Down End Road

Alexander Griffin

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I grabbed Myra's hand, just as the neon blue light was about to devour her eyes whole, but when I did she no longer seemed so hauntingly still. She looked aware as she studied the pitch black space, turning her glowing orbs this way and that.

I couldn't see anything beyond the slight outline of her face and glowing eyes. I felt Maverick grab my arm as he leaned closer to my ear. "We need to have a serious discussion about Myra and her...developments later." Maverick said under his breath. I nodded in agreement but then realised he couldn't see me.

"I agree." I murmured with conviction.

Another roaring screech stilled me in my place. The muscles in my back tensed as I felt a slimy sharp thing glide over my shoulders. The odorous stench was so horrible that I could barely breath.

I looked to my left for Myra, only to see her glowing eyes vacant from the spot she was previously in. Trying not to raise suspicion, I calmly turned my head back.

A battle cry erupted behind me as the shifter turned towards something. When I turned to see what it was, Myra's glowing orbs were high above a collapsed lump, her eyes gave off enough light for me to roughly see it.

Little puffs of green vapour spewed out of it's neck and decapitated head. It's tendrils of shadow and wisp smoke receded and vanished into thin air, revealing an almost skeletal form. The shifters mouth was wide open in a silent roar, four rows of razor sharp teeth lined its jaw.

It was bone white. With toes and fingers that connected to claws so long they could have been extra appendages. So white in fact, it almost emitted its own luminous glow. Big black soulless circles sat on its head, where I presumed its eyes were.

It looked... like the rough outline of a basic human, but it was much to bony and small to be one, not to mention undefined. I slowly raised my gaze to Myra's face and saw an aware-ish look on her face.

Thats good, I thought. As long as she doesn't go vacant and murderous rage on us, we should make it out of here alive.

Click, click, click. The click of claws scraping against the wooden floors bellowed quietly around us, the noise amplified by the steady thrum of adrenaline rushing through my veins. I heard Maverick's grip tighten around his sword.

Myra whipped her head over to the noise. Her eyes narrowed and analysing, she analysed the pitch black darkness almost as if... she could see everything clearly.

With her glowing eyes lighting up like fireworks on the fifth of November I knew that it was entirely possible. However Daunting it sounded.

Suddenly, she started forward, her neon blue orbs swallowed by the black gloom. Roars sounded around us as I heard the slice of blade through flesh. It took the rotten reek of Shifter blood for me to start forward, shaken out of my pure shock.

Adrenaline rushed through my veins as I quickly, but tentatively toed around the space. I heard the scrape of nails circle me as the familiar stench clogged my nose.

I lifted my sword high by my shoulder, poised to strike at any given moment. The blackness and increasingly high pitched shrill, raised my levels of terror. I swallowed thickly and my breathing laboured. I tried to scrutinise the darkness but came to no avail when all I saw was the same blinding darkness.

I felt warm vapour spray across my cheek and froze. The shifter stayed there breathing heavily. Without a moments notice, I swung my sword and sliced it through the shifters neck.

I heard it hiss and give one last dying shriek of agony, before it dropped to the floor with a loud thud. My stomach clenched and a queasy feeling washed over me.

A moment later, the roars of Shifters thundered somewhere to my left. I whipped my head in the direction, and what I saw almost killed me.

Myra stood there, in all her glowing glory a face of concentration tightened her features. But that wasn't what stunned my heart into silence, not that but the fact that she was no glowing. Not just her eyes, but her actual body was giving of an unnatural blue light that was brighter than a christmas tree.

Dark wisps of shadows swirled around her, only visible when near her light. The small dregs of smokey black looked like the beginning of a tornado.

My pulse boomed back to light again, when I saw a shifter come up behind her. Soulless black eyes stared down at her strawberry blonde head while it opened its jaw.

I ran like a bat out of hell, desperate to reach her. Sword raised, pulse thumping against my chest. I dropped to my knees and slid the rest of the way, only to stick my leg out swing around, and slice my sword through its head. Myra looked behind her just in time, to catch the spray of its revolting green blood.

Her lips were parted a touch, telling of her shock. "Than-"

Another roar sounded and Maverick hurtled himself toward us. He was almost clinging on to Myra in panic, when an enormous group of shifters flew forward. They stopped just short of us.

Myra's illuminated body, gave off enough light for me to see the faint outlines of their bared teeth and defensive stances. The one in the middle cocked its head twitchily to the side. It studied myra with inhumane eyes. Fear plastered on its repulsive features.

In a way, it's actions were almost like a scared animal's. A steady hum pulsed through the air, originating from Myra's unearthly glow. The shifters shrank away and with small, submissive steps. Soon, the whole army skittered away within a flash, taking the blinding darkness with them.

The silver of moonlight that lit up the hall felt too bright for my eyes. I ducked my head down, and looked to Myra, whose glowing eyes and skin had already started to retreat back into an unknown corner of herself.

Unable to look at her any longer without completely loosing my sanity, I turned my stunned gaze to Maverick. "LIBRARY! Now!" He ordered with a roar, before stomping out of the room and slamming the door shut with a tinny squeak of its hinges.