Maybe I'm a Lion
XIV
A mutilated body was beginning to rise followed by another and another. Like zombies, dozens upon dozens of bodies began to reanimate from the dead. Soon, most of the hall was alive once again with movement but only for a moment, as most of them froze and hungrily stared at Cornelia. Immediately, Cornelia knew what these were; Infants. Newborn imps incapable of transformation, hungry, and ready to make a kill.
Cornelia's first response was to reach into her purse - which amazingly still clung to her shoulder - and pulled out the grenade. If things go bad, you remove this pin, pull this lever and throw. Cornelia remembered. She followed Sarabi's directions to the point, and threw it at the clustered group of infants. Seconds later, the hall was rocked by the explosion caused by the grenade. Cornelia was knocked unconscious by the blast.
As Cornelia came to, she could smell burning flesh. There was a strange sensation on her arm, but she could hardly move. Soon, the sensation grew to the throb, then to a sting, eventually it grew into a horrible pain. It caused her to awaken form her slumber prematurely. She looked at the cause of the pain. An infant clung, desperately and painfully to her arm which now had severe bites all about it. It didn't seem to care that Cornelia was wake as it continued to chew on her arm. Cornelia instantly snatched her arm away, ripping off skin as the infant had it's jaws shut tight.
Now noticing that it's victim was going to struggle, the infant screeched painfully loud, though not to the degree of it's adult counterparts. Realizing that she still clung tightly to the fire axe, Cornelia brought it down hard on the infant's head. It's scream stopped. The sun shone brilliantly through the window as the fire blazed all around. There was no escape anymore. The hole in the wall caused by the creature's collision with Sarabi was blocked by a wall of flame. Alone, Cornelia couldn't escape through the window she had come through. The front doors remained shut for unknown reasons. Probably their doing, Cornelia thought to her self.
Through the fire, the surviving infants of the blast began to make their way towards Cornelia. Tired and pain stricken, Cornelia thought about giving up. To let them eat her, or let the fire consume her. No one would care if another body was added to the pile. Thinking back to her classmate's deaths, to Sarabi's sacrifice, she found the strength that she needed to fight. Holding the axe like a bat, Cornelia swung at the closest infant to her left. Then another to the right.
She continued her hacking of her fellow students to keep herself alive. One after the other, the infants fell to the ground. As the murderous process continued, Cornelia began to feel a strange high in killing them. She found herself enjoying watching them fall. This only renewed her killing instincts. The fire had dulled down to a point where breathing became easier, and escape through the hole possible, but she didn't care. Barefoot, tired, and covered in blood, Cornelia smiled as she hacked repeatedly at the last - and already dead - infant. Her classmate.
A bullet was fired. It hit the axe knocking it out Cornelia's hands. Ignoring better judgment, Cornelia hoped that perhaps it was Sarabi coming back to tell her all the creatures were gone. That she could stop. "Freeze!" ordered the police officer standing by the front doors.
A curious thing happened after this significant event. Cornelia looked at her dead classmates in horror of what she had done. She released her grip on the bloodstained axe and collapsed in self disgust. "I think I killed them!" Cornelia said as the officer came to apprehend her.
Cornelia's first response was to reach into her purse - which amazingly still clung to her shoulder - and pulled out the grenade. If things go bad, you remove this pin, pull this lever and throw. Cornelia remembered. She followed Sarabi's directions to the point, and threw it at the clustered group of infants. Seconds later, the hall was rocked by the explosion caused by the grenade. Cornelia was knocked unconscious by the blast.
As Cornelia came to, she could smell burning flesh. There was a strange sensation on her arm, but she could hardly move. Soon, the sensation grew to the throb, then to a sting, eventually it grew into a horrible pain. It caused her to awaken form her slumber prematurely. She looked at the cause of the pain. An infant clung, desperately and painfully to her arm which now had severe bites all about it. It didn't seem to care that Cornelia was wake as it continued to chew on her arm. Cornelia instantly snatched her arm away, ripping off skin as the infant had it's jaws shut tight.
Now noticing that it's victim was going to struggle, the infant screeched painfully loud, though not to the degree of it's adult counterparts. Realizing that she still clung tightly to the fire axe, Cornelia brought it down hard on the infant's head. It's scream stopped. The sun shone brilliantly through the window as the fire blazed all around. There was no escape anymore. The hole in the wall caused by the creature's collision with Sarabi was blocked by a wall of flame. Alone, Cornelia couldn't escape through the window she had come through. The front doors remained shut for unknown reasons. Probably their doing, Cornelia thought to her self.
Through the fire, the surviving infants of the blast began to make their way towards Cornelia. Tired and pain stricken, Cornelia thought about giving up. To let them eat her, or let the fire consume her. No one would care if another body was added to the pile. Thinking back to her classmate's deaths, to Sarabi's sacrifice, she found the strength that she needed to fight. Holding the axe like a bat, Cornelia swung at the closest infant to her left. Then another to the right.
She continued her hacking of her fellow students to keep herself alive. One after the other, the infants fell to the ground. As the murderous process continued, Cornelia began to feel a strange high in killing them. She found herself enjoying watching them fall. This only renewed her killing instincts. The fire had dulled down to a point where breathing became easier, and escape through the hole possible, but she didn't care. Barefoot, tired, and covered in blood, Cornelia smiled as she hacked repeatedly at the last - and already dead - infant. Her classmate.
A bullet was fired. It hit the axe knocking it out Cornelia's hands. Ignoring better judgment, Cornelia hoped that perhaps it was Sarabi coming back to tell her all the creatures were gone. That she could stop. "Freeze!" ordered the police officer standing by the front doors.
A curious thing happened after this significant event. Cornelia looked at her dead classmates in horror of what she had done. She released her grip on the bloodstained axe and collapsed in self disgust. "I think I killed them!" Cornelia said as the officer came to apprehend her.