We were over by the parking lot of the arena where the Venus Unearthed concert had been earlier. I could smell Gavin. It was strange to smell a person from high in the air. It was hard to believe Remi had lived like this for so long and kept it from me.
Remi turned his head sideways then pointed his right ear up toward the sky before starting off again. He headed into the woods behind the lot. And then I became aware of something I wished I hadn’t. The vision I’d had, about Jenny and Gavin in the dark place, was happening right then!
I tried to catch up to Remi, but it was like one of those dreams where someone’s chasing you and you’re trying to outrun them, but your legs won’t carry you fast enough. Only this time, I was the one doing the chasing, and it was my wings that wouldn’t carry me fast enough.
It was dark—really dark, almost pitch black except for a light coming from Jenny’s cell phone. “Remi, pick up, please be there. Shoot. Voicemail.” She was pacing an area no more than two feet by four feet in a small clearing surrounded by very tall trees. “Remi, it’s me. Sean hooked up with some girl at the show. I got tired of waiting for him to come back for me and decided I’d try to find the car. And now, I’m … I’m lost.” Her voice trailed off as she saw something out of the corner of her eye.
I saw it too. Two eyes, piercing out from the blackness. It was low to the ground, like an animal. There was something oddly familiar about it.
With shaky hands, and tears running down her face, Jenny tried dialing another number. Then she dropped the cell phone, stomped her foot, and kneeled down to find it. Its light went out.
I was trying to recall the vision I’d had, to remember what happened next, but it wouldn’t come to me.
Jenny, run.
She froze as huge dogs came up behind her, snarling menacingly. She practiced the “stand still and it won’t bite” rule before frantically gathering her cell phone and stuffing it into her already full purse. I told her she carried too much junk in that tiny bag!
The dogs sniffed her, inhaling deeply, then howled as she screamed. They began circling and drooling, seemingly savoring the fear that dripped from her body in beads of sweat despite the coolness in the air.
I had to get closer, and wished I could be invisible so I could get down there without them noticing me. I had no desire to fight off wild dogs, but I wanted to save Jenny. And so I lowered myself in their midst next to Jenny and waited for what was to come.
On the ground, I saw things more clearly. Giants at least twenty feet tall with bulging muscles on every limb, and grim expressions, as if it pained them to move too quickly, came charging out from the woods, motioning with their hands to the dogs. The pounding of huge feet shook us; the roar of their grunts was thunderous in the air. Oh crap. The largest one charged me and extended its fangs. It was unnecessary, since I was already terrified. The dogs continued to bark and snarl, but had retreated a bit, giving the giants room.
Adrenaline raced through me like shards of sharp glass under my skin. I pulled my arms into my chest, pivoted my hip, extended my leg out to the side with force, and kicked him in the knee. The evil thing stumbled, bewildered. His huge arm swung in my direction and knocked me to the ground. Another giant came out of nowhere and was about to stomp on my stomach. His foot was the length of my leg. Remi appeared in a ring of fire. I rolled on my side, then stood, wings involuntarily extended. While Remi and the giant fought, encircled by Remi’s fire, I flew to the head height of the other one. I was like a mosquito compared to him, flitting around his face. He made an unsuccessful grab at me, first with one hand and then the other. I managed to fly fast enough to avoid his clumsy grasp.
The other giant fell to the ground in a loud crash, defeated by Remi and smoking from the flames. He landed on one of the dogs, who whimpered beneath the enormous creature.