Read Online Fear of God (Trials of Strength Book 1) by Jr Matthew Bell - Free Book Online Page A

have time to waste
opening it again.’
    No one spoke as we
gathered food and water. We worked as fast as we could without
making much noise, and I constantly looked over my shoulder. I
wanted to ask Chris where all the creatures that attacked us were,
but I kept my mouth shut. It didn’t take long, twenty minutes and
we were packed and ready, when an alarm filled the air.
    We all jumped, my heart
picked up speed and my chest ached. It was a car alarm, and we left
the shop fast. The car sat on its side not far from the hole, but
that wasn’t what struck us. Chris had left the hole to the tunnels
open and it was closed. I was almost positive that it couldn’t have
moved itself, but with reality being broken the way it was, I
wasn’t about to dismiss anything.
    ‘ Get to the-’
Chris started.
    He never finished, raging
screams filled the air, screams that didn’t belong to people
anymore.
    They were close.

The
Choice
     
    We ran. After the screams
erupted, one of the creatures turned the corner a few metres away,
looking around for the source of noise. Detached, I had found
myself marvelling over the man. Apart from the blood, he was
unremarkable. For all we called them monsters, some looked no
different from us, but their bloodlust, their sudden impulse to
kill; the strength and speed they possessed showed they weren’t the
people they used to be.
    We turned corners as fast
as we could, but our hunters were gaining on us. Our speed was no
match for theirs, and soon they would be on top of us. A few caught
up, but Chris and Anna turned, and opened fire. They toppled to the
ground only to rise again. Shots flew into their legs, their
chests, and it became hauntingly clear they wouldn’t go down
easily. It bought enough time though, and we turned a few more
corners onto an empty street, the carnage there less.
    Most of the houses had
sale signs in their gardens, newly renovated three bedroom houses
for those with the money to stay. We were out of sight for a
second, and Chris sprinted for one of the houses. Luckily, the door
was open, and we barrelled inside.
    Apart from a shiny gleam,
Chris looked his usual calm self, but Anna and I could hardly
breathe. I clutched the stitch in my side and followed them
upstairs. The sounds of the creatures seemed endless outside, and
our hearts were in our mouths. I was also angry. I grew tired of
being and acting like a broken little boy. If it wasn’t for my two
companions, no doubt I would be dead.
    ‘ In here,’
Chris whispered as he ushered us into the farthest away bedroom and
closed the door.
    He checked quickly around
the room. The walls were bare and white, the floor a soft
cream-coloured carpet. There were no windows bar the one on the
ceiling. It slanted with the roof and gazed out into the heavens.
Surprisingly, Chris pushed us into a small wardrobe and shut the
door. My instincts prickled, this was the worst place we could
hide.
    My skin itched with
uncertainty as the screams grew louder and louder, until I was
ready to join them. But no sound echoed from the house. The three
of us crouched in anticipation and waited to see if we’d been seen.
Finally, they passed, and the blood chilling sounds receded into
the distance.
    We all sighed in
unison.
    ‘ That,’ Chris
finally panted, ‘was close.’
    Anna nodded.
    I said, ‘Why is it we’re
followed whenever I’m out of the tunnels, because it
sucks.’
    I also thought of the
closed entrance to the underground, the one Chris had made a point
of telling Anna not to close, the one that had been shut right
beside the car that had called Death. I kept my mouth shut. It
wasn’t the time or place for that discussion.
    Chris opened the door,
gun drawn and ready. We slouched out and held our breaths, but the
room was empty still. Chris visibly relaxed.
    ‘ We’ll rest
for a bit, wait for them to drift further off, then-’ but he never
finished.
    There was a crash like
thunder and Anna screamed. Chris was on the floor