Crimson Falls (The Depravity Chronicles) by Joshua Grove Page B

Quick, help me out so we can get the fuck outta here.”
    He realized it
must have been serious because he had never heard the sheriff say the ‘f word’
before.
    He jogged past a
few trees and realized he couldn’t see very well. “Shit, Sheriff,” he growled.
“I don’t have my flashlight. Turn yours on so I can see where you are. I’m half
blind out here,” he laughed. He felt better to be near Anna, but still nervous
that something might be on her trail.
    “My flashlight
died,” she said. “Just follow my voice,” she ordered.
    “Okay, you’re
getting louder,” he said as he strained to see any shape close by. After
several seconds he spotted her. “I see you! Hold on, I’m coming.”
    “Excellent!” she
replied. “I think I see you. This way! This way!”
    Michael slowed
down when the shape was no longer where he thought it was. “Damn,” he
whispered. “I could have sworn she was right there.” He opened his eyes as
widely as he could, thinking somehow he had looked past her. All he saw were
trees, rocks, and more trees.
    “Anna, talk to
me,” he pleaded. “I can’t see you anymore.” He waited and listened.
    Silence.
    “Anna?” he
repeated.
    More silence.
And it was becoming deafening.
    “Anna, Jesus
Christ, talk to me!” he begged. Leaves began rustling behind him. He heard
small twigs snapping under the weight of whoever was walking. The noises became
louder.
    “Anna?” he
repeated one last time.
    Nothing.
    Whoever was
approaching now stood directly behind him. The sound of grotesque, raspy
breathing came from nowhere. He heard the sound of something sharp being
scraped against a rock. Michael began to whimper softly. He didn’t want to turn
around, but he didn’t know what else to do. Slowly, he turned to face what
Trevor had called the ‘shadow.’
    Michael opened
his eyes. All he saw were trees and a large rock. Twigs snapped behind him and
the breathing began again. He spun around as quickly as he could, but nothing
was there.
    “Michael!”
Anna’s voice called out again.
    “ WHAT THE
HELL! ” Michael screamed at the top of his lungs as he looked at the sky,
his arms raised in terror and anger. When he looked straight ahead again, it
was there – and it was no shadow. Michael fell to the ground as he screamed,
scrambling backwards to crawl to safety. The shadow was tall; he figured it was
a large man. But what he could see of his face was gray, hollow, and his eyes were
deeply sunken. Although it was dark, Michael could tell that his teeth were
quite large. He was too confused to be afraid.
    “Anna!” he
yelled. “Anna, help me! Help me!”
    “Michael!” the
man-like thing in front of his yelled. But the voice was the same as the one
Michael had been hearing. It was the voice of Anna.
    “Michael!” the
shadow screamed again. This time it had a mocking tone to it. It put its hand
up, as if waving, then leaped toward him. It moved so quickly that he didn’t
have time to even raise his hands to defend himself. The monster slapped him
across the face, leaving Michael to wonder if his cheekbone had been fractured.
    “Oh, please
Jesus!” Michael prayed as he screamed in shock. “Someone help me!”
    This time the
shadow lunged forward and bit his neck. Gurgling sounds filled the air, but
Michael could barely hear them. He struggled to breathe. The last image he saw
was of the shadow’s mouth, dripping with blood, moving toward his eyes.
    Then everything
went black.
     
    * * * * * *
    5
     
    “Copy that,
Sheriff,” Jake said into his radio. His heart was still racing from running and
shooting.
    “Stay out of the
woods,” Anna ordered.
    “Yeah, Sheriff,
that shouldn’t be a problem,” he mumbled as he clenched his teeth. Christ,
how stupid does she think I am? he thought to himself.
    “Get into the
house and see what you can find,” she continued. “I think it’s best that we stay
inside until sunrise.”
    “You want us to
stay in the old Brickton