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I steered her to the doorway. “Let’s go.”
We stepped from the bathroom. The creature’s lavender eyes focused on Julie. It licked the ward, burned its tongue on the crimson, and recoiled.
I tried the phone. Dead. Why me?
“Giiirl. Want, want, need…”
“You okay?”
She nodded.
The magic crashed. I took Slayer from Julie and tried the phone again. Still dead. Fuck me.
The creature’s hair fell lifelessly about her. She clutched onto the bars to keep from falling. Yeah! Choke on tech, you piece of crap. No tentacle hair for you.
The creature thrust her legs against the wall and heaved. The bars bent with a long, tortured screech.
Julie darted into the bedroom. Now wasn’t a good time to hide. First rule of bodyguard detail: know where your “body” is at all times.
The creature heaved again. The bars parted.
I stepped into the kitchen. First I’d deal with my lovely new window ornament and then I’d go and dig Julie out from under the bed.
Julie reappeared with her knife in her hand. Her fingers shook, making the point of the dagger dance.
She planted herself behind me and bit her lip.
Theywould not get this girl. Not today. Not ever.
Boom!
Something hit the door with a solid thump. Julie jumped.
“Steady. The door’s solid. It’ll hold.” At least for a few minutes. I stepped deeper into the kitchen and moved a chair out of my way, giving myself space to work.
At the window, the creature tasted the air with her tongue like a snake and thrust her head into the gap.
Boom!
I jumped onto the table and sliced her head off in a classic executioner stroke.
The head thudded on the table and rolled to the floor. The body froze halfway through the bars. Thick reddish slime slid from the stump of the neck in a slow gush. An oily stench of rotten fish and bitter, stale seawater spread through the room.