I was running, running as fast as I could. My heart in my throat and my mouth dry. I could hear them behind me, and I looked back to see how close they were. Di immortales, they were gaining on me. I reached for the drakon bone dagger hanging from my waistband, wrapping my fingers around the hilt and readying myself to fight. I stopped running, and spun around, surprising them. Kelli was in the front, and as she jumped at me, I screamed. And shadows erupted from my throat, swallowing her whole. When they dissipated, she was gone. I closed my mouth and held out my hands, daring any of the other empousai to come closer. I was surprised when they did. It hadn't been the outcome I wanted, and I wasn't sure if I could do the shadow thing again. One of them ran at me, and I ducked as she swiped at me, sliding round and kicking her in the back of the knee so she fell forward. I plunged my dagger into her back and she disappeared into a pile of dust. I scooped up a handful and blew it in the face of another empousai, and as they coughed and spluttered I drove my dagger through their chest. They were gone.
They kept coming at me, even though I killed them all. As one died, another reformed. This cycle was tedious and difficult, and I growled with frustration. Shadows spilled from my hands, engulfing the monsters in a cloud of black. I held it there for a second, then drew the shadows back into me. The empousai were gone. I sat down suddenly, feeling drowsy and panting for breath. I was safe for now.
The air burned my throat as I searched for a hideout, the acidic sting normal, but uncomfortable. I closed my eyes, and tried to picture myself in a cave, or at least behind something that could cover me. My stomach tightened painfully, and I felt the world around me flip flop as I fell into the darkness. When I opened my eyes, I was in a cavern. It looked to be a good hiding spot, if a little claustrophobic. I let my eyes adjust to the dark, then felt around for anything I could use to start a fire. I found a couple of sticks and a torn shirt that said "I visited New York!" in a lurid pink colour. I tore it into strips and draped it over the sticks, creating a nice base. Taking the flint stones I kept in my pocket, I struck them a couple of times until one of the T-shirt strips caught a spark and roared into life. I sighed and sat back against the wall, gazing into the flames and willing myself to stay awake.
My eyes opened suddenly, and I sat up. I could hear something outside. A rustling. "Come out, little one. I can smell you," a voice called. It sounded close. I stood, stomping out the last few embers of the fire, and pushed the flint back in my bag. I could hear sniffing now as whoever was outside tried to smell me out. I stepped out of the cavern and jumped on them.
It was a young cyclops, about twelve feet tall. It yelled as I jumped onto its back and wrapped my hands around its head. I jerked suddenly, but the movement failed to cause any lasting damage. It's neck simply cracked and snapped back to the right place. The cyclops laughed. "Was that supposed to hurt?" He asked, and spun around so that I flew off his back. I knocked my head on a nearby rock and stood up, rubbing the area I'd hit. My hands came away wet.
"I was hoping so," I muttered, and darted forward, stabbing my dagger down into his foot.
"OW!" He yelled, hopping up and down. I watched almost in slow motion as he pitched forward and impaled himself on a pointed rock. He evaporated to dust before my eyes, and I accidentally breathed some of him in. I spat onto the floor, coughing dust out of my lungs. "Disgusting." I murmured, shaking my head and catching my breath.
"You are." A voice out of nowhere seemed to whisper. I felt something land on my face and wiped away a droplet of water. "What's the point of trying anymore? Your friends and your family are dead. Give up." More water fell from the sky, and I pulled myself back into the cavern for shelter. It was water from the Cocytus. It told lies and whispered hopelessness into your brain. I wiped my face on my shirt and choked back a sob. This would pass soon, I knew, but the feeling was not fun. I curled up, hugging my knees to my chest, and tried to breathe through the misery.