Echoes of Ceotir

He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her away from the door, away from what he had seen, to the back wall of the building. She clung to his arm, startled and afraid but all he could feel was his heartbeat pounding.

“What the hell, what is it?!” She attempted to whisper but her fear made it louder.

Almost in answer to the question, before he could respond there was a sound so loud that the windows in the building rattled. Keira flung her hands to her head, clutching her helmet where her ears hid behind. When that didn't work, she ducked down to the ground and Finlay reached an arm over her shoulders as though to guard her. The sound was piercing; like the call of an eagle, but not quite as sheer, not as high pitched but far louder than any bird or animal could make.

With that sound, the miasma they had been feeling since before they had reached the station grew denser. It washed over him like a great wave with a pressure he had never felt before. When the call stopped, the pressure fell back to how it had been before but it had left its mark, a sense of fear in both him and Keira.

He let her go and sat down beside her with his back pressed against the wall. She didn’t move, still crouched down with her hands pressed against the sides of her helmet. Finlay was staring at the door, trying to see through but his mind almost screamed at him to hide as he didn't want to see what was beyond. Keira let go of her helmet and looked at him, grabbing his arm with one hand as she wanted an answer.

“Birds—but…” He wanted to be honest, to be transparent about the situation they were in but he also didn’t want her to panic in the way he was feeling. He swallowed hard, “...bigger.”

“How much bigger?” She breathed the words out.

It was hard to reply, not just because of the fear he felt or worry for her, but because the answer to that question couldn't be true. He had heard plenty of stories of fantastical beasts and he himself had experienced ghostlike creatures that could travel through near-solid walls. The demons on the boat were by all accounts as fantastical as what he had seen outside, yet there was a presence, a feeling to these beasts that was overwhelming.

“Too big, we need to find another way out of here.”

She looked up at him and flipped open her visor. Her eyes were wide and on the verge of tears but there was a frustrated determinism behind them. She stood and started to walk to the doorway, each step heavy as though she was fighting her own body. He reached an arm out to stop her but let it fall and remained silent, ashamed of himself for not being straight about the creatures outside.

As she reached the doorway, she threw herself against the wall. Taking a deep breath, she peered around the corner and for a moment, froze in place. She gasped and swung back around, pressing herself against the wall as though she might become a part of it. There was another call, another noise that made the walls tremble and she darted back to where Finlay was still crouching.

“Those aren’t just big birds,” she hissed as she pressed herself into his side.

"The hell would you call them?"

"I don't know, flying death—what are we going to do?"

“I think we’re safe in here.”

“If that were true then why is no one else here.”

She had a point, though he wasn’t sure why they weren’t safe. The buildings seemed undamaged for the most part though now in hindsight, and looking through the open doorway he could see broken rooftops. They didn’t seem to be trying to get into the building, instead, they were near the entrance of the village blocking any chance of escape. Yet what Keira said was true and he couldn't shake the feeling he was missing something so he looked around for more clues.

But it wasn’t long before the answer to that question made itself known. A shadow engulfed the front of the building, the sudden darkness a dramatic contrast to the bright summer’s day outside. The origin of the shadow; one of the creatures, dropped down and with one great beat of its wings landed on the path near their bikes. Almost as soon as it landed it lowered its body and its great head peered inside the building. It saw them and let out another tremendous shriek that was louder and much higher pitched than before.

Neither of them had been quick enough to react to the sudden movement, the appearance of the beast and the deafening noise it made. Finlay let out a groan of pain, collapsing to the ground as Keira cried out for it to stop. But it wasn’t just the noise. Now so close that they could feel the breath of the beast, the miasma that engulfed them felt more like waves in a storm that battered their bodies.

He was being torn apart; body and mind, every part of him pushed and pulled in countless directions at once. He couldn’t cope, he could feel himself losing the battle. His mind was giving in, he wanted it to be over and when he looked at his hands spread across the floor it was as if they no longer belonged to him.

What could only have been seconds felt like an eternity as the creature outside screeched at them. He curled away from the wall, crawling across the floor in search of escape but there was nowhere to go. Keira grabbed his ankle, she was in as much pain as he—writhing under the torment that plagued their souls but she held onto him as tight as though they were adrift at sea.

Help her.

The thought poured over him from deep within, a whisper against the internal screams that wanted to escape. He turned over and sat up, grabbing her arm that had latched onto his leg, he pulled her up to face him.

“We’ve got to get out of here," he choked out the words, his other hand clutching her shoulder.

But when he spoke, as he pulled himself together, there was another call, another shriek that shattered his belief once more. It wasn't from the creature outside the door but a different one that had landed beside it. The pressure of the miasma intensified with a weight that felt as though it would cripple him. All the will he had built to help his friend disappeared as fast as it came. But then he felt Keira’s other hand grab his shirt and press against his chest—he looked at her.

“Now’s our chance... go,” strained words under the shrieking, every word filled with pain, but she had seen what he hadn’t.

Through the door, she saw that the giant birds, the monsters that were trying to crush their souls were fighting amongst themselves. Keira pushed him and the two stood and moved as fast as they could drag their bodies under the weight of the miasma. They paused at the door—Finlay watched as the beasts clawed at the ground and circled one another as though arguing over which would get the first taste of their coming meal.

When the closest one was facing the opposite way, he grabbed Keira’s hand and they slipped along the edge of the wall to try and reach their bikes. Once close enough they made their dash, but the sudden movement caught the eye of one of the birds. It raised its head high into the sky, stretched its wings and let out another of those terrible shrieks. They didn't stop but jumped onto their bikes and as soon as he saw her move he followed behind.

“The mine!” he yelled.

It was the only place he could think of that might be safe, that would be deep enough to escape the call of the birds and the intense miasma they released. It wasn’t far, they could make it, and they were fast, but he dared not look behind him. He could hear them take off, there was a gush of wind that almost knocked him over and more calls came from above. They weaved through the streets and with every sudden turn and random obstacle he feared they'd crash, which could only be the end of their life.

They couldn’t slow down, they had to push forward as hard and fast as they could because overhead even more of those giant birds started to appear. They circled high up in the sky leaving great shadows that blotted out the light of the sun. Plunged into darkness by each of those shadows, he couldn't help but flinch from fear and too many times almost lost control. Cries from all around started to echo through the mountains and his bike felt unsteady as if it might shake apart—but they kept going, they couldn't do anything else.

Almost there, almost to safety, the entrance to the mine was large and clear and he was confident they could ride straight inside. But then one of the shadows was not just a shadow, and two talons big enough to lift a horse appeared in front of him. The bird struck down at Keira who dropped and slid off her bike to avoid the claws but instead scraped across the ground. The momentum carried her into the wall of one of the houses as the bird lifted and tore her bike apart in one motion.

Finlay cried out to her and skidded to a stop beside the house, leaping from his bike to kneel by her side as he scanned the sky for signs of another attack. She grabbed his hand without a word but she was moving—she was okay. He looked at the mine, it wasn’t far, but without another warning, Keira pulled him hard by the hand she had grabbed. They both fell back, tumbling behind the wall of the building she had crashed into as another bird swooped past them. Its talons scraped the ground where he had stood, catching his bike and shredding it as the other had done to hers.

They scrambled up and Keira started towards the mine but she was limping. He touched her arm and she swung it over his shoulder and put her weight on him. They ran as best as they could, keeping close to the walls of the buildings and watching overhead for where the birds might attack from next.

One street left, they were almost there but they had to move out in the open again and being by the buildings felt safer. They paused, looked at one another and then the sky above but it was hard to pick out the birds as they disappeared behind clouds and sunlight.

They had to move and so they ran—but another shadow came.

As they were about to reach the last building and shelter from the open street, the bird landed on its roof. Wings flapped so hard they were almost knocked from their feet and it let out another one of those hideous shrieks. Finlay hesitated but Keira kept going and she pulled him into a dive for the front door. The bird snapped at the air, almost catching his leg as they made it into the building, thankful that the door wasn't locked.

Another shriek in frustration came from above and it started beating its wings as though it was going to tear the roof from the building. They crawled further into the house and stood, though he couldn't help but duck from the terror that was happening above him. Keira was clutching her side as he helped her, more than happy to wrap her other arm over his shoulder once more. There was a door at the back of the building, it would lead out to a street and then it was one final push to the entrance of the mine.

Exhaustion plagued him, the physical effort of getting here was bad enough but the miasma that was also tormenting them. It was a constant struggle just to move, his body seemed unwilling to listen and with every call from the birds above the weight and pressure only got heavier.

They had to keep going, they had to escape and the mine was the only place that seemed safe. It wasn't far, and with one final push, they could make it. They paused at the back door, the bird on the roof was still causing chaos and seemed to be tearing at the shingles, sending them flying in every direction. They had to run, they couldn't wait, they had to make it. One final push, one last stretch—they ran.

Another shadow appeared before them but this was different, even bigger than the others and unmoving—this one brought safety. They charged straight into the entrance of the mine and didn’t stop until they were far inside. There were more shrieks from outside but with every step they took Finlay could feel the pressure easing.

When they were far enough in and sure the birds couldn't follow, they both collapsed to the ground, panting, and desperate for air but relieved to be safe from the flying death that had chased them. Keira finally pulled her helmet off, even more desperate for air than he was. It was only now that he registered the damage to it. She unzipped her jacket which had as many scrapes on it as the helmet and checked her side. She was in pain but without any visible wounds beyond the bruising that was starting to appear.

“Suffering the heat was worth it,” she said, looking up at him with visible pain in her face.

He couldn’t help but smile and nod as he moved to sit by her side. “Are you okay?”

“Maybe a cracked rib, hard to say but nothing else feels broken.”

“It was a pretty bad slide.”

“Think the building catching me made it worse.”

“It was nearly a lot worse.”

“But we made it.”

“I think we should head deeper.”

“The further away we get from those things the better,” she agreed, reaching a hand out for him to help her up.

He obliged and the two started to hobble their way down the main tunnel of the mine. With every step it felt better as if the mountain itself was protecting them. They could feel the miasma wash away until it was almost as mild as it had been before they reached the village. His mind became clearer and the pressure eased so that only the normal exhaustion from the attack remained. When they reached a section that forked into different tunnels with a large machine that sat in the middle, they decided to stop.

“Let’s rest here, I think this is as clear as it’s going to get.”

“Sounds good, and I could do with some water.”

He had completely forgotten he was still wearing his backpack as its weight seemed insignificant compared to the unyielding pressure of the beasts and miasma. It brought even more relief as he pulled it off and took out a water bottle to give her.

“Any other supplies in there?”

“Another bottle of water and two more cans of tea, beyond that it’s just my clothes, and a toothbrush I guess.”

“At least you can die with clean teeth.”

“We didn’t survive all that to die now.”

“Honestly, I’m not sure how we survived, it’s all kind of a blur.”

Finlay looked back down the tunnel they had come from as his mind wandered to the image of the giant birds. They were far too big, almost the size of the houses they hid in. They had golden feathers that pulsed in hues that looked like dancing flames and their giant talons were as black as coal. There was a strange radiance, an aura that followed them and he couldn't help but feel that if they weren't so terrifying they'd be beautiful.

He turned back to Keira who was struggling to drink while wincing from the pain at her side. She had propped herself up against the large machine and was turning her ankle around, checking it wasn't broken. He walked over, taking his bag and shifting some of the clothes within it before propping it up behind her as a pillow.

“Take it easy, I think I’ll go look around, see what I can find.”

“Don’t leave.”

He paused.

“Not yet, it’s dark, I’m sore, we barely escaped birds from hell and I can still feel and hear them—just stay with me a bit longer?”

He smiled and sat down beside her, a request he could hardly refuse. She dropped her head onto his shoulder and let out a small sigh.

“Thank you,” she said.

“Of course.”

“I mean for saving me.”

“Did I save you?”

She elbowed him but winced from the pain.

“Keira, I’d have died in that building if not for you, and again when you pulled me out the way of that thing.”

“You were only in the way because of me.”

“I think the giant bird flinging you from your bike excuses that.”

“Point still stands.”

“Fine, can you accept that we saved each other then?”

“I guess,” she looked up at him, “but still, thanks for saving me.”

“And thank you, for saving me.”