Eariee Attack

Eariee Attack

Eariee attack on city.

Warm, stuffy air hit her as she sidled in through the door, it was such a contrast to the bitterness of the outside air. Warily, she scanned her eyes around the bar, trying to look casual.

In that instant, Caelum’s eyes locked onto hers in immediate recognition. Corel felt her stomach lurch as he narrowed his gaze in suspicion. Surely he wouldn’t guess she had followed him? She hadn’t meant any harm anyway.

Feeling the heat rise in her cheeks, Corel casually slid her gaze subtly away from his, pretending she hadn’t recognized him. She was almost angry with herself for being so flustered at being caught out. Biting her lip, she made her way to the bar. After all, she was entitled to be here. Corel told herself that she was just dropping in for a quick drink after a long hard day.

Not that he would have any idea what a hard day’s work meant, she thought sourly. It was all very well while he was recovering, but he was hale now, it wasn’t as if Eve was made of money.

‘Sommat on your mind, love?’ the young barman asked, and she smiled.

It was short lived. The building shuddered. Dust and plaster fell from the ceiling as people staggered under the impact. Corel clutched a hold of the counter as her body shook with the shock of the impact. Eyes wide and frantic, she lifted her face to see the barman meet her gaze with as much terror and confusion as she.

Around her there were whimpers and murmurs as people slowly stood up again. The hammering in Corel’s heart was intense, and she was shook to the bone. Chairs had been turned up and tables were askew, and everyone she looked at was pale and frightened.

What had happened? Not an earthquake, surely. A bomb perhaps, or…?

‘You ok there?’ came the shaky voice of the barman. He grabbed her arm to get her attention, as numbly she nodded.

He mouthed out ‘what?’ before everything shifted again, and Corel felt herself lurch around for footing.

With it came some mad, wild roar that pierced the air like a knife and burned her eardrums. Slamming her hands over her ears to shut out the noise, Corel curled up into a ball on the ground, huddled against the counter. Tears streamed out of her eyes as the sound twisted its way into her brain. The vibration of it ran through her body.

The alien roaring left off, but the fierce ringing in her ears didn’t at first. People about her were moaning and cursing as she staggered up, wincing at the array of bruises she seemed to have collected. A thick coat of cement dust covered the entire room. Deep cracks scoured the plaster walls and ceiling, and Corel felt her insides go to jelly.

‘It’s not a…’ she whispered to herself.

‘What the devil is this?’ exclaimed someone.

The barman staggered out from behind his post, coming up beside her.

‘I don’ like this.’ She heard him mutter, following his gaze to the street out side. Streetlights flickered, casting an eerie glow. People were picking themselves up, glancing fearfully at a long crack that appeared to run the length of the road. Thin black shapes, shadows, fluttered down from some great height. One woman caught one in her hand, eyes trailing where it had come from. Corel shuddered, heart sinking as she watched those outside began to run, fast.

A figure crossed her vision.

Caelum.

He was going outside. Others, seemingly emboldened by his move, trickled out behind him, and Corel was horrified to feel her own feet follow of their own accord, leaving the barman behind. Slowly, the group of seven or so filed out onto the street, clustering behind Caelum as they came onto the sidewalk.

Corel lingered in the doorway, feeling her heart beat loudly as she observed the others examine the crack. It was still so cold outside, but it was if she couldn’t notice it. She was too caught up in the scenario unfolding before her. Folk turned around, scratching their heads, before finally turning their faces to gaze down the street. She tried to pick out Caelum, but she could not see him through the others that milled about. Pensive, she watched them as their faces flitted through phases of apprehension, confusion until finally coming at last, to frozen horror.

Her heart leapt into her throat. She had just noticed that, in fact, the bystanders were not looking down the street at all. They were looking up.

Again her feet moved of their own accord, down the steps, onto the sidewalk. Sick to the stomach, Corel joined the watches, desperately wishing that she wasn’t here.

‘Oh my god-‘ she breathed, feeling as all the blood drained from her face and her mouth went stone dry.

It-the thing, the Phantasm, was giant. With sick horror she followed the line of its massive, pale blue body that glowed with unnatural light, looming tall over the buildings. It appeared to only have half a body, its apparent midsection meeting the ground just under its navel. Almost humanoid, one singular arm sprouted from a hunched shoulder. Long, spindly fingers formed a hand; one thumb and three digits. Its massive round head sprouted out a mane of wild, black hair.

No-black feathers, she corrected herself, for she could see them now. Stray black feathers falling away from the creature.

Gaping, she stared up into its grinning face, still as a statue. No nose, she saw with a lurch, only black, bottomless eyes and a wide, red lipped grinning mouth.

Corel choked, no scream could make it past her clenched throat, for that thing, the sight of it was just too…terrible to even comprehend.

Some one else screamed for her. The monster moved, mouth gaping wide as it swung down it lone arm. People started running, falling over each other in the panic to get away. But she couldn’t move. Folk pushed passed her but she was still trapped, frozen in utter awe of the impossible thing before her.

Then the massive arm finished its arc, ramming into the earth and splintering concrete and splitting bitumen. She heard screams, saw the hand snake forward to snatch up terrified humans, bashing buildings in the process, before consuming its victims in one awful gulp. Bile bubbled at the back of her throat, fear rising up to tickle her eyes, threatening to overwhelm her. Rubble flew done and the four fingered hand reached out again.

She ran.

People were streaming out of buildings now, fleeing and screaming. Corel joined the throng, jostling and pushing past others as they fought to escape. She didn’t care about them, not stopping for the man who tripped and fell. Tearing past, she broke out of the main group on the road and into a sprint down the sidewalk. Fire pumped in her veins, pure instinct pushing her on and on.

‘Jesus Christ-‘

‘Oh God help us!’

‘Call them, call some one-‘

‘Run!’

Pure panic, and the beast roared again, throwing them all to the ground. Tears sprang to her eyes as her knees and palms scraped against the road and she’d swear that her ears were bleeding against the noise. Corel didn’t stop though. Scrambling back to her feet, she took off again, barely feeling her hurts.

Something behind collapsed, a building maybe, and she whipped her head back to see. Yes, the thing was there. Consuming. It ignored the heap of rubble and debris by its side, seizing terrified people to be eaten.

She collided with something, hard, slamming again into the ground. Wind knocked out of her, She gasped like a fish, trying to suck in air to her bruised lungs as she struggled up. The person she’d run into pulled himself up as well, and they met face to face.

‘Caelum?’ She wheezed, clutching her stomach. He gave her a distracted glance, before setting off again.

‘No wait!’ Corel called, reaching out for him. Stumbling, she jogged after him, determined not to lose sight. Folk screamed and wept as they ran past, making it hard to see him, but she gritted her teeth
and pushed on.

Caelum, just follow Caelum, she thought. It seemed like a reasonable plan to her. Caelum would know what to do.

She couldn’t say why she thought this, she just did. There was nothing else.

At the intersection she almost lost him. Panic flooded her again, making her claw past people to find him. She screamed his name, looking wildly.

Some one bumped into her, pushing her against a lamppost and knocking her head. Her vision swam, but she glimpsed the dark brown jacked and tousled hair. Throwing herself into the crowd, Corel fought her way to him, breathing in ragged, desperate gasps.

Between the dark figures she saw his shape crouch, and then, gone.

‘No!’ She yelled, stumbling to the area where she was sure he’d been. Another earthshaking roar sounded, and in the background sirens were wailing and the streets echoed with the sound of gunfire.

Corel tripped, almost falling into the manhole whose heavy metal lid was cast aside. She didn’t even hesitate, flipping her legs over the side and dropping down into the black hole.

Some how her hands caught hold of the ladder rungs, and she clambered down, descending into darkness.

***

It was dark and it was cold and it stuck. Corel gagged on the thick, overpowering smell as she hit the floor. Crumpling to her knees she retched, chucking out her guts. It wasn’t just the smell. It was the fear, the panic. It was seeing those people eaten by the Phantasm.

The Phantasm! Her heartbeat skyrocketed again, how the devil did it get into the city?

The thought of it made her vomit again, though there was nothing left. Something cracked in her voice and she started sobbing softly.

‘Who’s there?’ came a harsh, male voice. It echoed in the sewer tunnel. A pinpoint light shone into her face and on reflex she recoiled away from it.

‘…Corel?’ came another voice, one that sounded less then happy to see her, and she looked up to distinguish the figures. The torchlight burned her eyes.

‘Hey, it’s in my eyes!’

The light moved away. Corel blinked up at the two men who had not offered to help her up. The torch light bounced off the walls onto their features. She sighed, relieved. It was Caelum all right, as well as the man he had been talking to at the bar.

‘You know her?’ The stranger asked. Corel scrambled up to her feet, limping a little on the foot she had landed badly on.

‘Works for Serpill.’

‘Ah.’

She pulled her jacket around herself. They could still hear the pandemonium of the surface, though it was much muffled. It was still cold, and she wasn’t running anymore. The adrenaline had gone, and she suddenly felt faint. She swooned.

Someone seized her arm.

‘Get out of here Corel.’ He said roughly as she leaned on him for support. He did not want her there, and she was high strung already from the attack. Something like madness rose in her.

‘Out of here? Out of here?’ Her voice was shrill, barely suppressing the panic that once again threatened to take over ‘I am not going back up there on my own!’

Corel wrenched her arm out of his grip and faced him, glaring furiously. He met her gaze evenly.

‘No matter what you say, you’re not ditchin’ me! Th-that…there’s that thing-‘ She choked on her words and looked away.

She heard him sigh.

‘Fine.’ He muttered, walking away from her. Corel sniffed and wiped her eyes. God, she didn’t think she could take much more. All she felt like doing was curling up into a small ball and cry her eyes out, but their source of light was moving away and she wouldn’t risk being left behind. She had a feeling they wouldn’t wait for her, so, limping, she followed.