Chapter 33 #2
Bad—it marked Jesmine as the new target, and Soraya didn’t know the extent of the creature’s intelligence or what it had planned.
It had, after all, trapped them, and now it would appear they were at its mercy.
And the frog-monsters were clearly following the winged demon’s lead.
Just how intelligent the frog monsters were, Soraya didn’t know, but it was the winged one that had her guts twisting up with terror at what it could do.
So the question became…were they fast enough to outmaneuver it until they could reach a door?
And if they did manage to jump into another world, what then?
Then another thought struck her, and she begrudgingly had to consider it.
If she could find one of the “men” she’d seen in the past week, she could beg for their help.
Though it was clear they were dangerous individuals, they also never attacked her outright.
And she’d seen some of them fight these creatures, but that didn’t mean they would protect her and Jesmine. It would be a gamble.
Better than nothing, Soraya bitterly concluded.
Jesmine cocked her gun before pulling out a second and offering it to Soraya. She realized it was her gun—the one she thought she’d left behind at the apartment.
Soraya reached out her hand to silently accept the weapon.
When she lifted her arm, her chest spiked with pain from where the winged demon had landed its kick from earlier.
A kick that should by all means put her in the hospital.
But just like the cuts on her arm, her bones felt mended, stronger, and all that was left was a deep ache.
It was something she didn’t want to understand fully. But glad her newfound freakish healing abilities were saving her ass at the moment.
A dark, whispered thought slithered unchecked into her mind. If that thing had kicked Jesmine, that single blow would have killed her.
Soraya closed her eyes and slowly exhaled to steady her pounding heart. She barely felt the wind grazing past her cheek or heard the fountain splashing beside her.
All she could feel at that moment was a greater force closing in around her—as it had finally caught up after years of being one step behind her.
She opened her eyes and found Jesmine already watching her. It was five against two…monsters versus human—versus whatever Soraya was becoming.
“You got the right?” She asked Jesmine.
“As long as you got the left,” she grinned before adding on, “Could really use a car right about now.”
The winged demon cocked its head, listening to them speak.
Soraya murmured, “Run to the museum.” It was the closest door available. “And pray like hell my plan works.”
Jesmine nodded. “Eyes to the side, then center mass?”
Soraya nodded sharply. They will shoot out the frog creature’s eyes; then both aim for the winged demons in hopes one of them can land a shot and slow it down to give them enough time to run.
“One,” Soraya said.
They pivoted side-to-side. Twin gunshots rang out in the quiet rose garden, and the monsters behind the winged devil screeched with fury. Milky eyes burst, and greenish slime splattered the concrete at the same time the winged demon shielded itself with its wings.
Neither Soraya nor Jesmine waited to see if they landed a shot on the demon as they both spun and ran up and over the lip of the fountain. They splashed through the shallow basin, just as the remaining frog monsters charged.
Dodging around the fountain’s central spire, they aimed at the charging creatures and shot blindly.
More screeches erupted into the rosy dawn sky.
Soraya reached the far edge of the fountain first, and Jesmine right behind her. Jumping from the fountain’s rim, wet shoes hitting concrete, they ran for the gate leading out the back way of the rose garden toward the science center when Soraya heard the beating of wings behind them.
“Duck!” Soraya shouted.
Jesmine hit the sidewalk instantly. The demon’s talons grazed the air where their heads had been.
Soraya snapped her gaze up in time to see the creature fly up and turn sharply.
Its great wings whispered over the wind as they beat to keep it in place.
Its eyes narrowed down on them with a gruesome, promising smile on its face before it tipped its head back, and a guttural, hissing laugh emanated from deep in its throat.
It was toying with them.
Without warning, it dove again, straight toward them.
Soraya was quick on the trigger as she took aim and fired off several more rounds, deterring the creature as it flew around them, disappearing behind the fountain and out of her range.
Soraya’s gun clicked, and she cursed. No more bullets left.
“Move!” She yanked Jesmine up as her friend fiddled with her gun.
“Fuck! It’s jammed!” Jesmine shouted.
Closing in behind them, loud shrieks and pounding clawed feet followed them as they raced through the gate.
They were halfway across the street, separating the museum from the garden, when the beating of wings sounded behind them.
Soraya tensed to throw Jesmine to the ground—then pain erupted on her right-hand side. She flew before hitting the ground and rolling across the asphalt.
Biting back the pain, she quickly scanned the street to locate Jesmine…but she wasn’t anywhere to be seen.
“Jesmine!”
She heard a strangled shout and looked up.
Her heart dropped. There—dangling from the demon’s grip way up high—Jesmine hung by her throat, white sneakers glowing faintly against the dawn.
Time slowed down.
All Soraya could do was watch as the winged devil, with its eyes solely on Jesmine, brought back its clawed-tipped hand, while the frog monsters around her, maws wide open, teeth gleaming with venom, surged for her.
At that moment, an energy deep within Soraya’s chest ignited, burning itself outward.
Soraya opened her mouth to scream.
Then the world erupted.