Chapter 19: Identity

Eli ran carelessly through the darkness calling Alice’s name. But there was no answer. With every step, with every breath, he grew hopeless. His legs gave out and he fell face first on the ground. A pit formed in his stomach, a pit that twisted until it burned. His body tingled. His vision stained with red. His fists were clenched so tight, his fingers dug into his flesh. His teeth were gnashed so hard he could almost taste blood. All his pain, all his helplessness, burned into pure rage.

He cried out but paused when his tail tingled. He heard the shift of rubble and a low growl. Quickly, Eli ducked behind some stalagmites. The cave had brightened since Alice was taken. It wasn’t as bright as day but it was bright enough to see the creature that turned the corner. Its skin was pale, pasty, and so thin that you could see the impressions of bone. Its hair was a rotten, wiry, gold. Its mouth was red as blood and from it hung a piece of cloth, torn and ragged. Eli recognized it immediately. It was Alice’s jacket.

His blood ran cold as it stalked by him, and turned a corner. Eli was stone.

Hey kitten.

Her voice echoed somewhere in his mind. The way she would tease him, the face she would make when he teased her back, her laugh, her smile. And a disgusting feeling, like a bubbling slime, oozed out of the hollow pit, clouding Eli’s mind. It festered with hate. He broke the pointed tip of the stalagmite. His knuckles were white around it. He ran and turned the same corner the creature had only to find that it was gone. His gaze fell to the ground where there was a trail of blood, and without a second thought, he followed.

Eli’s movements were slow and thoughtless, almost instinctual. He bent his knees so that the core of his body was closer to the ground. His tail stretched behind him to help maintain balance, and his steps were light and steady. He was used to moving like this. Skills he picked up in the years spent avoiding and hiding from Ajax and his lackeys. But this time was different, he wasn’t using it to run, he was using it to hunt. The trail of blood led to a brightened hall, at its end was an underground lake and in the lake was the creature. His stomach writhed as he approached. He gripped the sharp stone even tighter.

He approached slowly, trying to get as close as possible, but he overestimated the sturdiness of the floor. The ground along the lake was eroded and broke under his weight. He splashed into the water. The creature spun at him. It gawked with almost human-esque proportions before scuttling away.

Eli, fully determined, gave chase. The creature surprised him by keeping it’s distance. But no matter how fast it was Eli wouldn’t let it escape. The creature ran fast and took its turns hard and sharp, and Eli found himself falling behind, the creature disappeared around another corner, and by the time Eli got there, it was gone.

Eli slowed to a walk. Panting, he scanned the entire area but the creature was gone. He was about to curse when a shriek scraped his ears. The creature was on his back, riding him like a jockey. Eli hit the creature over the head with the blunt side of his stone and it fell, stunned. Not wanting to waste this chance he kicked it off of him. By the time Eli was on his feet, the creature was already running. But an improper balance gave it a slow start and Eli wasted no time in closing the distance. He tackled the creature and they both fell down a slope.

Eli jumped to his feet, grabbed the sharp rock, and jumped on top of the creature hindering its escape. His vision blurred, his heart raced, and mind fogged. He held the sharp rock high above his head and aimed it at the creature’s throat. Tears streamed down his face.

The creature looked at him with big amber eyes. They seemed so human that he paused. Then he remembered Alice’s torn Jacket and the rage boiled again. He plunged the sharp rock downward with a pain-filled, guttural cry. Then paused again. amber eyes? What was in the journal? Eli thought, then he remembered. He looked down at the creature. It still gazed at him with those wide amber eye, and for the first time Eli noticed that it never once tried to attack, it only ran. Eli’s gaze followed the creatures right arm which had a fresh wound on its wrist. Identity. Eli’s heart stopped for a quick minute. he opened his mouth but feared the word. “A-Alice?”

At that, the creature froze. Its body turned to ash and was blown away leaving only a naked, unconscious Alice Syn. She woke up with a fright and looked at Eli confused. He was speechless, tears ran down his cheeks as he caught Alice in a tight bear-hug. “Whoa, hey, what happened?” Alice said with a slight, confused giggle. Suddenly she felt a draft between her legs, and in that moment she realized the state she was in. “Am I na-! hang-on. Eli! Let go for a second.”

But he didn’t.

“Eli!”.