Chapter 34

Almost human. That was the first impression Silva got from It. In the dim light coming from behind, she could tell that It was naked. That there were no reproductive organs. That there were no joints and there was no face.

Wooden was the second thought. Its… Surface not made from skin. No, It looked like polished wood. It's movements jerky, almost clumsily comical, but sudden and quick. At the end of each of Its limbs, there were ten long fingers that reminded Silva of spider legs. Rhythmically they moved up and down, the only part of the body that moved with any regard to how a natural body should move.

And the joints themselves bent in bizarre ways. "Almost human, but not quite." Silva could not help but compare again.

It was looking down at the hissing ocelot. No, not looking, as there were no eyes it could not see. But somehow it perceived the horrified animal. Silva could tell.

Then the ocelot died. Silva managed to see only a shadow of a movement, a glimpse. It was enough for it to penetrate the poor creature with its long fingers that reached trough the gaps in the cage. All then penetrated ocelot’s pelt and then, for the lack of better expression, the corpse dried up.

Silva felt sick. She should not be here. It was not meant for human eyes. She had to getaway. Slowly she started to crawl backwards, not letting it out of her sight.

With every motion, she felt pain coursing her body. A glance at her own body revealed glass shambles that had penetrated her side. Silva’s breath quickened. There was no time, she had to go.

Then It looked at her and Silva froze in place. Not once had her ability failed her, but before It, she felt naked. She could not gather even an ounce of will to resist.

It still looked at her, then It’s outstretched arm, that still was draining the ocelot withdrew from it. It’s body suddenly jerked. Now it stood facing Silva. “No, no.” “NO!” Silva tried to deny the existence if this predator in front of her.

Slowly It moved forwards. A bit to the left, then right. It extended arms sideways, then moved them up and down. Silva as if hypnotized watched this dance as it moved closer and closer to her. Then a realization hit her. It could not see her but It knew she was here. It was searching.

Drunk from the newfound hope Silva felt strength returning back in her frozen body. She had to get out, she had to warn her friends. They had to return to Aramaleo and he would take them away from this accursed place.

All Silva could think of was this simple plan. She repeated it to herself again and again. Not once she let out the ever closing being out of her eyes, even when her back hit a wall. With a part of her mind, she noted that door was a bit to her left, but then a loud shout deafened her as something flew past her head hitting It’s upper body and bending it backwards.

“Silva, where are you?” Mika’s hysterical scream came a short moment after.

Silva opened her mouth to answer when she realized, that with her ability still running at full power no one would hear her. But Mika could help, no, she would help. And so would Steven. Even the horror that was the being was…

It was standing straight again. Not a mark on Its body from the earlier impact. Silva saw rebar rolling on the floor right next to It. Even this makeshift weapon was not enough. They could not hurt It. And now It was bending forward. Silva wanted to warn Steven but was too late.

The being jumped forward, right past Silva hitting Steven who was standing in the doorframe still trying to figure out what exactly he was witnessing.

At the next moment, the being flow back into the room and Silva almost hoped. But Mika’s desperate screams proved her hope false. The being only slid backwards, not even falling. She had to help.

Silva scanned the room for something, anything, when the knife that she had brought along came into her sight. Still in its sheath. She had lost it somewhere along the way to the door and now she hurried to grab it once more. It would not be enough, but she had to try.

The pain wracked her body as she stood up once more. Grabbing at the wall to keep herself steady. At some point the being had once again tried to enter the room and had been thrown back here, wrecking the place even more.

Silva still could head Mika calling for her. There was no more room for hesitation. She hurried through the door before the being could. She saw Steven standing with several holes in his clothes made by the beings fingers. To her relief, she also saw Mika behind him, with her hand on his back. She was unhurt.

Behind the being was once again on the move. Just as Silva managed to move towards her friends It once again shoot past her.

Silva watched Steven rushing forwards in a mad dash as he received the enemy. Once again his body was penetrated by the beings fingers.

Before Silva could scream Steven took another deep breath and rammed his shoulder into beings chest as it once again flew back to where it had come from.

“I am here!” Silva revealed herself next to Mika. She looked at her friends crying face not knowing what to do.

Mika’s eyes widened as she threw a hand around Silva’s uninjured size and squeezed. “Thank god…” She sobbed.

“We have to run.” Silva managed to whisper while enduring the pain.

“You are injured!” Mika’s scolded Silva, but before she could heal she was interrupted.

“He is coming!” Steven roared at that moment their attention returned at the unnamed horror.

It was now moving slower. Almost as if appraising them. “Not mindless…” Silva bitterly noted. Its fingers turned into hooks as the reached Steven’s body. They once again penetrated Steven’s skin and a painful scream once again filled the room.

“WE HAVE TO RUN!” Silva found herself trying to overpower Steven’s scream with her own. Then she activated her ability. With the being grabbing Steven she had no choice, she had to attack.

Ignoring pain Silva pushed herself to move forward. Quicker than expected she found herself at the side of the being.

With difficulty, Silva resisted the repulsion she felt and grabbed the knife she was holding with both hands. She raised it above her head and rammed it straight down at the place where beings eye should have been.

The stab hit the intended target and the being recoiled back, once again moving with impossible speed and grace that was almost human. Silva saw it once again standing back in the room where she had found ocelot, oh so long ago.

Silva felt her arm being grabbed. When she had attacked her ability had turned itself off. Silva was exhausted, but when turning her head Silva saw the urgency in her friend faces and then they ran.

Mika grabbed Silva’s arm and she felt her body starting to come back to life. It was a feeling of safety and hope. But Silva knew better than give in to these feelings.

As they hurried out of the building Silva’s eyes once again fell on Steven. Now in a brighter location, she could see his bloodied body was covered in shreds of what was once his clothes. There was so much blood that she could barely make out holes made by the creature.

But he still moved faster than they could, despite that, Steven was stuck at the back, once again shielding them against danger.

“You have to heal Steven.” Silva jerked her arm away from Mika. It was more important. Steven could not fall.

Mika shook her head. “He’s… Not as bad as it looks. I have to help you.” She tried to grab Silva’s hand again.

“What do you mean! LOOK AT HIM!” Silva cried.

“Mika is right. These holes are barely deeper than the skin, but you…” Steven tried to explain.

“W-, what ABOUT ME?” Silva did not stop. “I AM FINE.”

“No, Silva, look at yourself,” Mika begged. “You have to let me heal you.”

“What?” Silva paused. What did they mean? She was fine. She had to be. “What do you mean?”

Behind them, Steven grunted. And there was a loud noise of something hitting a wall. “Got it.” Steven pushed their backs.

Silva was still in a stupor as she tried to look at herself as Mika continued to speak.

“In-, in the dark I couldn’t tell. B- but it’s bad. Let me heal.” Mika reached out and Silva let her take her hand.

Once again she was hit by the pleasant sensation entirely unfitting for the situation.

“People are in streets,” Mika noted.

Silva looked around. At some point, they had moved onto the street. The trees were just a bit away. However, the once sleeping village was no more. Silva heard shouting and screaming, dogs barking once again. People were moving in the streets and pointing at them.

They were saying something but she could not tell what. Silva wanted to chant but remembered that they did not have time. It took her a moment to realize that she was not thinking clearly.

“It’s the blood loss.” Mika seemed to understand what she was going through. “We must get the glass out of you, otherwise I can’t fully heal. It will be okay, we are almost there. The worst is over.”

It was then that Steven chose to fly ahead of them. “How silly of him.” Silva almost laughed, when the implications hit her.

Silva turned her head back and felt Mika do the same. The being was standing by a pole and was doing something. Absentmindedly Silva used her mana sight. It was hard, but she felt that she had to do it.

Only thanks to this feeling she managed to push Mika out of the way before a sharp blue bolt whizzed past them vanishing somewhere in the trees.

“It is chanting.” Silva gasped not believing what she was witnessing. It was too much. How could they fight it? It was faster, stronger and more skilled. There was no way…

Again Silva felt someone tugging her hand. The being was moving again accompanied by the shouts of the people that gathered in the streets. Pulled by that someone Silva was moving. They were too slow.

Then her line of sight was blocked by huge rock landing where the being was heading to. It dodged backwards giving them more time and Silva was again running.

Then she was grabbed by someone and with bleary eyes, she saw Steven’s worried face looking down at her.

“You look terrible.” Silva managed to wheeze out a joke.

“Yea, you too…” Steven answered.

“It’s coming!”

Silva heard Mika’s shout from somewhere besides her and she found herself laying on the ground with Mika right next to her. Again healing energy entered her confused mind.

The noise of battle did not let her sleep. Loud cracks resounded in the woods. Silva could only guess what was happening. At some point, she was again carried. Another voice entered her conciseness. It too was screaming and asking. Asking for an explanation.

“Silva!” Mika’s scream woke her up.

“Right…” Silva agreed. They had to flee. This was not the time to sleep. Still, the weakness held on to her. “Not the time…” She mumbled and tried to get up.

“Silva, close your eyes. Don’t open them.”

“What?”

The hateful mash of colours and sensations once again assaulted her senses and she found herself lying on the carpet in Mika’s room vomiting. “Ah, I lost the knife,” was Silva’s last thought before losing conciseness.