Immortal Bodies

Chapter 17--The First Body

Kolby raced down the long, narrow corridor, the hallway winding into a huge double doorway. He pushed them open with shaking hands and gritted his teeth, ready to expect the trouble he was in.

 He wanted to get it over with. His back was sweating, and his palms were shaking. "What is it, Professor Traynor? I got a code Fire. I didn't overflow the sinks this time! I swear it!"

 The large office in front of him was in a mess of radars, computers, and other gadgety type things that people used to detect things like the weather, but not exactly. These types of things were only found in the Hunted House. In the jumble of it all, sat Professor Traynor, stroking his beard thoughtfully. His eyes sparkled like bright blue jewels. Long grey hair fell around his face, tumbling just past his nimble shoulders.

 "You're not in any sort of trouble, Kolby," the old man assured him. "But I want you to come look at this."

 He motioned Kolby over to him, who was sitting behind one of the radars. He stepped over entangled cords and went to meet him, peering over Professor Traynor's shoulder.

 A bright red dot dotted somewhere in Manhattan, close to their location.

 "Is that--?" Kolby gasped, shocked, unable to tear his eyes away from the computer screen.

 "It is," Traynor nodded. "Which is why I'm very worried about why they're here."

 Kolby frowned. "You don't think the Gatekeeper's been up to anything, have you? I mean, the Sunclipse is two weeks away!"

 "We are here to figure that out. You are to travel to Manhattan as quickly as you can and destroy it." Traynor's sad voice filled Kolby's heart with worry. "And in the process, get everyone as safe as you possibly can."

 "But--" Kolby started.

 "Yes, you can use the Teleporter, but only this once."

 Traynor smirked through his long beard.

***

 Annaliese was too shocked to do anything but gasp.

 It was understatement to say this thing was huge.

 Towering into the nightsky, the monster was at least sixy feet tall with sharp spikes jetting down its back the size of medieval swords. In the moonlight, she could see the skin was glossy but rough-looking, as if made of sandpaper and the color of dark crimson. Its head was much like that of a dragon, but the horns were long on its forehead, and curling at the ends. The tail was thick and beefy--a great murder weapon. And the five claws may as well have been daggers on its six legs. It growled a low, gurgling sound, bearing pearly white teeth.

 "Annaliese go!" she heard Dylan shout. It was like everything snapped back into motion; Dylan grabbed her hand and pivoted in the opposite direction.

 Branches whipped out at her as she forced herself to go faster, pushing her body past its physical limits. The crashing sounds of the Immortal Body engulfed her, enveloped her to the point that the only thing on her mind was running, racing away from the awful creature.

 Dylan had let go of her hand--she couldn't spot Christian, whether he was ahead or behind them, whether the demon had already eaten him or he was racing towards safety.

   "Wait!" Annaliese cried, whose ankle started to buckle in a sharp pain.

 It gave true; she was sent crashing to the forest floor in the midst of another low gurgling sound, the sound you'd make when you make that noise in the back of your throat that's a cross between a growl and clearing your throat.

 "Dylan!" Annaliese screamed, ankle throbbing.

 If he replied, Annaliese didn't hear it. All she knew what that there was a towering demon about to crush her and she couldn't get up.

 The demon stopped, tossing its twenty-pound head with a ground-shaking roar, as Annaliese desperately tried to get up, but each time she tried, it was like a force pushed her back down again, owned by the now-piercing pain in her ankle. She got ready for the blow--

 That never came.

 Another roar, and a hand helping her to her feet. She had to lean all of her weight on her right foot and worry about it not buckling, too.

 She was looking into the eyes of a boy, eyes full of strength. Worry crept into them, but his grip was tense in her hand.

 "Come on!" he gasped, tugging her hand.

 Annaliese glanced back at the demon, who was spasming in its own will, shrieking and screaming, the noise echoing through the woods. Thick tendrils of smoke blew up from its body. "My ankle!"

 "Can you try?"

 She did, taking a step forward, but felt her left ankle buckle once more. She would've fallen onto the ground if he didn't put his arm around her neck and placed her arm around his, supporting her.

 ***

 "Annaliese?"

 Dylan raked an angry hand through his hair. Wasn't she just right behind them? How did she fall behind?

 The demon was no where in sight, but he could hear the distant screaming of it giving off into the night.

 Suddenly, his foot caught on something and he slipped, stumbling to the ground. His hands broke his fall.

 Curious, he looked to see what on earth he had tripped on.

 And felt bile rise into his throat.

 The moonlight cast malevolent highlights on it, making it an evil essene in the night air.

 A human skull.

 Dylan dropped the creepy thing with a sudden gasp, looking around the forest floor for any more signs as to whom it might be.

 Then his eyes fell on the thin jacket lying a couple of feet away from the skull.

 The exact jacket that Christian had been wearing.