The Monster Below

I wasn't insane.

It may not be the right time in which to do it, but I so wanted to fist punch the air in that moment. For years I had undergone test after test while the doctors tried to find something wrong with me, with my mind. But they hadn't found anything... and now I knew why.

There was nothing wrong with me.

Or maybe there was and I had just gone from hearing voices in my head, to seeing people that were not try there.

The fight continued before me but I made no move to leave. Not now Reidar was here.

"You couldn't hold me forever," Reidar said, speaking for the first time.

His voice seemed to have just the same effect on me in the flesh as it did echoing out from under my bed, but it was a more intense reaction. It literally sent shivers down my spine. Good shivers, not the ones of dread that came from Finn.

"Maybe not, but you're too late. If she is not through that portal within the next few minutes, they will come for her. You know what that will mean."

What would it mean?

Who were they?

A million questions were running through my head as I continued to watch the fight playing out before me.

"It will mean their death." Simply stated as he spun suddenly, hitting Finn hard upon his wrist with the sharp edge of his sword, a blood curdling screech of pain filling the air as Finn's sword, and hand, fell to the floor with a clatter.

Eww...

Racing towards me, his hand outstretched towards my own, Reidar said, "time to go."

The moment his fingers brushed the palm of my hand it felt like I had been hit by an electric current, she shock of it stealing my breath.

Flying from the room and taking the stairs 2, sometimes 3 at a time, we raced from the house, passing all the oblivious people still partying away. All the people oblivious to the doom meaning symbol upon the wall upstairs.

"Stop," I begged, attempting to pull Reidar to a stop.

"We cannot."

"But my friends! Everyone here is in danger." The one other time I had seen that symbol people had died. We had to do something, we couldn't just leave them all here to die.

Coming to a stop he looked around, his sharp emerald eyes stopping upon the fire alarm and sprinkler system above. "Sorted," he announced bare moments before the alarm sounded and water began pouring from above. "Now lets get out of here."

Racing from the house - now along with everyone else - we headed down the street in the opposite direction as everyone else. While they headed back towards the main road and civilization, Reidar was leading me towards quiet parkland that, except for the odd street lamp, was in near darkness , and completely deserted.

"Shouldn't we head the other way?" Stick with the others for safety and head to the police? That seemed like the more mature thing to do.

"No, we need to separate from the others if we are to keep them safe. He will follow us, track us, but if we move fast enough we should be able to get there before him."

"Get where? What's going on?"

And should I even go with him? No matter how long I had known him, been talking to him, they did say never go off with someone you meet off the net. That was kind of the same thing... sort of. We have spoken, a lot, but never actually met in the flesh. Was going with him wise?

And why was Finn trying to kill me?

"It's hard to explain, but I promise that I will tell you the whole story as soon as we are safe."

But where was safe? Reidar said he would track us.

I didn't know where we were, but he seemed to have to trouble navigating the dense woodland we suddenly found ourselves in after leaving the path.

Zigzagging through trees Reidar never slowed. My feet were starting to ache. I hadn't exactly worn the best shoes for a trek in the woods.

Nor the best dress.

Coming to a stop I blinked rapidly, my eyes adjusting to the almost blinding light of the moon. I had never seen it so close. We were stood on the middle of a glade, the dark woods surrounding it, closing it off from all others.

"Oh wow," I sighed. I wanted to stand there and gaze at it forever. It was beautiful. An amazing sight. Unfortunately my current luck meant that was an impossibility.

"Over here," Reidar called from the other side of the glade. "Quickly Phoenix, they are coming."

Who? Who were coming? And where were we to go? He had led us to the middle of no where.

Standing in the centre of the glade Reidar opened his arms, his palms facing the down towards the ground.

What was he doing?

I could hear yells in the woods. Twigs and branches snapping as people moved quickly through them.

If we needed to leave quickly, then why weren't we?

I ran to Reidar's side, my heart beating overtime. "What are you. . ."

The ground was shaking. Trembling beneath my feet. Reidar pulled me back as the earth before me cracked open and a large slab of granite rose out of the ground. Engraved upon the slab was a symbol, but this one was different than the one I had seen before. The one Reidar had warned me about and Finn had tried to push me up against.

I have no idea why it was different but I could just sense that it was. It was safe... home?

Maybe I'm not all that sane, after all.

"What is that?" I gasp as Reidar quickly scans our surroundings.

"Our ticket out of here."

Grasping my hand he pulled me forwards.

"Now just relax. I'm going to send you through first. Normally I'd go first and check that it is safe, but in the current circumstances I think it's best your not left on your own out here."

"OK, but what's through there?" My hand shaking as I point towards the bow glowing symbol upon the slab."

"Hopefully some place safe." Grasping me by the shoulders he turned me to face him, his emerald eyes meeting mine as he pressed my back against the stone. "I will follow you straight through, I promise. Just don't move from where you land, stay right there."

As he spoke I could feel heat blasting from the symbol, seeping into me and spreading through my body.

Reidar let go of my shoulders, leaving me leaning against the large granite slab as he spun to face the woods... and the dozen men exiting it into the glade, Finn included.

My body began to tingle, shake, then suddenly the slab taking my weight seemed to vanish, and I fell into darkness, a scream on my lips as Reidar raised his sword, racing forwards to take on the enemy alone.