The Only City Left by Andy Goldman

Author:Andy Goldman [Goldman, Andy]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 2014-07-17T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 25

Without a second thought, I ran toward Matthias’ roars and the inhuman, grunting slobbers of the thing that had taken him down.

Tripping and stumbling through the swampy ground, I almost fell on top of them. Only the momentary escape of Matthias’ coil light stopped me in time.

He held something at arm’s length above him, a creature with skin as slimy as the muck through which I stumbled. Vaguely humanoid, it matched Matthias for size but had the advantage in strength.

Bit by bit, it pushed his head beneath the surface of the swamp, completely ignoring Matthias’ attempts to pry it off. As Matthias sank, the coil on his chest sank with him. The world dimmed.

Sloshing across the ground, I grabbed the biggest chunk of wreckage at hand, a jagged block of concrete the size of my head.

The slick rock threatened to slip from my grasp as I staggered toward Matthias and the monster, but I held on tight.

The monster’s grunts and groans masked the splashes of my approach. It didn’t look back at me until I stood behind it, rock held above my head.

“Hey, buddy. Let the werewolf go,” I said, slamming the rock down with all my might.

Its face caved in under the blow and the rock slid from my hands. The monster squealed and squeaked, black ichor spraying from its broken face. It flailed its arms, catching me in the chest and knocking me backwards onto a pile of rubble.

Groaning, I rolled onto my hands and knees, ready to flee, but the beast didn’t press the attack. Its head swayed once, twice, and it collapsed on top of Matthias.

Darkness descended. In an instant, I launched myself toward the creature, sliding my hands over and around skin as slick as snot. I tried to shoulder its bulk aside, but couldn’t get enough purchase to shift it.

Changing tactics, I buried my arm underneath it, feeling in the dark for the only reason I had run toward the monster in the first place.

There. Matthias’ coil.

I grasped the necklace and tugged, but a hand shot out and gripped my wrist.

The water churned beneath me and Matthias sat up, gasping. The monster slid off and floated in the water beside him.

Coughing and sputtering, Matthias nonetheless managed to say, “I don’t think so.”

We locked eyes. I didn’t let go of his necklace and he didn’t let go of my wrist.

“You survived,” I said. “Yay.”

He pushed me away and I sat down with a splash. “Aw, were you hoping that mutant had killed me? And here I thought you were starting to like me.”

“I saved your life just now. Admit it.”

Matthias glanced at the mutant’s corpse. “So we’re even. Doesn’t change anything, does it? You still need me to get out of here.”

He stood up and offered me a hand, which I ignored.

“Sulk if you like,” he said, grabbing my shirt and hefting me to my feet, “but keep close.”

He stalked off, taking his light with him. Before I followed, I noticed one other light nearby, faint and blue.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.