Sadie shouted and clapped her hands. She ran toward the lake instead of the trees. It wouldn’t give them much time, but some was better than none.
The creature that had been waiting raised up on its long thin legs. It snapped both of its massive front claws in her direction and then moved toward her. She had been right. It was incredibly fast.
Sadie’s heart was in her throat, and her body felt numb.
‘Please be safe,’ she thought as she closed her eyes and prayed for the others.
“Sadie!”
Her eyes shot open, and she turned to see Stefan running toward her. She turned back to the monster; it was so close now. It stopped and raised its back. The whipping tail swished back and forth and then shot forward.
Stefan jumped in front of her. He pushed her back. Sadie fell to the ground, and her body screamed in pain from her earlier wounds. But she looked up and saw his face twisted in an anguished shriek.
