Chapter 428

The yelling started and Rose and I froze. Several gun blasts echoed in the passageway. They seemed to be coming from the main entrance. My senses sharpened and I saw the world as my family did.

Rose turned and faced away from me, so we were back to back. We wanted to move closer to the wall, but before we could a creature rose from its hiding place behind one of the fire pits.

A tongue flicked out past the wicked teeth in the creature’s snout and I met the yellow stare of the strangest thing I’d ever seen. It dwarfed me significantly, but it was not very wide. Long arms with sharp tips on the end slid out of its skin and rose into the air like weapons. The creature seemed to move even when standing still. Whatever it was almost vibrated with some half contained energy.

Rose and I stood our ground as it suddenly appeared to the right of where it had been. Now I could see all of it. The thick snake like body of its lower half slithered with amazing speed. It shifted