Happy Halloween

So I promised a special Halloween post. Here it is. It's an incredibly short excerpt from my work in progress "Wind & Snow." While trying to decide on an appropriate Halloween post I remembered this scene. It features a totally new character in the middle of something awful. That's all the explanation you're gonna get. Enjoy.

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Dan didn't look back when he heard Jain scream. He just focused on the back door. He could hear the wet slicing of blades entering flesh, and what sounded like muscles tearing, but he knew he couldn't actually hear it. Not with the screaming and the ear plugs he was wearing. He saw the door begin to swing open milliseconds before he reached it. He curled himself and rammed the door open with his shoulder. He heard the surprised exclamation as he barreled past. He spared a glance over his shoulder and saw the woman that had been opening the door starting after him, with several more following through the door.

Without slowing he held his revolver out behind him and fired a shot. He missed the woman, but hit the man behind her between the eyes. It seemed his luck hadn't completely run out yet.

He reconsidered when his four remaining pursuers picked up speed. He considered firing another shot before turning around and focusing his attention on running faster. He could feel them getting closer. He closed his eyes and prayed, “Fire and Stone.”

He opened his eyes and turned quickly down a narrow alley. Only wide enough for one person to pass through at a time. He turned around in time to see the initial confusion as the four Avak made it to the opening. He held up his revolver, five shots before he had to reload, sighted at head level and fired as the first man ran down the alley. The man fell. Four shots. Another shot and a woman fell. Three shots. The two men left scrambled over the bodies, crouching lower while they ran. He adjusted his aim and fired again. One attacker left and two shots.

The last man leaped into the air. Dan stumbled back as the man placed a hand and foot on each of the alley walls and quickly rushed toward him with a strange spider, like gait, arms and legs pushing and pulling him closer to Dan.

Dan fired and missed. He saw the brick of the alley wall shatter in a cloud above the creature. His attacker dove toward him, hands out, a look of victory on his face. Dan held his breath and trusted his luck, firing off his last shot without aiming. The falling monster landed on top of Dan, hands grasping at his coat.

After the initial shock, Dan pushed the man away. He noted with a surprising lack of pride that the man was missing the back of his head and a large amount of what it once held. The fingers on the hand twitched once more and stopped. He turned to continue down the alley and stopped when he saw the circle of Avak waiting at the other end. Their eyes glowed in the ever present darkness. Blue and green, even brown, lights stared back at him.

His gun felt all too light as its weight pulled him down.