"This seems like a good place to rest our heads for the night," Marco uttered.
He walked ahead of . I followed shortly behind him as we entered an abandoned mall together.
The hallway was pitch black. My flashlight flickered, casting shaky shadows against the walls.
A whisper crawled up your spine. I turned. Nothing was there.
"Stay here," Marco whispered. He opened a door that slowly shut behind him.
Sothing is off about this place. There’s been an unsettling feeling in the pit of my stomach since the mont we walked in here.
I wildly looked over my shoulders, fear taking over all of my senses.
"Marco?" I called him, my voice sounding almost pleading. The building suddenly beca unnaturally quiet. Marco didn’t respond.
I hesitantly took a step forward, the floor creaking beneath my weight.
I reached for the door, my fingers trembling as the handle turned.
"Marco?" I whispered into the dark. Still, no answer ca. I soundlessly stalked forward. My heart thumped wildly in my chest. I nervously bit into my bottom lip before scanning the store with my flashlight.
Realization started to set in and all I wanted to do was cry.
He’s gone. Marco has disappeared.
"Goddammit, Marco, answer !" I desperately uttered. "This isn’t funny anymore," I added.
But deep down inside I knew that he wasn’t joking or playing a prank on . God- what if sothing happened to him?
I exited the store through an opened door that led to a different part of the mall. I heard footsteps coming from behind and froze up out of fear.
In a swift movent, I grabbed ahold of my axe. I turned around in the sa breath and held my axe against soone’s neck.
"Woah, it’s , August. Please. Don’t kill ." He uttered.
"What the hell are you doing here?" I asked the kid who was standing in front of . A sheepish smile rested on his face as he watched .
"I followed you here from camp. Rember that day you ran away?" He whispered and I curiously nodded at his words.
"Well, I saw you leave and decided to follow you. It was boring back ho, nothing exciting ever happens there." He uttered and I frowned at him.
How did I not realize that soone was following ? Where was he sleeping all this ti? Did he have food? A weapon?
Ender is going to kill if anything happens to this kid. I have to look out for him.
"Just stay behind ," I yelled at him in a whispered tone. He nodded before grabbing a machete from its sheathe. He held the weapon up. He seed alert, his posture wary and defensive.
"Where’s Marco?" He asked in a hushed tone, confusion lacing his words.
"I don’t know, he’s disappeared." I briefly uttered.
The room dawned in silence. I felt a little less scared now. I was actually forcing myself to be strong because I had soone to protect now.
A sign on one of the walls caught my attention. I walked over to it and a deep frown rested on my forehead.
Get out! The building is inhabited by Maws!!
"What’s a maw?" August asked .
"Nothing good." I pointedly stated before continuing down the dark hallway.
"But it says we have to get out. Let’s leave while we still can." He uttered in fear.
"Be quiet. You don’t want to wake whatever is hiding down here, do you?" I asked him and he instantly kept his mouth shut.
"Marco?" I called but no answer ca.
A foul sll slapped in the face. I imdiately held my arm in front of my nose, my jacket stopped the sll from entering my nostrils any further.
"What the fuck?" August uttered in disgust while holding his arm in front of his nose.
It slled like sothing died, a thousand tis. Over and over again. It was a mix of rotten flesh and blood. Worse than any rotter or hulk I’ve ever slled.
"Help!" I heard a woman yelling. I turned in the direction of where the scream ca from.
"What, did you hear sothing?" August asked in confusion.
"You didn’t hear that?" I asked him and he frowned at .
"Hear what?"
"A woman screaming," I uttered and he shook his head at .
"No. What are you talking about?" He asked in confusion.
I must’ve heard a rotter. I sotis forget that I can hear their thoughts.
"Please don’t kill !" Another person yelled. Loud screams started flooding my mind. A sharp pain shot through my head and I pressed my palms against the sides of my head.
"Let go!"
"What the fuck! What the fuck was that?!"
"Are you okay?" August asked in concern before placing his hand on my shoulder.
Then.
A shadow figure moved behind him. I channeled all of the energy inside of and my eyes felt like they caught on fire.
A wild and blue fire. August stumbled back from as he carefully examined my face.
"Don’t move." I breathed out.
I quietly watched as a twisted, elongated humanoid with no eyes and a gaping mouth that stretched from its chin to its stomach, filled with rows of jagged teeth, crawled against the wall.
Its disjointed limbs were bent in the wrong way. And I realized that every whisper I was hearing ca from its stomach. It was the voices of its past victims, begging for help.
"Hailey-Jade! Run!" Marco’s voice rang through my ears. I saw him running in our direction at the speed of light.
"Go!" I yelled at August. His eyes ran over the creature, now watching us from the ceiling.
"What the fuck?" He uttered before running away from and in the direction of the nearest exit.
"Don’t look back!" Ronan warned us. August stumbled over a mannequin. Marco grabbed him by his collar and continued running with him.
A loud roar filled the room. Loud and sloppy footsteps drumd against the floor as the creature started running after us.
The hairs on the back of my neck raised as I felt it closing in on .
The exit suddenly ca into our line of view. The white snow illuminated our way. Marco and August lunged forward and jumped out of the mall. I followed shortly after, jumping into the air.
A scratch to my back sent flying forward. I rolled over onto the snow and winced in pain before looking up at the mall entrance.
A screeching sound ca from deep within the creature’s throat. The light of day burned his skin. But he seed persistent on getting out.
"What the fuck is that?" August muttered under his breath.
"That- was a Maw." Marco tiredly uttered once the creature dissipated into the darkness again. His back slumped into the snow and I followed his movent.
My back rested against the snow. I tiredly stared up at the clouds above our heads. I was grateful.
We just survived our first Maw attack.
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