AllFreeNovel
Share Us
But the walker was ready too. It pounced on Elyse, pinning her to the ground. She screamed—a cry of both terror and fury. The creature had her by the wrist, keeping her knife at bay. Her face was twisted with rage as she kicked and flailed, but to no avail.
Killian hurried to his feet and kicked the walker in the ribs again and again, trying to push it off Elyse. It barely noticed. Dark, shadowy strings of saliva dangled from its maw as it lowered its head toward Elyse’s neck. Her staccato breaths echoed in Killian’s ears, a cry for help.
Killian plunged his knife into the creature’s back, and it let out a shrill screech, but it didn’t relinquish its hold on Elyse. With renewed intensity, it snapped at her, gnashing its teeth together.
Killian didn’t know what to do. All he knew was the sound of Elyse’s screams, the terror in his own heart.
He dove for the creature, tackling it to the ground and freeing Elyse. Its skin was clammy atop its sinewy muscles, but Killian gripped it with all his might. They grappled together as the creature squeezed its gnarled fingers around Killian’s arms and neck. Killian couldn’t land a single blow. He could barely keep hold of the creature. It was cutting off his airway, his vision going dark at the edges.
Distantly, he could hear Elyse. She scrambled on the ground, her boots echoing through the soil. “Run,” he tried to tell her, but it came out as nothing more than a gargled cry as the creature’s fingers tightened around his throat, sealing his fate.
This was it. This was how he would die. And he would never get to hear Elyse’s story—would never get to hold her again. Would never see her overcome her sorrows.
Suddenly, it let out a howl, loosening its grip slightly. Killian blinked as his vision cleared, and he saw Elyse standing over the walker, her knife bloodied in her grip. With a fierce cry, she stabbed the creature again and again and again.
Finally, it let go of Killian, its attention fully focused on Elyse. But Killian wasn’t about to let the creature go. He wrapped his arm around the creature’s throat and held on as tightly as he could as Elyse brought the knife down one last time—in its eye.
The walker writhed in Killian’s grip, shrieking in agony. The sound reverberated through Killian with a sickening intensity.
Elyse’s white-knuckled fingers grasped at his shirt. “Let’s go!” she screamed.
With one final, heavy shove, Killian threw the creature off him. Elyse was practically dragging him as he scrambled to his feet. Fueled by desperation, they sprinted toward the fence.
He could still hear the creature screaming, but he didn’t dare look back. He prayed it was injured enough to keep from coming after them.
The gate opened a crack, and a figure carrying a torch emerged.
“Get back!” Killian bellowed as he raced forward.
Manny’s horrified face was illuminated by the torch. He moved aside to clear a path for them as he swiped the torch furiously from side to side, trying to deter the walker from coming any closer. Killian heard the creature howl again.
With only a few strides between them and the gate, Killian shoved Elyse ahead of him. She cleared the fence, Killian mere inches behind her. Sera and Jaime stood right inside the fence, their eyes wide and faces pale.
Killian turned to see the walker flying toward them. Manny gave the torch a final wave before chucking it toward the monster and backing through the gate.
“Shut it!” Elyse screamed at the same time Killian and Manny slammed the gate closed.
The walker shrieked one last time, its defeat echoing into the night.
Killian doubled over, panting hard as he rested his hands on his knees. Gods above. They had almost died. That thing had almost killed them. Somehow, be it fate or luck or something else altogether, they’d made it.
Elyse collapsed to the ground, looking as terrible as Killian felt. Her shirt was torn to pieces, blood and dirt smeared across the fabric.
“Are you okay?” He dropped to his knees, reaching a shaking hand toward her.
Elyse nodded. Her face was pale, her eyes distant, but she didn’t seem to be hurt.
She was okay.
Sera and Jaime stood silently, apparently too stunned to speak. Zubir came stumbling out of his house. He stared at them like he was torn between chastising Elyse and running away.
Manny, though, stared dead at Elyse with a fury Killian had never seen before.
“Elyse—what the fuck?”
Chapter 45
- Killian -
