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Isabel
By the time Ethan and I arrive on the scene, the place is a wreck.There are craters and holes everywhere, the trees that previously existed here are uprooted and in pieces, and the wildlife that formerly lived here is either dead or gone.
In the center of it all, howling at an excruciating volume, is the demon. It stands at a towering twenty feet tall and resembles a human male – a giant one, at least. As it roars, it swings its massive, muscular arms and takes down another tree in the process.
The size of the thing stuns me. It's huge – a giant! For the past three weeks, all the Guard has been doing is hunting down the monstrosities that entered the world during the final battle. How on Earth did we miss one this huge?
Ethan seems to be thinking along those lines, too. "Isabel…that thing is a giant! How-"
"I don't know," I cut him off, still agape. Ethan and I exchange glances – how are we supposed to take this thing down?
Despite the shocking monster we're about to battle with, I can't help but grin. Ethan insisted on coming with me, which was a pleasant surprise. Yesterday, he was deathly still and quiet, and as miserable as he had been the day she died. But today, all I did was talk to him and he seems to have regained himself. Not fully, of course; he's still thin and out-of-shape, and the pain of Rochelle's death won't go away for awhile now, but he's feeling up to this mission, and that's a start.
"Finally! You're here!" Ethan and I jump, startled, and turn around to see Matt and Arkarian, standing a safe distance from the demon, concealed but a few trees he's had yet to deracinate. As their gazes pass over Ethan, their expressions become a look of shock, only to change moments later to joyful smiles.
"It's nice to see you again, Ethan," Matt grins.
"You too," Ethan returns, smiling towards him and Arkarian.
Matt sobers instantly and returns to business. "Anyway, ugly here is quiet the unusual demon," Matt says, gesturing darkly towards the bellowing giant. "Most demons we've faced attack civilized areas filled with people and buildings; this one's going after a secluded place, and only seems focused on uprooting trees."
"You think there's something wrong with it?" Ethan asks.
"His behavior is definitely strange," Matt agrees. "Demons aren't suited to last in our world, and we're not sure how long this guy's been here. It's possible that the elements here have gotten to him; he may be sick and confused."
"Like he has rabies?" I ask softly. Matt nods.
"Yes. Either way, we've got to take this thing out. It's only a matter of time before it wanders into a civilized area and starts throwing buildings at people. We've got to take it out while it's still secluded."
"Sounds good," Ethan agrees and I nod along with Arkarian.
Matt grins. "Right, well, we should get a little closer before we attack, don't you think?"
"I'm right behind you," Ethan nods, and the two take off immediately, approaching the monster quickly yet still managing to stay out of its sight.
I turn to follow, but Arkarian reaches out and takes a gentle, tender hold of my shoulder. "Isabel, you may need this," he says softly. His hand finds mine, and he slips my weapon of light into my palm.
"Thanks," I grin, pecking him quickly on the cheek. Arkarian smiles, then questions.
"Isabel…Ethan is considerably better," he sounds impressed. "Was it something you said to him?"
I shrug. "I told him the truth, if that's what you mean. Other than that, maybe he was just ready to get out. But, anyway-"
Our conversation is torn apart by a deafening howl. Turning, I see that Matt has fired a blast of immortal power at the giant, leaving an ugly red mark on its back. With another cry, the giant pulls a tree from the ground and flings it with surprising strength towards Matt, who jumps quickly aside.
The giant howls, annoyed by his miss, and stomps the ground in anger. The impact causes the earth to tremble and shake. Off-balance, Matt falls to the ground, and I have to cling to Arkarian to stay standing.
By the time Matt is on his feet again, the demon is already over him, casting an ominous shadow down on my brother. Matt tenses to move, but the giant is quicker. With a howl, it lashes out with its huge leg, hitting Matt squarely in the chest, and my brother goes flying, slamming into one of the few remaining trees. He slumps to the ground, unmoving. The monster roars triumphantly and charges towards him, ready to strike again.
This time, Ethan steps in. His brow is furrowed and his eyes are focused. Perspiration coats his forward and his hands are clenched tightly into fists.
I don't figure out what he's doing until I see an extirpated tree – one of the larger ones, at that - hovering above the ground at Ethan's command. He's using his skill of animation! But lifting a tree – especially one of that seize – has to be tiring. How long can he keep it up?
With deadly aim, Ethan launches the tree forward; it moves quickly through the air and is thrown straight into the giant's path. The demon, unaware, runs on. When he reaches the new obstacle, he trips and falls clumsily to the ground.
I'm up, I realize quickly. Leaving Arkarian, who seems to be studying the actions and the behavior of the giant with growing suspicion, I race towards the demon, activating my weapon of light as I run. Beheading it would be easiest, I suppose. Gross, but efficient. A sure kill.
It takes me seconds to reach the fallen giant. It's lying on the ground, completely still. It didn't fall that hard – why hasn't it gotten up yet?
Raising my weapon, I take careful aim. Will one slash do it? Or two? Guess I'm about to find out. Ready to hit my mark, I bring down my sword of light, slicing through the air, nearing the monster's throat…
And suddenly my weapon slips from my hands. My legs are abruptly devoid of their strength and I sink to the ground without fully registering what's happened. Then my heart begins racing, my head starts to pound ruthlessly, and I feel myself drifting somewhere between consciousness and unconsciousness. I instantly recognize the signs; I'm having a vision!
Panicking, I try to fight off the pictures; I can't have a vision now! Not while there's a monster mere inches away from me that I have to destroy! But my struggle is unsuccessful; I can't fight off a vision.
So suddenly that I nearly retch, pictures enter my mind and race through me at a nauseating speed…
I see myself; my arms and legs chained painfully, my body dangling from my bound wrists. I watch as I lift my head with great effort, my eyes dazed and desperate, and I whisper, "No! Please! Remember!"
The scene fades and is replaced with Arkarian, standing completely still and wide-eyed, darkness swirling around him, suffocating him in lies…
Then it's Ethan; he's somewhere dark and gray, and he's being torn in half! By…himself? There's nothing torturing him, but it seems that his body is pulling itself apart! He screams agonizingly, then looks straight at me. "Which one? WHICH ONE?" he cries, his voice bloodcurdlingly and begging.
He vanishes to black, and I see myself again. I'm looking into a mirror with a pained and bewildered face, gaping at my reflection. My reflection wears the same panicked expression, though is not a reflection of me at all; it's a girl with red hair, soft features, and my eyes. But what startles me more than this is that she's wounded and bleeding, drenched in her own blood…
And then the last picture fades and consciousness returns. I'm laying face down in the dirt, my heart still racing in my chest, when I hear the scream.
"Isabel! Isabel!" It's Arkarian! And Ethan! They sound horrified, frozen with fear…
"ISABEL!" I push myself up, out of the dirt, and turn to see why they're screaming at me when I notice the shadow over me. Looking up in horror, I see the great, ugly face of the demon looming over me threateningly. The giant is holding an uprooted tree, and I realize, slowly, that he's going to use it to pound me into dust. I don't have time to move. I'm doomed!
The giant brings the tree through the air with surprising speed, but everything seems to slow around, my vision turning gray around the edges. I realize, sluggishly, that I'm seconds away from death.
And that's when the light hits me.
Author's Notes: Again, it's rushed and bad, but again I'm not trying to make this fantastic. It's a test/practice write that may have quite a few hopefully enjoyable though not marvelous chapters. Nonetheless, please give me some feedback. It's something I'd really appreciate right now. Thank you!
