First Stage by: Hillarree Hamblin, Acrylic on canvas, 2010.
Too Close for Comfort
by: Curtis Sternitzky
Water fell in sheets across the roads. White froth flowed off the aged sidewalks and into the gutters. Time had not yet taken its toll in the city sewer systems, so the streets remained streets instead of turning into rivers. Droplets danced on the roofs of abandoned cars before gaining enough mass to roll down the windows and onto the ground. The cold, gripping air of before had become an icy leech. The howling wind had become a droning roar in the rain.
Justin peered into the haze of falling water. He was deep in focus, in spite of the horrid smells clawing at his nose. A gust of chilling wind cut through his flimsy hoodie and into his torso. Muscles throughout his body shivered Aside from the rain, nothing was moving.
Kelsin saw Justin wave his hand. He got up from behind an overturned vending machine and made his way to Justin’s position. Water sloshed with each rapid step. The shadow of paranoia was now gnawing at the back of his mind. They were now near to the police station, which meant the Beast nest was, too. He glanced behind him, into the wet streets. The pain in his shoulders had dissipated to a throbbing burn. The gouges made sure they weren’t forgotten with each step. Clearing his mind, Kelsin brought his focus back to the task hand.
“We’re close now. It’s less than five blocks away.” He spoke in an elevated tone so his voice would cut through the din of the storm.
“I still haven’t seen any Beasts. I thought they didn’t mind the rain?” Justin asked the question wit out looking at Kelsin. He had always been taught to keep his eyes sharp during storms. The rain made it harder to hear.
“Only when there’s food available, otherwise they avoid it.”
“Which means they’ve moved inside. Fantastic. That doesn’t really help us when we hit the station.” Frustration bubbled through Justin’s response.
“Meh, details.”
Justin shook his head at Kelsin’s light-hearted response.
“Just don’t get killed. You owe me a drink now, remember?” Justin took off without waiting for Kelsin to respond. Water exploded out from under his already soaked sneaker with every footfall. It took him a few heartbeats to reach the next intersection. He loved running. Even when he was little, Justin remember how he liked to challenge his friends to races.
He came upon what appeared to be a old newspaper kiosk. Most of its shelves lay bare and abandoned. Green paint clung defiantly to the metal frame. The tattered remains of a red and blue awning extended from the top of the structure. Relief took hold of Justin as he took refuge from the storm under the canopy.
An old newspaper rested in silence in a wire basket hanging from the front of the kiosk. Its pages were curled and yellowed with age and exposure to the elements. The image on the cover was still visible. A mechanical dog appeared to be smelling a discarded piece of paper. The title read ‘Savior of the Future?
Justin moved to the edge of the kiosk and began scanning the intersection for threats. The sticky cold gnawed on his limbs and body. Nothing moved ahead. Dead cars silently accepted the pounding rain from above. Training told Justin that something wasn’t right. Even during heavy storms, a few Guardian Beasts should be out this close to the nest. His eyes darted across the skyline. Still, he found nothing. A growing sense of uneasiness was working its way into Justin’s mind. Something felt off to him.
A massive shadow began to manifest itself across the intersection. It was moving wit ha deliberate, slow pace in Justin’s direction. The dark mass stood nearly two stories tall. Heart racing, Justin slashed his hand sideways, signaling Kelsin to hide. After communicating the threat, he darted into an open doorway across from the kiosk.
Pausing for a heartbeat, Justin let his eyes adjust to the darkness. Metal shutters covered most of the windows. Once his eyes adjusted, he saw that he appeared to be in an old store. Justin dove over the checkout counter and landed on the tile floor behind it with a grunt. Rain drumming on the concrete sidewalk was all he could hear. Other than rain, Justin heard nothing. The silence did little to slow his racing heart. The he heard it, the distinct ‘thud’ of a massive weight falling on asphalt. The footfalls slowly grew louder and louder.
Then the sound stopped.
The Beast was just outside. Justin’s heart felt as if it was exploding from his chest with the realization, but he didn’t dare move from fear of being heard. The creature inhaled, a pause, then another inhale. It was smelling the air where Justin had just been. He had heard of this kind of Beast. Ones this large were called Behemoths. They were prone to cannibalism and would plow into small buildings in search of food. The fact that Justin was slathered in Beast blood didn’t help his situation.
Another huff came from the door.
Fear burned through Justin’s body. If the thing realized where he was hiding, he would have no chance of escape. The only thing he could do was lie there, and hope for the best. In spite of the cold, sweat rolled off his brow and onto the dusty ground.
A deep growl shook the building The particles by Justin’s face danced, his bones quaked. His breathing stopped.
The sound of a heavy step echoed outside. The another. A heavy sigh escaped escaped his mouth. Justin’s heart flooded with relief, as he heard the footsteps fade. He didn’t move, even though his limbs were starting to go numb from lack of circulation. Training told him to be certain the Behemoth was gone. Now his mind was on Kelsin.
A roar tore through the air. It was so powerful that the very atmosphere seemed to quiver in fear of it.
‘Oh, no…’ Justin thought.
He heard a boom followed by the sound of falling stone and shattering glass. It had found Kelsin, Justin was certain. There was nothing he could do. Helplessness overcame his brief sense of relief.
‘What’s happening to you, Kelsin?’
Kelsin was both amazed and horrified by how fast the Behemoth had moved. One moment it was sniffing the air outside the Laundromat he had taken refuge in. The next, it was shoving its massive body through the front of the building. the sound reminded him of a bomb going off. Old washing machines toppled to the ground, their metal frames smashing angrily into the tile floor. The ceiling buckled as the Beast propelled itself further. Fluorescent bulbs shattered in their housings.
Kelsin crawled into the office at the back Just as the hungry creature let out another earth shattering roar. Heart pounding, he began pulling at a door he believed led to the alleyway. It wouldn’t budge. Years of neglect had rusted the bolt shut. He began slamming his whole body against the door. His only reward was fresh pain in his already damaged shoulders.
The entire building rocked on its foundation as the beast crawled even further in. Beams groaned in the walls, spider web cracks streaked across the plaster, a metal chair fell to the office carpet with a loud thunk. After regaining his balance, Kelsin saw that the frame of the metal door was now contorted and stressed. He picked up the fallen chair and jammed it into where the gap between the door and its threshold was widest. Adrenaline frenzying his muscles, he began desperately prying at the door. Steel scraped against steel. The metal protested with the effort. The door began to relent.
He could feel the hot air of the Behemoths massive breaths washing over his body. One more push, and the creature would have him in its jaws. It was either that or the building collapse on top of him. Neither option seemed very appealing to Kelsin.
With one final effort of desperation, the door groaned resentfully open. He was sprinting into the alleyway before the chair he had dropped reached he ground. Being hunted by something so much larger than himself always awoke some primordial fear in Kelsin’s mind.
Now he had to fin Justin and get away from the frenzied Behemoth. He had seen his Scout run into some of shop just before he slipping into the Laundromat. He sprinted down to the kiosk and paused at the doorway across from it.
“Justin!” he hissed.
With the word, Kelsin watched his Scout come soaring over a counter and charge the doorway. Within a breath, both men were sprinting down the street in the pouring rain. Stealing a glance over his shoulder, Kelsin saw the massive thing was starting to pull itself from the rubble.
‘We can’t outrun it!’ He had been in this situation before. A manhole cover caught his eye. Pointing to it, he shouted.
“Get that cover off!”
Justin grasped the lid and slid it off. The sound of rushing water assaulted his ears.
“You sure this is a good idea?” Justin could barely contain his panic.
“Not really.” Kelsin looked back at the Behemoth. It was shaking the last bits of concrete and plaster from its shoulders and back. Raising its head, it locked eyes with the two men. Massive legs began propelling the Beast towards the duo with unimaginable speed.
This was all the prompting needed for Kelsin and Justin to plunge into the darkness of the sewers.
