Page 45 of Liberty

It threw Ellis to the side like he weighed nothing. His body flew through the air like a rag doll during a toddler’s tantrum, his body flailing with no purchase until it finally stopped by slamming into a brick wall. It then slid down and slumped in a pile on the ground.

The creature let out a vibrating squeal, the sound painful to my already sensitive eardrums, before his body lurched forward again, reaching for Liberty. Her posture stiffened; her body poised as she waited for the creature to strike.

Where was the fucking heart?

Faintingly I could hear the rhythmic beat, a sound that increased when it neared Liberty. Its desire to touch her grew the rhythm; the anticipation of causing her harm made its heart louder. With each slither forward, the sound became more apparent until I pinpointed where the heart lay within the monster’s throat.

I heaved myself upward as fast as I could, well aware that I had seconds, maybe less, to drive my dagger in its throat before it wrapped its tentacle around Liberty and crushed every bone in her body. With a sudden lunge forward, my body attached itself to its matted hair, flung forward, and swayed.

Liberty screamed, and my power reached for her, sending electrical shocks into the tentacle at the exact moment she plunged her wood into the flesh. It lit into flames, my rage burning it and fueling the already raging fire until the whole appendage dissolved into ash and floated through the wind. The entire creature flickered in its existence, sending me free-falling downward until it solidified.

An illusion? Possibly.

But I couldn’t take the chance and risk it not to be. I used the opportunity to strike while it tried to regain its composure. Using all the skills of my profession and strength I didn’t even know I possessed, I worked myself back up the rope of hair until I was level with the monster’s throat. I swung my body in a rhythmic motion, forcing the hair to swing with me and get me closer to its flesh. I swung by his skin four times before I was close enough to jump, nearly missing my hold as I clung to his skin.

He let out another wail and squirmed, trying to fling me off with little success. I held on tight, digging my fingers into its flesh, unwilling to let go as he shifted and flung about. It screamed a sound so sharp, blood trickled from my ears. Still, I hung on, following the beat as I climbed upward to the center of its throat.

Below me, I heard Liberty’s screams, felt the hitch of her breath as she fell to an unconscious Sterling’s side. Her worry for me, for us, a constant tapping at the back of my mind, a never-ending reminder of what was at stake. I bit my lower lip, trying to push back all distractions.

One chance.

I had one chance to do this.

I loosened one hand and reached for my knife, grasping the cold metal within my fingers, feeling its comforting familiarity.

I inhaled a deep breath.

One chance.

Then lunged at the monster’s throat, embedding my knife into its beating heart as everything around me turned to flames.