Where to go? The streetlights spun in an acid orange glare around her as she searched for a place to hide. A hot lance of pain made her gasp and the world tilted before her eyes, her vision bluring around the edges. She reached out a trembling hand to hold herself upright against the wall, leaving a bloody handprint on the red brick. Too late, she realized she had just left a mark for them to track her. Cursing under her breath, she tore a strip off her already tattered shirt with her teeth and bound both her hands with the torn strips. There was nothing to be done about the handprint. She had to move. In the distance an eerie cry pierced the night, half bull bellowing and half wolf howl. She pushed herself off the wall and ran.
The bleeding had slowed to a sluggish oozing. It wasn't good since it could be infection setting in, but she couldn't afford to lose hope. Perhaps it was just healing, she consoled herself as she covered her side again. Her shirt was stained a dark red and her jeans were in ribbons. Breathing hurt. The chimaera's claws had been exceptionally long. She was lucky it hadn't been a snake chimaera. Bull chimaeras were slower and stupid. Their back claws weren't poisoned either. Taking a deep breath, she hauled herself up into a sitting position and rummaged around in her backpack. A half eaten sandwich, three chocolate bars, her wallet with a wad of cash sticking out haphazardly, some change and a three quarter full water bottle plus her phone and luckily even her charger. She tugged the phone out of its pocket and pressed the speed dial. "Arch, you have to come get me. They're coming." she whispered to the sleepy male voice that answered the phone. The ground shook. "They're here." she hissed and hung up. Too late to run. The abandoned house provided some hiding places but she could easily be crushed to death if the bull chimaera decided to ram itself into the building. It didn't help that the wolf head could smell her out in an instant. She was bleeding. Small cuts and nicks all over her arms, the gashes on her thighs where she had misjudged her jump and the worst of all, the huge wound on her side that stretched from her hipbone to the top of her ribcage. The ground shook again and she winced. Archer may not arrive in time with the back up. As quietly as she could, she crawled to the other end of the hallway she was in, the boarded up windows lending little light from the streets as she made her way across. The floorboards were old and creaky and she didn't fancy landing downstairs right in front of the chimaera in jumble of broken flooring and pipes. A splintering crash alerted her to the chimaera entering the house. Now she was really trapped. A loud, wet snuffling echoed in the downstairs hall and she froze, breathing as slowly and as little as possible. Her hands were reaching for the twin blades she wore on her belt when she heard a screech. The house erupted in chaos.
Broken boards and splinters flew, glass shattered downstairs followed by the bull chimaera's loud bellow or rage and the wolf's head's snarl. She raised her head, scattering splinters and glass and came face to face with the huge barn owl that sat before her, regarding her with huge black eyes that stood out against its creamy feathers. "Archer's here." she smiled at the owl who hooted softly in reply before swooping across the banister and disappearing into the mess downstairs. She could hear shrieks and angry snarls, both human and chimaera. Using her sword as a walking stick, she made her way downstairs.
Archer sat on his chimaera's back, the half horse half lion creature reared on its back hooves, striking the bull's nose and muzzle with its claws. Archer shot burning arrows tipped in sulphur into the bull's eyes. It was already bleeding from its left eye and sticky black blood streamed from it like grosteque tears. The wolf's head was engaged with another lithe figure who wielded her scythe with surprising ease despite the enclosed space. Damaria smiled and gave her a thumbs up as she dodged the wolf's snapping jaws and swept her scythe in an upward motion. The head crumpled to the ground, spurting black blood over human and chimaera alike. A large lynx with a scorpion tail lunged at the bull's head and clung on as it tried to toss it off. The scorpion tail whipped across and hit the bull on the nose. It shuddered and swayed a little on its feet. The lnyx chimaera hopped off its head casually and strolled back to Damaria, arching its back like a house cat begging to be petted. Damaria obliged, scratching behind its tufted ears as well. Everyone leapt backwards as the chimaera erupted in an explosion of black blood and claws. A hoof nearly hit her in the face as she ducked.
Archer had her in his arms as they strode out of the house. A helicopter was parked on the street, curious onlookers crowded some distance away. She buried her face in his camo jacket as he pressed her body closer to himself. "You could've gotten yourself killed, Anastasia." he muttered. "That's the last time you're taking a job as bait."
~Rei Shiori
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