Cassie held her breath as they reached the double doors and Julian pulled them slowly open. He poked his head out, glancing into the stairwell before nodding. He disappeared through the door, holding it open for everyone else to follow. Cassie was almost through when she saw it coming. It leapt easily down the hall in long graceful strides that swiftly ate up the distance between them. Cassie threw her box through the door, grabbing hold of Chris she spun slightly, bouncing him off of Devon as she shoved him out of the hallway. Devon and Chris were both knocked backwards, tripping over each other as they fell through the doorway.
She didn’t have time to register the fact that it was the most ungraceful she had ever seen Devon. She only had a split second to react, a brief moment to swing up her crossbow, and no time to aim before pulling the trigger. The arrow slammed into the things shoulder, jerking him back momentarily, barely slowing its rapid pace and most certainly not stopping it. She didn’t have time to grab another arrow and reload the weapon before the thing was upon her. Grasping the crossbow in two hands, she slammed it into the creatures chin, snapping its head back as it seized hold of her.
Devon bellowed her name, shoving past Chris as he scrambled to get to her. Cassie lifted the crossbow again, smashing it against the monsters face. Its/his cheekbone caved beneath the blow, leaving a gaping wound that would have left a human helpless, and would have staggered a vampire, but did nothing to ward off this monster.
Its hands dug into her skin, leaving painful bruises across her arms as it tried to get closer. Its teeth snapped eagerly as it attempted to rip her throat out, attempted to mutilate and destroy her. She could smell its fetid breath; its lingering stench of death engulfed her. Panic swamped Cassie, this thing was crazed, irrational, and driven only by its desire to see her dead. She snapped the crossbow down, shoving it into its chest in attempt to further block its attack.
Teeth snapped inches from her cheek; she turned her head to avoid it, trying hard to hold it off as she regained her bearings. A loud roar enveloped her. Devon grabbed hold of the thing by the back of the neck, flinging it off of her with one mighty heave. Cassie staggered forward, nearly falling as the weight was pulled off of her.
The monster screamed as Devon grasped hold of her, shoving her toward the double doors. “Go!” he hissed.
Chris reached for her, but she shook him off, unwilling to leave Devon alone with the creature. She turned as another creature came barreling out of the darkness, leaping over its downed friend and slamming hard into Devon. Cassie gasped as the woman tore at him, slashing her long fingernails down his side, shredding his shirt and spilling his blood.
Cassie raced toward him as he grabbed hold of the woman’s throat, pulling her off of him and holding her at arm’s length. The woman spit and clawed, hissing loudly as she swung violently at Devon. Cassie’s heart leapt into her throat, her fingers trembled as she struggled to pull another arrow free.
She loaded it into the crossbow, taking aim at the man that had regained his feet and was coming back at them. Pulling the trigger, Cassie took satisfaction as the bolt slammed into his chest, knocking him ass over tea kettle as he bounced down the hall. It writhed upon the ground, clawing at its chest, its breath heaved in and out in a rattling whistle. It would not be long before it died.
She raced toward Devon as Julian burst back into the hall, overtaking her in his rush to get to Devon’s side. Devon seized hold of the woman’s head, twisting it violently around with a sickening snap that made Cassie’s stomach lurch. He shoved the disfigured creature away from him, slamming his fist into the back of its twisted head. The woman, no the thing, staggered forward a few steps before falling to her knees. Cassie felt as if she was watching a grotesque movie as the woman’s head lulled around on her broken neck, but she did not die.
Cassie took a staggering step backward, nausea twisted through her as she stumbled into the door. “Get out of here!” Devon bellowed at her.
Julian had stopped running; disgust twisted his features as he watched the creature crawl blindly around. Cassie took a small step back, unable to stand watching anymore. Chris grabbed hold of her arm, trying to draw her back, trying to pull her free of the horror in the hallway. Chris froze, his eyes bulging from his head as he gaped at the creature in dismay. Julian and Devon remained unmoving for a moment, before bursting into action again.
Julian spun toward her, shoving her through the double doors so roughly that she fell over Chris, both of them staggering into the stairs. Cassie’s palms and knees screamed in protest as she landed roughly on the concrete steps. Dani was still in the hallway, her eyes wide with shock and disgust, but Cassie’s father and Joey had taken the distraction as an opportunity to flee.
Cassie glanced up the stairway, spotting them two flights above. Cursing loudly, Cassie untangled herself from Chris as Devon and Julian burst into the stairwell. “Give me the keys!” Julian demanded of Dani.
Her hands shook as she tossed him the keys that fell a few feet short. They clattered to the floor as the woman slammed into the door, and then something else slammed into it. Dani screamed as Devon threw himself against the door, holding it closed as the creatures screamed and howled on the other side. “We have to stop them!” Cassie hissed to Chris, bounding back to her feet.
Cassie leapt onto the stairs as Devon and Julian struggled to keep the doors closed against the monster inside. Dani grabbed the keys, rushing over to help them get the doors locked again. Forgoing the weapons and supplies they had gathered, Cassie raced up the stairs. She took them two at a time, in great leaping bounds as she sprinted to catch up with her father and Joey.
She could not let the two of them get away; they could not be free to reign down more terror on some other unsuspecting town and its inhabitants. They could not get away without some type of punishment, and they had to explain what the hell they had done to these creatures, and how many there really were.
“Cassie!” Devon roared after her.
She ignored him as she jumped up the stairs, pushing herself harder, faster. She had to get to them before they got to the top, they could easily disappear into the darkened hallways, and the night if she didn’t. Joey’s head appeared over the side of the banister, his eyes widened as he caught sight of her just a flight beneath them now.
Cassie grasped hold of the railing, using it to pull herself faster, using it to guide her along. “Hurry!” Joey gasped.
Anger and fear fueling her, she poured on the speed, gathering on her vast reserves of power as she bounded swiftly forward. Her father had reached the mangled door as she hit the top of the stairs. “No!” she cried, rage propelling as if she had wings.