The creatures renewed their frenzied attack on the cage. I gave up on fighting them off and helped Kaden search the boxes.
"Here! Here!" He finally yelled, dumping a box into my arms. I opened it to see a pair of dainty shoes, that looked like they were incredibly old.
"Tell me you have matches." I looked at Kaden.
"What? What are you trying to do?" Kaden yelped, and grabbed the box from me.
"Look around you-we aren't getting out of here!" I screamed, pointing at the cage door being swarmed by creatures. Then more quietly "Kaden, we can't let him have them." Kaden sighed, but started searching his pockets and shook his head in anguish.
"I've got nothing." He said swiftly.
"Weird, I would have taken you for a smoker. Ok then, help me check this junk. Maybe one of the movers smoked or left something useful behind." I instructed, panic building a large bubble in my chest. I looked up to see the 'king' had reached the cage. I flinched.
"Little one, Brother... Why are you delaying the inevitable?" He taunted, tugging on the door. The metal protested as it started to yield.
"Nothing?!" I called, desperately searching through the refuse littering the floor.
"Nothing." Kaden answered, worry tinging his voice.
"All right fine-here, give 'em to me." I said, gripping the box cutter tightly. My legs were yanked out from under me as I reached for the box. I turned back to see the Nightmare King had gained partial access to the cage. The bubble of heat in my chest burst, spreading through my whole body as the King laughed, dangling me by a leg. I screamed obscenities at him and swung at his arm with the box cutter. With a clean slice, large drops of blood fell to the ground, faster than I did when he let me go to clutch his arm in pain. He roared in anger and I scrambled back, trying to get out of reach.
"The shoes-quick! I called, but the cage squealed again, and this time, the King had his head and shoulders through. He grabbed for me and snagged my hoodie. I felt myself being yanked backwards.
"Why do you struggle so, Little One?" The King laughed. "I will repay you for this injury. He leg go of the jacket to get a better grip, drawing me closer to him at the opening. Lifting me onto my toes by the front of the jacket, he tugged me up next to his face and opened his mouth to speak. I figured what had worked before would work again, and plunged my hand wrist deep into the Nightmare King's eye socket. He helped and jerked backward, leaving me holding a single grotesque eye. I let go of it quickly while he yelled some more. It swung by the nerve bundle and hit his cheek. The King pulled his body from the cage, leaving me to back away quickly from the door. Kaden thrust the hoes into my hands, interrupting my fearful stare.
I knelt to the floor, wiping the stickiness from my hands, and started hacking away at the shoes with the box cutter. The King screamed again, reaching through the bars, but I was too far away to enable him to grab me. Frustrated, he backed out and yanked at the door again, stirring the frenzy of monsters into greater heights. The door pulled free and the King laughed darkly, shoving his upper half into the cage.
"Do you really think that's going to stop me from using the power within them?" He chuckled, reaching for the shoes. He was too big to stand within the cage, so he had gotten on his knees, only his upper half inside, hand outstretched. I panicked as he finally pushed himself far enough in to reach us, trying to cut faster. He swung an arm, knocking e against the side of the cage. The air whooshed out of my body, and I struggled desperately to draw it back in. My lungs were crying for air as my head got dizzy and my ears began to ring. Kaden had rushed at the King and their two forms met and parted in a clumsy dance, shadows surrounding and whirling around them as they landed blow after blow upon each other. The King finally reached out a huge clawed hand and crushed Kaden against the ground. I heard a crunch, and Kaden's gasp, then he simply disappeared in a swirl of shadows. The King laughed maliciously. I felt the rage coursing through me, white hot. A sudden gasp and the air finally filled my lungs again. I panted as the heat spread through me. The King was scrambling at the shoe fragments, ignoring me as if I didn't matter. I swung myself forwards, leaping on top of his head, going for the eyes again. He roared and lunged upward, enabling me to grip the top of the metal cage, and start kicking at him with all my might. The creatures swarmed in and one yanked me down from the ceiling. I saw stars when my head cracked on the concrete floor. Laughing maniacally, the King gathered up the rest of the shoe pieces in his hands. He gingerly back out into the hall and stood up.
"You, come with me," He motioned to the creatures assembled around him. "The rest of you, stay here. Kill her, I no longer have any need for her. I got what I came for." The King cuddled the pieces to his chest as if they were an infant. A garbled hiss of joy went through the creatures, and the ones in the cage turned to eye me eagerly. The King laughed his way down the hall as the creatures advanced on me. I struggled to sit up, ears ringing from the recent smack to the head. I felt woozy and the room spun a little.
'Hitting my head a second time so quickly-probably not a good thing' I thought sarcastically, scrambling backwards as the monsters rushed me as one. I felt something stab me as my hand hit it, and triumphantly brandished the box cutter, slashing at the first attacker. The creature hissed angrily while the blade slid across its cheek. I grabbed a box and tossed it at the next one, trying desperately to give myself some space so I could stand. Not to be outdone, the creature I had sliced lunged at me, knocking me over. I used my feet to kick at it, trying to knock it off of me. One of the monsters grabbed my flailing leg and sunk its teeth in, another bit my arm. I was screaming non-stop and the thought hit me that I was going to die here. Panic welled up in my chest, feeding me a little more strength. I ripped my arm from the creature's grasp, hearing and feeling the flesh pull, and grabbed the box cutter with both hands. I plunged the box cutter into the creature's eye that was crouched over me. It wailed and backed up, holding its face and stumbled, falling. The other monsters swarmed over it, ignoring it, and its body was eventually still.
Sadly I lost my box cutter in the attempt, but I was going to go down fighting damn it!