“And what about Bianca?” he asked, kneeling before his box, getting ready to continue the ritual.
The woman’s eyes were stony.
“You leave her to me. You will be protected in here.”
Eric watched as she teleported out of the safety of the bubble. Finally, she was face-to-face with Bianca. The demon queen held her fire, her eyes taking in the mystery woman, sizing her up.
“Oh lucky me,” Bianca said, lips curled into a sneer. “The dogs let you come out to play did they?”
The woman chuckled. “I didn’t come here to engage in witty banter hell bitch.”
“Then why did you come?” Bianca asked, eyes flashing with rage. “To try to screw up my wonderful plans I suppose? Or to aid him,” she pointed to Eric. “The pathetic fool and his friends while they try to stop me?”
The angelic woman didn’t smile and there was no mirth in her voice, only cold hard truth.
“Why I thought you knew Bianca,” she said bitterly. “I came to kill you.”
Though he wanted to, Eric didn’t have time to watch the battle unfurl, he didn’t have time to focus on this mysterious woman whom he owed his life to. That had to wait. He had a spell to cast. So he sat down on the rocks and began to chant, silently hoping that his friends were still alive.
Crowding around them, the cave was heaving with monsters now, breathing their rancid breath into the air, eyes glowing with hunger and malice. They were surrounded and the demons closed in, moments away from taking their victory.
Snuffing out lives would be their prize.
Autumn had always wondered when or how she might die. She never imagined it would be in a cave full of hideous demons with Rick at her side.
Her mind raced, full of abstract thoughts with a similar thread. A life lost.
She would never hug her mother again and smell her sweet and familiar vanilla perfume. She would never again learn how to repair a car with her father. He was the one that taught her everything. How to ride a bike, how to count, how to drive.
She wouldn’t hear her sister ranting about her terrible dates or her string of boring part-time jobs, or go shopping with Kristin at Teddy’s Bookstore downtown.
She would never marry Rick, go to college, or become anything more than a buried, rotting, corpse tucked into the earth for eternity.
She imagined what life could’ve been like for her and the others if they hadn’t wandered into these caves. If they hadn’t been too big for their britches, thinking they could destroy what no other humans could.
Still, she would never ever, not even now, moments before the throng of demons devoured her, regret trying to help Eric.
She looked at Rick in front of her, and pulled him to face her. Tears flooded her eyes.
“I need you to know, before,” she trailed off unable to say the words aloud. “I want you to know I love you.”
Rick’s ashen face, contorted with anguish. He wanted to save her. He wanted to make it all go away. He couldn’t. Death was coming from them, and they couldn’t outrun it. She was right all along. Luck had nothing to do with it. They made their beds and now they were going to lie in them. Their gravestones had been carved, their fates sealed, the moment they arrived here tonight.
“Don’t you dare say goodbye to me!” he said, frustration contorting his features. “You are going to live through this Aut. I will protect you until the end. Even if I die, you aren’t going to. I don’t know how yet, but I will make sure you live.”
With renewed determination, Rick turned away from her and lunged at another monster, sword raised as he fluidly hacked its head off.
Autumn knew it was fruitless. The fleet of creatures came at them without refrain.
They didn’t have a prayer, not a hope of surviving this.
Autumn closed her eyes, for only a split second. She yearned to keep them closed forever. She didn’t want to see anyone die. Still, she reluctantly opened them.
She watched as Rick and Nathaniel fought on, determined and unyielding.
Then she heard something.
A low growling, followed by wild, piercing, howls that reverberated off the walls.
Fear ripped through her.
What awful creature was coming now?
The sound was coming from behind her, meaning whatever it was had to have passed by Eric at some point meaning Eric could be …
Her brain had to stop there.
She wasn’t going to let herself wander into that realm of thought.
Instead, she looked behind her, holding her scythe tightly in her hands, waiting for whatever was coming to rear its ugly head.
The howling came again, this time louder and much closer. Even the monsters seemed to take notice, some staring in the direction of the commotion.
“What the hell was that?” Mandy asked as she swung at a creature with her nunchucks.
Rick, who kept slashing at the demons, grimaced.
“More monsters?” he offered wryly.
Then something stepped out of the shadows.
Autumn’s pulse quickened.
Whatever they were, they were colossal and there were at least three of them that she could see.
28
Autumn blinked because she couldn’t believe her eyes.
She had to be delirious. She was hallucinating for in front of her stood three giant wolves.
One was the color of chocolate, the other grey with white flecks and the last jet black.
The strange thing was, they didn’t walk on all fours like wolves.
Towering and massive, they were walking upright on two sinewy, furry legs. With pelt covered faces, snouts and hypnotizing wolf eyes, they bared their teeth and razor-sharp talons as they moved gracefully through the cave.
Despite being petrifying, Autumn recognized there was something majestic about them, something benign.
She felt like her feet were rooted to the spot as she watched them in wonder.
They growled, looking only at each other, almost as though Autumn and the others didn’t exist.
Autumn lost her breath as the black wolf jumped, soaring through the air with grace and flourish.
Rick, who was still slashing away at the horde with his mighty blade, watched as the jet-black wolf landed smack-dab in the middle of the demons and began tearing them limb from limb, howling riotously.
The chocolate one and the grey one weren’t far behind their comrade. They followed it into the fray, jumping into the swarm of beasts, biting, tearing and hacking without restraint.
With their massive frames, quick reflexes, sharp teeth and claws, the demons, no matter what size they were or what weapon they brandished, were no match for the burly, skilled wolves.
It took a moment for Autumn to realize that the wolves were on their side. They were here to demolish the demons too. The wolves had taken over the battle, monopolizing the fight.
She took a deep breath, finally relaxing.
They were saved.
Apparently, luck was on their side tonight.
“Aut, did I get hit in the head?” Rick asked. “Are those wolves real?”
“Yes.” Autumn nodded, eyes fixated on the creatures. Demons were real. Magic was real and now the wolf man was a confirmed myth too.
It was overwhelming how much was actually true.
Rick and Autumn watched in awe as the wolves battled on. The way they moved with such precision and speed, despite their size, was truly a sight to behold.
Autumn was impressed.
“What exactly are they?” Rick asked.
“Our saviours,” Autumn quipped. “Seriously, they look like oversized wolves to me.”
Autumn watched as the black wolf spotted a red-eyed bat soaring along above it. Like a predator hunting prey, it launched into the air, trapping t
he bat in its mouth. The wolf landed back on the ground, crunching on the mammal, looking satisfied.
“Yum,” Mandy joked as she approached.
“Well that was a close call,” Nathaniel said, wiping the perspiration from his forehead. “The werewolves saved us just in the nick of time.”
“Werewolves?” Mandy asked, looking bemused. “You think they’re werewolves?”
“Well, they definitely aren’t White Fang,” Rick replied, rolling his eyes.
Everyone watched on, enthralled and astounded. The wolves were cleaning house now, taking out the masses of demons, making Autumn and the rest of them look like the rank amateurs they were.
Autumn was completely engaged in watching the wolves, so distracted that she didn’t even see the cave rocks moving and shifting. Beside her, a secret passage way in the wall was opening up.
By the time Autumn had turned around to see the skeleton-winged demon, it was too late.
It had her in its deadly grasp, and it was preparing to fly away.
29
This moment, this memory, would haunt Autumn for a lifetime, if she didn’t die first.
This demon was unlike the others.
It offended all her senses.
It omitted a rancid smell that Autumn couldn’t identify but inhaling it was enough to make her want to vomit.
Its eyes flamed red like an inferno.
Its mouth was thick and rubbery. Its flimsy skin was translucent, revealing its emaciated torso. Its nose was flat with only nostrils and attached to its gaunt, frail, frame was a long, spiked tail that whipped back and forth.
Then there were its wings. Large and skeletal, flapping with a disgusting cracking sound, they looked almost like twigs, bony and breakable.
The last thing Autumn heard was Rick screaming and after that, everything was a blur.
The demon was clutching her in its bony hands, sharp nails digging into her soft flesh.
It clutched her throat and began choking the life from her with one skeletal hand.
Autumn felt its claws digging into her throat, like tiny razorblades slicing into her skin.
She wanted to cry out, but she couldn’t.
She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t move. She was a porcelain doll, beautiful, delicate and ripe for the smashing.
She saw its eyes, burning into hers, taunting her. It relished the imminent thrill of victory, enjoyed watching the light in her eyes slowly being snuffed out.
Autumn thought her life might flash before her eyes, like all the near-death stories foretold, but it didn’t. Instead, she saw her life as it might have been.
She was the valedictorian at her graduation. Her parents were spectators, brimming with pride.
She was wearing a white lace gown while marrying Rick on a beach.
It was warm and the sun was setting. The ocean waves crashed in her ears, the gilded sand was cool on her bare feet.
All the things she would never have, at least not in this lifetime.
This was the end for her, but the others would survive.
That’s all that mattered.
She heard Rick’s cries, as they faded into the distance, Mandy’s screams of terror and Nathaniel’s futile gunshots.
All of it sounding like it was coming through a stereo with dying batteries.
She was breathless.
Her vision started to blur, and everything began to fade out.
She couldn’t fight it anymore. Death would be far more enjoyable then the pain of sharp claws digging into her flesh and being asphyxiated by bony, merciless hands.
So she let the warm and inviting calm wash over her, like a gentle tide. Then she welcomed the blackness as it enveloped her.
When Autumn awoke, she was being cradled. She was surrounded by heat and the feeling of utter safety, though inexplicable.
She could smell the heady scent of pine and the freshness of the outdoors and feel fur softly cushioning her body.
Was she alive?
Blackness was still all she saw but surely death wasn’t this beautiful, this blissful?
Had she been saved? It was the only thing that made any sense to her now.
Her throat ached. Her wounds throbbed.
She attempted to open her eyes, anxious to see her knight, but her lids felt so heavy, so tired.
She felt movement, as though she was being carried somewhere. She had to open her eyes, had to see her destination and her hero.
It took all her might and will, but she opened them. When she did, she saw she was being held by the wolf, the grey one to be exact.
It was holding her gently in its furry, muscled arms, being careful not to claw her with its long nails.
Its eyes, expressive unlike any animal she had ever encountered, stared down at her, looking utterly relieved to see her awaken.
A rush of affection for this creature came over her.
This wolf saved her life.
“Thank you,” she whispered, unsure if it could even understand her. “For saving me.”
The grey wolf cocked its head sideways, looking back at her in silence.
“Autumn!” Rick called out, garnering her attention.
He, Mandy, Nathaniel and the other two wolves, were finishing off what appeared to be the last of the monsters.
Still in the grey wolf’s grasp, Autumn noticed the steady flow of demons had puttered out and all that was left were hordes of dead creatures scattered all over the cave floor.
Autumn watched, still against the wolf’s chest, its heartbeat pounding steadily and comfortingly, as the other wolves tore through creatures succinctly and ruthlessly. Teeth barred, claws slashing, muscles tensed, showing no remorse.
Rick was going hit for hit with a creature wielding a large axe. The axe hit his sword and his sword the axe, clinking and clanking, as they moved around in an odd rhythm, almost like they were dancing.
Nathaniel was shooting off his gun diligently, his eyes focused and his aim true.
A demon with yellow eyes and a horned hide swung a huge fist at Mandy. She ducked, avoiding the punch, and swung her nunchucks into the creature’s jaw.
The grey wolf, with its heartbeat still thudding in her ear, snarled at the other wolves.
They gave it their attention for a moment then went back to combat, unperturbed.
Autumn searched for the demon that had almost killed her, and she spotted it, a few feet away. It had claw marks riddling its body. Its neck had been snapped, and its frail wings were smashed into pieces.
The battle raged on, faster now.
The wolves obviously wanted this night to end as much as Autumn did.
It didn’t take much longer for them to clear the area. When they were done there was nothing left but bodies, piles of them and body parts, scattered haphazardly along the cave floor. Autumn tried to block out the gore and focus on the victory but for some reason, she couldn’t look away from the disgusting scene.
Once the coast was definitely clear, the wolf looked at Autumn. She smiled at it, wanting so badly to reach out and stroke the soft, grey pelt on its nose.
Instead, she uncertainly touched its arm. She smiled again as the wolf placed her onto her feet gingerly. She thanked it once more.
“Are you alright?” Rick asked, as he ran over to Autumn, his blue eyes filled with alarm.
Autumn looked down at her arms. They were cut up and bloodied and muscles she didn’t even know she had ached and throbbed. Her throat was sore both inside and out.
“I will be,” she murmured, as she pulled out the healing potion Eric had given her, downing it.
Almost instantly her skin began to tingle. She watched as her wounds began to seal up and her skin patched itself over. The inside of her throat prickled like she was drinking a warm cup of tea.
/> Rick reached out and touched her face, stroking her cheek tenderly.
“I thought you were dead. I tried to get you, but I wasn’t as fast as …”
“As the wolf,” Mandy offered. “We all tried to get to you. That winged demon came out of nowhere.”
Autumn glanced over at the wolves. They were snarling and growling back and forth, obviously their means of communicating.
She wondered what they were saying and what they knew about the caves when she caught a glimpse of something approaching. The wolves glanced up, ears perked, as it drew nearer.
Moments later, another large wolf stepped through the darkness.
With fur the color of pure white snow, it wore a long purple robe adorned with intricate symbols and gilded tassels. It carried a metal staff which had masses of fur and a golden wolf head atop of it.
The white wolf took a quick look at Autumn and the others. It moved past them, heading towards the group of wolves. They began growling and snarling again and when they were finished the white wolf reached into a pocket in its robe. It pulled out a chalky powder and began sprinkling it atop the piles of bodies.
When it was done, the other wolves formed a circle. Autumn watched, feeling like she was witnessing something precious and private as the snowy wolf raised its staff into the air and began howling. The other wolves joined in, and together they howled, creating noise so loud it was almost deafening.
“What are they doing?” Nathaniel asked, looking puzzled.
“I think it’s a ritual,” Autumn said.
“A ritual to do what?”
“Probably that,” Mandy chimed in.
Autumn looked over and saw the corpses in the cave evaporating before her very eyes.
It was like they were ghosts. Simply melting away into thin air, traveling into another realm.
The howling stopped abruptly, but the white wolf continued to snarl and growl while swaying its staff side to side over the remains.
When all the monsters were gone, and every last inch of the cave had been cleansed of debris and filth, the wolves began their exit. Autumn wished there was some way she could thank them for their aid, some way to show them her gratitude. Instead, she just watched as they stomped off, silently wondering why they came tonight, of all nights, to this God-forsaken cave.
A Night without Stars Page 29