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Chapter Four
The Creature in the Room
Cho's scream ended in a strangled choke as the horror of her situation struck her. Then she began fumbling for a defensive spell. In all this time the creature snarled and hissed, sharp fangs flashing in the blinding white light, long lines of saliva dripping down huge jaws, and wickedly sharp claws scraping against the marble tile. Then it charged.
Cho's mind suddenly cleared and she snapped her wand up. The thing was coming fast, long, ridiculously thin legs covering the distance across the room in almost blinding speed. It moved unnaturally, unlike any creature she had ever seen. Like a marionette being tugged by strings, it's movements jerky and too fast.
"Expelliarmus!" Cho shouted. The spell hit the creature squarely in the pug faced snout, staggering it for a second and then it continued on, albeit more disorientated and slower. Cho was already backing up, sending out a leg-locker curse upon the heels of the first spell. This one held and the creature crashed to the floor as it's legs suddenly stopped moving. She had already turned about and was running down the hall, she could hear the creature scrambling to it's feet. She had never seen anything so easily throw off spells. The thought only pushed her along faster.
She stumbled along the hall, it had seemed straight and wide before, but now it seemed as if the walls were closing in, the hall itself twisting, and the door moving farther and farther away. The creature was coming fast, she could hear it's snarling, it's rasping claws, and her own screaming fear that flooded her body. Shoving herself once again off the wall Cho made it three steps before her legs were suddenly yanked out of under her.
With a grunt of pain, Cho landed upon her front, elbows breaking her fall. For a moment she was disorientated, the pain along her arms pushing back everything. Then she heard the hissing snarl and suddenly felt a great weight upon her back.
The pain was sudden and intense. She let out a gasp of breath as the weight of the creature pushed the air out of her lungs and then she let out a strangled scream. She looked about, but could not find her wand. At that moment she knew it was all over, that this was the end.
Then she heard screaming. Not her own voice, but the deeper voice of another person. As she feebly looked up she saw a figure running down the hall. Neville?
He brandish something, still yelling and then swinging as he got close to the creature. Cho screamed again as the creature shifted, it's sharp claws suddenly piercing through the thin fabric of her robes and into her skin. The pain was blinding and darkness filled her vision momentarily. The weight was suddenly gone and Cho nearly sobbed in relief. She scrambled to her knees, ignoring the stabbing pain that flared across her back, and stumbled around in the dark trying to find her wand.
Neville was still yelling but this time in fear. He gripped the long metal candlestick he had tossed into the Wardrobe in his hands and was trying to fend off the creature. His wild flailing managed to push the creature back, but then it snapped out an arm? leg? and it swept Neville to the floor.
Cho felt the familiar feel of her wand under her hands gripped it, spinning around and crying out a cruse. The creature was hit full on and it staggered back, it's long thin limbs suddenly going limp. It continued to hiss and snarl but it could not move. Instead it began to drag itself across the tiled floor, using its head and body to propel itself. Cho shuddered at the sight and ran to Neville's side. He was getting to his knees, still stubbornly clutching his candlestick weapon.
She grabbed his arm and draped it across her shoulder, hissing with pain as it sent a spasm of fire down her own back, she could feel a tickle of wetness. Cho cast another glance back at the creature, she saw it's limbs beginning to twitch; the curse was already wearing off.
"Come on." She grunted, bearing most of Neville's weight. He staggered along, the candlestick in one hand scraping across the tile. The sound of it sent made her shudder, like the sound of nails across a chalkboard, but she continued on. The sounds of movement behind them growing louder and the hissing snarling becoming more frantic. Cho didn't look back, instead she plowed forward, toward the room where they could be safe behind the iron door with its sturdy lock. The door which as she watched was beginning to close, the silhouetted face of the Bodiless Man visible in the fast closing gap.
"Damn you!" Cho cursed, she felt Neville beside her begin to increase his pace, gathering a last burst of energy from somewhere. Cho followed suit and aimed her wand at the door. "Expelliarmus!"
The door slammed open, she saw the head of the Bodiless Man suddenly fall back and moments later his deafening scream filled the Tower and the Hall, almost drowning out the roar of the creature and it's scrabbling claws upon the tiles as it gave chase as the spell upon it wore off. Cho and Neville crossed the threshold, Cho releasing Neville and grabbing for the door. She slammed it shut, shoving the iron bar into its slot just as a resounding thump smashed into the door. She felt the door shudder in it's frame, a small shower of pulverized stone raining down upon her. She staggered back from the door, feeling an immense surge of relief, then something tangled with her feet and she fell.
Pain exploded in her mind as her back hit the hard stone floor. For a moment there was just whiteness and a deafening roar of her own heartbeat, and then she heard screaming, realizing it was her own. It soon became a chorus as another voice joined hers, the Bodiless Man screamed as Cho fell upon his injured leg. The sudden weight grinding broken bone and sending a searing roar of pain across his body.
Cho rolled and moved off the leg of the Bodiless Man, his screams cutting off as the pain became too much and he blacked out. Cho groaned with the agony in her back and fell to the floor, lying upon her stomach and trying to gasp air down her tortured throat. Moments later the pain faded and with it darkness came.
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Hmmm...it looks like I have tapped into a Neville fan base. Cool.
Response TimeStroppy-Teenager: I'm partial to dramatic endings, as you can see above. As for the Ships, it's too early to tell, but I have my favorites, we'll see if it comes to pass, if not aw, well.
Until Next Chapter!