Flight of the Raven Pt. 01

I turned towards her and saw that she was indeed correct. She had the plastic box on the table closest to her, the lid still on.

I wasted no time and sprinted towards her, all my earlier fears forgotten as I raced to the box and what I hoped was salvation.

I yanked off the cover and threw it behind me as soon as I had reached the box. Not even sparing a smile of thanks for Cathy -- There simply wasn't time.

Cathy gasped as she looked over my shoulder at the contents of the box. It was the container that the cooks had put together and given to John, the box of knives, gas bottles and an electric meat carver.

As I tipped the box over, spilling its contents on the table, I gave more instructions to Cathy. "I need you to find something that will burn, something long and thin that can be used as a fuse. When you have that you'll need something to light it with; then you have to place one of these gas cannisters by the fire exit." I looked at Cathy, after strapping a small arsenal of knives to my combat suit. "I'm going to lure them outside. When they follow me through I need you to blow the cannister. You'll have to get everyone not already dead out of the way too. Can you do all that?"

With tears streaming down her face Cathy stared into my eyes. After what seemed an eternity -- she nodded.

Cathy began tearing a strip of cloth from her blouse. Smart girl I thought, proudly, turning away from her and facing what I can only describe as Hell.

The windows and the floor, walls and even ceiling near them were drenched in blood. Small splotches of the imp's black blood was visible across the vast ocean of humanity's red gore. Large lumps in the flood of crimson denoted bodies and smaller lumps marked limbs that had been viciously torn off. There were too many bulges to count. far too many. The sea of blood continued from the windows all the way to one corner of the huge room.

I thought Hell would seem pleasant compared to that corner. The same river of gore coated the corner as it did the windows, bodies floating in the blood like beached whales. Backed up against the two walls forming the corner were at least fifty people. The knot of humanity was pressed so closely to one another that people who had fallen into the blood at their feet were drowning, literally drowning, as they desperately tried to lift their heads an inch to breath.

As I ran forwards I could make out John, Mr Harrel and two other teachers standing slightly in front of the main group. They each had what appeared to be a chair leg and were brandishing them threateningly at the creatures before them. At the ring of imps forming an impenetrable line of fang and claw. That was the worst of it. That the imps had managed to surround so many people and were just toying with them; treating them like cattle as they laughed madly and watched the students scream with cruel delight.

It was even worse than the smell, and that almost knocked me out cold as I got closer to the line of demons. The aroma of blood, guts and the contents of people's bowels and stomach was a potent mix.

I grinned darkly as I passed two dead imps by the windows, one with a giant shard of glass through its head and the other with 3 chair legs sticking out of its bulbous body at sickening angles. At least there were only 10 of them now I thought, grimly, as I charged into the back of the imp's crude formation.

I sent a knife flying towards an imp to the right of my target, scoring a deep wound in its back and making it gurgle in pain before falling to the ground, dead. My other knife I threw at the imp to the left of my target, embedding the blade squarely in the back of its grotesque head. As the imp fell to the floor I jumped, drawing two more knives from my suit and landing on the outstretched wings of my target.

God was this imp unlucky I thought as I viciously slammed both blades into the side of its head, pushing them in until I felt bone and then swiftly jumping off the demon, taking my knives with me.

Thick, black blood gushed out from two sides of its head, forming a small obsidian puddle around its hoofed feet as it fell, lifeless, into the river of gore beneath it.

I stood, unmoving, demon blood dripping down my weapons as I watched the remaining seven imps turn towards me.

When I had their undivided attention I roared at them and threw both knives at once, managing to slice through the wing of one demon and the eye of another.

That's certainly one way to piss demons off I thought, as the seven imps came towards me, five flying, one running and one. Well, one walking into a variety of objects that were most definitely not me.

This really was a stupid plan, but it was all I had. I just hoped that Cathy would be able to blow up the gas cannister in time.

I turned, bolting back the way I'd come; away from the demons. As my feet splashed across the blood drenched floor I tried to block out the sound of the demonic wails that were getting closer and closer.

Leaping over the ring of tables in the room's centre I immediately dived to the right, sliding across the floor, driven solely by instinct.

It was damn lucky something was driving me as five fat blobs of raging imp came screaming over the table a split second after me, their hooves obliterating the air above my head as I dived to the floor.

It was almost comical to watch as they crashed into the tables at the other side of the ring after their failed attempt to pound my head to mush.

Of course, that was until they all stood back up again.

"Luke, it's ready!" I heard shouted from across the room.

Risking a glance behind me I saw three things, Cathy waving her arms at me frantically, John leading a large group of people away from the fire-exit and the sixth imp, the one with a huge tear in one of its wings, running full pelt towards me.

Oh shit.

"Cathy, light it now!" I yelled as I once again leapt over the table this time heading towards the fire-exit.

Cathy ran to the gas canister, propped up against the door and started fiddling with a box of matches. As I drew my last knife I prayed that we would time this right. Everything depended on it.

The imp in front of me jumped towards my face, its mouth opening sickeningly wide as its fangs drooled in anticipation of biting into the one that had cause it so much pain.

I slid as it jumped, passing beneath it quickly and gutting it like a fish with my blade as it seemed to hover, first in confusion and then in agony.

Its guts fell to the floor before its body did, landing in a heap where I used to be.

Staggering upright I saw Cathy staring at me in horror. I wasn't surprised, I was covered in both red and black blood, guts, bits of demon and I had five pissed off imps close on my heels.

I was surprised she didn't faint.

I could see the cannister beside her. The strip of her blouse trailing from the opening, acting as a fuse, was already on fire. We had mere moments and she was still just standing there.

"Run Cathy! Now!" I bellowed to her. Luckily, this seemed to do the trick as she starting putting distance between herself and the fire-exit. Unfortunately, the direction she chose brought her straight to the blinded imp.

The demon was still walking in a mindless pattern, madly swiping at the air with its sharp claws in frustration. Cathy was going too fast and was too close to the imp to turn, I had to help her. I hoped beyond hope that I wouldn't hit her, or I would never be able to forgive myself as I threw my knife, still coated in black blood and demon guts towards the crippled imp.

I think I definitely made the imp's 'most hated human' list as the knife sailed cleanly past Cathy and embedded itself in the one remaining eye of the imp, causing a spray of black blood to erupt from the socket and forcing the demon to its knees in agony.

I smiled as I saw Cathy sprint pass the now incapacitated imp, relief flooding through me that she was all right.

Crossing my fingers as I reached the fire-exit I dived through the open door, the five imps mere moments behind, rolling as I hit the ground outside and continuing to run. Well I managed to take another three steps anyway.

Behind me the cannister exploded, bursting my eardrums with the intensity of the sound and throwing me forward in a heap from the shock wave.

It worked. I can't believe it wor-- My thoughts were silenced as a large, fleshy object landed on my back, smashing my head on the ground. I saw stars. I saw blackness. I saw two perfect green eyes as the welcoming arms of sleep stole me away.

To Be Continued...