After The End by Jamie Campbell

Author:Jamie Campbell [Campbell, Jamie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-04-11T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

“Leave him to me,” Sarah yells.

I grab her at the last minute so she can’t propel herself toward the massive beast. All she has is a small knife and an empty gun. The chances of her winning against those sharp talons are not great. In fact, I would say they are so low as to be non-existent.

Garlind picks her up as we run toward the museum door. I remember a lesson he taught me that said not to run from any wild animal. That they’ll see it as a challenge and fight even harder to catch us. This time, however, we might just be able to make it inside before it has a chance to gain enough ground.

The bear grunts and growls as it chases after us. My sole focus is on that door and how many seconds it will take us to reach it. The metal doorway seems impossibly far.

I sneak a look backward to see the giant brown bear down on all fours as it gallops toward us. His teeth are bared as his concentration aims to capture us. He’s probably already tasting our flesh and salivating over the hearty meal.

We’re not going to make it. I’m the last of us, the slowest after the two boys—even with Garlind carrying Sarah. She’s finally realized she can’t fight the wild animal and is no longer struggling against her restraints.

My feet keep tripping over each other as I curse my clumsiness. Now is not the time to fall to the ground. I have to keep going. One wrong move and I will be dinner for the animal. I didn’t get a really good look at him but I’m pretty sure he’s not a mutant creature. He’s a true bear, just like the pictures in the books I read.

The smell hits my nose and almost trips me up. He reeks of rot or filth—I can’t quite put my finger on what it is. I want to gag and have to clench my teeth together so that I don’t vomit while I’m running.

Rhys makes it to the building first and pulls open the heavy door. He holds it out for us as we stream inside. My heart is hammering so fast I can barely breathe.

Even after Rhys slips inside and bangs the door shut, I can still smell the bear. He reaches the door and claws at it. The whine of his talons as he scraps against the metal sets my teeth on edge. It’s a horrible grind that has to be hurting him.

The shadow of the huge animal flickers underneath the door. He’s pacing, examining every piece of the door to make certain he can’t get in any way. I’m praying he can’t find a way. The door certainly looks solid but not everything is as it appears to be.

“We should get away from here,” I puff out between breaths. Standing around doesn’t feel very safe. Only distance between us and the monster can ensure that we’ll live to see another day.

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