Descending Shadows: A Relentless Foe

“Just what are they?” Leslie asked, standing motionless in shock.

“I have no idea, but we need to leave!” I yelled.

A group of giant monsters approached us. They were each two-headed, with six arms. We scurried away in fear, but the monsters caught up with us. One of them grabbed one of us, forcing me to draw out my sword. I sliced off two of its arms in one stroke, but to my astonishment, they grew back.

“What the hell?” I yelled.

There was no escaping them at the time. Those of us with weapons met the monsters in battle. But frustration was not far behind, for we grew weary of their regenerative abilities. I even decollated one monster, but both its heads slowly slithered to its body and reattached themselves. Defeating them was a task that seemed impossible. Never had I been that daunted.

“This is ridiculous! We need to get out of here!” Nolan said.

“Arabella, can you teleport us?” Leslie asked.

“Not yet. I need to regain my strength before performing it for this big of a crowd.”

“Then how about for smaller objects?” I asked.

She looked at me confused, but I dismembered another monster’s limbs and heads and looked at her. She nodded and teleported them to another location. Everyone else followed my lead and did the same. After a few minutes, we had slain every monster that surrounded us; but it was not over yet, for more began to emerge from the distance.

“Time to leave!” I yelled.

We escaped into a nearby forest and hurried through its shadows until we came across a small house. Nolan, Leslie, and I walked in first to make sure no surprises awaited us, and everyone else followed soon after. But then a sudden noise rattled us. Everyone took cover as Leslie and I went to inspect what it was. Nolan, and whoever else was armed, stood guard around the others.

There were photographs of a family on a desk. There was a man and woman; and twins, a girl and a boy, who were no older than Jason. They looked much like us, but were still rather unusual; the family bore pale grey skin, and amber yellow eyes. I wondered what had happened to them.

‘Perhaps those monsters are the cause for their disappearance.’

As I passed through a small hallway, I heard faint sobs from the room to my right. I placed my ear gently on the door. It sounded like children on the other side. I slowly opened the door, only to find an empty room. I slowly bent down, and peeked under the bed, and there they were. But they did not scream for some reason upon hearing me.

“Hey, there… I’m not here to hurt you.”

They moved back, scared, not saying a word. The children were no older than Jason.

I tried speaking to them with sign language, and to my luck, they understood me. I asked them what had happened, and they said that their parents had been killed by monsters that invaded their planet not long ago. I described the monsters that were pursuing us to see if they were the same ones. I was correct. I asked the twins if they knew a way to slay them, and they told me that their parents had worked on a chemical that was lethal to them.

I asked if they still had any bottles of the chemical left, and they said yes. Leslie then walked in on us and was shocked for a moment. I filled her in on the details, and the twins then led us to the remaining supply of the chemical. We then got everyone to dip their blades in the liquid and prepare for our next confrontation. Arabella was still exhausted, so we weren’t teleporting anytime soon.

Those of us who were armed stood guard outside, hiding behind stone and tree in wait for the monsters’ arrival. We attacked them the moment they set foot in our vicinity, stabbing and slicing them as they writhed in agony and fell to the floor. One by one, the giant monsters fell before us until all of their company was defeated—their remains turning to ash and staining the earth.

We then prepared to leave that place as we feared reinforcements were on their way. I asked the twins if they wished to join us, and they said yes. And so, we took the remaining chemical supplies with us and hurried out of there.