I flattened against the wall, I couldnt move; my eyes were wide with horror, my heart was in my throat as I took in the awful sight before me. It wasnt us that the aliens were looking for, but our mother. That thing, that awful tentacle thing was in the room. It was moving up and down in a searching pattern as it slid across the floor toward where our mother still sat upon the plywood.
Abby was on the bed, her mouth gaping, her hands on either side of her head as she watched the thing slithering along. It had broken the window; glass littered the floor around it. Oh, Abby moaned.
I didnt know what to do, how to react. Then that thing reached our mother. Images of what had happened to the man on the street flooded my mind. There was no way I was going to allow that to happen to her. I leapt forward, falling to my knees as I grabbed a piece of glass from the floor. I ignored the pain that sliced through my palms and knees as the glass bit sharply into them. Adrenaline propelled me as I lifted the glass over my head and drove downward with the full force of my weight.
Blood exploded over me, but I instinctively knew it was not that things blood. It pulsed out of the tentacle in spraying waves that coated me, and the walls. I thought it was Abbys screams filling the room; it took me a moment to realize it was actually the thing that was screaming. It screeched as it jerked and flopped over the floor, twisting and withering violently as it reared up high before slamming down again. I fell back, clamoring to get out of the way, awkwardly scrambling to my feet as it whipped toward me. It slammed into my back, knocking me to my hands and knees with a blow hard enough to knock the air from my lungs. Choking, gasping for breath, I struggled to crawl away as it came at me again. The end of the tentacle opened wide, revealing piercing, needlelike teeth that had been crammed into a hideous, six inch wide mouth.
My eyes widened in disgust, a gurgling cry of alarm tore from me. I was shaking, coated in sweat and blood. My heart was hammering so violently I was half afraid I was going to have a heart attack. I was frantic with terror. I may not be frozen like the others, but that thing was still completely capable of killing me, even if I had wounded it. Its howling cries grew louder as it darted at me, slicing across my cheek, spilling more of my blood. Suddenly it screams werent all about agony, but also excitement and hunger as it tasted me.
I dodged its attack as it searched for the source of the fresh blood it had spilled. I scrambled away, crab crawling rapidly backwards as it lunged at me again. This time I wasnt fast enough. This time it was on me.
It wrapped swiftly around my middle, winding rapidly toward my throat with the speed of a cobra. I clawed at it, trying to grasp it as it neared my throat with deadly velocity. No, no, no, I found myself rapidly and uselessly panting out the word, even as the thing continued to ensnare me.
Bethany! Abby screamed.
Then it was there, in front of my face, floating before my wide, terrified eyes. Those thousands of needlelike teeth clicked as they rippled over like dandelions blowing in a summer wind. Though it had no discernible eyes I knew it was staring at me, judging me, sizing me up; tormenting me before it delivered its killing blow.
The thing screamed suddenly, rearing back. I recoiled, wincing as I waited for the death blow to be delivered, but it did not come. I winced as it constricted painfully upon me, nearly cracking my ribs with its intense pressure. The thing dropped suddenly, hissing and screaming as it plummeted out of my line of vision. I inhaled sharply, finally able to draw a full breath as its crushing embrace on my lungs eased.
My gaze found Abby across the way. My younger, smaller sister was sitting over the creature. The piece of glass within her hands had been driven through my original wound, severing the thing in half. She was staring at me in wide eyed horror; blood smeared her delicate, fair cheeks. Gratitude filled me; I pulled the limp thing away from me, dropping it onto the floor as I rose shakily to my feet. There was far more strength and courage in Abby than I had realized.
I had only a moment of relief though as all of the lights suddenly stopped flashing and became focused solely upon our house. The beams blazed brightly, lighting the room far more than even the sun would.
I lifted my hand, attempting to block the blinding light from my burning eyes. Abby, get away from the window, I commanded softly.
Bethany?
Get away from the window! I ordered more fiercely, my teeth clenching tight as my body thrummed with a sense of impending doom.
Abby crawled toward me; carefully avoiding the thing sprawled on the floor. Hurry Abby, hurry! I urged.
She was almost to me when another window shattered. Glass sprayed inward, showering the room with its sharp slivers. It cut across my arms, sliced my flesh, and one imbedded deeply in my raised right forearm. A hiss of pain escaped me; I grabbed hold of the shard and tore it from my skin. Blood surged forth but I had no time to try and staunch the flow, or to tend to the wound. Abby was curled into the fetal position, her hands wrapped protectively around her head. Her screams were piercing as they echoed throughout the room.