Cade grabbed hold of my shoulder, holding me still as I instinctively took a frightened step back from the monstrosity outside. I nearly collided with a table containing fragile figurines that would have shattered on impact. The saying bull in a china shop flashed through my mind, and I knew that I would have to be careful. I was about as graceful as that bull. And there were far too many fragile things within this store, and too many hideous things outside that we had to avoid.
The thing moved slowly forward. It was smaller than a Mac truck but there was something about it that reminded me of a semi without its trailer. It crept forward on numerous legs that were arachnid in appearance, but swollen, red, and bloated like an overfed tick. The legs seemed to pulse and vibrate with some strange life force that I didnt understand. I was confused, completely unable to understand what the hell it was doing. Unable to comprehend what the hell it could possibly be . My mind simply could not wrap around the hideousness of this atrocity before us.
It stopped next to a few of the frozen bodies, hovering above them as it lowered slightly to get closer to the people. I watched in fascinated horror as one of those legs curled up before snaking out from the disgusting creature. The tentacle like appendage moved with an eerie, rapid grace that was almost as captivating as it was repulsive. I found myself entranced by its slithering, snakelike movements. The tentacle was clear; it slithered over the ground before snagging hold of a man holding hands with a woman. My mouth dropped, my eyes widened, a scream tore up my throat. Before I could utter a sound, Cade swiftly slid his hand over my mouth. He pulled me against him, pressing my back to his chest as he held me tight. My knees buckled as I found myself barely able to remain standing. Cade helped keep me up, but I could feel a tremor in his powerful, taut muscles.
The tentacle thingy slithered up the mans leg before reaching
his chest. It pulled back when it reached the mans face like a cobra ready to strike. It remained there for a few moments before attacking with deadly, and startling, velocity. It sank into the mans throat, burying itself deep within his body. The tentacle was clearly visible as it moved, slithering beneath the mans skin as it made its way swiftly through his body. The clear tentacle began to fill with pulsating blood as the man suddenly, and violently, came back to life. Vomit rolled through me, and it was only the mortifying thought of throwing up on Cades hand that helped me suppress it.
The poor man thrashed against the thing moving through him, his arms flailed wildly against the brutal assault being waged on his body. He grasped at the woman beside him, but she remained still as stone, oblivious to his pain. The mans fingers tore at the invader, trying to pull it free, but his efforts were useless and only caused more blood to spill from his already brutalized throat. I gagged, choked, nearly fell as every muscle in my body collapsed.
This time Cade was barely able to keep me up. I could feel the horror that filled his entire body as he clung to me. He took his hand away from my mouth, wrapping his arms around my waist he pulled me away from the window. I did not fight against him, there was no fight left within me. There was little of anything left within me besides fear and revulsion.
Cade led me swiftly through the store. He dodged the shelves, and delicate artifacts, with a graceful ease that even through my numbing shock and horror, I was able to admire. We passed by the counter. A gray haired man stood behind it, a duster was clasped in the hand above his head as he faced the shelves behind the register. His spectacles gleamed in the light of the lamps dangling from the ceiling above him. My heart went out to him. I moved toward him, wanting to do something, wanting to wake him if I could, needing to get him out of here before that awful thing came for him.
Cades hand tightened on mine, he shook his head at me as he continued to pull me rapidly forward. I wanted to fight against him, but I was ashamed to admit that I was too terrified to offer much of a protest. Cade opened a door in the back of the store and pulled me into the darkened stairwell. Closing the door behind us, he reached up to pull the string on a dim bulb. Light filled the narrow, steep stairway, but it did not reveal the bottom of the steps.
Cade bent close to me, pressing his lips against my ear. Stay, he breathed so quietly that I barely heard him over the loud rush of blood filling my ears.
I remained where I was. A strange, uncontrollable shaking was starting to take hold of my body. My knees were trembling; I could not hold my hands still no matter how hard I tried. I wrapped my arms around myself, but it did nothing to ease the chill that had crept into my quaking bones.
Even in this darkened stairwell, away from the street, I could still feel the vibrations the thing caused within the building. I could still vividly see the man struggling against the awful creature greedily pulling the blood from his body. I felt nauseous again, and devastated.