Wattys Shortlist 2022! | Kyla Shepard, a sixteen-year-old orphan who conjures massive ink-like creatures with her thoughts, must learn to tame the monsters before they consume everything in their path, including her.
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Footsteps grew louder as they approached from down the hall. Not just one set, but many, running with a pitter-patter that implied oncoming danger.
I quickly picked up a broken chair leg from the floor to use as a weapon, wielding it like a bat, waiting just beside the double doors for whoever to enter.
My heart tripled in beat and my hands shook at the possibility of a hunter, a soldier, or a police officer bursting through the doors with an armed weapon to mow us down. Sweat beaded at my temples, tickling the fragile baby hairs that resided there.
I stared at Hermit, readying him for what we were about to encounter. He backed away from the range of my swing and the doors swung open.
I readied my swing and a young lady appeared, screaming as her eyes met my weapon. I paused as soon as recognized Valerie.
She gestured behind her. "They're coming," she huffed in a panic.
Noel rushed through the doors and only feet behind him were a half dozen angry men wielding various weapons.
"Stay back," I warned, but the fury in their eyes told me my words meant nothing.
One of the men swung his fist, punching Noel directly in the face. When the man stumbled from the blow, I swung the hefty lumber and it connected with the guy's shoulder. He cried out in pain, and the anger and hatred in his scowl reminded me so much of—
The burnt sugar stench overpowered the space. So much so, the men stopped in their tracks to investigate the smell as they struggled to breathe through their coughs.
Valerie assisted Noel as he tried to maintain his balance, and together they looked wide-eyed at what lurked at the end of the hall.
The bubbling, sopping sounds of the Scorcher was heard before the scratches of its claws as it scurryied against the slick, jellied covered floor, carving deep groves in the tiles. It gurgled as the neck scuffed the ceiling, blocking out any light that crept into the hall from the reception area.
The men pushed through the double doors to get away from the creature, rushing and tumbling passed us and over the debris and furniture in the room. Valerie and Noel were smart to back into a corner and huddle each other as the creature squirmed through the double doors.
The Scorcher spotted them in the corner as they held each other. It crept closer, ready to destroy and consume. Valerie placed her hands above her head to shield herself from the creature and its bubbling tarlike syrup.
"No!" I demanded. The creature paused, its juice still seeped and dribbled from its body. "They're my friends. Don't hurt my friends."
The creature quickly lost interest and moved passed them and the debris to disappear through the double doors at the opposite end of the room where the men had gone.
