Epilogue
"Sarah watch out!" I spun towards the monster, my eyes taking in the pincer as it speared through the air straight towards me. Letting my knees buckle I fell towards the ground fast, my hair flying up above me, tangling into the pincers grasp. I let out a little shriek as the monster recoiled its arm into itself, pulling bits of my ripped hair with it. On the ground now, I tried to roll away from the agre and towards the safety of the trees. But the monster's many pincers had been distracted by Aldia and Christine as they danced in and out of view weaving behind trees so that every time the long black cordlike arms shot out, they connected with the crispy dark brown bark, leaving large gaping holes in their wake that oozed with a thick, black liquid.
A strong grip latched onto my back, his fingers digging into the thick but light fibres of my shirt, and wrenched me upwards. The trees twisted together as I spun up and around, my back crunching against the brittle bark of a tree. His body pressed up against mine, him facing towards the tree and the fight going on behind me, while I faced him. His face was taught with a stress that told me he was worried. He was always worried. His arms were reached out to shield me, and the bark was digging painfully through the fibres in my shirt, scratching into my skin.
"Thanks." I said breathlessly and waited for him to move. When he didn't I looked up at him, my eyes expectant. He didn't budge, his return look was piercing and I knew that he wasn't happy with me. He wanted me to be more careful. I just wanted to get the job done. I rolled my eyes and tried to squeeze out of the small space he held me in but he wouldn't let me.
"Sarah—" he started but I shook my head cutting him off. I was fed up with this conversation we'd had it enough times already.
"The others need help." I reminded him. That got him. Reluctantly he pushed back off the tree, doing a careful spin and landing behind the tree next to mine his eyes still boring into mine, trying to convey a silent plea.
What happened next was very muddled and confusing, I wasn't sure what had happened but my neck had suddenly snapped to the right, my cheek slamming into the harsh wall of bark behind me slicing my skin to ribbons yet I felt no pain. There was a large pressure on the left side of my head but I couldn't identify what it was. I felt nothing else as the unknown force shook my head back and forth, my muscles limp and useless. No pain broke across my skin as my vision spun and twisted around me. My eyes were wide, and the last thing I saw as my knees let go of me, was his face a mask of horror as his mouth shouted a scream I couldn't hear.