like i can \/ nancy wheeler

xxiv. the chain

"damn your love, damn your lies."
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

COLBY COULDN'T BREATHE. Out of all the ways to die, he considered that the most pathetic. His dad had melted in an explosion. His mom had been flayed. And there he was, dying to a bunch of bats.

"Shit!" screamed Colby with what little oxygen he had left. And then, one of the bats biting down on his skin was slapped away. He looked over and saw Steve standing above him with an oar in his hands. Behind him was Nancy, Cassie, Eddie, and Robin.

They managed to hit away the last of the bats, screaming and yelling at one another. The bat around Colby's neck flew away, although he grabbed it at the last second but the tail, slamming it repeatedly into the ground until it died. He sighed in relief. His companions had managed to take down the rest of the bats.

"Jesus, Colby, are you okay?" asked Nancy, rushing over to Colby, hesitating with her hands as she reached towards his abdomen.

"Uh..." he breathed out, laughing a little. "Can't tell. Ask me tomorrow?"

"Do you guys think these bats have rabies?" asked Robin suddenly, looking up from one of the bats that she was examining.

"What?" uttered Steve, looking over at her and shaking his head.

"It's just that... rabies is like my worst fear. I mean, I didn't get bit, but you did. Like a hundred times." she glanced over at Colby, who rolled his eyes. "Plus, once the symptoms set in, you're as good as dead. I won't say I told you so, but..."

"Thanks for the support, Robin."

"It's a genuine concern." shrugged Cassie, although she put a hand on his shoulder comfortingly. "Come on. We'd better get out of here." Cassie looked down at the small gate in front of them. However, almost as soon as the words got out of her mouth, a new swarm of bats landed in front of it, blocking it off.

"There's not that many." panted Steve as everyone got behind him. "We can take them. Right?"

A new swarm began emerging from the rumbling clouds, screeching and making the teens instinctively take a step back. Nancy looked over her shoulder. "The woods, come on!"

They ran across what had formerly been the lake, hoping that the bats wouldn't come down upon them and try to bite them again. Colby was limping, and Nancy had to help him run through the forest.

They hid under Skull Rock, hoping the swarm of bats wouldn't see them. Even though it seemed as if they were safe, they waited with baited breaths until the bats were gone and the noise of their screeching had faded.