The floor was shaking as her feet carried her forward; the sharp repercussions of the pincers grinding the rocky surface beneath them punctured her deep. A piercing noise erupted in her ears, the sound of her own heart beating being her only consolation that she was still going. The light from the ground above pulled her forward in an enveloping embrace, but all was not tranquil.

Her body capitulated backwards as the walls shook around her, fragments of rock and stone fell before her. Entrapping her from her only salvation. Adrenaline was her blood, courage was her voice, heroism was her heart. She shrieked and scratched and smashed at the grey barrier before her. The guttural breathing was emerging through the shadows, demons wrapped around her ankles, lugging her to the ground. Blood seeped through Lourdes's throat as her chin made contact with the sharp, shattered ground.

"Somebody! Help me please! Someone!"

Lourdes' vision blurred, as she felt her body being heaved towards the darkness, the ground cutting across her cheek, oozing, hot, blood cascaded down her neck as gravel cut through her soft tender beauty. Her arms softly folded as she waited for the inevitable, gut wrenching laceration...

"LOURDES! Get out of there, Lourdes."

It was the shrill toning of his voice that paralysed Lourdes. Darkness was no longer her partner. The sun was setting behind the horizon, the fire was burning, the stars were merging, a kaleidoscope of beauty. A beautiful, patchwork quilt hung over her shoulders, muscular hands travelled down her sides, cupping around her waist, her eyes raised to meet bistre brown.

Heaves of fresh, mint air entered her lungs, her eyes no longer swimming with stars, muscular hands no longer by her side, bistre brown had distorted into viscous shreds of skin. The harsh pincers carving into her skin sprung loose, the hot liquid suffocating her ceased. She grabbed at the walls around her, pushing herself forward, towards him, towards her salvation. Her muscles were on fire. Her blood was on fire. Her eyes were on fire. She felt the ground shift beneath her, it was awakening.

"Hal…" It burnt to utter. It burnt to cling on. It burnt to keep fighting.

"Lourdes, stand back, I'm going to break through," a pound, pound, pound reverberated through the thick boulders, hope filled Lourdes' lungs as Hal broke through the boulders with immeasurable strength, but that was soon poisoned deep within her as a rattling scuttled through the air. Hal had heard it too.

"Okay, we don't have enough time-the hole is big enough- Lourdes push through."

The imperatives rendered her speechless, the hole was perhaps enough to squeeze through her slim hips, but her escape would not be successful without severe damage to the core of her figure. The rattling became stronger.

"I can't fit through! Hal, you have to leave me." her voice had intended to be strong and dutiful, but the fear in her nerves had dried her mouth to a wheeze, the boulder shook as Hal's fist slammed against it.

"Don't you dare be noble."

"I'm not being no-"

"You are! That's so typical of you, Lourdes, the selfless one. It's pathetic!"

"How dare you! I'm seconds away from being ripped apart by a skitter and you want to insult me?!"

"I do want to insult you! Because you deserve to be insulted. Why can't you stop being so selfless and do something clever for once?"

"FINE. You want clever?! I'll give you clever." Strength and courage filled her from top- to-toe as she hoisted herself forward, clutching through the gap in the stone cavern, masculine hands found hers, she felt the ground leave her feet , a sweep of fresh minty air entered her, but the true relief came when Hal Mason's rugged handsome features came into view. She felt tears well, and a smile enriching her glow. A smug smile mapped his facet.

"You are so easily manipulated" Lourdes' eyes widened in disbelief.

"You manipulated me?!" Despite her shock, Lourdes began to chuckle, Hal's harmonious tone chimed in, but her chuckle transformed into blood-curdling scream as sharp pincers dug into her skin and wrenched her forward.

Fear ruptured inside her veins, clouding her vision, gravel cut through her skin as the pincers dug in, Hal's hands secured around her upper torso, his lips tightened in a stubborn way. His callous fingers dug underneath her arms, grunts escaped his lips as he heaved her from the gap that was tightening around her petite figure. The pincers began to draw blood. Desperation was Lourdes' only light.

"It's going to kill me, Hal! Get away from me!" Her pleas halted as her chin made full force with the rocky wall, her head pulsing from the impact. Hal's lips pressed tightly against her matted forehead, wet with blood. His voice was a soft hush, but full of conviction and strength, his hands tautened in preparation for a lasting battle, his words encouraging. Her hands clung to the edges of the gap, her feet edged inwards as his instructions cycled through her mind.

"Three. Two. ONE." The air became distorted, the drill above dulled, the dust floating through the air froze, the blood oozed hot and sticky, but the cracking of her ribs, the slashing of her skin, the screeching noise of the skitter did not deter from Lourdes from kicking kicking and kicking.

Her body contacted the ground in an all mighty smack; her upper body paralyzed in immense pain, from the cracking of the ribs and the sound of the skitter hacking away at the wall. To hunt her. To feast upon her. Hal's arms wrapped underneath her, he hoisted her steadily. The air was still distorted, but she rested her head against his shoulder in tender relaxation, his smile enough to lapse her into a sense of serenity.

Serenity was forbidden in such a world. The cavern erupted as the boulders crashed around them. Hal flew through the air, still clutching to Lourdes as though she was the most precious possession of his world. Adrenaline streamed through the seams of his mentality; he mounted the ladder. Lourdes felt tears well; the force of oxygen rushed through her cells, her heart, and her mind.

Chaos surrounded, commotion ruptured, but lying in Hal's arms gave her enough reassurance to lapse into darkness with no fear of demons.

I just wanted to apologize for the lack of updates. You all did not deserve to wait so long, I just had so much work to do that I had to leave this tory for a while. I would like to thank you for all the reception I have been receiving. To know you appreciate this story is enough to keep me going. Thank you and I hope you enjoyed. Stay tuned! x