Then, there's that weird sound of the water receding again, like it's being drained out of the ocean. It's a wet, horrid, sucking sound, and as I look over Juth's shoulder, I see another large, red-covered body rising from the waves behind us.
Oh fuck. There's more than one.
A whimper dies in my throat.
When Juth grabs my arm and hauls me to his side, I don't protest. He races away, heading for the hills. Run. Run. Worry about the tribe later. Survival is all that's important. His hand is bruisingly tight on my arm, as if he's going to drag me along behind him if I slow down. Run, I tell myself. Run. Run. Get away. Hide, before you get eaten.
Behind us, one of the creatures bellows, and it’s a sound like a foghorn—thick and low and incredibly loud. It echoes through my skin and it feels so fucking close that I stumble on the slippery sands and land flat on my ass. The air thuds out of my lungs with a whoosh and my butt lights up with pain. I cry out, and suddenly Juth is right there, grabbing my arm again. He hauls me to my feet, that frantic look in his eyes as the creature slides up the shore, gravel and sand crunching so loud underneath its hard shelled body that the sound is deafening.
"Steff," he says, voice harsh, and tugs on my arm.
I know. We have to go. Terrified, I glance back at the creature, and that strange, pyramid shaped head is so close that I can practically feel the thing's breath bearing down on us. I take a step forward—and collapse again as hot agony shoots up my ankle.
I let out a cry of distress, dropping the basket I've held onto for so long. My ankle feels like it’s on fire, and it hurts so badly I don't want to touch it. I can't sit here and let the creature squash me, though. I have to get up. Have to keep going. Have to—
"Steff," Juth growls, and then he's at my side, trying to help me up.
"Can't walk," I pant, sweating through the pain. Oh god, he can't understand me. Panic flashes through me. "Juth, I can't walk—"
Juth isn't listening anyhow. Before I can say anything else, he grabs me around the waist and hauls me against his side, carrying me like a sack of potatoes as he races towards the cliffs.
It's not comfortable. It's horribly uncomfortable, actually. His arm cuts into my fleshy middle so hard that it feels as if he's choking me. My legs dangle and flail, and every time my one foot strikes the other it sends new, fresh pain all through my body. But I'm alive. I'm alive, and Juth is somehow carrying me and his son at the same time as he races for the cliffs. There's a bellow behind us. Sand and grit flies through the air, peppering my skin, and Juth doesn't stop.
Not once. He just keeps on going, tireless. He doesn't stop until we get to the edge of the cliffs, and then he collapses there, dropping both me and Pak onto the sand. He falls to his knees, panting, and looks over at me.
"Thank you," I manage to croak out before turning over and puking.
I think we're safe. I think. The cliff's shadow is falling over us, making the world distinctly colder, and the creatures sound farther away. Even so, I can't turn around to look because my body is rejecting everything I put in it earlier.
Juth groans, and I feel him shuffle in the sands. "Steff," he murmurs, brushing my hair back from my face with his hands. A moment later I feel another pair of hands in my hair, and I realize Pak is patting the side of my head, trying to help his father. It's so unexpected I choke on the awful retching feelings my body is sending up, and I cough and wheeze before the next round of pukes. When the sensation dissipates, I wipe my mouth and cover my mess in the sand. Then, I roll onto my throbbing butt and look back at the beach behind us.
The water is alive. A sea full of island-sized monsters is rising up, heading towards the sands. Every single one of them is covered with the red stuff that's been flooding the beach, and as I watch, one monster moves forward, flopping down onto the sand. It burrows its beaky nose into the ground, digging out a hole. As I gaze down the beach, another creature is doing the same. Two more are rising out of the water.
It's an invasion. I stare in shock. We've been here a year and never seen anything like this. "What are those?" I look over at Juth and Pak. "Have you ever seen those before?"