I pulled the downy-filled sleeping bag up over my ears, but I could still here the mumbled voices of my friends outside. Craving peace, I pulled my iPod out of the pocket of my hoodie. I scrolled through my playlist and picked a song that was sure to drown out all background noise. After placing the earbuds in my ears and closing my eyes, my friends' voices were gone and I was alone to ponder my own solitary thoughts. My last coherent thought before I let sleep lure me in was how desperately alone I truly was. >I awakened, startled by my own shrieking. I sat up a little confused and saw that the campfire was almost completely out. I squinted my eyes, trying to see through the dim light and after several seconds, I could make out the sleeping silhouettes of my friends. There was a strange buzzing sound that sounded like a radio on a station that had a low frequency.
"Sheesh, we make the worst lookouts," I muttered, sitting up straighter to work out the kink in my back. Shawn sat up next to me looking puzzled.
"Sorry, I fell asleep too," he mumbled, looking down at Sam who had fallen asleep with her head resting on his knees.
"I guess we all did," I said, standing up to throw another stick onto the fire and watched as the flames reignited and lit up the area. I gasped when I noticed that the net was gone and blackness surrounded our campsite. It was as if someone had snuffed out the moon and the stars.
"Hey where's the net?" I asked my friends, taking a groggy step forward. I reached out my hand, confused that the entire net had disappeared on us. I went to take another tentative step forward when I was jerked backward by a hand grasping my arm.
"What the heck?" I asked, aggravated at my brother who had gripped my arm so tightly. I turned to see his horrified expression as he peered out into the darkness beyond me.
Unease flooded through me like I had been doused in ice water. I turned around cautiously, scared that the eyes of a Daemon or something would greet me. I squinted in the darkness, trying to understand what had alarmed my brother. My eyes finally began to adjust and I was puzzled to see that the blackness around us seemed to pulsate as if it was alive. I took a terrified step backwards, finally realizing that thousands and thousands of bugs had filled the night sky around us.
My terror induced scream filled the night air when I realized that the net wasn't gone, but was completely covered with the squirming bodies of every bug imaginable. The weight of their bodies made the netting bow in around us.
Shawn grasped me by the shoulders, pivoting me around to face him as my scream continued to slice through the night like a banshee.
My nightmare had somehow seeped into reality.
Chapter 6
"Krista, Krista it's okay! They can't get in!" Shawn said, shaking my shoulders.
My scream cut off and I looked at him, too scared to look anywhere else.
"A-r-re y-you sure?" I asked in a trembling voice.
"It looks like the net is holding them at bay," John said, coming over to give me a quick pat on the arm as he and the others joined our group.
"Why are they crowding the net?" Sam asked, voicing the question all of us were afraid to ask.
"Victor," I said clearly, knowing without a shadow of a doubt we were facing one of the obstacles Haniel had warned us about.
John nodded his head looking at me.
"They're so disgusting," Kieran said, standing as close to John as she could get without climbing into his arms, which looked like a distinct possibility.
"I know babe, but they're out there and you're safe from them in here."
John and Shawn's confidence in our shelter reassured me and I finally worked up the nerve to scan the perimeter of our camp. I let out a pent up breath when I saw that they were right. The ground beneath our feet was clear of anything that crept or crawled. I glanced up above our heads and an involuntary shudder raced down my spine. It was freaky as crap to see the netting bowing under the weight of what looked like millions of bugs. Their chattering and chirping had swelled to a deafening pitch, making it hard to hear what the others were now saying.
I turned to Robert and Shawn who both look concerned, studying the area behind our tent. "What's the matter?" I asked, stepping closer to them.
They exchanged looks, obviously contemplating whether to tell me or not. Finally, Robert shrugged his shoulders in defeat.
"We think they found a way in," Shawn said, pointing to the darkness behind our tents.
I peered into the darkness where he pointed. "No, I thought you guys secured the netting back there too!" I said, unwilling to believe.
"We did, but I could swear I saw something moving just beyond our tents a few seconds ago," Robert said, pulling Lynn close to him as per the instincts of a Protector. I watched as the other Protectors, who were on high alert, followed suit, all but Shawn who struggled with his dilemma of protecting the other half of his soul and me at the same time. I made the situation easier for him by stepping behind him next to Sam.
Sam smiled grimly at me as we darted our eyes back and forth, looking for any kind of movement. After several seconds, I began to think maybe Robert was mistaken. I slowly started to relax until I noticed John tense back up in front of Kieran. I peered around Shawn trying to see the cause for alarm. Suddenly, our tents were completely engulfed by a mass of squirming, crawling bugs that was steadily making its way toward us.
My group backed up in one fluid movement, putting the fire pit between us and the oncoming mass. Shawn reached down for one of the branches we had collected for the fire. He pulled off his hoodie and jerked off the t-shirt he wore underneath it. He quickly wrapped it around the end of the stick and dipped it into the fire, creating a torch. The rest of Protectors quickly mimicked Shawn and within seconds they all held torches out in front of them.
My heartbeat was erratic as the distance between us and the insects closed to less than ten feet. The fire from the torches made it easier to see them now and I felt bile rising in my throat as I could make out the long hairy legs of tarantulas crawling over the hard-shelled bodies of the smaller bugs. It was as if the gateway to Hell had opened up and the end of time was now upon us.
I could hear Amelia panicking and gasping for breath to my left on the other side of Sam and Lynn. How ironic that we had spent the previous day discussing our hatred of bugs while we tried on boots together. Never in my wildest imagination did this scenario even seem possible. I was disappointed that Haniel had disappeared again, just when we needed him the most.