How Your Story Ends

Chapter 3: Maybe

Sophie sighed as she struggled to unwrap the bandage around her leg. She was exhausted. It had been a week since the first monster incident, and she and Zack had only gotten about ten hours of sleep combined. Hopefully tonight would be different.

Sophie's hands shook. She didn't have the energy to unwrap the simple cloth around her thigh. Luckily, Zack was used to this and was able to help. He silently removed the guaze from Sophie's leg and winced at the deep, scabbed gash. He looked up at Sophie. "This looks terrible."

"Thank you, Captain Obvious," Sophie retorted, rolling her eyes. Zack cleaned it up and began wrapping the wound in a clean bandgae.

"Sometimes I wish life could be easy," he mused, "because, if it were, I could be celebrating my birthday with you instead of running from monsters."

"Oh my gosh, your birthday is today?"

"Yup: I came into this world--I mean, my world--May eighteenth, 1989. I have a little brother three years younger than me. I wish I knew how he was doing." Zack remained silent after that as he finished wrapping Sophie's leg. Sophie looked at the ground. This kid's life sucked.

"There," Zack said when he finished. "All fixed, Marmalade."

"That your new nickname for me?" Sophie laughed. Zack grinned. Sophie smiled back. "Then I get to call you whatever I want, got it?"

"Yes, master." Sophie giggled and shoved Zack playfully.

"You're such an idiot."

Zack crossed his eyes and made a duck face, waving his arms around like an octopus. "DEEEEERRRRRRRP," he said loudly. Sophie laughed and shoved him again. Zack pushed her back.

"Don't push me!"

"Who? Me? Why would I do such a thing?" Zack pushed her again. A jolt of electricity jumped from his hand to her arm.

"Ow!" Sophie complained. "You shocked me!"

"I did not!"

"Ow! Stop that!"

"You stop!"

"I'm not doing anything!" Suddenly a low growl rumbled through the forest. Sophie and Zack looked up as a dark shadow drifted through the trees, absorbing the moonlight like a sponge. Sophie inched closer to Zack. "Please tell me that you don't see that," she whispered.

"See what?" Zack asked innocently. "The giant shadow demon headed straight for us?"

"Yup. Any ideas?"

"How about RUUUUUN!!!!" Zack grabbed Sophie's hand and pulled her off the ground, pushing her forward to get a headstart on the monster. Sophie stumbled over brambles, pain flaring up her leg every time it hit the ground. She could hear Zack running behind her, but didn't dare look back.

The demon panted raspily through the trees as it ran, taking on the form of a huge wolf to increase its chance of catching the two friends. Its eyes glowed radioactive green. Each step it took turned the plants into withered stems, and the trees turned gray and charred.

Sophie sped up. "Zack!" she called. "How dangerous is that thing?!"

Instead of an answer she got and angry cry. Sophie whipped around. Zack had been forced back by the demon. He had something that looked like a light saber in his hands, except it was a sharp blue blade of pure electricity and not light. He stabbed at the demon, but the blade did nothing, and the demon took a swipe at him. Sophie narrowed her eyes. "That giant hellhound isn't going to kill my friend as far as I'm concerned," she muttered. She grabbed a rock and threw it at the monster. She balled her fists. "Hey, Cerberus!!!" It hit the demon in the head and it whipped around to growl at her. Sophie's eyes widened and she held up her hands, backing away. "Heh heh, n-n-nice dog..."