and pulled him through the closest door. Keeping a hand over his mouth, Creak pushed Vern ahead of her and up a set of stairs to the second floor.
The floorboards creaked beneath them as Creak pushed Vern to a corner of the room, out of sight from the room's windows.

"It's here." Creak whispered and Vern had the sense not to say anything in return. Cowering against him, Creak closed her eyes. If the silent siren found them she didn't want to see it. She didn't care if that got her killed because she'd rather die than see the death in the beast's eyes again.