Tomorrow Falls 10

Ten

They were coming.

Tess whimpered as she slid to the cold, hard flooring. The images of the bloodied clothes and bones in the town's store filled her mind.

This was now her destiny. Those things were going to tear her to pieces, and devour her flesh.

"Oh, God ... please help me!" Tess cried as her eyes widened.

Her face suddenly felt wet. It wasn't from tears as she wiped away the cold liquid.

What?

Tess looked up and saw the black sky. She leaped to her feet, and ran her hands across the wall and brushed over the bottom rung of a ladder.

With the creatures scuffling and hissing closer in the blackness behind her, Tess jumped up and grabbed onto the last rung. Grunting loudly, she struggled to pull herself upwards.

With feet and hands squarely on the metal rungs, she scrambled as fast as she could towards the surface. A steel door stopped her. She pressed against it.

It wouldn't budged.

Oh, great ...

Snarls sounded from directly below.

They're here!

Tess turned her full attention to the grate above, and frantically felt around for any latch.

Nothing.

There had to be a way to get this thing opened!

She climbed to the top two rungs, and with her shoulders and upper back, began slamming her body against the steel. After the third try, a loud creak rang out, and the door flung open.

Breathing heavily, Tess climbed up and out onto the chilly, wet ground. More cold liquid speckled on her. She looked up and realized that it was snowing.

Instead of enjoying one of her favorite winter pastimes, Tess fled, leaving behind the hissing creatures.

She ran.

Blindly.

She didn't know where she was running to; just that she needed to get away from them.

It felt like she was still on the trail though she couldn't tell if she was headed towards or away from the dam.

The storm clouds covered the night lights. Shadows filled every crevice and corner.

Tess strained her ears, and thought she heard water flowing from somewhere.

It was something.

Tess headed towards the sound, which led her off the trail as she maneuvered through low branches and waist-high bushes. Each branch and thorny bush whipped at her mercilessly. Her face and limbs felt battered. Her lungs burned. Her knees wobbled. Every inch of her being screamed out for her to stop, but she ignored them all.

If she stopped, she died.

The wooded landscape kept going and going.

Where was the dam? Were they still following her?

Her clothes wet from the falling snow. Her body shivered uncontrollably. Tess urged her legs to keep moving.

Faster. Harder.

Suddenly, the next step propelled her into the air, and in the next instance, she landed hard on the ground with a whimper, and rolled out of control. Her back then hit something solid which shot her back into the air. Seconds later, her body slammed to the ground with a loud thud.

And then she was still.