Before he could finish that sentence, something dark pooled around her. Eyes wide, she reached for Talon, who lunged toward her.
He didn't make it.
Just as her fingertips brushed his, she was sucked into some kind of spiraling vortex. Nausea rose up as she sank downward. I am not Dorothy. But if someone dropped a house on her, she was going to be even more put out than the Wicked Witch had been.
Fear me....
At least that was her thought until she slammed hard into utter darkness. There was no light whatsoever. The blackness was so thick it made her eyes hurt as she strained to see something. Anything. Pushing herself up from the earthen ground where she'd landed, she tried to get her bearings.
A low whine sounded in the distance.
Her mind struggled to name it. Dog? Child? She couldn't tell for sure. She started to call out, then stopped herself. Just in case something meant her harm, the last thing she wanted to do was let it know where she was.
I've seen that horror movie a few times. That stupid puta always buys it first.
At least I don't have on high heels or a short skirt. Screaming or not, that character always died.
She reached out with her arms, trying to find a wall or furniture or-
"Ow! Son of a..." She pressed her lips together as she reached down to rub her shin. Surely, there had to be another purpose to that body part other than finding furniture in the dark.
Only she hadn't hit furniture, she realized as she explored the hard surface with her hand. It felt more like rock.
What I wouldn't give for the flashlight in my purse.
Something brushed against her leg.
Gasping, she twirled, trying to find out what it was. Please don't be a rat. Please don't be a rat....
That was her worst phobia.
"Where's the stone?"
She jumped at the sudden raspy voice. "Who are you?"
"Where's the stone?" That was another voice from the other side of the darkness.
When she didn't answer right away, light flared. Horror froze her into place. Never in her life had she seen anything like this.
The entire cave-and she now knew it was a cave she was in-was filled with ...
Chupacabra?
El peuchen?
Where was Enrique when she needed him? Better yet, his great great-grandmother's drum to drive them out.
The small area she stood in was packed with creatures possessed of sharply pointed teeth. Their bodies were painted from head to toe in designs that reminded her of a totem pole caricature. Paint that gave them the illusion of frowning in displeasure.
Even more terrifying, they appeared to be splattered with dried blood.
Her bravado gone, she knew she could never win a fight against this many. Their sheer number would beat her down and kill her.
One of them hit her from behind. "Stone!" he snarled. "Give it. Now!"
"I-I-I don't know what you're talking about."
Wrong answer. They beat spears against painted round shields as they screamed their displeasure at her.
I'm so dead. Her limbs shaking, she ran to her right, where there appeared to be a shaft.
The monsters cut her off.
With a move Peyton Manning would envy, she stopped, dodged, and reversed direction, heading toward another tunnel.
This time, by some miracle, she made it. But that didn't say much. She slowed down as it became dark again and she could no longer see anything.
And again with the whining and hissing.
Now that was just mean ... toying with her like this when they knew she couldn't see them. They better be glad they outnumbered her. Otherwise-
I have lost my mind. It was the only explanation for her strange panicked calm. How could somebody be both petrified and in full control of themselves?
Be grateful. She could be screaming....
Then again, maybe she was. Maybe this calm was a fabrication of her inability to cope.
The cave began to thump around her like some deep, heavy heartbeat. Everything echoed and pounded.
Everything.
Kateri turned to run. She'd barely taken two steps before something slammed into her so hard, it stung.
No, not stung. It'd wounded her. Suddenly light-headed, she touched her ribs where it hurt the most. Sticky blood coated her fingers as the sounds grew louder.
Closer.
They were everywhere now.
She moved as fast as she could, but it was no use. No matter what she tried, she couldn't escape the creatures after her-whatever they were. They continued to toy with her as they whispered over and over, "Give us the stone."
"Shut up!" she snarled. "I don't have it!"
Something slapped her across the face.
She kicked out at it and was happy to hear it groan in response. Good. I hope you feel it for a while.