Through Glass(34)

“You ready?” he asked. My head nodded once in agreement before he grabbed my hand and pulled me from the room.

I followed him quickly, not caring where we ended up; not thinking about food or water as any logical person would. I merely relished the feel of his skin against mine, the subtle scent of air that flowed through the house from the front door that stood open before us.

I ran after him as best I could, my bare feet slipping a bit on the dust as we walked hand and hand into the darkness outside.

I stepped out for the first time in two years, but I didn’t take the time to savor it. I couldn’t, for the warning call of the Ulama had become a battle cry.

The sound of the screech filled the air around us as every hair on my body stood on end, my heart thudding heavily in my chest. I clung to Cohen’s hand as the sound moved through me, as my fear and anger became a wild animal in my chest that couldn’t be ignored. I clenched the rail, ready to fight our way to freedom if that’s what it took.

I looked at Cohen’s dark hair in front of me as I followed him. Then he stopped, his arm wrapping around me as he threw me away from him. I stumbled across his grandparents’ once pristine lawn. My body tripped on the dirt only to land in a patch of dead grass.

I looked up at Cohen, confused, only to see him standing before me protectively as he faced the black feathers of the Ulama. He held the banister in front of him as he prepared to attack the largest Ulama I had ever seen.

Dread filled me at seeing the towering monster standing over us. The creature stood more than a foot over Cohen’s head with its massive arms held in front of him as its two foot long talons dangled through the air, warning Cohen of what was to come. I froze as I saw him, the long weapon in my hand feeling like a dead weight. I couldn’t move. The creature spread his wings behind him as his screech increased; they fanned out before us, blocking any chance we had of escape.

We had been foolish to think that we would make it out unscathed. They had sent two of the monsters into my house while leaving one out to ensure our death.

“Stay there, Lex,” Cohen said, his voice shaking as he squared his shoulders before the thing and lifted his bannister, ready to attack, to protect me.

I clenched my hand around my bed rail. If he thought I was merely going to let him run at a giant monster on his own, he obviously didn’t know me very well. I followed his lead and ran after him, the rail held high as my mouth opened in a desperate call of war. Cohen met him first. He swung wide, aiming for the creature’s side, but the rail never made contact. The monsters hand stretched forward, pushing Cohen to the ground in a plume of dirt. I screamed as I ran at the Ulama, the bed rail held high as I slashed through the air. It made contact with the wing of the monster that towered above me.

The sound of grinding metal sounded through the empty street, the bed rail rubbing against the large, feathery scales of the monsters wing, stopping any progress I could have made. I didn’t care. I hacked at the thing over and over, screaming as the loud clang of metal echoed in my ears.

My attack did not go unnoticed, the monster turned toward me as he threw Cohen to the side, his body flying through the air like a rag doll. The backpack ripped apart as it soared through the air right behind him, the contents scattering over the patches of dead grass.

I looked up toward the monster, to his lifeless ebony eyes that looked into me. I was looking into death. I felt everything go cold and, for one minute, I forgot what I was doing, why I was fighting.

I wanted to die and I wanted the beautiful thing in front of me to do it.

I stepped forward, ready to accept my fate when strong arms pushed into me, pushing me out of the way. I screamed as I fell and Cohen moved back to attack the thing that I had been so willing to let end me a moment before. Everything inside of me froze at the thought, over the control that the Ulama had over us. I needed to get us out of here.

I scurried across the grass toward the emptied contents of the backpack. I could hear Cohen’s grunts as he fought, his desperate noises as he fought the losing battle.

We only had one chance now.

I grabbed the light and the batteries that had been scattered around. I didn’t know if we had grabbed the battery I had found. I didn’t know if this would work, but it was our only chance.

I wedged the batteries in place as I turned toward Cohen, the light facing out in the desperate hope that it would turn on. That with one flick of the switch the monster would vanish. I never got a chance to try.

My mouth opened in a scream that never found voice as Cohen’s arms fell to his sides. The creature slashed forward with his long claws before Cohen’s last attack even had a chance to make contact.

I saw the flash of gold, the wide arch of Cohen’s red blood as it splattered over me.

The scream died in my throat as the wetness clung to my skin, as the screech of the Ulama died, leaving us in silence. Cohen stood still before me, the muscles in his back relaxing as he collapsed to his knees.

I watched, unable to move as the creature took Cohen’s life. As the monster ended everything with one slash from its claws.

I waited for him to turn to ash. I waited for the scream to break free of the prison it had found inside of me. Nothing happened.

Cohen stayed still in front of me, his face turned toward the creature as he pressed his hand to his chest, his own fingers stained in his blood.

One call from the Ulama broke free from the creature in front of us and his large talons wrapped around Cohen as he lifted him from the ground, the golden prongs holding Cohen’s body as if it was an infant.