Barry Dodson was in agony. Unconsciousness had brought him peace and calm, but now that it was gone and the pain pierced through both of his ankles. It was a palpitating fire that burned within and around his bones. His skin was swollen, likely red, almost as if his calves were ready to burst out, and the agony inside beat to the rhythm of his heartbeat.
With darkness surrounding him, dirt under his hands and his legs exploding into white-hot suffering with every twitch of his body, he only had one option. He screamed.
The next instant, a hand fell onto his shoulder and another clapped itself over his mouth, sealing it. “Shut the fuck up,” the voice whispered, a low angry hiss. The darkness was too absolute. Barry couldn’t see who it was that was covering his mouth. He tried to scream again, but it came out muffled.
He could taste dirt, as the palm pressed his head down against the ground. The other hand had grasped his throat and tightened just enough to make him choke for breath. “Scream again and I will kill you.” It was a she, definitely a she. Her voice was a low growl, but her grip was the strongest Barry had ever felt. Like an iron vice.
Pushing back against the pain, the young man shuddered, nodding slowly as best he could and tightening his body to stop the burning in his ankles.
“They broke your legs so you can’t escape,” the woman said, loosening her grasp on his mouth. Her words were a light whisper. “Whoever shouts the loudest usually gets chosen first. Keep your mouth shut or you’ll get eaten.”
A slight whimper followed. Barry tensed. The image of fangs and claws flashed across his mind. He could still remember the scent of fresh blood from when the feline had entered the bus that night. “Where… where are we?” He cringed through the agony. His breathing was shallow, and his hands tightened into fists.
Now that she’d let him go, he couldn’t sense anything other than the dirt underneath his back.
“Their lair.”
“Their?”
“The feral’s.” A huff followed. “Did they do in your girls?”
“What?”
“Your team.” The woman kept her voice low. There was anger in her tone. “Did the ferals kill them?”
“I don’t…” The young man shook his head and winced. The pain throbbed and his whole body became rigid. With the stabbing sensation coming from his ankles, his thoughts spun their wheels without traction. Barry collapsed, panting and breathing hard. “We were running to find help, and now…” Hot tears rushed down his cheeks. He slammed his clenched fists against the dirt. “Now I’m going to get eaten.”
A tight sob escaped him. The young man reached out to cover his face with his arm. His whole body shook with so many emotions that the only thing he could do was muffle his voice against his sleeve. Had all of this been for nothing? Just to go out and die in some ditch?
The darkness gnawed at his welling despair. He couldn't feel anything else. The woman who’d quietened him a moment ago had gone silent. Was there anything in this blackness? He faintly heard the pitter-patter of rain off in the distance.
Barry pulled out the hard lump that lay in his right pocket: the phone with the smashed screen his teacher had given him. The dim glow brought light, and with it, blindness. Barry winced and covered his eyes. On either side of him, he heard several squeaks and gasps. The human flinched as the mobile was snatched out of his grip.
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In the weird dim white glare of the screen, he met the gaze of several others that, at first, had looked like women. But it was made apparent most of them were just like the other monsters out there.
To his left was the smallest of the three. She was a frail, thin young creature, her body covered in a light grey fur, and her ears round and torn atop her head. A mouse. Her legs were twisted at odd angles- her left wrist as well. She was curled against a dirt wall and keeping as far as she could from the others. Her black eyes were wide with terror as she kept herself curled into a tight ball.
To his right were two others. The first was an equally naked monster, and just as female as the first. Her skin was a light tan, but what caught Barry’s attention were her arms: they were wings. Covered in large brown feathers, the limbs were twisted and long, tightly squeezing against her body. She kept her head hidden between both limbs, a bed of short blond hair atop her head.
And then, there was the one that had taken the mobile phone from him.
Unlike the others, she wasn’t scared- but more importantly, she wasn’t naked.
The young woman wore long, dirt-stained cotton blue pants that reached all the way to her ankles. There were tears and holes there, her dark chocolate skin showing some scars underneath where the holes had been present, mingled with open cuts and some bruises. Her feet were bare, and her torso was covered by a light short-sleeved shirt that had once been white but was different shades of brown now. Barry couldn’t help but notice how well built she was compared to the other two. Her arms showed some muscle definition, and her almond shaped face certainly looked far better nourished.
Barry felt as if he was looking at an aspiring MMA fighter. Everything about the way she occupied the space she lived in screamed confidence. Which was the same reason why the black leather collar around her throat caught his attention, as if it were glowing in the dark.
Her green eyes weren’t focused on him though- they were focused on the mobile phone, frowning at the broken screen and poking it before turning it this way and that. “What kind of device is this?”
“It’s… It’s a phone.” Barry wheezed through quick breaths. “But it’s just a glorified flashlight now.”
“Do you have any lepi?”
“What?”
“Purple round fruit; grows in bushes. Eat it for fun, rub on injuries to heal. Locals had an unfamiliar name for it.” She had a deep scowl as she spoke, gesturing at her swollen ankles.
“I don’t… I haven’t seen anything like that.” Barry shook his head. “I have so many questions.” A hollow laugh left him as he glanced around. They were in a pit of some sort, maybe four or so meters deep and twice that across.
Up above, past the edge of the hole, there was only darkness.
“They’re going to have to wait, she’s here.”
“What?”
And just as he spoke, the shadows within the hole came to life. Barry remembered what had happened back during the fight before he was taken. His eyes widened as he saw the shadows grow and gain volume. The powerful canine figure emerged, her eyes locked onto the tan-skinned woman, who glared back.
“Come at me, feral mutt, get close. I dare you.” Her hands glowed a dull green as she raised them.
The canine woman snorted, turning around and glancing at Barry. The young human stiffened, icy dread running down his back for the split second it took the monster to look away and focus on the mousy one.
The shrieks became deafening as she reached down to the squirming creature. Silence followed as they were both swallowed by the shadows, only to return from outside the hole, out of sight. The cries rose, becoming sharper and higher.
And with a sharp crunch, it came to a sudden end.
Barry’s whole body tightened, pale and shivering, as his hand covered his mouth. He could only lay there and listen to the sudden rush of howls and barks, and the wet crunch of something else that he didn’t want to think about.
The dark-skinned woman grimaced, the glow on her hands dying out as she growled, shaking her head. “Turn that thing off, it’s annoying and I need to conserve my strength.”
The young man hesitated, looking down at the broken phone with the picture of a black cat curled up into a ball and snoozing behind the locked screen. Barry turned his gaze at her, hand lingering in his left pocket. There was a wrapper there, some leftover meal from the trek. Probably the last one he’d have.
His thoughts lingered on her glowing hands. “If you had the strength to fight, would you be able to help us get out of here?”
Her face cracked into a smirk, the woman leaning back against the wall and letting out a laugh. “Why should I help you?”