Chapter 4: A little heads-up would have been nice.
My life literally hinged on my speed. Therefore I was sprinting as fast as I could. The rush of adrenaline made me forget how tired I was; all I could think about was getting the hell out of there... and that I might just best Usain Bolt with my current speed.
I didn't need to turn around to see that the horrible beings had turned and were now pursuing me. And besides, I couldn't afford to look if they were getting close because I was afraid my knees would buckle, and I'd end up eating dinner for those four.
I raced in aimlessly because I didn't want to give away Sachi's and China's whereabouts to the big, not-so-friendly giants that were after me.
Speaking of Sachi, now that I think of it, I should have a talk with him if I survive this. I mean, a little heads-up would have been nice: "Oh, yeah. Harlow. Don't befriend those scary monsters lurking around. They will eat you alive if you do. That's all, good luck!" Sighing, I returned my focus to running.
What are you going to do now, Harlow? You can't run forever, stupid!
"Wait. I can't?" I asked myself.
My heart was bursting from fear, and the loss of breath wasn't helping me. Yep, I confirmed it. I can only run for a while.
"AAAAAAA!" When a lady suddenly arrived, not too far away, I almost lost my footing. She was also running, and a swarm of monsters was hot on her heels.
I would have waved and said "hi" and all, but it was obvious we were both busy saving ourselves from being the next happy meal for our scary Amigos.
After a few more minutes, I noticed more humans were running, but the downside was more creatures. Great! A while ago, I wished for people, and they hadn't even shown me a strand of their hair, and now they keep coming out of nowhere. I would be happier if they weren't bringing more giant monsters.
Turning to my relentless pursuers, I was relieved to see I had lost one of them. It probably got the message that I was not into him. Geez, can't the others take a hint?!
My feet were starting to give up, and my breaths were close to gone. I know I have to figure out a plan soon, or it's hello, a happy meal to those monsters, and goodbye life for me.
I shifted my gaze from left to right to find a possible getaway, but buildings barricaded the street.
When I saw the paper we put on Sachi's brother, I thought all hope was lost.
"George Bush! No, not the president! The bush!" I exclaimed, remembering the tall bush where I found Sachi and China.
It's close, but I needed something to distract from these things.
"Noooo!" When I was suddenly forced to look up, it was the girl I was jogging next to. She was lying face down on the floor. I was going to halt and rush over to assist her when I saw something horrifying: one of the reptilian-like animals had raced to her first and slashed at her with its sharp claws. Before I saw anything like a bloody scene from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, I had turned away.
I felt sick to my stomach for an instant. I have no idea what might have happened to that lady. Anyone would be slaughtered with one swipe from those razor-sharp claws. I finally realized these horrible creatures weren't competing in the race for fun. Then it dawned on me that these creatures weren't running for the sport. They were hunting us down. I could tell because no one would survive such injuries inflicted by the other unless that someone was a vampire, Wolverine, or Deadpool, and again, this isn't a movie. It's real life!
Where the hell am I? What the heck are those things? Am I going to die? My mind was scattered—the terror from the realization that all of this was actually real and happening.
Fear started to work its way closer to my head, and the screams from other people weren't helping me to ease up. All I could think of was the possibility that I would die without seeing the sunrise in this damned place.
For the first time in my life, I felt something for a second, something I haven't felt since third grade, like even if I worked hard, I wouldn't overcome this. I was probably going to die here.
I wouldn't see any of my family, my sweet, loving family. And my many friends, well, I only have 4 of them but, still, I wouldn't see them again.
I had no strength to hold back the welling tears anymore. I'm going to die…
I'm going to die...
I'm going to di--
"No! You can't die! You have to work hard to survive. There are people waiting for you!" Like a trigger, a gleam of hope suddenly overcame the dread. A small memory that happened long ago played as if it were showing me the reason why I should keep going.
...
"Waaaaaah!" I was in the third grade when I first came home sobbing because of the racism I faced at school. I did not escape the stereotypical case of racial bullying in school.
I looked different, and the kids didn't take that too kindly.
My mom hurriedly came to me and took me in her arms.
"Why are you crying? What happened?" She asked me to worry while gently patting my back.
"Kids at school are mean! They all hate me, and... and WAAAAAH!" I couldn't stop crying even until Dad came home.
When he spotted me sobbing with my mom near the couch, he came over and gave me a big embrace. After hearing the story from my mother, he gave me the advice I still use today, 18 years later.
"If that's the case, then you'd better put up a fight! Work hard and show them that you can beat them! Keep in mind that your folks back at home are always ready with a beaming grin of pride... and tickle fights!" My mom nodded at me and smiled, then we started tickling each other, mostly tickling me.
The remainder of the day was spent playing and laughing, and the next day, after I had given my all at school, my parents, as promised, welcomed me home with a big, proud smile. And after that, whenever I got in trouble, they always greeted me with a smile the next day, every time. Even though they were both exhausted, I could always count on their warm welcome. I know deep in my mind that they are still waiting, even now.
"I can't give up! I have to go to Sachi, and also, I need to go home!" I murmured as I wiped my cheeks clean of tears.
I have to use this gun.
I darted to the right, where there were fewer animals, and looked back briefly to take note of the number of those who were still tailing me. Fortunately, I was down to one.
I hope I've watched enough action movies! Here it goes.
Taking the opportunity, I positioned the gun in my hand and completely stopped running, planting my feet firmly. I had to stay still for a closer aim; I needed a closer range. As expected, the creature sped up more when he saw me stop.
"You probably think I'm a loser you can just munch on, but let me just tell you, I survived studying in the racist halls of an American public high school. And you may be bigger, scarier, deadlier like the dinosaurs in Jurassic Wor-- Okay, we're getting off-topic here. The point is, I will strike you down, you velociraptor!" I said before putting a stop to my brief statement as the creature moved closer to me.
Taking a deep breath, I aimed the gun at its head. I mean, at least, I hope I did.
Its mouth was open, exposing its really sharp teeth. My knees were buckling, almost making me fall, but my resolution kept me standing. I had to survive!
It was about two feet away from me when I pulled the trigger.
BANG!
The gunshot noise again invaded my ears, and the blast sent me to move back slightly. My eyes were shut from fear that I hadn't hit it. After a couple of seconds of nothing, I slowly lifted my lids and was terrified to see the creature now in front of me.
It had big, sharp eyes like a snake, and its face looked like a lizard, only this lizard was not so little, and it walked on two feet.
My heart was pounding so hard while anticipating its next move. I doubt any in-love people can surpass the beating of my heart right now and the wasps swarming in my stomach.
I couldn't take my eyes off it. It was just staring at me and not moving. What were seconds felt like hours from the fear I was taking in until it made a movement, making me move back instinctively, but I was puzzled when it suddenly fell to the ground.
My chest loosened, releasing an extended and relieved sigh. I did hit it on its head. Black liquid came oozing from the gun wound.
For a moment, I forgot that there were more of its Amigos, probably looking for dinner. So I decided to move forward.
Before leaving the dead beast, I decided to kick it hard. I almost died because of it. I think kicking its lifeless body was a fair trade.
Walking in a crouching manner, I hid every chance I got. Now I felt a little relieved that it was dark, making me almost invisible. The screams were slowly fading too. I was far from them.
The memory of the woman who met a tragic fate filled my chest with guilt and pity for her. If I survive this, I'll rally through the gates of Hollywood. Their gory special effects on monsters were not even an inch close to the real thing. They could have made it more accurate, so I could have been ready!
I may not understand what's happening right now, but I'm sure of one thing, I need to survive and go back to Sachi, then get the heck out of here.
After a while, I reached the street where I first met China. The tall bush where Sachi was hiding seemed to be cleared of any signs of those creatures. I paced quickly towards the bush and scanned around to see if anything was there.
As I was about to hide in the tall bush, I felt a slight movement on it. The movement became more unstable the more I closed in, so I decided to ready the gun.
"NOOOO! Please!" I jumped from my tracks and, on reflex, pointed the gun when I heard the sound of screaming from the bush. The voice sounded like that of a woman. It was loud, and it seemed to be attracting those creatures as I heard some getting closer. Holy molly! This woman can join the army and go all, "ATTENTION!". Her voice was loud!
Quickly, I went over the bush and hid myself. I managed to cover the lady's mouth in time before any of those creatures started coming and clawing our bodies into an abstract.
She stopped screaming when she saw me. Removing my hand, we both watched the outside. A shriek had us stiffening.
From the sound of the shriek, the creatures were not far from us. After a while, the shrieking stopped, but my heart started to rise when a huge figure appeared in front of us.
After getting a grip on what it was, the creature seemed to be a sort of bug. Its two eyes occupied most of its face. Its mouth was made up of two mandibles, like those of a prey mantis. And its body consisted of 4 legs and two sharp hook-like hands. Overall, it was utterly disgusting.
I held my breath to avoid making any noise. The woman beside me was shivering, probably from the fear that we might get caught and be shredded into pieces. If this was a movie and I was just watching, I'd be yelling my lungs out.
After a few minutes, thankfully, the creature finally left our spot, and I felt both of us release breaths of relief. Thank you, Almighty!
"Hi, I'm Okino. Quick question. What the heck are those things!?." I asked, trying to hold back my voice. It probably wasn't the best time to talk, but I couldn't waste time.
"I'm Fortasha Linc. Call me Tasha. Yes, that was my first reaction, too. Those are Terras," Her voice was laced with fear. I was trembling myself too.
"Terras? Earth doesn't have those kinds of things, or maybe I should listen to zoology better?" I asked. Seriously, I got an A+ on every exam on Zoology, and never was there an animal described as one of those creatures.
"Well, that's the case. You see, Harlow, this is not Earth. This a place seemingly was designed to kill anything from Earth." Her response was completely devoid of humor, and her eyes conveyed seriousness.
It was at that very time that I realized I was not in the country in which I had been born. I had been transported to another universe.
Throughout the night, we kept talking, especially about Terras.
Tasha's boyfriend, Max, accompanied her to this location. They had arrived in this world three months earlier by accident. According to her, they were not initially in this area but instead fell on an island with a few humans, but since the Terras were extremely violent, they constructed boats, losing a few of the water Terras. Because of the rampage, the Terras had two days before landing here, and ultimately they became separated from the others. It seems that something had encouraged a greater number of the monsters to go out onto the streets that evening.
So, here are the facts. First, I'm not on Earth anymore. Second, carnivorous beasts rule this planet. Second, maybe the only good news I received is that those beasts are less or close to not being active due day. And lastly, the only hypothetical way of getting out here is by finding a sinkhole and jumping on it like the last one hadn't done enough. ARGH!
Closing my eyes and falling asleep, I thought of Sachi. It was a cold and dark night, and I wouldn't want to spend it alone, let alone with an 8-year-old boy.
I hope Sachi's fine. Wait for me, bud. I'll come back.
I had trouble falling asleep due to the discoveries that I had, not to mention the awkward sitting posture that I was forced to sleep in, so I decided just to wait for the sun to come up instead of trying to sleep. Good thing my "friends" won't be that active to chase after me in the morning.
Before going out, we carefully scanned the location of any giant, furry, and scaly beings, luckily, the coast was clear, so we decided to head where Sachi was.
"Have you seen the bridge yet?" I asked Tasha. Tasha was a 24-year-old woman who used to be a paramedic like her boyfriend. She had blonde hair, and under the dirt, I could tell she was a stunning woman.
"No, we came from the other side of this city." She didn't say anything else, and I didn't pry. She must still be trying to make sense of everything. It's not every day that people get shredded to death. You'll need time to get around it finally. Heck, I was just on the brink of pulling all my hair out of fear. Even though I saw how the Terras dealt with people, I can't imagine seeing people I know suffering from the same faith as that girl.
After some time spent wandering and tracing the paper trails, we left behind Sachi's brother. We finally came across the building where the body of water could be seen through. When I emerged from the structure, I was finally able to see the bridge, and despite the fact that my feet hurt from all of the running I had done the previous evening, I hurried toward the vehicle in which I had left Sachi, not caring if I left Tasha behind.
I quickly pulled the car door open. On the inside, there was a hyperactive China and a weeping Sachi. After the child noticed me, he looked at me closely for a while before finally giving me a grin of assurance. As the realization hit him, he pounced on me and gave me a bear hug, which let him let go of whatever anxiety he had been experiencing as a result of my absence.
"I… I didn't eat your… your snacks!" He said, still crying and hugging me. A tear also fell from my eyes. I was relieved that they were safe, and I'm glad to be alive.
I let out a goofy and carefree smile, pushing back all the fear that was creeping into my chest.
"You had better not!" I said, patting his little shivering body.
We watched the sun as it lit up more of the buildings.
My goals were set. Now, I'm determined. We have to survive!