#wright writes

She swore again. They had come ill-prepared and had been ambushed. How could she have seen it? She was used to fighting emperors. Soulless, mindless monsters didn't plan attacks like Elyakim did.

Excuses, of course. She was dealing with cults, she should have been more careful.

A loud screech interrupted her thoughts. A smooth greenish-black arm reached down and grabbed Magdalena's shawl, wrenching it up. The woman cried out in surprise, but let the shawl go, ducking away.

Glyph wasted no time bothering to admonishing herself for once again not paying attention, instead immediately firing on the dark figure that had scrambled on top of the rock they were hiding behind.

A bullet glanced off the rock and past the creature's skull head. It hissed, tossing the shawl aside, and launched itself at Glyph. Its large spindly hand grabbed her wrist in its downward fall. It knocked her to the ground, the gun falling from her grasp and skidding away.

Its fetid breath washed over her. Green slime-like saliva dripped onto her face. It sniffed at her, opening its maw, full of serrated teeth, and she acted out of instinct, punching it squarely in the mouth.

It hesitated, taken aback. Her hand ached from punching bone, but she kept moving, squirming under it to flip herself onto her belly and reach for the pistol.

The handle was almost within her reach when the creature found its focus and bit her.

She cried out in pain. Its knife-like teeth ripped through her shoulder, shredding her shirt sleeve and tearing off a chunk of flesh. She tried once again to reach for her weapon, but the creature took hold of her head and lifted her towards its mouth. She struggled, but its grip was firm and her injured arm felt dead.

It fit its teeth around her head and she closed her eyes, body tensing for the inevitable.

It never came.

She heard a gurgling and she was dropped back to the ground. Opening her eyes, she saw the monster frozen above her. It gurgled again, and slime rolled down its jaws onto her. She looked down, and saw a spearhead sticking out of its abdomen. Vovina must have saved her.

There was a sickening squelch and the spear was pulled out. The creature howled in pain and turned away from Glyph, but the spear went through its throat and it slumped over.

Glyph pushed the rest of its body off of herself, and looked around for the ex-pirate.

Instead, she saw her grandfather standing over her.

"Grax!" She exclaimed.

"I saw your group leaving. Thought you may need help," he said, gripping her by the good arm and pulling her to her feet.

"Are you alright?" He said, turning. Magdalena was still crouched by Albuquerque's body, but she had pulled a flint knife from somewhere. She held it aimed at the monster's still form, but it was Grax that she was glaring at in fear and anger.

"He's on our side," Glyph said, but before she could get further, Maggie interrupted with a cry of: "LOOK OUT!"

Glyph spun in time to see another monster, this one like a giant mantis, raise scythe-like arms and slash Grax's back. Grax shouted in pain, falling. In an instant, the monster was on top of Glyph, slicing at her, and all the hope she had felt when she saw her grandfather disappeared. She heard Oro screaming from far away, and Elyakim's cackling. But there was nothing she could do but raise her arms to try to protect her face and chest from the monster's barrage.

There was another scream, but this one sounded strange. Inhuman. It shook the ground.

Oro stopped screaming. The insect's attack stopped. There was that scream again -- more of a roar -- and it was as if the sun became three times as bright. The insect leapt away from Glyph, screeching, as if it were burning.

The light faded, and Glyph squinted at the sky. After-images danced in her eyes, making her question was she was seeing.