Follow the Screams (The Executioner Trilogy Book 2)

by Kindra Sowder

  They called it the pit so was it just a hole in the ground? Was it empty or filled with fire and magma? It was like Christmas and I was more than eager to open my gifts. I just couldn’t stay in bed any longer and had to rush to get to the tree. I felt like my insides were full of buzzing bees with the buzzing the power of the pit was causing. It was almost too much. I stopped mid-stride and took a deep, steadying breath. It didn’t help. Gordon stopped next to me while Sam and Escara continued on, confusion marking his face.

  “Are you okay?” he asked. I wasn’t even sure how to describe what I was feeling. Was it as strong in him as in me?

  “I’m okay,” I lied. I didn’t like lying to him so maybe a little bit of the truth would suffice. “The feeling is just so strong. I feel like I’m about to jump out of my skin.” He could probably see the goose bumps all over my arms in the near darkness. II rubbed my arms again and Gordon wrapped his arms around me, possibly thinking I was cold. I would’ve pushed him away if I felt I could, but the truth was I could never let go of him. It didn’t matter how hot I was and how much sweat was pouring down my back. I could feel it pooling in my shirt where his hands were resting on my lower back.

  I kissed him then and slipped from his arms, holding onto his hand and walking in the general direction that Sam and Escara were headed. All I wanted now was to get home more than anything. Get back to Beth and tell her everything I have learned, and back to Chase who had taken care of me in my final days on Earth. Well, I was about to be back and better than ever and Lilith would know it more than anyone. No more lurking in the shadows that the fire inside of me cast. I was going to be out in the open and everyone would know my power. I would be stronger than ever, and only one thing was standing between me and that power and we were getting closer with each step.

  The more we walked the more I could feel the power humming through the ground and into me, flowing through my legs like an electric current. I wanted to bend down and touch the ground to see if it had the same effect. We were so close and I could taste the metallic bitterness of it.

  As soon as the taste was gone it was back, and then came the nausea. I swallowed hard to try to keep it down, but I wasn’t sure how well that was going to work. This wasn’t the power of the pit. This had to be the life within me roaring the closer we got to the portal. I could only imagine what it would be like once we were through and to the surface.

  I figured out exactly what would come up in this situation within the next few minutes. I walked quickly to a tree, leaned over, placed my hand on the tree itself, and let everything go. It started as dry heaves. I would rather vomit than have dry heaves and I got my wish. It burned as it made its way up my throat, almost catching at the back of my throat. Yup, this was morning sickness and it was dirty. One more cough and it was out, burning and stinging like I had just thrown up liquid fire. I opened my eyes and wished I hadn’t because the way it felt was accurate. It was broiling and writhing liquid fire on the ground that had just came out of me. I was in shock. Gordon was holding my hair back, trying not to look or pay attention to it but when I groaned he couldn’t help but take a gander to make sure I was fine. I guess this was what morning sickness looked like for someone like me. I just can’t throw up in front of anyone.

  It was steaming on the ground and twisting like a living creature. Now that was a disturbing thought. I guess that was what happened when you spent god knows how long in Hell with no food or water and you were practically living off of Hellfire. I had been absorbing it into myself since I realized I could just to keep the beast’s strength up. I just didn’t realize how much it was sustaining me as well. Not until now at least. The proof was in the pudding.

  My stomach was still rumbling but the bitter, burning taste was completely gone and I couldn’t have been more thankful for it. I swallowed one more time and wiped my sweaty palms on my pants. This was definitely what morning sickness had to feel like, and the fact that I was just now feeling all of this was proof that the closer I got to the door to the surface, the more alive I would begin to feel. Granted, I still felt human. I still bled, I still hurt, but I had never once felt the first signs of this pregnancy to confirm it besides our own sense of it.

  “Are you okay?” Sam asked. What was it with everyone asking me if I was okay lately? Of course I was. I just had a fetus growing inside of me that made me want to blow chunks everywhere. Nothing too serious. I stood there and wasn’t sure if I should tell her as she pushed her hair out of her eyes, worry on her face. We didn’t know her that well, but as far as I could tell all of her cards were on the table and we were the ones keeping secrets and this was a huge one.

  “I’m good,” I said as I wiped my hands on my pants again. Why was I sweating so much? “Just morning sickness.” There it was. No more secrets.

  “Oh,” she nodded, “congratulations.” I could tell she felt awkward enough already and there was no need to dwell on it.

  All I could do was give her the nod back, “Thanks.” That was all I knew to do because, for some odd reason, I felt awkward too. A weird silence moved through each of us and I just had to break it. “Well, we should get going. The pit isn’t going to find itself.”

  I began walking again and once I was barely a few steps ahead of everyone I heard a twig snap. I turned to find that it wasn’t any of the company I was keeping who caused it. It was something else entirely and I just couldn’t put my finger on it. I could still feel the pit pulsing through my veins, but I could also feel something else underneath it and it was truly something I had never felt before. I turned back to look into the darkness and couldn’t help but squint into it.

  I could just see something moving in the darkness, and I wasn’t even sure how close or far away it was. All I could see was bone and muscle rippling under flesh and fur, and I could tell that it was large. Quite large. Why hadn’t Escara warned us about this thing? There was no way she didn’t know about it. She had been here too long for that, but I wasn’t going to get into it now. We needed to focus on survival at this point. That was the only way we were going to make it to the pit and out of Hell itself. We were going to make it, and this would be the last thing we had to face.

  Chapter 29: Road Kill

  I held my hand up and motioned for everyone to stop walking. We needed to be as silent as humanly possible to maybe make it past the creature without rousing its suspicions. Escara walked up to me, all silent grace and put her mouth as close to my ear as she could get without touching me. There was no breath coming from her and all I could hear was her silence and the rolling growls of the beast.

  “That is the garmr. It guards the pit,” she whispered. Apparently it had very good hearing and Escara could see a lot more than I could.

  “And Lilith got past it how?”

  “He can be killed, but he has regenerative powers. He can come back within minutes if not damaged too much. The longest I’ve seen it take is hours, and that was when Lilith broke out.”

  Just great. How could I be expected to take something down that Lilith could nearly destroy? I was still thinking that Lilith was much stronger than I was, but I seemed to be making a swift comeback. Maybe there was a way I could take the garmr into myself and gain its power. Just maybe I could. The beast inside of me awoke and I heard a haunting growl within me that was hinting at a very big yes. Good, but I was sure it wasn’t going to be giving me the answer anytime soon.

  “And how to do you suggest I kill this thing? It’s not like I have any kind of weapon to take it down with.” I hissed at her. All I had was a tiny blade that seemed to only do any good with demons and things that were my size. I didn’t even think the trick I did with the demon at the edge of the forest would work with this thing. What was it? Was it a large dog? I could barely tell.

  “You have the answer, Executioner.” That was the only answer I got.

  I tried to stay as still as possible as not to attract its attention, but I had to do something about it at some point if we were
to get home. I made a decision at that moment. I was going to kill it, take its power for myself, and get us home. They were all welcome to help me. The choice was up to them, and I wouldn’t be making it for them. I had a feeling that only I could take it down, considering Lilith had been the only one before me as far as I knew. I had the power. This I knew. Gordon could freeze it, but then where would I be? Watching him fight it? Absolutely not.

  I turned to look at Gordon and it seemed he could tell from the look in my eyes that I was going for it. The beast was rolling inside of me and was so desperate for release. Little did it know I would be giving it exactly what it wanted and soon, but not before I made my presence known to the beast. I didn’t want it knowing about me until I was ready for it to. I could see Gordon shake his head in the near darkness, but I couldn’t sneak around it. None of us could. I had a good feeling it was circling the pit. There was no questioning my judgment here because I knew it was sound and I needed Gordon to believe that. I moved quietly to him and took his hand in mine, giving it an encouraging squeeze. He knew this had to be done, but he wanted to deny it. I was about to give him a very large dose of reality and I knew it would be hard for him to swallow, but I was going to have to force him to take it.

  “I know you’re worried about me and the baby, but I have to do this,” I whispered as I looked into his eyes as best as I could. My eyes were tearing up looking at him. I could feel the terror rolling off of him and trying to gag me. I was going to come out of this. No, we were going to come out of this and I would do everything I could to make it all up to him somehow.

  I moved to turn away and Gordon spun me back around to him and I had to suppress a surprised yelp as not to draw the garmr’s attention. He placed his lips on mine, firm and passionate, and I didn’t want to let go, but I had to. I stifled a moan as I wove my hand into his hair at the base of his skull. I pulled away from his kiss and made an attempt to catch my breath and still be able to speak in a whisper.

  “I love you,” I said. He knew how I felt. Hell, he could sense it, but saying it never hurt anyone so I was going to say it. I said one more time before giving him a quick peck on the lips and he released me slowly from his embrace. If I didn’t have a tree next to me I would’ve fallen over. I had to reach my hand out and lightly touch it to keep my legs from betraying me, which they nearly had. He always had a way of doing that to me. I had steadied myself by the time I turned to Escara and Sam. “You guys don’t have to do anything, but I would appreciate a little bit of help. I don’t expect much, but I need to be able to get under it somehow to steal what I can from it.”

  Sam asked what everyone else was thinking. “So you need a distraction?” She hit the nail right on the head.

  I nodded and said, “Basically.” I felt like I was trying to give them a pep talk and they weren’t buying what I was selling. If anything, I knew Sam could appreciate the gravity of the situation. Gordon wanted to do all he could to keep me from doing it and let someone else take care of it. Escara was practically indifferent as long as she got what she wanted. Absolute death. After getting to know her and making this journey with her I wasn’t sure if I could do it, but we had made a deal and I would keep my end just like she had hers.

  Sam looked to Gordon and Gordon nodded his approval. Gordon was with me, but I could see a glint of doubt in her gaze. She wasn’t sure if we could do it. She had seen Lilith take it down, but we weren’t Lilith. We were two demons and two Executioners. Who were we to compete with that?

  I looked Sam directly in the eyes and stated, “Thank you.” When she didn’t answer I decided I had had enough waiting. I was going to do this and she could jump in if she would like.

  I moved through the remaining trees in the forest and didn’t even bother to keep silent. What was the use? We would both be well enough aware of each other soon. When I crossed the tree line and into the open air I saw a massive wolf illuminated by the fire burning within what I could only assume was the pit. Great, how would we make it through that? I would worry about that later. The garmr was missing patches of fur, blood coating what there was left. I almost couldn’t see the fur that was left on it from the coverage. It turned to me, giant paws gliding through the ash covered ground to face me. I was in shock as I stared at it. In full view this thing was even bigger than I originally thought. Instead of five times bigger than me, it was at least ten. I was unprepared for this, but I was already out in the open and it was too late to go back. I was doing this, and I was doing this now.

  I slid my knife from the waist band of my pants and the creature growled, its eyes glowing a deep and crimson red. How fitting. The garmr moved its front paw back and forth like a bull that was ready to charge. Was I prepared for this? If I wasn’t I better be because it was about to get messy. The beast inside of me roared and pushed against my control, wanting to be free of its prison. I let it spread through me and I could imagine its satisfied grin as it took over every inch of my body like a tidal wave. This was going to be fun. The Garmr ran towards me and we collided. Both of my hands flew up and the blade hit its target. It was lodged in the small patch of skin between its nostrils while I was busy with both hands on its upper and lower jaw. It had tried to close its mouth around me, but I wasn’t going away that easy. I held onto it as it tried to snap at me, spittle flying at me while its blood was dripping down my arms. Was it me or was it burning slightly? It definitely was, but I didn’t have time to stop and wash it away.

  Out of the corner of my eye I saw the rest of my group spreading out like they were enacting some sort of plan of their own. All except Escara who was gone from sight. I wasn’t sure what to make of it.

  Turning my attention back to the task at hand, I screamed with the effort to build the power within me. I let heat build in my hands until I knew it was strong enough to burn the creature. It cried out in pain and backed away, shaking its head like it was trying to shake the pain away and rubbing its paw on its nose. I had hurt it so I knew the beast had the ability to do so. A crow flew down from the sky and latched itself to the wolf’s face, trying to poke at the large and glowing eyes.

  I ran up to the beast as it reared its head and yowled, trying its best to send Escara flying. It succeeded and then rammed me, sending me flying through the air and next to the edge of the pit. If I wasn’t careful I would fall into it and leave Gordon stranded. I almost rolled off of the edge and my hands flew out, stopping me from going over. That was close. I looked up to see what looked like massive teeth jutting from the very edges of the opening of the pit, and I had an idea. I wasn’t sure if it would work, but it was worth a shot. I stood as quickly as I could, practically running towards the closest one. I slammed my fist into the base of it and pain spread through my entire arm, but I couldn’t stop. Pieces of solid dirt and rock broke away from it and flew in all directions until I almost had it free. The garmr was already running towards me again, blood pouring from its face in rivulets. If it could bleed, I could kill it. That much I knew. It was coming fast and I had to hurry if I had a chance.

  I broke the large rock free and held it much like a spear. A giant, tooth-shaped one at that. I was a lot stronger than I looked, even to me. Giving it as much momentum as I could, I threw it towards the wolf and hoped with everything that I had that it would hit. I glimpsed Gordon and Sam emerged from the trees as the garmr dodged it. It was now headed in their direction.

  “No,” I screamed. They noticed it just in time to jump away. The tooth jabbed itself into the ground and the earth shook beneath my feet. My hands flew out to the side, but the creature didn’t stop. It just kept coming. I crouched down and jumped with everything I had, my foot barely grazing its nose. I landed on its back and it almost went over the ledge and into the pit. I screamed as my hands gripped its slippery, blood soaked fur. We didn’t go over, but we sure came close enough.

  I stood, still gripping its fur and it was like a bucking bronco. I firmly planted my feet and used the beast’s momentum to launch my
self from its body and through the air. The wind whistled past my ears as I flew, Escara flying past me. I tried to land on my feet, but went sliding to the ground and landing just out of reach of Sam and on my stomach. The breath was knocked out of me and my skin burned from the friction. Sam’s blue eyes were wide with fear and I could see the reflection of the wolf walking behind me. I turned over as quickly as I could and the garmr was right above me. It roared and snapped at me. I couldn’t help but thing that this was what defeat looked like, but it was too soon to give up. Sam reached out and grabbed the blade that was still lodged in its face and slashed out, cutting it across its right eyes. It yowled and came towards her, focusing on the one that had hurt it. A white light erupted from her causing the wolf to kick out. One paw hit me and sent me rolling across the ground. The pain was undeniable. It had to be the equivalent of a bomb going off next to your head.

  I was on my back and all I could do was stare at the ember filled sky as everything was beginning to come back to me. I could hear distant screams and Gordon calling my name, but I couldn’t answer. My entire body was in pure agony. That was the best way I knew to describe it. It felt like every bone had been broken, causing movement to be next to impossible to achieve. I moved my arm and rolled over, my body feeling like it was practically sliding apart. Then warmth took over and spread throughout each cell, and the pain began to fade away. The beast was healing me from the inside out. I whispered a near silent thank you and saw Gordon, Sam, and Escara trying to defeat the garmr without me and failing. Gordon was on the ground. It looked like he had been thrown around like a ragdoll just like I had, but he was moving and seemed to be okay. Sam was in a defensive crouch and Escara was pecking at the wolf as best as she could.