The growl petrifies Dust on the spot.
The bold girl is no better, her expression change drastically when she hear it.
The shadows on her face twist, showing her horrified eyes.
For one second, she stay there. As still as a pillar.
Then she quickly withdraws her hand with the key as if it had been burned. Following her move, a black cloud darker than the obscurity all around them come out of the hole.
Little stones and clothes are pushed by the strange smoke and fall on the ground.
The cloud growls again.
And after that, it merges with the obscurity, almost invisible, before lunging on Pony.
The women scream, her voice ear-splitting.
The cloud is solidifying, two big legs can be vaguely seen with a black arm.
Like a death scythe its fall on her hand.
Pony regain her mind and back down but not fast enough. The key fall down with a clatter soon followed by her thumb and another finger in a splatter of blood.
She screams again but she is not the only one in the group.
Dust hear someone bolting away behind his back.
By instinct, he also turn to run but he stop himself.
The key.
He watch one second Eyes who follows the other, sprinting toward the sole exit . His footsteps echoing in the tunnel, his back fading away. His heart in his trachea, he then looks back at the monster.
He hear the Old man yelling in a rapping
voice.
- Do not seperate!
Dragging his leg, he walks past Dust as fast as he can.
The black cloud seem ready to jump forward again, his arms stretched out in front of him like giant claws. However before it can attack a ray of light pierces its fog.
Suspicious thus succeed in protecting the injuried women.
The cloud howl and dissipates
And gain shape a new time a few meter away.
It squeals and growls.
Dust has barely time to see the Old man getting close of Pony and Purple belly while Suspicious dive to the ground to take the key before he sees out of the corner of his eye the cloud moving.
Dam.
Dam.
DAM.
It's running toward me.
It's the only thing he can thinks of.
His arms are trembling, he feels weak.
People are yelling behind him, before him, and next to him.
He hear it but he can't understand.
He raises his flashlight.
However the black smoke dodges the beam of light. It's so close that Dust can smell his breath. It has the same odor than the leakings he smelled at the staircase.
I am going to die.
He turn, his hand holding the lamp torsh to prevent the creature from attacking his side without light. The white light leave an afterimage as it traces a semicircle in the air but fail to catch up with the moving wisp of smoke.
I am going to die.
Dam.
It's near enough.
Obsidian claws cut through the murk, at the same time Dust take a step back, his knees nearly giving away.
The claw scratch the top of his nose but nothing more. The movement causes a cold squall that sweeps some strands on his forehead.
Missing him the creature keep his speed and tackle the one next to Dust to the ground. One let a startled gasp escape his twisted lips in horror.
Under the powerful impact his flash light roll out of his grasp and his young face is now immersed in the darkness.
Dust can hear a tearing noise. And a terrible scream follow it.
Many ray of light come and the black smoke retreat again in a squeal.
With a clearer view they can see the torn clothes of One and his splitten tanned skin on his chest. Six cuts, who start from his collarbone and end at his navel. His eyes look at the void, blood ooze from his open mouth. He isn't breathing, he is drowning with his own blood.
-Regroup! back to back! Quick!
Meanwhile the Old man joined Suspicious and Pony and yell at the people who pull away from the scene in panic, trying to stay far away from the black cloud.
Purple-Belly also huddle between them like a chick under mother's wings.
Their lamp torsh light up the faces of the ones who aren't with them yet, to protect them from the creature. Pony has a fierce expression, her injured hand is held close to her chest, the other one tightly grip the cylindrical tube.
Some sweats on her brow can be seen, she is grunting in pain.
Soon, they form a circle with the ones who hasn't fled .With Dust, Princess and Follower, they are only seven.
Eyes and Two are gone.
Their flash lights are all held in front of them like a sword, ready to slash the obscurity.
The black cloud paces around them, they can't see his legs anymore. But in every hook and cranny that they can't illuminate a heavy step can be heard.
When it is blocked by a ray of light, it jump over it in a wisp of smoke. The dark smoke turn around them like a tiger in a cage. It's somewhere at their left.
-We need to get out, let's walk slowly to the exit…
Princess has still her snobbish tone. Dust can't help but notice her tone is fairly stable considering the situation in which they are .
-Yes, yes, we should! Let's walk toward the exit slowly.
Purple belly agree with her, and they all can hear his eagerness but Old man remind them sternly.
- We must go out but it must be done orderly.
Dust look for a second in his way and only see his wrinkles becoming great ravine hollowed out by darkness under his eyes.
-No need to.
The deep voice belong to Suspicious. Even without looking, Dust know he is the only one who has a voice that low-pitched.
Dust continued to pay attention to their left, and he knows what Suspicious mean. There is no movement anymore. No sinister footstep, no growls.
The black cloud has left.
But it isn't a good new because he left by going to the tunnel from which they came.
The dark fog was strange, it acts like a living animal endowed with intelligence.
This thing attacked Pony first, and precisely targeted her arm with the key.
It may be a coincidence.
Dust can admit it but when the red-haired man protected her, the creature directly changed his target, going for the easier side of the group to prey on.
The side where people didn't use their flash light, and didn't stand close from each other, the one side where some of them ran away.
Futhermore, when it missed his attack on Dust, it didn't insist on it but went and jumped on One. The creature keep moving, like it knew that would be more difficult for them to catch on with their flash light.
Even if all of this can be overlooked by thinking it can be an instinct, Dust doubt it.
The monster has left them, but if it has intelligence, it's certainly gone chasing the ones who fled. The ones who are alone trying to find their way in the mine. The ones who are weaker.
Then after them, it will come back for the rest of the group.
The young man think about Eyes, he doesn't know him, after all, he only exchanged a few sentences with the boy. But well, he hopes he will find him in his way back. Alive.
He gives a glance to the body of Ones,
his lamp torsh abondonned on the floor.
His features are hidden, they can still hear him pants and his gurgles when blood come all the way up to his mouth.
He is dying slowly and quietly. His eyes wide open but not focused. Unconscious.
Dust think it is a blessing in a sense. To not be aware.
Even if this action bring a pang of guilt, Dust looks away.
Nobody talk about taking One with them.
For one cold logic, who will take him?
Obviously, he can't walk by himself.
Moving him can actually kill him faster than anything else. And who will carry him on his back?
Knowing very well that it will slow their move?
Even if someone carry him, then as he isn't aware what is happening around him, they will have to hold his body to prevent him from falling. Then, they can't held their flashlight.
Who will take such a risk for a person they only know for a day?
Not Dust, and apparently no one next to him either.
Carefully they walk toward the exit, and bypass One without saying a word. Dust feel his heart squeeze in his ribcage, itching him to the point he takes a second glance to the dying man.
A sudden thought occur to him, and suddenly it is seem possible to help.It is a simple thought but when a situation is as dire as this one it is hard to think clearly. He can just stand in the middle of the group, like he has done before this way others will protect him.
But his throat is tied at the idea.
The idea to speak and ask for something in front of so many persons.
Finally, he stop himself and clear his uncomfortable throat.
-If…if…
Nobody look at him and keep walking forward, he tries to speak louder. His legs are trembling, but doesn't budge an inch from their position. Kind of strange. He can only notice that he has a very deep fear in attracting attention nearly as much as he fear that his voice will attract back the monster.He take a deep breath.
-I can carry him on my back( he say this hesitantly, and try to force himself to not lower his voice when Princess and Purple-Belly turn their head to look at him) if… if i carry him i will need to be in the middle of the group, in the circle you form.
- No, he is already dead.
Old man doesn't spare him a glance while saying this.
But Dust is unwilling.
If he think about it, seven or six is enough to form a circle, and he can be safe in the middle even if he doesn't held his flashlight in front of him.
And clearly , although it's difficult to breath for One, he is breathing. He isn't dead.
If the situation gets out of hand, he can have enough time to throw him aside and take out his lamp torsh with the others around him.
-No, he is breathing.
This sentence push the older one to look at him
-Boy, he is dying, and will die in a few minute. ( seeing that Dust still stay motionless he grits his teeth) You want to carry? then you carry ! No one is obligated to save your skin if we break apart.
He sounds threatening and indifferent, but in the end what he say appease the young man.
After all, he wouldn't try to prevent him to carry the other if he really didn't care.
Purple-belly has a complex expression on his face, he seem to want to say something but Dust hurriedly take One on his back without waiting.
In his back, he can hear the chuckle from Princess.
-What a kind man.
And the impatient comment of Pony.
-Can we go now?
One is already kind of cold, his limbs are hard to manipulate and his mouth spit a mouthful of blood on his shirt.
With efforts, he stand with One on his back.
He is lucky, One is skinny.
Now he hopes that moving him like this won't affect hjs injuries too much.