The thunder of feet hitting the ground reached us first, then the Urbat came out of the darkness like a swarm of locusts. My pulse leapt at the sight of so many creatures devouring the distance between us. They sprinted on all fours, and their teeth glinted in the moonlight as their challenging snarls filled the air. I shivered, rolled my shoulders, and stepped a few feet ahead of the group. I needed room.
I glanced over my shoulder, a look that took less than a moment, but the details seared into my memory.
Luke and Bethi stood together, just slightly back to back. Clay crouched in front of Gabby. She had a hand on his back as if restraining him. Emmitt and Jim had Michelle pinned between them, her pale, frightened face seeming to glow in the moonlight.
Thomas was pushing Charlene closer to Michelle, so he could box the women in with his sons. Sam, Grey, and Winifred encircled them with Sam near Gabby and Clay. Ethan stood directly behind me, the knife he clutched in his hand very similar to Bethi’s. His gaze focused on the oncoming horde. My breath hitched in concern for him, and I shifted my gaze to Carlos, who stood a step away from Ethan and me.
Where Ethan looked nervous, Carlos appeared calm. A mountain, unyielding against the approaching storm. His gaze met mine. Maybe it was his stoic presence or maybe I caught something more in that brief connection, but whatever I saw firmed my resolve.
I turned back to face the approaching mass. One hundred yards away, two branches split off the main group to surround us.
“Give me your fear,” I shouted. It didn’t matter if it came from my companions or the beasts.
As soon as the dogs were within range, I pulled hard. A few staggered. My skin tightened and energy heated my blood. I bent my knees slightly and brought up my fists.
Then the beasts crashed upon our group like a wave upon a shore.
The men shouted. My sisters screamed in fear.
Kicking out, I caught one of the creatures in the face. Teeth and blood flew. I inhaled his fury, grabbed his head, and twisted. I didn’t break his neck, but I did turn him. Bethi dove forward and used her knife to finish him. Luke moved with her, shielding her from another attack. She immediately withdrew her knife and spun to help him. I dropped the wolf and swung out at the next beast.
The brutes pushed against us, a wall of furred bodies bent on our destruction. I kicked and hit and pulled in emotion until I felt bloated with it. When one beast fell, another took its place.
Someone screamed again. Gabby. I risked a look.
The wolves were trying to get to us, the Judgements. One beast had caught Gabby’s arm, but quickly lost his hand with a swipe from Grey. Grey, the liar, fought beautifully, his moves a testament to his strength and precision. The wolves around him fell rapidly, a few seemingly helped by an invisible hand. Sam fought much the same as Grey, taking on three or four wolves at a time. Winifred was gone. A white wolf now guarded Charlene, Michelle, and Gabby. The Elders weren’t letting any Urbat near the three.
Ethan and Carlos fought together behind me.
Seeing everyone protected, I turned again, hitting a wolf hard enough that he staggered toward Bethi. He noticed her and started to change, growing human arms to try to grab her. Before I could move forward to intercede, another animal lunged for me. It met my fists. From the corner of my eye, I saw Luke turn and attack the wolf going for Bethi. The distraction cost Luke, though, and another wolf’s claws raked bloody gashes into Luke’s chest.
Bethi started yelling obscenities, and her anger flooded the area. It gave me the power I needed to push back the beast I fought and gain enough room to bring both hands up and shove a thumb in its eye. The creature yowled and screeched as it fell away from me.
Something crashed into my back. The weight nearly brought me down but immediately disappeared. I almost turned but caught myself in time. There were too many circling us for even a moment’s distraction.
“Back to back,” I yelled. I shifted positions and felt Ethan move closer. We’d sparred together so many times, we now moved in a fluid harmony that seemed surreal in the violent chaos around us. I knocked an Urbat to the side, and Ethan lashed out with his knife, silencing the snarl.
“More coming!” Gabby yelled.
More? We couldn’t handle more.
Behind me, I heard Carlos growl. The sound gave me shivers.
A wolf in the wake of the one I currently fought, crouched low, its hind legs bunching. It sprang in the air, sailing over its fellow monsters, right toward me. Carlos jumped and intercepted it with a thud. Midair, as they fell, Carlos wrapped his massive hands around the wolf’s head and twisted, successfully executing the move I’d tried earlier. The body fell to the ground.