DRAFTED Into Chaos

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Just as Elinor had disappeared, Tanya must've done the same. Lori, however, remained at my feet, and Jeremy, behind me. The boy jolted forward, and the girl sprung out of her crouch, leaping over the boy. Although... I honestly could no longer tell them apart. They were know in the forms of the hideous creatures, whose image was imprinted in my brain forever. Mid-air, I saw Elinor's snarling, horrifying form collide with the girl, and Tanya leap for the boy's throat. I heard loud, angry growls and snarls, and felt the ground almost cave in as the girl's gruesome form hit the ground, fighting, in a dark shape, with Elinor. Lori, at my feet, shouted Jeremy's name. When there was no response, I looked away to see him disappearing into the trees, running. When I turned back, Lori was slowly rising from her position at my feet. As the boy and Tanya moved over to the left, the blur I knew was the girl and Elinor moved closer to the center.

Just after one momentous noise, I saw the creature lying on it's side, struggling to get up, and Elinor, on all fours, behind her, eyes closed. After a moment, I heard a strange noise that made me shake my head as I felt it vibrate within my ears. It was like a vibrating, shivering, hum. I stared on as Elinor's form flickered, like a candle, and then appeared on the other side of the creature. Then it was back to the other. Then, as I stood, wide-eyed, I saw Elinor... multiply. She-- they-- weren't moving... Weren't moving in the sense that, they all looked the same; On all fours, in a sort of lunge. But they quickly appeared and disappeared. The sound intensified as I saw the forms multiply from two to five to ten to an impossibly infinite number. They surrounded the creature, who had gotten up, and was now more confused than I was, snaring angrily, turning in a circle.

After a moment of this, I saw one of the forms was backing away slowly. The real Elinor. Her eyes were closed, in concentration, I assumed. Lori then stepped forward. I couldn't see Lori's face, but she began to lift her arms, gradually. The quivering sound got louder, Elinor continued backing away, and Lori continued forward. All this time, Tanya was still busy with the boy creature, but I didn't stop once to look, even when I heard a high-pitched squeal, followed by a massive shake of the earth. I was focused on what the other two girl were doing. Lori's arms continued to raise in front of her, forming an X at her chest, but lifted them above her head. Finally, she stopped walking. I saw Elinor's arm give a signal, but before my eyes could flit in her direction, Lori let out a screech, bringing her arms down in one, violent thrust.

I've heard the expression "knocked the wind out of me", and I've heard people say "knocked me off my feet", but I never could really picture that. As Lori had brought her arms down and her screech died, in one, distorted split-second, I heard nothing. I heard no roars, no screeches, and the loud hum stopped, making my ears ache. But, before the ache was even registered in my mind, I was lifted up off my feet. I hadn't realized it until the air was knocked out of me as I landed on my back. When Lori brought her arms down, she somehow released a huge pulse of energy that spread out from her, like ripples.

All sound was soon brought back, like someone slowly moved their cupped hand from in front of the speaker. I felt disoriented, but time soon caught up with me. Just as I had gotten my bearings, I looked down and across the field to see that Elinor and Lori had pounced on the girl creature. It seemed that the pulse had affected the creatures much as it had affected me; They were bewildered, having been knocked back too, for one moment, allowing the vampires to gain the upper hand.

It was not until this moment that I was scared. Up till now, it was all awe and wonder. But now, as my human instinct caught up with me, I found that my heart was fluttering in panic. I didn't even try to get up, I simply began to crawl backwards, not daring to turn my back on the scene in front of me. The shrieks and howls echoed in the surrounding forest. I looked to my right, not really knowing what I expected to see there, but I saw Anthony, dark and low to the ground, bounding out of the forest.