Winter's Blade (Unleash)
Emmeline felt the panicked chill of sudden despair. This was a nightmare made real.
Granddad had made it here after all, but the beast had beaten her so quickly that he'd had to face it without her, and he'd managed to get it bound, but now the bindings were failing and she didn't know what to do and Granddad wasn't moving and there was so much blood . . .
Alex still had her arm over his shoulders; he pulled her forward. "Come on, Em, we've gotta go."
He was right; all they could do now was run.
Em pulled her arm free; they could go faster if she was on her own. She steadied herself against the back wall, half-running, half-staggering toward the elevators. She felt Alex right behind her, his hand on her shoulder...
...and she felt the ground shake and heard the heavy Brrump! Brrump! of the beast's long strides...
...and a hollow Whump! and Alex's hand was gone.
Emmeline whirled around to see the beast looming behind her, its torso turned and its long arm extended across its body, and Alex hurtling through the air, coming down in the middle of the lobby and rolling like a poorly-skipped stone, finally sliding to a stop near the front glass doors.
The beast snorted, stepping forward, its upper body winding back around, the other three-clawed hand raised for a killing blow. Emmeline stood transfixed with terror. The claws whipped down, changing angle just before they reached her, whooshing by with such force that her hair spilled forward. Emmeline stumbled backwards, her hand feeling behind her for the wall, staying close to it as the beast straightened up and took a mighty swipe with its right hand, coming up even shorter.
As the beast's chest expanded and air sucked in through its shovel-edged mouth, Emmeline heard a sharp Crack! from across the lobby. Her eyes darted toward the far corner, past her still-unmoving Granddad; she saw the end of the beast's sole restraining cord quiver with tension. The beast let loose a furious roar, a thunderous shrieking tidal wave of noise crashing down around her; its upper body lunged forward, its sweeping claw of death coming a little closer this time. Em heard a faint shouting; Alex was saying something about binding -- but she didn't know how to do that! She glanced back to the bloody end of the cord and saw it slide and pop, and the beast loomed a little larger...
Emmeline's heartbeat tumbled over the sound of distant crashing surf; her widening eyes darted from Alex to the hulking monster and back to Alex; he was laid out on the floor, his arm thrusting savagely, silently screaming for her to Run Em, Run...
Emmeline turned and ran, springing over a crumpled elevator door, bouncing off the call button, diving for the small brass handle on the stubby square door, her lead foot skidding and stopping her as she yanked the panel open. The beast careened after her, its foot planting on the elevator door and sliding out from under it, bowling it over on its opposite shoulder; the beast slammed up against the wall, scrambling both to right itself and to reach for its fleeing prey.
Emmeline dove head-first into the dark hole in the wall, somersaulting into a leap against an unfinished concrete wall. The space got suddenly brighter as the access panel was ripped away; the building trembled as the beast slammed itself against the opposite wall, its rippling stone-skinned arm reaching through the hole, clawing and probing, stretching toward her as she flattened herself, then waving wildly about the space, banging pipes overhead, shredding and sparking wires to one side. The massive appendage withdrew, and Emmeline dove to her right. There was a narrow tunnel, just tall enough for her to stand, lined overhead with utility bulbs, leading two hundred feet or so toward the back of the building; she could just make out the red EXIT sign amid the cluster of conduits at the far end.
She felt a blast of hot wind from behind; she looked over her shoulder to see the beast's plow-shaped head poked through the open hatch, its black soulless eyes filled with contempt...
"You are weak... Death will thrive..."
Alex knew he had to run. He had to get to the car, get around to the other side of the building before the beast did...
...but when his shoulder hit the glass door, it did not move.
Alex bounced off the door, falling to the floor in a confused heap. He looked up -- a magnetic lock. How could it be locked? Had the old man done it? Were they time locks? Was there a release somewhere? Alex kicked madly, again and again; the door came off its lower hinge, but the magnet above held it in place. He looked around frantically for anything that could help -- the machete was just a few feet away. He grabbed it -- maybe he could reach the magnets with the blade, use it to--
Alex fell still when he noticed the beast's shadowy reflection growing in the glass.
He suddenly thought of "Aliens," and the way Bishop got torn in half.
Alex really didn't want to be Bishop.
He turned around... and the beast shrank back slightly, favoring its right side, where the second spear had been. Alex noticed it was missing a finger, and both its arms had black tarry scars. And it seemed to be eyeing... the machete.
Its voice rumbled through him.
"Not Winter... blood weak..."
And yet it seemed... nervous.
Alex raised the machete, and noticed the beast's eyes followed it. He looked at the blade; it was coated with sand-thickened blood. Maybe Alex wasn't a Winter, but... this was a Winter's blade, brought by a Winter's hand, and... something about blood...
He was going to die anyway. Maybe he could buy Emmeline enough time to get away.
...Bishop was a hero, wasn't he?
Alex's face hardened. Maybe if he had to die, he could take a piece of this fucker with him.
Alex extended the machete in front of him; the bloody blade gleamed in the halogen light.
Maybe he wasn't Bishop.
Alex Hayden stared into the beast's pitch-black orbs, seeing in them the end of all things. He pointed the tip of the machete at the beast's chest, stood up as tall and broad as he could, and belted out the bravest and most defiant thing he could think of.
"YOU... SHALL NOT... PA-"
With a mighty swat, the beast sent the machete flying. The beast's torso wound up with frightening speed. Its huge arm whipped around, backhanding Alex into the door, breaking it loose and sending him hurtling through the air into the cold night.
The beast took a slow, deep breath, its shoulders rising and widening; it exhaled with a low grumble like a distant thunderstorm. It stepped toward the open doorway...
...but its left shoulder was held up short. The beast leaned back a bit and then shrugged forward; still the left shoulder hitched.
The beast looked over its shoulder in puzzlement, turning back slowly, sidestepping in the direction of the unexpectedly-taut line, watching it droop; a curious claw reached up to meet the relaxing line, plucking it, as its eyes followed the line's path toward the back of the lobby...
Emmeline Winter stood, axe in one hand, the other raised in front of her; across her open palm, a shallow cut glistened bright crimson. "By Winter's hand the blade is brought..."
She made a tight fist; blood dripped steadily, adding to the small puddle already on the floor.
The end of the spear line ran right across it.
"It is our *blood* that binds."
The beast snorted disgust and disbelief. "Who are you... to still defy me..."
The axe rose, its blood-smeared blade glinting in the light. The young woman's eyes blazed with righteous fury.
"My name is Emmeline Winter. You killed my father. Prepare to die."
The beast charged -- and Em ran straight at it, axe held high. The beast's eyes remained locked on the deadly blade as it cocked its massive left arm back; by its fourth long stride it was almost upon her, and the huge clawed hand whipped around...
Emmeline ducked into a feet-first slide, slipping suddenly underneath the beast, wielding the axe with a roundhouse swing at the creature's leg. The blade tore through the back of the limb, coming out the other side with a gooey plop. The beast crumpled to the floor, skidding face-down a dozen feet across the granite, its right leg trailing blackish syrup.
Em got to her feet, the axe back to one hand now, choking up on the handle, wiping the blade on her coat; the black stuff was already the consistency of wet sand, crumbling off the ornate steel. She glanced quickly right, then left; she was about halfway between the two thick round granite pillars that punctuated the otherwise empty space. Her grandfather still lay motionless beyond the right pillar; Em started moving toward the left.
The beast pushed itself to its feet, but as it turned to face Em it limped badly. Its angry roar betrayed no fear, but its pain was obvious.
"There's more where that came from," Em taunted. She could see the pillar in her peripheral vision now...
The beast lunged forward; even lame, it moved with surprising speed. Em backpedaled faster, past the pillar, nearly to the wall before she turned to run. The beast's left-handed swipe just caught the edge of her coat; Em stumbled a step as the red vinyl ripped, but kept to her feet, reaching the pillar only a little off balance and righting herself with an outstretched hand that smacked the cold granite with a wet splat.
She looked over her shoulder; the beast's swipe had knocked it off balance too, and it had stumbled into the wall, but it was already pushing off to resume the chase. Em smeared her bleeding hand down the pillar as slowly as she dared, turning herself around until her back was to the elevators -- and the beast was almost on top of her, its injured hand swooping straight down; she jumped backwards, narrowly avoiding the blow, but now she was on her back, arms and legs pumping, hands and feet slipping on the hard polished floor...
The beast limped forward, thump-Thump! Its eyes zeroed in on the axe, now flat on the floor beneath the girl's hand. It leaned down, its huge three-fingered hand thrusting down to pin the weapon down -- but it lurched awkwardly short. Em could see the pained surprise in the beast's eyes. It straightened up, surprise turning to fury as it wheeled around, its left hand closing around the line and yanking it hard, trying and failing to pull it away from the pillar.
Em quickly rolled left into a crouch, continuing to turn as she stood, momentum building in the head of the axe as she swung it up and around like a hammer throw, just as the beast turned back to face her. The blade sliced cleanly through the beast's right bicep. The severed limb flailed away over Em's shoulder, hitting the floor with a hard-candy cracking sound.
Em knew she needed to press her attack; if she could get around to the beast's right, she could trap it against the pillar, the taut line giving it no escape. But the huge axe swing made her stutter-step for balance, and the beast moved to its right, turning its weak side away from her and giving it slack.
They were at a stalemate now, each hanging back just out of the other's reach, feinting to one side or the other, both knowing a missed blow would leave them exposed. The beast took the first swing, falling more than stepping forward off its bad foot, its claws reaching for the girl's midsection; Em moved the axe as if to block, its blade turned out, but the beast's strike came up short. Em now knew her safe distance. The beast withdrew, back to its right.
Em got an idea; if she moved to its left far enough, its reach would be limited by the pillar; she could then shift another step to its left and cut off its hand with a downward stroke from the outside. She stepped to her right, and the beast pivoted. One more step, and a quick inward feint...
The beast lunged forward -- further than it should have been able to reach! Two claws hooked into the back of Em's coat; another dug into her hip; she screamed in agony as the beast pulled her close. She flailed at the thing's forearm with the axe, but she had no leverage -- the blade dug shallow furrows in its flesh, but the beast wouldn't let go!
"Die..." the beast seethed.
She couldn't breathe; a claw pierced her flesh and dug into her shoulder blade. Desperately, she flung her arm back as far as it would go, feeling the stone fingers squeeze even tighter; she slipped her grip on the axe handle just enough to give her more leverage. She heaved the axe around with all her might; the blade cleaved deeply into the beast's shoulder. The beast's arm jerked wildly; the axe popped free of the wound. The beast's grip slackened suddenly, and Em fell; but the axe handle slipped from her fingers. She hit the ground hard, tumbling onto her back; the axe fell away out of reach.
Emmeline crabbed frantically backwards.
Now she was defenseless.
She had to get up. She had to run...
She stood up slowly, wincing; her whole right side felt like it was on fire. The beast ignored her, pulling savagely against its binding. She didn't have much time...
The slender cord suddenly ripped free of the pillar, tearing small chunks of granite loose. The beast whirled around, galloping toward Emmeline; she skittered backwards, stumbling and falling as she turned to run. The beast hit the end of the line; it snapped taut with a Thwack! and the beast was held at bay once again, but only for a moment. Emmeline heard a loud Crack! She looked to the back of the lobby; the line was moving... and then it snapped free. The beast surged forward a step, then straightened up. It took in a deep breath, releasing it in a series of deep grunts, almost as if it was *laughing*...
Em managed to stand, straightening up slowly; the searing pain took her breath away.
The beast's claws twitched. "No... escape..."
Emmeline heard her heart pounding in her chest, gradually drowned out by a growing thrum; the room seemed to be growing brighter...
The beast suddenly turned to its right, its eyes narrowing to slits as the wash of light bounced higher, and then lower again, as if drawing a bead on it...
Em looked too as a pair of impossibly-bright eyes fixed on the beast and surged ahead. Something smashed through the glass wall, an entirely different kind of beast, low and wide and silver and smooth, a howling mechanical fury. Moving with frightening speed, it plowed straight into the stone creature, carrying it across the room and slamming into the pillar, shoulders crumpling, wrapping around the creature's torso, trapping it with an invincible steel grip.
Alex sputtered as the airbag deflated; he looked out his spiderwebbed windshield and saw the beast's huge boulder-like chest. Its legs were a twisted mess, barely recognizable among the mangled metal.
But the beast wasn't dead yet.
Alex heard a crinkling, scratching sound overhead as it stirred. To his right he saw the thing's brawny arm lift, its thick fingers probing for leverage and finding the passenger windowsill. The door crinkled and popped and the windshield crackled as the beast tried to pull itself free; a deep rumbling marked its pained groan.
Was there no killing this thing?
Just then Alex heard something to his left. He pushed the airbag down and saw Emmeline dragging the axe toward the car, one hand clutching her side, her face tightened, both pained and pissed off.
Alex shoved up against the door; the collision had tweaked it good, but he managed to get it open, spilling out onto the floor. He hurt all over, but he gritted it out and pulled himself up to a wobbly stand.
As Emmeline approached the car she swung the axe up, cradling the head in her hand, almost caressing it; as the blade's edge caught the light Alex saw it was slick with fresh blood...
She was gathering steam now, still a hitch in her step but her strides growing longer, her eyes fixed on the struggling monster; as she reached the front of the car she hopped from floor to tire to fender. She braced her foot against the gnarled black gash in the beast's side. The axe dangled ominously at her right side.
"You will not escape," she declared. "Winter will thrive."
The axe windmilled up one-handed, pausing overhead as both hands were brought to bear, then streaked down like a bolt of lightning, cleaving head from body with a wicked efficiency. The creature sagged, its skin dissolving, its flesh turning to fine black sand.
In the distance they heard sirens... and a faint cough. "Granddad!" Emmeline shouted, cutting herself short with a pained grunt.
Emmeline let go of the axe and turned around. "Help me," she said. Alex reached up, his hands on her hips; she sucked in a sharp breath and cringed, but then leaned into his hands. She came down a little more quickly than he'd planned, bumping into him and nearly knocking them both over; they both gasped and groaned and wheezed the complaints of mutually-aggravated injuries. Her eyes caught his for just an instant, but it was enough; then she broke away, leading him by the hand around the car toward her fallen grandfather.
"It's over, Granddad, help's on the way." She kneeled stiffly, resting her hand gently on his. He blinked rapidly, trying to focus. "Stay with me."
He grunted something in between shallow breaths; they both kneeled closer.
"Proud," he repeated.
A tear fell from Em's cheek. "Save your strength."
The old man seemed to chuckle. "This?... nothing..." His eyes went from Em to Alex. "Shoulda... seen... sissty-five...Heh..."
Em couldn't help but smile.
"Now... kuhmm..."
"What?" Em asked.
"*Kiss*... *him*..."
Alex looked at Em, his eyebrow raised wryly.
Emmeline Winter leaned in close, their lips just short of touching...
"Thanks," she breathed, "that was amazing."
Then she kissed him.