Bringing Monsters to Life
A few minutes after the movie started playing, it became apparent to Odd and Yumi that something was wrong with Jeremy. His breathing was irregular; he became extremely edgy, and was turning steadier paler. This became evident when a fight scene happened between a werewolf and vampire in the middle of a theme park. The scene was full of mutilation and death of innocent people.
Rising to his feet, Jeremy stumbled toward the exit. His sudden movement caused Odd to loose his grip on his drink and drop it. Half blind, Jeremy didn't seem to notice the dampness on his pants leg as he hurried to leave the theater room.
"Damn it, Jeremy!" Odd groaned as he brushed the spilled liquid off himself. "Next time, warn me!"
"Are you okay?" Yumi asked Jeremy's retreating form. Jeremy didn't answer as he cleared the row and ran for the exit.
"He'll be okay," Theo said reassuringly. "I bet he just needs to settle his stomach."
Returning her gaze to the movie, she said, "Yeah, you're probably right."
Ten minutes passed and Jeremy didn't return, but something else did. At the beginning of another fight scene, a large red symbol suddenly appeared on the screen. Odd, Yumi, and Ulrich all recognized the symbol instantly: Xana!
The second the symbol vanished from the screen, the screen shredded as three werewolves leapt forward. Glowing brilliantly on each of their foreheads was a red Xana symbol.
The one of the monsters landed in the midst of the terrified and confused audience. A second landed in right aisle between the rows of seats. The third landed in front of the first row. The two in the midst of the audience were slashing at the people as they rushed to the exits. Yumi, Odd, and Theo were soon swallowed into the mass of panicked people.
Even among the screams of the people, Sissi's extraordinary voice was easily identifiable. A werewolf had landed less than ten feet from her. The monster grasped its ears in an attempt to shield them from the din of her voice. It easily discovered her petrified form in the seat.
Roaring angrily at her, the werewolf rushed her with its clawed hand raised high. Ulrich reacted in the fraction of a second; seizing Sissi, he yanked her from the chair and literally dragged her to the nearest exit. A second later, the werewolf smashed the chair into an undistinguishable mass of plastic and padding.
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Outside in the hall, Jeremy was walking weakly back toward the movie. He wished that his friends had chosen a different movie to watch. But he didn't want to seem weak in front of them so he forced himself to take each step back toward the horror film that waited.
Just as he had reached the threshold toward to the theater, the door burst open and a flood of panicked people raced out. Caught off-guard, Jeremy was thrown to the floor and was unfortunately stepped on countless times.
Then a section of concrete wall beside the door exploded, showering dust and chunks of wall through the hall. Jeremy winced as a particularly large chunk struck him in the head, above his left eye. The impact knocked his glasses askew.
Disoriented, Jeremy fumbled around, trying to find his glasses in the dust and confusion. His hand grasped the rock that struck him; it was as large as his hand!
A sound like clawed feet on pavement sounded behind him. Turning, he saw a large black outline of a dog standing on its hind legs. As he looked up at it, the werewolf knelt down and seized his leg. It lifted him like he were no more than a rag doll. Then he saw it, Xana's symbol.
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They all somehow heard his voice over the noise of the crowd. Yumi, Odd, and Theo had safely escaped the theater when the werewolf smashed the wall. They were standing at a stairwell when they heard Jeremy. Ulrich was in the act of pulling Sissi's unconscious body toward the building doors. He was near the end of the hall on the opposite side when the shout reached him.
Dangling upside-down, Jeremy flailed his arms pointlessly in a futile attempt to free himself. The werewolf seemed amused by his efforts and raised him up so their faces would level with each other. Opening its jaw, it roared at him, enjoying his answering scream of terror.
As it snaked its fangs forward, Jeremy suddenly brought his hand up. Somehow he had managed to maintain his hold on the rock. He brought it up in an arch and smashed it into the werewolf's unprotected left temple.
Howling in pain, it dropped him instantly. Landing roughly on his back, the wind was knocked from Jeremy's chest. Cradling its head, the werewolf thrashed about, seeking to somehow ease its pain. Using adrenalin pumped strength, Jeremy scooted down the hall on his back as he fought to get his breath back.
As the pain in the werewolf's head diminished, the other two leapt through the hole it made in the wall. They attempted to rush Jeremy, but a sharp bark from the black werewolf halted them.
It moved forward and flicked its hands out, it claws extended. Fear racing through his veins, Jeremy picked up his pace. Just as the werewolf was almost on top of him, a bucket of popcorn exploded in its face.
"Good shot, Odd!" Theo cried as he appeared at Jeremy's side. As he pulled him to his feet, Yumi raced pass them and kicked the werewolf in its chest as it fought to clear its vision. The other two werewolves rushed forward. But something solid struck them from behind and they fell clumsily to the floor.
Yumi was turning to run away and a moment later was on the floor. Flashes of pain flared on her back as she heard Theo cry out her name. Her shirt was shredded and four slashes were visible on her. The slashes were quite deep enough to draw blood, but shallow enough to not have severed her spinal cord.
Trying to pull herself to her feet, a piercing pain in her back sent her back to the floor. Looking ahead of her, she saw Odd pushing Jeremy behind him and pulling Theo after him. Theo's face was red with fury as he fought to reach Yumi. Theo.
Then a large, black furred foot entered her vision. A crushing grip on her throat hoisted her up. The black werewolf held her to his face as he bared his fangs menacingly. Though she couldn't see behind it, Yumi could tell a fierce fight was taking place. Before the werewolf could close her air pipe, she let out a scream.
Theo...
Her vision swam out of focus as her body screamed for air. Before blackness could claim her, she vaguely saw a pair of arms wrap themselves around the werewolf's throat. The werewolf dropped her instantly as it flailed and slashed at the arms and their owner on its back.
A pair of strong hands grasped her and dragged her away. Her vision clearing, Theo came into view. Theo! It overjoyed her to realize that Theo would risk himself to save her.
"Stop trying to be a heroine," Theo hissed as he pulled her to her feet.
Smiling, despite the pain that was burning her back, she gasped out, "I don't have...to try." Theo pulled her to the stairwell; Jeremy and Odd were waiting.
"Let's go!" Theo ordered as he motioned them to the stairwell. Odd and Jeremy didn't move, but continued to look back down toward the werewolves.
"What about Ulrich?" Jeremy asked.
"Ulrich?"
Looking back, Yumi was shocked beyond surprise to see Ulrich. It was he who had leapt on to the werewolf's back. He now was struggling to hold on, despite the deep cuts on his arms and the other two werewolves that were attempting to peel him off their leader. Before Yumi's eyes, Ulrich was yanked roughly from the monster. The werewolf whirled and threw him through the hole in the wall, back into the theater. The three monsters then turned their attention to the kids.
Not missing a beat, Theo yanked Yumi and Odd forcefully into the stairwell. Slamming the door shut, he ushered them up the stairs. They had just reached the next floor, as there came a great crash. Below them, the monsters rushed into the stairwell and paused for only a second. Catching their preys' scents and hearing the sounds of running feet, the monsters were soon racing up the stairwell. The red eye of Xana glowed more brightly than before.
(A/N) Now comes the best part! The mystery of my story. Let me just ask one thing from all of you: keep an open mind and don't jump to conclusions. Enjoy the next chapter: Fight in the Spotlight.