Snippets of Eventide

No.1: Waking in Eventide

"No!"

I rushed forward and grabbed the cat by the scruff of her neck before teeth could meet flesh. My hand burned and heat raced up the veins of my arm like a match to gasoline. I dropped her to the ground and clutched my arm to my chest.

But for a moment, the cat didn't move, stunned on her side. She stared up at me, eyes wide and pupils shrunk to slits. Then she shook out her head, scrambled to her paws and leapt at my face. I ducked back, stumbling to the ground just in time.

She jumped again but this time Dakota knocked her back with a kick to her ribs. He stood panting over me, blood soaking the clothes around his back and his shoulder.

"Run." He could barely speak, struggling to catch his breath. "Run and wake up before she kills us both." He swallowed and widened his stance. "I'll give you as long as I—"

The cat dropped from the trees, landing hard and heavy on Dakota's shoulders. He staggered and I screamed, but neither of us had a chance to react before she closed her jaws around the soft skin of his throat. Dakota didn't make a sound as she tore his trachea from his neck and he collapsed.

She landed soft in the grass beside him, spitting blood from her mouth. "Worthless."

I scrambled to his side as the life vanished from his body. Fast. Be quick. I held my breath and thrust my hand to his chest, ripping his soul from it's shaken hold on useless organs and dying bone. It flickered cold in the cage of my fingers, chilling my blood as I forced it through the muscles of my own ribcage. For a moment it was still and dread poisoned my breath. Too late, too slow. It was— it moved, searching until he settled in the dip of my collar bone.

There's no choice. My hands balled to fists at my sides and I turned to face the cat glaring up at us from the grass. If you can't wake up she'll hunt you down and kill you. Are we asleep? She can still kill you. So we have to fight? There's no choice.

The cat snarled and leapt. Dakota took my limbs, throwing my body clumsily out of the way. I staggered to catch my balance and whirled around as she ran again, darting around trees and vanishing into the air.

But a glow in the air above my head caught my eye and I jumped back a second before the cat dropped right where I would have been. She whirled, snarling.

"How?" She spat.

How did you? She vanished and I ran backwards, heart pounding and searching the greyscale forest until the glow appeared again above my right arm. If it were me or Dakota I couldn't tell, but I darted away before she materialized. Then again, again, again.

You're not human are you? I backed against a tree, the shine of the cat's soul burning right in front of my face. My limbs chilled as Dakota took hold, raising them as the cat appeared clawing at my eyes. I caught her between my fingers, digging into the soft fur around her bony ribs. The spirit trapped inside her body fluttered, hot and manic and ancient.

If it had a soul, I bet I could tear it out.

Her teeth found my wrist and I dropped her. She vanished and I clutched the wound bleeding down the length of my hand.

Tear it out and then what? Destroy it. Forever? I nodded, searching for the tell-tale shimmer. I swallowed. Destroying souls was one thing, fighting whatever this was a nightmare was a different story. Leave that to me.

Dakota pressed against bone and muscles, trying to extend his hold to take over all of my body. I dropped my guard, letting him take over just as the cat appeared again.