Chapter Eight

CHAPTER EIGHT

Winter

It's like a giant, white gorilla with a long snout and red eyes. When it opens its mouth, I see razor-sharp teeth. It seems to be made of the same plastic-like grass as the ground, except it's ten times worse. It must be at least ten feet tall, and it's moving towards us.

My heart is pounding, but I can't move. I'm frozen in place, unable to speak.

Damon is still standing next to me. "What is this?" I bark out.

"I don't know," he says. "But we need to get out of here. Now."

I grab Damon's arm and start running, but I can't go fast enough. The gorilla will be on top of us in seconds. I look around, searching for somewhere to hide, like Alec is.

The grass is too tall. I see a tree a little ways away, but I don't know if I can run that fast.

And then I remember who I am. What I can do.

Closing my eyes, I shine a light on the strength within. It fills me up, the power surging through my veins.

Opening my eyes, I find the monster only yards away. I'm not afraid anymore, though, because I know that I can take it on.

I bring my hands up and shoot a burst of energy at the gorilla. It pushes it back, and then, to my surprise, I hear it yelp.

The energy knocks the gorilla off its feet, and it lands on the ground. It gets up again, though, and starts running towards us.

Alec jumps down from the tree and rushes towards the white gorilla thing. I want to tell him to stop, but that would alert the monster to him.

Instead, I reach for my strength. It's not there, though. I can't summon it like I usually can.

My stomach sinks. Crap.

The monster's eyes flash, and it throws itself at me and Damon. We brace ourselves, but suddenly, Alec lands on its shoulder and sinks his teeth into the white fur.

The monster howls and throws Alec off.

"Alec!" I rush to his side.

He stumbles to his feet, his eyes glowing red. "I'm okay. Where's Damon?"

I look around. "I ... I don't know."

"He left us," Alec grits out.

I don't know if that's the case. Maybe he's just hiding. Saving himself.

Then again, doesn't that equate to leaving us?

"Look out!" Alec pushes me out of the way as the gorilla attacks again.

I roll to my feet, dust myself off, and shoot another burst of light at the monster. It actually hits it this time, but the effect is the same. The energy bounces off it and into the sky.

The gorilla is getting angrier and angrier, more determined.

"It's not working," I say.

"Winter." Alec's eyes widen as he takes in something behind me.

I whirl around just in time to see a massive wolf fly over me. The fur on its white underbelly skims the top of my head, and my jaw drops.

Crap. Now we have two monsters to fight. We need to take a leaf from Damon's book and run. We'll never win this.

Instead of coming at me or Alec, though, the wolf lands on the white gorilla and bites it in the neck. The gorilla thrashes, and the two of them roll around in the dirt.

Alec runs over to me. "That wolf."

"What?" I grab his arm and look. It takes a second, but then I see why he sounds so shocked.

It doesn't look like a normal wolf. Not only is it massive, but it also has long claws and a too-long snout. It looks like an illustration of the wolf from the Little Red Riding Hood story.

And it's doing serious damage to the gorilla. It has it on the ground, but even so, the gorilla isn't giving up. It pummels the wolf's side, making the animal whine.

Sympathy floods me, and suddenly, my power is back. I can feel it flowing through me, as clear as I feel the world around me.

"Get off of it!" I yell at the wolf, not knowing if it even understands. "Go!"

I wave my arm at the wolf, and, sure enough, it listens and leaps off the gorilla. I call on my magic, and the grass below me grows taller, faster. It's as if I'm lifting the whole field. I focus, and the grass detaches from the ground and floats into the air, a thick sheet of green.

And then I turn, throwing it at the gorilla monster.

The grass hits it in the face, and it swipes at its eyes, trying to clear its vision. It’s enough to distract the beast for a moment.

And then I'm on top of it.

The grass changes from soft to hard, and I grab the gorilla by the neck, squeezing as hard as I can and shoving it into the ground.

It's screaming, but I can't hear it. All I can hear is the blood rushing in my ears. The monster is strong, and it's trying to throw me off, but it's no match for me now.

I'm stronger than it is. I'm stronger than anything.

With one last thrust, I bring my knee into its face, and it disappears beneath me.

My knees bump against the earth, and my jaw drops.

"Winter." Alec crouches next to me and hugs me tight. "You okay?"

"Yeah ..." I nod and catch my breath. "What about the wolf?"

Where did our savior even come from? Are there creatures here who are meant to protect us?

No. How could that be? This whole dimension is built to guard the coin, not intruders.

Standing, I turn around. The wolf sits in the grass looking at me and Alec. There's something intelligent about its eyes, and I want to speak to it again.

"Hello." I take a tentative step forward.

The wolf's fur seems to ripple, and its limbs twist and shift. I gasp and stop walking as the animal transforms into a human.

And not just any human. It's Damon.

"Hello," he says.