Night Gaunts - Part Two

"The moon is dark, and the gods dance in the night; there is terror in the sky, for upon the moon hath sunk an eclipse foretold in no books of men or of earth's gods." 

~ H.P. Lovecraft

Continued...

John did a nimble drop, tuck, and roll as the creature passed harmlessly over his flattened body.

The flying Demon turned in flight as if it had missed him.

John heard an audible clunking sound, and he smiled to himself. 

Freddy didn't miss. It is eerie how quiet that creature is. No face, no mouth makes sense.

.John saw tiny, brief flashing lights, followed by a loud BOOM!

The creature dropped heavily from the air and hit the concrete warehouse floor with a sickening thud. The demon twitched on the ground just before Steele, its body smoking heavily.

Frederick was by the creature's side, his face covered by a wide grin. Suddenly, he heard awful, piercing cries coming from the dying Night Gaunt. It took him a moment to realize the screams were probably mental, not physical.

The monster's grayish lifeblood oozed onto the concrete floor. The thing was huge and intimidating, even as it lay dying.

*****

The Queen of the Night Gaunts begins to nod off again. Much to her surprise, she is awoken five minutes later. The four tiny humans surround Hegra's spasming, jerking, dying body. She toys with the idea of becoming angry. She begins to bunch her muscles, spring out, and dive into a flight of death and utter destruction.

Mother Queen pulls herself back with a weary sigh. 

~~Those who wish to go and avenge Hegra. Go now. Do not be as careless as he.~~

The Mother of the Night Gaunts watched intently as all but a handful of the brood began their gliding dives to destroy the humans.

*****

Sierra heard the Queen of the Night Gaunts above them in her nest, thinking. 

~~How can four such puny little creatures destroy a mighty one of the brood?~~

She was angry with herself for sending only one of her children on the attack flight and furious at her child for toying with them for too long.

Sierra heard a quick message directed to the dying Night-Gaunt. 

~~Hegra. Goodbye, little one. I warned you not to play so much with your food.~~

Sierra sensed the dying Hegra's mighty struggle to respond to its mother. Still, it coughed up a thick grayish ichor and died.

Sierra was staring intently at John, eager to ensure he was safe. The first creature had died no sooner than when she heard the Professor shout. "Watch out, about twenty more are on the way, and there is an EP up there. She is worse than all of them put together."

The Professor turned his head toward Sierra and sent a rushed thought. 

~~Quickly, girl. I need you.~~

Sierra regained her composure, cursing herself for taking time to check on Johnny.

*****

John was studying the dead Night-Gaunt, now an unpleasant-looking, dark mass. Its skin appeared oil-like, its horns curving inward towards each other. The bat wings didn't make any audible sound. Its paws were prehensile, ending with long, thick, wicked-looking claws. Its longish, whip-like tail ended in a deadly sharp barbed tip.

The creature's lack of a face was disquieting. The demon had made no sound until its mental death cries. A deadly silent killer from the skies, it had probably quickly killed many unsuspecting humans. However, this particular group of humans had their unique abilities and knowledge to fight back.

Twenty more of these monsters and then an Eternal Prisoner. For the first time, John wondered if they had bitten off more than they could handle.

*****

Frederick dropped a heavy, camouflaged canvas backpack at Steele's feet. "Stickies and some hand grenades!" he barked.

John looked up and nodded, "Thanks, Freddie-boy." He began stuffing explosives into the many pockets and clips that were a part of his garb, working fast and quietly.

Not for the first time, Frederick thought:  

Does this man ever lose his calm? He acts as if this were a day at the park. His confidence seems unflappable.

Frederick noticed approvingly that his sister Sierra had smartly positioned herself next to the professor. The man was sure to have a few tricks up his ancient sleeves. Frederick hoped there was a big one. 

They were going to need a miracle to get out of this alive.

Frederick shouted to John, hoping to get a rise from him. "We make a good team, kid."

John gave him a tiny half-smile and a brief wave, then returned to concentrating on his work.

END