Creature @ MindSay 
In this nightmare, something big was destroying my town. Everyone was fearful for their lives, but things calmed down as soon as people thought that the threat was gone. When everyone came out of hiding, they discovered huge piles of corpses. It didn't take long for us to find out what had made these piles; huge, robot-type things. They started chasing down everyone, killing them, and throwing them into these piles. It was like some sort of new age holocaust brought upon by a robotic Fuhrer.
I was all alone in the nightmare. I didn't have a family to run too. I kept searching for people who would help me, but no one would. When the robots came, I managed to find three teenagers who said I could stay with them at their house. We ran and ran for miles, dodging body parts, and occasionally stopping to hide from the robots. We eventually made it to a small neighborhood. Trees had been uprooted and houses destroyed.
As we ran towards their house, I spotted in the distance this thing... it was hideous. It was about 18 feet tall and all hunched over. It had a deformed human body, but a child's head. It's mouth was filled with chipped teeth, but they were all razor-sharp. It was chasing after a couple of people and was gaining momentum. It pounced on this man and began tearing hunks of flesh from his back. The man was screaming and trying to escape, but he was trapped under the creatures huge, taloned feet. The monster leaned down and tore his head right off and spit it out. I had seen enough and continued running.
We finally had reached this house and we all stepped inside. There were 4 people there already - a mother, father, and an aunt and uncle. They didn't seem relieved or happy to see the kids at all, but they weren't angry about it either. It was like they were indifferent to the children's safety. Nobody acknowledged me, so I sat down on an old, brown couch by a window. Only when I had calmed down did I realize that I was inside my grandmother's house. I was filled with sadness, because my grandmother had died a year ago.
I immediately woke up as soon as I realized it was my grandmother's house. My chest is still a bit tight and my hands are a bit shaking. I was going to wake up my dad, but I figured I would let him sleep since it's only 7:00 AM.
I hate seeing things about huge disasters or the apocalypse. I don't like to dream about it or watch TV about it. I don't like the idea of being abandoned or being in some building somewhere, hiding, and worrying about whether my parents are alive or dead. It scares the hell out of me. It terrifies me.
and rings around the ape-man
red haze round the reaper
red haze inside the undead
and the wrenches rain on forests
as they polinate the junkyard
and the noise of shattered metal
it drowns out the banshee screaming
and the ghosts of war criminals
tiptoe silently right through us
while the trolls steal the lost children
with the eyeless sisters watching
and the pink moon hangs from the nightshade
and I know that I can't find you
I'm sick of staring at the sky
but how could I forget you
when forever pours out of your eyes
the frankenstein creature walks
with some platform shoes and some neckbolts
and it strangles all the pilgrims
when they trade it fire for death
and the little girl throws flowers
unaware of the night shining
the creature takes her bad example
and her neck hits the water
Miss Shelley walks beside it
abnormality on her mind
and she leads it to the arctic
where the nosebleed slowly runs away
and the Collins' all get up and leave
and I know that I can't find it
I'm sick of staring at the sky
but what can an alien do
when forever pours out of my eyes
your fires in my head
and the monsters like that ape-man
are driving me to run to you
Jill flees the Lady of Spiders
webs of animal savagery
hold her foot inside the desert
as she reaches for the wagon
parked along the roads of Lincoln County
and then recess is all over
Pavlov's bells ring, dogs drueling
like what we did wasn't real
like we weren't hunted killed and eaten
as the weakest of our kind
and I know that I can't find you
I'm sick of staring at the sky
and my eyelids, they rot
as my face erodes away from my eyes
I've had Chapter 12 finished for a while, but was hesitating putting it up here until I got chapter 13 done, sorry it's taken so long...chapter 13 still won't be done for a while, I'm really stuck! Anyways, ENJOY!
§ Chapter 12 §
The dark passageway hidden behind the door seemed to go on for miles. Tarin followed quietly behind Galdor, the rest of the party followed silently behind her. As the light behind them began to disappear, Galdor produced one of the glowing orbs his people carried in the forest. The green light produced a soft glow that illuminated the area around them. Tarin could see tiny gold specks on the walls beside her.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, Galdor stopped and signaled to the group to follow his example. He was standing on the edge of a cliff, looking down into darkness. Tarin leaned forward and saw that he was watching something lying on the bottom of the cavern. He motioned to her not to speak a word, and then moved back away from the ledge. He walked back down the hallway several yards until the light he carried was almost out of sight from the ledge. He signaled for Eauthrin to join him and the two sat against the wall devising a plan.
As the two talked, Tarin continued to stare into the cavern trying to see the creature sleeping at the bottom. As she stood there watching the darkness, a quiet rumbling was heard emanating from the bottom of the cavern. She quickly looked back at the group to see Galdor and Eauthrin jump as the noise grew louder. The ground began shaking as Galdor joined her at the ledge of the cliff.
“He must have heard our voices,” he whispered.
“But I couldn’t even hear you,” Tarin said as the air grew warmer around her.
“We have to get out of this hallway,” Galdor called to the party. “We do not have time to waste.”
Galdor climbed to the cliff’s edge and swung himself over. Tarin watched as he stood without difficulty and looked to the cliff face. The light of the green orb illuminated what looked like a trail of ledges criss-crossing their way down the vertical incline. He helped her over the ledge of the cliff, and they began traversing the cliff face. The remainder of the party was rapidly behind them, and the group cautiously moved down the ledges.
Halfway down the rock face, a whoosh of air blew them back against the rocks, and Tarin watched as a huge creature flew up from the bottom of the cave. A pillar of fire escaped the beast’s mouth as it leveled off at the hallway, engulfing the entire entrance in flame. Galdor gripped her hand and pulled her behind him, encouraging her to continue down the path.
The beast continued to fly above them, shooting bursts of flame into the hallway as they stepped onto the floor of the creature’s lair. Galdor produced his bow and placed an arrow onto the string. As he aimed it skywards, Eauthrin drew his swords, and the other Men quickly produced their weapons.
“Get ready,” Galdor called, signaling for Tarin to draw her sword as well. As she did so, the arrow flew off his bow, and implanted itself into the underbelly of the hovering giant.
The creature let out a loud roar and quickly dove down into the cave, shaking the earth as it crashed into the ground before them. Galdor tossed the glowing orb onto the floor, and the dark room burst into the green glow, which showed the immense size of the beast in front of them.
The creature was red in colour, and its wings stretched high above them. Its menacing face was framed by two horns which curled around its jaws. Smoke escaped from its nostrils as it took a step toward the warriors.
As Tarin stood there staring at the beast, Eauthrin ran forward followed closely by Geheed, Filmarc and Manil. Eauthrin stabbed the beast in its soft, golden underbelly as he charged forward. The beast jumped back in surprise, but the Men continued to charge forward. Pansoic shot a bolt from his crossbow, and Galdor loosed an arrow from his bow, both hitting the creature in its long, snake like throat.
Tarin was frozen in fear as the enormous beast swung quickly around, striking the Men with its long tail, knocking Eauthrin, Geheed, Filmarc and Manil to the ground. As it circled fully around, its extended claws slashed out, catching one of the fallen Men on the chest. Pansoic released another bolt, startling the creature before it had the chance to attack the other Men. The body of Filmarc disappeared; his hammer lay on the floor a few feet from where he had fallen.
Manil let out a cry as he got to his feet, axe in hand. The creature roar as Manils axe found its mark, creating a huge gash in the beast’s underbelly. Dark red blood spilled onto the floor as the creature shrunk in pain.
Galdor pulled a scroll from his satchel and tossed the paper into the air while yelling out words Tarin had never heard before. She watched as the parchment began to turn to frost and ice over. Galdor reached up and grabbed the frozen piece of paper, which he then tied to his bow. He drew an arrow from his quiver and placed it on the string. He pulled with all his strength, and shot the arrow at the creature.
Tarin stared as the arrow flew off the bow, bursting into a swirling ice storm instantly. It struck its target directly in the face, and the Elf’s magic began to work. The ice storm engulfed the creatures head, creating a swirling blizzard around it. Seconds later, the magic ended, and Tarin saw that the head of the beast had been entirely frozen.
“Look out!” Galdor called to the Men still standing under the beast.
The creature took a step back before heaving its entire body into the air. The Men scrambled to get out of the way as the giant came crashing down once more, shaking the ground as it hit the earth. As the dust cleared, Tarin saw that the creature lay motionless a few feet in front of her. She stood there, still frozen in fear.
Eauthrin, Geheed and Manil were stopped running as they reached the others, and stood staring at the beast.
“What was that thing?” Manil asked.
“They are called dragons,” Galdor said as he stepped toward the creatures frozen head. “They are very abundant in this world. We were lucky this was only a young one, otherwise it would not have fallen so easily.”
“You mean there are bigger ones than this?” Pansoic inquired.
“No,” he replied. “Not much bigger, but a lot stronger, and smarter. An older one would have heard us climbing down the cliff face, and would have beaten us down here. Sometimes, Elves have found that their spells do not work on older dragons. We were very lucky today.”
Tarin was still shocked as she stared at the fallen dragon. Galdor approached her as she gaped at the beast.
“Are you alright?” he asked.
She looked at him, but said nothing. Her mind was fluttering and she did not know what to say.
“Tarin,” he continued. “Why did you not fight?”
Again, she stood there, staring into his dark eyes. No words would come to her, and she looked blankly at him.
“Tarin,” he said again, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her. “Wake up!”
His touch chased away her fear, and she snapped out of her stupor.
“What-what happened?” she asked as she continued to stare at him.
“You did not fight, why?” he quizzed her again.
“I-I don’t know,” she replied truthfully. “I was frightened and I couldn’t bring myself to draw my sword.”
“You were frightened?” Galdor gave her a puzzled look. “You know you can not be hurt in this realm. There is no need to be frightened,” he released his grip on her shoulders and turned away from her. “You can not do that Tarin. You must be strong.”
Tarin did not know what to say and watched as he stormed away. He picked up Filmarcs hammer, and then came rushing back to the group. He handed the weapon to Manil and signaled to the remainder of the group.
“It’s time to go, we’re finished for today,” his voice sounded angry, and he did not look at Tarin.
She closed her eyes, and the silence of the cavern was quickly replaced with the sound of rainfall.
1.To all my faithful readers, we have moved the TWO MOONS CAFE to Mindsay to give you a better reading experience.
2. Punctuated Equilibrium: Tales of Science Fiction will be available online, hopefully no later than June 2006.
3.The Chronicles of Nandii; Journey Through the House of Doors will be available at Blish.com hopefully within the next 30 days.(Yoiu can also find hardcopies at Amazon.com, Borders.com, BN.com and most other major online bookstores).
4. To receive book information, online discussion schedules, and readings/signings updates by newsletter, email Nandii@nandiijourneys.quickgen.com or melanlea9@aol.com.
5. Visit: www.nandiijourneys.quickgen.com for great products to stimulate your senses.
Thanks.
| (All works presented on this site are copywrited by the author, 2003 -2006) BEFORE DAWN By M.R. Leach Anna held back tears. "What if they get here first?" "They won't. Don't worry, Anna. They can't travel very well at night, remember? The darkness and the stars confuse them. I'll be alright. Joe's going to come back for me. But, I have to break all this down first. We can't let the new ones know where we've gone." "You should come now, Marta." Anna began to cry. "Anna, I promise you, I'll be alright. I promised your parents I'd never leave you, and I always keep my promises, don't I? We're just going to be apart for a little while, right Joe?" Joe tried to comfort the girl. "Marta knows what she's doing. We've done this before." He looked at Marta. "I'll come back for you in one hour. Our party is set to meet at p. 3 for departure to main." "Don't worry. I've got it. I'll be here." As she watched the convoy lights pull away, the mountains around her fell quiet. They were on the outskirts of the city, and the new ones traveled much less at night. Still, they were much braver when they saw humans in smaller numbers. She slowly backed into the church as she watched the sky. The sun would be up in a few hours. Inside, she broke down every piece of equipment. What she couldn't carry five miles, she destroyed, leaving a pile of rubble on the floor. She tried to be as quiet as possible, constantly peeking out the door. There was no one. Every scrap of paper had to be burned. They would follow, if they knew where they were going. Denver was a city lost to the new ones ever since the battles in Aurora. People had finally excepted that. There were a few who made a last stand, but that had only added to the horror. The city had been all but burned to the ground. Even the military had disappeared. Marta always wondered if it was because there was just no more they could do, or because they had changed themselves. Perhaps they would never know what changed the new ones. Their gray skin and stocky bodies; their shoulder blades breaking through the skin like thick and sharpened knives. They breathed hard constantly, with anger, as if they were always seething inside. Their eyes were still there, but surrounded by blue. If not for the rest of their appearance, Marta always thought the eyes were quite beautiful. But, if you came close enough, you could see the hate inside that sent chills down the spine. What happened to them? Why had they mutated the way they had? The news had been so sketchy, and now no new reports ever came. It was so frightening not to know what had caused such a horror. Marta has awoken many nights in the last two years, grabbing her face in tears, feeling her cheeks. But they were not gaunt and lifeless. Her body was not made of nothing but muscle and bone. Her shoulders were low and round, with thick, soft skin. She was still human. Joe should have been back by now. Marta looked outside the doors. The sun wouldn't be up for hours. She was far from the city, but you never knew if new ones had strayed from the pack and were roaming the outskirts. Even though she was safe inside the church, they might wait outside if they knew a human was inside. No one ever understood their fear of church walls. Perhaps a psychological one that they kept from their human memory. The concept of the church as sanctuary. Others believed in other reasons that Marta no longer had any faith in. She waited with her pack strapped firmly across her back. She sat quietly, with only one candle burning. She stared at the picture of her mother and father that she kept neatly buried in her vest pocket. Her father had been killed in the early battles. And her mother.....she didn't wonder about anymore. Her mother had changed, but she told people that she was really dead. The creature who had attacked her in their home wasn't the woman who'd raised her. It couldn't have been. Where was Joe? The next hour fell. Marta shifted her feet nervously across the dusty floor. It was the only sound she could here. Slowly, the realization came over her. They were gone. They had to leave her behind for some reason. It was something you always had to be prepared for. But, at this point, when they were so close to escaping the mainland for Hope Island, she had become more relaxed. It had almost been over. Now she was alone. What was the next move? The last evac point would be Sutterville Church at the crossing. She could make it, but she'd have to go through the worst part of the city. How could she make it alone. She heard the static crackling of her headset. Then, it went dead. "Joe?" There was no answer. Her voice quivered. "Joe, is that you?" she whispered. Once again, static began to filter through. A very faint voice faded in. "Leave......." "Joe? Joe? I can hardly hear you. Can you hear me?" Marta asked. "Say again?" The voice came through the radio in garbled pieces. "Leave....stand........in…holy.......place." "Say again? Say again? You've broken up. I can barely--" The voice was so faint, Marta could barely make out its words. "Leave. No Sutterville Church. Understand? Only evac... left is inside Holy Cross Church...Bell Place Road. I repeat: Bell..." "Who is this? Joe? Joe, is that you?" The voice was familiar, but she couldn't quite place it. "Get....Bell Place.....stand?" The radio went silent. "Hello? Hello?" The air outside was silent. Not even wind blowing through the trees, Marta thought to herself. She felt a lonely chill run down her spine. She pulled out her map. There was only one church on Bell Place Road. It would be an easier route, but only barely, and it would take an hour longer. She may not make it there before dawn. Who's voice was it that came over the radio? Was it Joe's? Was this some sort of trick? Had the new ones re-taught themselves how to speak? Marta shook her head, and laughed. Don't be paranoid. But, was it such an unbelievable concept. No one ever understood what changed them or how anyway. How did people know they weren't speaking to each other now in clear English, as they used to? No matter who it was, she had no choice. To get to Sutterville, she would have to cut through the worst area of the city, and she doubted that she could do it alone. The only choice would be Bell Place. But, what if there were no one there at all? Once again, a crackling came through her headset. "Cross.........Road." The radio fell silent. Marta stared at the floor. After a few minutes, she tightened her pack against her back, and blew out her candle. "You're just wasting time here, lady," she whispered to herself. She peaked out the door. Nothing. Nothing in the small parking lot in front of her, and nothing she could see moving in the trees beyond. She came back into the church for the last time. She'd have to get to the streets below and get underground. It was the only way. The darker, the better. The darkness confused the new ones. For them, everything had to be in plain view. What they saw had to be illuminated. It could no longer be felt by intuition. Marta stepped outside, and closed the doors behind her. She made her way closer to the city. By the time Marta got to the city, her legs ached with pain. The streets were still dark and cold. Trash had collected along the sidewalks. Marta walked along the walls of a visitor's center. She peeked around the corner. No shadows. For a moment, she felt her heart flutter. What was it like to walk down the middle of the street? There was always a good movie on Friday night. She leaned against the wall for a moment, remembering. For just a second, she thought about staying there, against the wall. Wasting away at peace. A crackle came through her headset, but no one spoke. "Hello?" she whispered. There was movement in the alley across from her. She pulled out her flare gun, looking for a place to run. A tall shadow emerged, with the recognizable pointed blades, and hunched stance. Marta's heart beat furiously. 'Remember, how fast you can run, Marta. Remember? You used to be faster than anybody, when you wanted to be.' Her hands shook. Her legs were so sore, she didn't know if she could run at all. 'Maybe, this is it,' she thought. 'Have I done everything God wanted me to do?' The shadow took two feeble steps, then stumbled to the ground, and lay motionless. Slowly, Marta came back to life. It was only a sick one. It had no doubt been an alcoholic living in that same alley before, and when it changed, had remained there, recognizing that place as home from the remnants of it's memory. The sick ones never became aggressive, but rather seemed pained and confused by the change. Even the other changed abused them. Marta felt sorry for them. She walked toward the creature, and stopped in the middle of the street. Manhole cover. She would go down. The sewer below was pitch black. How long had she been walking now? She looked at the map. Had she lost her bearings? She heard a scrape on the floor behind her, and swung her light around. It was her. It was the buckle from her flare harness tracing the edge of the concrete. She shook her head. I'm lost. I'm going the wrong way. I'm scared. A crackle came through her radio. "Marta." the voice seemed fainter. "Joe! Thank God. I'm lost, Joe. I'm lost. I thought I could get to Bell Place through the sewers. I thought it was safer, but..." "East. Keep go....... Monro" "What?" She shook the earpiece in frustration as she felt tears filling her eyes. "What? I'm not reading you." "Monroe's..." the radio went dead once more. East. She had started out going east. She needed to get back up top. Monroe's. Who was Monroe??" She walked until she reached the next ladder, and climbed up. She moved the manhole cover so slowly, it was painful. In the street above, there was the faint sound of music. "What the --" Marta walked along the sidewalk and turned a corner. There was a bar there. And it was open. She walked closer. Men and women...normal men and women...were standing outside, laughing. Marta shook her head. "I'm dreaming." One of the women heard her. It was Raymi. She turned and smiled. "Hey, it's Marta!" Marta walked up to her. "Raymi? Raymi? It can't be. This can't be real. You're --" "Hey!" Raymi said, giving her a hug. "Look how you've grown, little mama. You're a big college girl, now." Marta looked around at their faces. Michael was leaning against the wall, hitting on a woman. Michael was her father's best friend. This was the bar they had opened together back when Marta was going to college. She laughed a little. "R--Raymi," she gave the woman a big hug. "Hey, what's the matter, hon?" "Nothing. Nothing. I'm just-- I'm just so happy to -- it's good to see you." She looked around. "Hey! Michael! Johnnie!" "Hey, look who it is!" A large man with a cheshire grin picked Marta up and swung her around. "How's college, huh?" Johnnie pinched her cheek. "What are they teaching you up there? How to be pretty? You already knew that from your mama." Marta pushed him away, laughing, still in shock. "Johnnie," she whispered. "Johnnie. I thought they got you, man. I thought they got you a year ago." The man looked confused. "Who got me? What, you mean these thugs around here? Please." He stood back and rubbed his stomach, laughing. "I'll eat them for breakfast." "Hey, kid, you should be asleep. Tomorrow's a school day, isn't it?" Marta shook her head. "Michael, you always did treat me like a kid," she smiled sadly. "I'm all grown up now." Michael laughed, and tousled her hair. "All grown up? Yeah, at twenty-one, I was all grown up too." "Twenty-one??" Marta shook her head, remembering. "Twenty-one." "You'd better not let Felix see you here this time of night." "What?" Marta looked at Michael for a moment. He seemed so real. So did the doors in front of her. Was she dreaming? Could this be real? Please, God, let it be real. She walked through the doors. People were laughing and singing along with the man on stage, who vibrantly sang out of tune. "Hey, girl. Almost got you," Penelope, the familiar waitress, swooped by her with a tray. "Hey, Penny," Marta whispered. She walked up to the bar. There, right in front of her, finishing a drink, was her father. "Can you believe it? Bartender isn't coming in tonight until late. I'm gonna fire that kid one of these days." "Pop," she whispered. Her voice was so quiet, it didn't reach above the karaoke. "Pop!" He turned and looked at her surprised. "What you so excited about, honey! Hey, you should be in the dorms, sleeping." She couldn't believe it. It wasn't a dream. It was real. It had to be. She laughed. "Dad," she could find no words. "Dad." Her father came around the bar, and gave her a hug. She could feel his warmth, and even smell the hairspray in his hair. "Hey," he said confused. "What's the matter, baby? Why are you up? You have classes in the morning." They sat down next to each other. Marta couldn't stop staring at him. She couldn't believe her eyes. She searched her mind to find the words, to ask the millions of questions that were racing through her mind. But she couldn't find them. She could barely speak at all. "Dad." "Hey, are you worried about your mom? It's just a little virus. She'll be O.K. She just took a few days off of work. You know they overwork her at that place? I think she should quit, but you know your mother." Marta remembered. She remembered the beginning. "I just---I love her so much, dad. I didn't tell her enough before -- when I was at home. I didn't tell either of you enough." A tear fell from her eye. "Hey, hey, hey," her father placed his hand over hers. "You don't have to tell us that, baby. We know, Marta. We know." He paused, and smiled. "Hey, I know what all this stress is about? You don't think you're gonna make it, do you?" "What?" "The meet on Saturday. You don't think you'll finish top five." Marta thought about her legs. They were throbbing now. She was so exhausted, and the sun would be up soon. "I'm so tired, Dad," she whispered, "I don't know if I have it in me. The other girls --they're so fast, dad. I've never been too fast off the blocks. That girl from San Fran. The newspaper's always talking about her ---" "Hey, listen," her father said, "This is me talking to you now, kid, O.K.? I saw some of those other girls, you know? Back in high school? Remember? They didn't want to let you on the team, huh? But, you showed them, didn't you? You know why? You know why you always made it? Because you had faith in yourself, baby. You had heart. Marta, I know you. You're always there when somebody needs you. You're gonna make it." Marta looked up into his eyes, and thought of Anna. "O.K., dad," she whispered, "O.K. I'm gonna make it." He smiled. "That's my girl." A bell rung at the bar. Felix looked sad, but tried to smile. "Last call, hon. I gotta get back." he kissed her on the cheek." And it's time for you to go back now. It's time to get going, Marta." "Wait, Pop," she whispered, clinging to his hand. "Stay awhile. Stay with me." "Hey," her father smiled, laughing, shaking his head. "You know I'm always with you, don't you?" Marta stood up. "No, dad. Stay. Please, I want you to stay..." The room fell silent. There was no light. No music. Marta stood alone in the dark at an abandoned bar covered in dirt and dust. She walked outside. The bar her dad had owned was gone. He had sold it years before, shortly after her mom had gotten sick. It had been replaced by Monroe's Creamery. Had she fallen asleep? Marta cleared her head from the dream. She looked up at the sky. The stars had turned. They were fading into a shadow of light in the east. Time to get going, he had said. She remembered now. Bell Place Road was close. She jogged around here when she visited her parents. Sunday mornings, she jogged by the church on Bell Place Road. She could here the music as she jogged by. It couldn't be too far. She looked at the map. Just a little further east. She dropped her backpack, and started jogging. She jogged past the barber shop, and tried to picture the way it looked during the daytime. Her legs throbbed with pain. She could hear her father and mother in the stands. "Go, baby!" Her mother was saying. "That's my daughter!" She was shaking the people around her. "That's Marta." She had made it to the meet, even though she had been sick all week. Marta smiled and waived to the abandoned buildings. "I'm first, Mom," she whispered to herself. "I'm gonna beat the San Fran kid. I love you, mom." Marta heard noises behind her. The new ones were coming to life. She turned a corner and stopped to look behind her. She could see shadows beginning to move, emerging from doorways of buildings. At the end of Bell Place Road, she could see a church. There was light in the windows. "Last lap, kid!" Michael was in the stands, rooting her on. "Last lap! Give it all you've got! The shadows were moving toward her. They had been watching the church. Marta took a deep breath, and sprinted down the block for the gates. She could hear the swiftness of the footsteps behind her. She was being chased. They were shrieking now, and the sound made her wince in pain. She fired her flare into the air. "Joe! Joe!!" She could see the doors opening in the distance. Two men emerged. "Help me!" She cried. "Help me! Open the gates!" They were almost on top of her now. She wanted to look behind. Her legs felt like they were bleeding. "Don't look behind you, Marta!" Her dad was yelling from the stands. Marta rounded the track, straining for the finish line. "Just tear it up, baby! Last lap!" "Last Lap!!" Marta screamed. "Last Lap!! Open the gates!!" "You can make it, Baby!" "Dad!! I'm winning!! I'm gonna win...!" Joe unlocked the gates, and Marta ran onto the church grounds, collapsing in the other man's arms "Get them off me. Get them off me!" Marta swung violently at the shadows she felt were still trying to grab her. "It's O.K," the man said. "It's alright. You're safe now. You're safe." Marta tried to lift her head. She could see the shadows just outside the grounds as Joe locked the gate and backed away. They were panting and shrieking furiously, but too afraid of the church, and the land it stood on. It was a holy place. "I got em, dad," she whispered. "I got first place." "Marta!!" Anna ran to her, and threw her arms around her neck. " I told them! I told them we wouldn't leave without you!" Marta smiled. "Anna," she whispered. "I got em….got first place." She quietly closed her eyes. ***** ........For Dad.
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