Chương 206: B4. 10.2 - Monster Horror Flick

Charles Grayson Charles Grayson, who went by his surname because there was another 'Charles' in their frat, stopped laughing at Tahir as Lee's screams filled the store. What was that about a hand? A thud behind them, to their left. Did Twig Girl throw something? A pathetic yelp told Grayson that Yves found whatever it was. Though Grayson's brain was foggy, he quickly sensed trouble. Lee had fallen to his knees; his screams made Grayson's headache worse. Lee turned to them, holding his arm—his hand was missing.

"The fuck…?" Grayson whispered. He kept his phone's light on Lee and Twig Girl, his hand uncontrollably shaking as blood rushed away from his extremities. Lee dropped to the floor and curled into a fetal position. His phone was beside him, its light pointing to the ceiling. Twig Girl grabbed his hair and pulled him up. Someone as small and thin as her shouldn't be able to do that. Lee feebly struggled to break free; he probably didn't understand the situation, shocked by the pain of his severed hand.

"A-Adumbrae…" Miles stammered.

"Adumbrae!" Bridger repeated, shrieking like a girl.

"She's an Adumbrae!" The word jogged some sense into Grayson. No fucking monster was eating him! He raised the back of his shirt with his free hand and reached for the gun tucked in the waist of his pants. But he didn't shoot yet, afraid of attracting the monster's attention.

"Help me!" Lee cried out. Bridger's shout must have made him realize his situation. He flailed like a falling chimpanzee, madly punching and kicking Twig Girl. But it was like hitting a short concrete post; Twig Girl didn't budge an inch or show any signs of pain. She slapped Lee's face with her other hand. His shouts for help became whimpers, and his thrashings weakened. She swung him back and forth by his hair, sweeping the floor with his body. Grayson swore he heard her giggle.

Lee groaned in pain, drifting in and out of consciousness. She's toying with us! Shivers ran up Grayson's spine. This vile bitch of an Adumbrae wasn't going to give them a quick death. But that also meant he could escape while the Adumbrae focused on the others!

"Lee!" Tahir ran past Grayson to help his fellow first-year. Grayson grabbed Tahir's shirt to stop the stupid charge, inadvertently dropping his phone to the ground in the process. One less light source. Miles and Bridger still had their phone trained on the Adumbrae. Fucking Bridger, not drawing his gun!

"Let go!" Tahir tried to run forward again.

"I need to—""Lee's a goner! You'll just fucking die!" Grayson dragged Tahir back, retreating to the door. He needed his brothers to survive so he could use them as a distraction later. They crashed into Miles and Bridger, who were both frozen with fear. Tahir tumbled to the floor. Grayson, still holding onto Tahir, also went down with him. Incredible idiots!

"Get up!" Grayson yelled as he untangled himself from his brothers.

"Everyone, get up and run!" Bridger stayed laying on the floor, bawling like a baby, instead of fleeing. Did he forget that he had a gun? Miles managed to jump to his feet. Then, he tripped over Bridger's legs in the dim light and slammed headfirst into the side of a store shelf. He fell back to the floor beside Bridger. His body covered the fallen phones, turning the place darker. It was Tahir's turn to grab Grayson's shirt.

"Grayson, we can't leave them!"

"Dammit!" Grayson was a few feet from the door. He was surprised that he didn't continue to run outside, back to his pickup truck. They were his brothers. He shouldn't give them up that easily. He stepped right to avoid shooting his bumbling brethren and aimed at the Adumbrae. Blowing her head should stop her. That was, if he could land a hit in his woozy state. Shooting any other body part wouldn't do shit. He held his gun with both hands to steady it, but his arms were shaking too much. This wasn't going to work!

Just as easily he decided to be brave, he wanted to run away again. The Adumbrae casually pulled Lee's arm off his torso as if it were made of wet toilet paper. Blood sprayed the Adumbrae's front. Lee shouted gibberish before passing out. The Adumbrae shook Lee's body, trying to wake him for more torture.

"Get out of the way!" Grayson's rage overcame his fear. Blam! Blam! Each time his finger pulled the trigger, he knew he'd miss. Flashes brightened the store. Bridger and Tahir pressed themselves against the wall. Miles was still on the floor. The far end was painted with Lee's blood. Grayson saw it in that brief moment—Twig Girl's blood-splashed face smiling calmly. She tossed Lee up and caught him by the back of his neck. Shaking Lee's weakening body, she seemingly dared Grayson to shoot again. Should I?

He'd likelier hit Lee than the Adumbrae. Lee's already a goner. Grayson didn't want to waste bullets until he got a clearer shot. An idea popped into his head.

"Are you afraid of a gun, Adumbrae?" This was a wild gamble. But if the Adumbrae wanted to play, he'd taunt it to allow him to shoot. He was a massive genius for thinking of this!

"Don't hide behind a human! Are you that weak?" Twig Girl's smile became wider, and the light from Lee's phone on the floor caused shadows that made her innocent face look scarier.

"You're right," she said.

"Here's your friend." She threw Lee at them. Grayson couldn't dodge in time. Lee's body knocked him back against a wooden column near the entrance. The metallic smell of blood went up Grayson's nose. The sticky liquid was all over his arms. Bitter vomit rose in the back of his throat. His anger was redirected to Lee, dying on top of him. Stupid pledge couldn't die on his own! BANG! Bridger shot the Adumbrae? Grayson pushed the useless sack of potatoes that was Lee off to see what had happened.

Was that Bridger crouching next to a shelf? It was Tahir who was pointing a gun at the Adumbrae; he must've gotten it from Bridger. The Adumbrae had staggered back and leaned against the wall behind her.

"I got her head!" Tahir celebrated.

"Shoot more!" Grayson frantically searched the floor for his own gun. It got knocked out of his hand after Lee crashed into him. All he could feel was dirt mixing with Lee's spreading blood. Tahir fired four more shots. The Adumbrae fell to the floor. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Fuck yeah!" Grayson stopped looking for his gun, raising his hands in celebration.

"I did it!" Tahir shouted.

"Did you see that? I fucking—" Laughter filled the store. They celebrated too early. Grayson's arms fell limply to his sides as the Adumbrae stood up. Blood trickled down her temple. He couldn't see any more injuries.

"An awesome shot," said Twig Girl, clapping her hands.

"If I were a lesser Adumbrae, you could've blown my brains out. Unfortunately for you, I'm not. I've had control of this body for over thirty years."

"You're the Dune Stalker" Tahir fired three more times. Empty clicks followed. Bridger's 9mm only had eight bullets. And the last three did absolutely nothing to the Adumbrae. In desperation, Tahir threw the gun at the laughing Adumbrae. He grabbed Miles' legs and pulled him to the door while calling for Bridger. However, Bridger tightly hugged the shelf, literally crying for his mommy.

"Run, pathetic humans," Twig Girl said, her girly cackles like windchimes of death.

"I'm going to eat you like all the other humans. None have escaped me." She stepped on the Lee's phone, plunging the store into near darkness. I'm not going to fucking die here! Grayson felt around for his gun one more time. His fingers closed on its rough grip. Yes! He crawled on all fours towards the door. He had to reach it before Tahir and Miles. He could hear Tahir's heavy footsteps and the dragging sounds of Mile's body. Was the Adumbrae coming over?

Her footsteps might be so light that other sounds covered them. Could the Adumbrae see in the dark? That Twig Girl bitch probably could.

"Where's the—? Ow!" Grayson's hands fumbled over the wooden surface in front of him. He found a rough circular object. The doorknob!

"Mommy! Mommy, it hurts! Urgkk!" That was Bridger. Twig Girl had found him. The rest of them would soon be next. Grayson turned the doorknob and pushed. The door moved half an inch; he couldn't push it further. Some clinking noise. He tried pulling. Still couldn't open it. There was that sound again. Did someone chain the door outside? No lights crept through the gap of the floor and the door. Weren't his truck's lights supposed to be on? Blondie is outside! Twig Girl's friend was also an Adumbrae!

It was Twig Girl's turn to feed, and Blondie was on guard duty outside. They must've done this plenty of times, prowling this empty stretch of the desert road for victims. It was Grayson's tough luck that he met them.

"Grayson, is that you?" Tahir whispered. The dragging sounds were close. I don't want to be with these limp-dicked bastards! Grayson scurried to the side, praying that none of the old floorboards would creak, desperate to find another exit. He hoped that the Adumbrae would eat Bridger, then Lee, then Tahir, and Miles. Maybe the Adumbrae would be full after that and let him be? Wishful thinking. The clock was ticking until the Adumbrae decided that he was next. Where the fuck was Yves?

Did that pathetic loser get out? Grayson felt a breeze. He hoped he wasn't hallucinating as he followed it, just like finding the way out of a cave. Bridger had quieted down. Probably dead, that poor, useless fodder. Where was the Adumbrae now? No sounds of eating that he expected. He couldn't hear Tahir and Miles either. Footsteps. Grayson froze, keeping his ears peeled. Soft footsteps heading to the door. The Adumbrae was looking for them! She'd kill them all first before feeding on their corpses.

Where were Tahir and Miles? If Grayson were in Tahir's shoes, he'd abandon Miles and escape on his own. Just don't come here! A small gust of wind washed over Grayson's face, making him almost cry out in relief. One of the windows had its boardings removed. He could faintly make out the sky outside with a few dots of stars—not much else. Yves must've exited this way. And now, Grayson would, too.

"Argh! It hurts!" someone yelled. Miles? The unconscious Miles was woken up by the pain. Tahir had abandoned him to the Adumbrae. Squelching sounds. Cracks. Must be breaking bones. Grayson didn't want to imagine what the Adumbrae was doing to Miles. The Adumbrae didn't immediately kill Miles, enjoying his screams of pain. Good! The noise would cover Grayson's escape. Grayson clambered through the opening. He was slightly bigger than the hole, and he had to force himself through.

His shirt snagged a protruding shard of wood. He forcefully pulled it, making more noise than he intended. But what was important was that...

"I'm free!" he whispered as he dropped outside. Miles' pitiful pleas for help filtered out the window. The Adumbrae was busy torturing him. Grayson had time to escape. I shouldn't have dropped my fucking phone! Served him right for stopping Tahir from charging the Adumbrae. He really should focus on saving his own ass. Other than the sprinkling of stars above, he could barely see a couple of inches from his face.

He hurried to the front of the store, keeping his hands on the wall so he wouldn't lose his way and accidentally run off into the desert. His hands reached a corner, and he turned left. Still dark as fuck. Someone really did turn off his truck's lights. He pointed his gun forward, ready to shoot at any shadow rushing him. Blondie should be around here. The screams from inside the store faded away. Tahir would be next to die. Yves had already left. Did Yves take the truck?

Grayson's heart pounded even faster at the thought of being abandoned. But he was quick to calm down—he would've heard the engine. And Yves didn't have the frigging keys. That wimpy kid must've run away on foot. Grayson rushed in the direction of where he remembered the truck was. There was a huge object with a reflective surface. What else could that be? His hand touched the cold exterior of the truck. He felt for the door and eventually found the handle, pulling it open.

Chuckling to himself, he climbed into the driver's seat.

"I'm so lucky Tahir returned the keys to me," Grayson said, shaking his head at the huge fumble that could've been. Usually, he'd take back the keys once they reached their destination. Light shone on him. Grayson turned to his left.

"Tahir?"

"No," answered a female voice. Blondie! She was coming over from less than ten feet away, a flashlight in one hand, and something with a long handle in the other. Grayson's brain ground to a halt for a moment, debating whether he should start the truck and drive or shoot the Adumbrae. The first option would be too slow. Try killing her! He raised his gun, hesitating only for a second, and shot. At this range, he shouldn't miss. Adrenaline pumped through his veins. Blondie raised the object she held—it was a shovel.

A spark and a metallic sound. The bullet had pinged off the shovel's head. The fuck?

"Die, you bitch!" Grayson continued to shoot until he ran out of bullets. Blondie was still standing.

"Wow…" she said, waving a stick. The shovel's head had been blown off.

"I didn't expect that to go well."

"Ahhh!" Grayson screamed as he tried to insert the key into the ignition. It wouldn't go in! He kept missing the hole! A hand punched through the window and grabbed his face. The Adumbrae pulled.

"Let go of me!" Grayson grabbed the steering wheel and the seat's headrest, doing his darndest to stay in the truck. Blondie's fingers dug into the sides of his head, punching through his skin and flesh down to his skull. Don't let go! Don't let go! He was losing consciousness, his head slowly getting crushed. His fingers weakened for a moment, and he was thrown out of the car. The wounds on his head throbbed, and migraines attacked him. Trickles of blood ran down his face as he rolled on the sand.

Blondie pointed at him with a flashlight. She bent down to pick up the shovel's handle. Pushing through the pain, Grayson did his best to stand. He was seeing double. He still could run and— Wham! Blondie swung at his legs. He folded like a chopped tree.

"Yargh! Fuck!" Excruciating pain shot up his thigh. It was too much! His bladder emptied, his pants soaked in warm liquid. He breathed shallowly, trying to keep conscious.

"None of this is personal," Blondie said. Grayson wanted to respond, but couldn't. Pain overcame him. He rolled on his side and puked. The desert air somewhat cooled his searing wounds. Blood snaked down to the ground, gathering into a pool beneath his face. His legs wouldn't follow his thoughts, twitching and spasming. Am I going to die here? Grayson tried again to speak.

"Ple-please… Don't kill me…"