Chapter 20
A Thousand Drops of Blood
Regret pierces through me like a jagged piece of glass in my last moments before the cycloptic horror devours me whole.
I drove Shadow away with my toxic emotions, my overwhelming needs.
Now, when I need him most, I am truly alone. I should have stayed that way, stayed alone to keep everyone else safe from the darkness that is my life.
I should have given Miguel a call or just left a message. Anything to keep him far away from my destructive reach.
Green dripping teeth grin at me with a lethal sharpness. This is it. The hidden monstrosities of my reality have caught up to me.
I couldn't protect Miguel, and I can’t protect myself. Maybe it's time to let go, to let the dark consume me once and for all.
Darkness surges through the restaurant, reaching every corner and swallowing every light source, every vibrant splash of color.
Amidst the engulfing shadows, certain elements burst to life. The rich broth of the pho takes on an almost luminous quality. Gleaming silverware and glass shimmers while a spilled garnet-red chili sauce blazes like a flare against the overwhelming obsidian.
Despite being cloaked in inky darkness, the world is suddenly filled with jarring contrasts, making the mundane appear extraordinary.
The monster’s hold tightens, its claws sinking deeper into my arms. Pain floods my brain, and my own sticky, slick blood continues to fill the sleeves of my sweater.
I’d cry out, but I can’t catch my breath.
It comes in ragged gasps as waves of agony crash into me, mixed with the buzzing adrenaline of panic.
Tendrils of an even deeper blackness suddenly emerge from the abyss, winding and writhing with purpose. Sensing the shift, the creature hesitates but its grip doesn't falter. The atmosphere thickens—electric and tense.
Shadow materializes from the darkness, every tentacle quivering with fury. His monstrous form is an unexpected beacon of light in this nightmare.
The air vibrates with his rage. In a gravelly voice that echoes with power, he growls, "For each drop of her blood you've taken, I will extract a thousand from you."
He's here.
Despite Shadow’s warnings, despite the distance he tried to place between us, he’s here. The realization overwhelms me, causing the backs of my eyes to sting with unshed tears. As the rush of emotions crashes over me, my heart thunders, matching the pulse of Shadow's wrathful energy.
The cyclops snarls in response, tightening its grip on me. I scream at the crushing pain, my ribs cracking to a near breaking point.
"The Nexus will be mine," it rumbles in a monstrous timbre that’s difficult to understand, that would be impossible if I hadn’t been used to having conversations with the creature under my bed.
My mind races but the word "Nexus" is unfamiliar.
In a horrifying move, the cyclops creature leans down, its cavernous maw opening. It stretches impossibly wide, lined in rows of razor-sharp teeth. It seems to be preparing to shove me in its mouth. But before it can, Shadow's rage manifests as a dark explosion of energy.
The creature lunges at Shadow, throwing me aside like a ragdoll. Pain shoots through every part of my body as I crash into a nearby table. A copper tang fills my mouth and my vision slides sideways.
The pho in the nearby bowls starts to boil uncontrollably, steam rising in thick, aggressive columns.
The very essence of the environment seems to react to the raw energy in the room.
Windows shatter under the pressure, sending sharp shards flying in every direction.
Tables begin to tremble, their legs buckling and wood splintering.
Chairs levitate before jettisoning across the room or getting crushed under the sheer force of the combat.
A pungent aroma fills the air—the mingling of rich broths, fresh herbs, and the metallic scent of spilled blood.
A young woman tries to make her escape, but her foot catches on a chair forcefully sliding toward her, sending her sprawling.
A teenager, probably no older than sixteen, jumps forward and helps her to her feet. They disappear into the kitchen. I hope to God there is an exit back there.
The eyeless cyclops charges forward with brute force, trying to overpower Shadow with its size.
The ground shakes with each of its pounding steps as Shadow darts around quickly, using the darkness as a veil.
Just as the cyclops prepares to swing, Shadow's tentacles lash out, targeting its legs, trying to topple the behemoth.
The cyclops staggers, emitting a guttural growl, before retaliating with a powerful sweep of its massive arms. Shadow barely dodges, and the two continue their deadly dance of attack and evasion.
From across the room, Miguel stirs. "Evie!" he cries, trying to crawl over to where I lay.
Relief punches me in the chest at finding him conscious. I’d thought he’d been killed. The weight of his death would drown me, but no. He’s okay, I assure myself. I can still save him.
I manage to raise a shaky hand and motion for him to stay back.
"Don’t come closer to us," I cry out.
Miguel hesitates, head cocking to the side.
"Us." I see him repeat rather than hear it.
His gaze swings between the monsters and me with measuring looks. Understanding dawns in his eyes.
He knows. He may not understand, but he knows.
This is the world I belong to. It's dangerous, dark, out of this world, and far beyond his depth.
The muscles in his shoulders tense and I can tell he’s torn between his impulse to help and the realization he’s completely in over his head.
Even in the face of monsters, Miguel has the instincts of a hero.
A lump in my throat tells me I want to want him. Who wouldn’t want to be with someone like that?
Me.
My devotion is tied to the scary clawed tentacle creature that roars and rips chunks of flesh off his opponent.
The last thing I want is for Miguel to get hurt because of my ties to a world he never should've known.
"I’m sorry," I mouth to him.
Though he can’t possibly understand, Miguel nods almost imperceptibly.
He scrambles toward the exit with one last glance. My eyes are glued to his form as he makes his way between dodging claws, flying tentacles, and crashing furniture. He steps from the exit when the Cyclops lashes out at Shadow in fury. A monstrous ropey arm sweeps out and connects with Miguel.
My heart stops as time slows down to a sickening crawl. Miguel flies backward into the restaurant. The impact is jarring, his head slamming into the wall with a sickening thud that echoes through the space, blood spattering like macabre graffiti.
Someone is screaming. Screaming Miguel’s name.
It’s me.
I can’t stop even as I rush over broken pieces of furniture. I have to get to him. His body lays slack on a table.
No, not his body. He’s more than a body, he has spirit and life. Miguel is fine, I try to tell myself, even as tears uncontrollably blur my vision.
I slip and stumble over shattered furniture and debris. Blood oozes from his head as he lays motionless on a table.
I pull him to me as soon as I reach him. Another sob seizes my ribs. He’s still breathing, but hurt bad. Pulling him onto my lap, my hand is instantly slick with blood from cradling the back of his head. His eyes flutter open for a moment before falling shut again.
Muscles stiff with terror, I cling to him as I try to calculate a way to get him out of here. He needs a hospital.
Shadow and the cyclops are still locked in battle—every move, every attack and counterattack echoes the primal rage that fuels them. The walls shake around us even as I hold Miguel to me, trying to keep him safe.
The cyclops lunges, massive fists swinging like wrecking balls.
Shadow nimbly avoids the first blow but is grazed by the second.
He’s thrown off balance long enough for the creature to jump on him and bite deep into him.
The monster rips chunks of Shadow’s body off before spitting the hunks of flesh onto the floor.
Black scaly skin covering bright red muscle with oozing black blood hits the tile with sickening splats. More and more of Shadow is ripped off by those needle-sharp teeth then spat onto the ground. Deafening roars turn my ears into ringing canals of pain.
That thing is hurting Shadow.
My gut clenches over icy fear.
If I don’t do something, it’ll overtake Shadow then come back for me, and Miguel won’t stand a chance.
Spotting a wooden chair nearby, I gently set Miguel down and run toward it.
I summon every ounce of my strength and hurl it toward the cyclops.
Maybe it's the adrenaline, but for a second, I fool myself into thinking that it might actually make a difference.
The chair connects with a satisfying thud against the cyclops' body, the legs breaking off on impact.
It whips around with a snarl. With another furious roar, it sends a forceful backhand in my direction.
There's no time to dodge as I'm violently flung to the side. Splinters of wood bite into my skin as I crash through another table. I try to regain my bearings and a cold, clammy hand clamps around my ankle. Panic surges anew. The cyclops drags me back, the grotesque grin stretching even wider.
Shadow appears, eyes burning with unholy fire.
I never stood a chance of hurting the monster, but I gave Shadow enough time to get his bearings.
The air crackles around him as the room plummets to an icy cold temperature.
He slams into the cyclops with a force that shakes the room, pushing it away from me.
The two beasts grapple, tentacles and claws locked in combat again.
I watch, paralyzed, as the cyclops manages to sink its teeth deep into Shadow’s shoulder, biting yet another chunk out of him. Shadow lets out a harrowing wail of pain that quickly devolves into a roar of vengeance.