Page 10 of Splintered Shadow
She grabbed the stone and stood.
The monster growled, stepping forward.
She stepped back.
A second creature emerged from the shadows. Then a third. She was surrounded.
“You’re a pack hunter,” she said, like they would have a conversation rather than a short chase followed by screaming. “I hate nature documentaries, for the record. They suck, and you suck. All of you.”
The monsters really weren’t talkers. One sprang forward. She tossed her handful of pebbles and ran.
Something large and feathery swooped over her head. Shrieks echoed off the stone walls. The monsters yelped in pain.
Sarah paused long enough to realize a massive black bird fought one shadow creature. Talons lashed out, and wings beat fiercely. The creature snapped, teeth flashing. One moment, it seemed to have the bird captured in its jaws, then the shadows shifted, and the bird was airborne again.
A monster caught her from the side, slamming her back to the ground. She covered her face with her arms. Teeth clamped down on a leg. Pain remained at a distance, and dully she realized that her body was in shock.
Four malevolent eyes glared at her as the teeth sank into her flesh.
She kicked with her free leg, but she lacked the strength to do more than irritate the creature. It snarled; mouth full of her blood. This was it. Sarah realized certain truths about herself and the universe.
One: being yanked through a portal sucked.
Two: she was going to die, and she wasn’t even wearing shoes.
Three: no one would know what happened to her.
Four: she wanted to live.
If, by some miracle, she survived this mauling, she’d make changes. No more hiding. No more punishing herself because of survivor’s guilt. Robert wouldn’t want that. She knew he’d want her to enjoy the life she had.
She’d spend time with people she liked and do things she enjoyed.
She was going to live, dammit.
Her hand raked along the ground, searching for something, anything, with which to fight back. All she found were dried -up leaves and loose soil. She tossed it at the monster, dirt raining down on her face.
The monster jerked away.
A being stood over her, a cool gray in the darkness. Black wings stretched out behind him, blocking the light. Alien, yes, but humanoid. Two arms. Two legs. Male? The wide shoulders and trim build suggested male.
He stared blankly in front of her, then tilted his head, revealing a set of luminous blue eyes on the side of his head.
Four eyes.
He barked an order at her, but his words had no meaning.
Alien, remember.
Huffing in disgust, he pushed her to one side and crouched next to her in a shooting stance. He extended a wing, covering her. A silver pistol appeared in his hands. He picked off the monsters, sending them yelping.
The large bird swooped down, settling on his shoulder. He and the bird seemed to share a moment as he scratched its head and it cooed. Then it swiveled its head to watch her.
Four eyes. The bird had four eyes.
The wings evaporated like smoke, there one moment and gone the next. His skin turned as black as onyx. He stared down at her; all four eyes black.
She gulped, not sure if she should say something to break the tension or just go straight to the begging not to be murdered. “So—”
