The Dream Shifter

Chapter 111

"No! Run away!" Fumiko struggled to get back to her feet, but the last hit she took had knocked the wind out of her as well as her balance. She dropped back into the grass as the animal's berserk rage was drawing close to crush her under foot.

Disobeying Fumiko, the girl met with her kneeling in the grass. She tried pulling on Fumiko's arms to get her away from the animal that was only a couple stomps away from hitting her legs. Fumiko resisted her trying to insist that she run away on her own, but the girl refused. "Please, Big Sister!"

'Big Sister!' echoed a voice in her mind.

Fumiko's eyes grew wide for a moment as she thought she saw someone familiar to her in place of the girl. The image faded away from her, but the encouragement from the girl was enough to get Fumiko moving again. It was just in time as the animal's out of control stomping thundered next to her feet. Fumiko made it to her feet and fled the area into a neighbor's property that had become overgrown with vines. She paused at the corner of the house looking back towards her own house wishing that she could reach the safety of their home, but with the animal between them they would have to go the long way around. 'I hope it doesn't follow us, but what if there are more of them around…' Fumiko turned to look down at the girl to check on her. The girl was starting to cry with one hand hanging tightly onto her torn blouse. "Hey, what's the matter? We'll be safe now!"

"But you're hurt because of me!"

"Is that all?" Fumiko said softly patting the girl on the head to try to ease her pain. "I chose to help you, you didn't make me. So you shouldn't felt that this is your fault."

"But—"

"More importantly, how's are you feeling? The monster got you once." Fumiko knelt down to look at the clothes and to see how badly she was injured. The green and white one piece dress was only partially soaking up the blood from the four shallow wounds that had begun to slowly drip down the girl's leg. "Does it hurt?"

She shook her head a little. "No…"

"You're very brave. I'm Fumiko, what's your name?"

"Mieko…"

Fumiko gave the girl a reassuring smile to try to comfort her a little. "Alright then, you ready to go? We probably shouldn't stay here much longer."

"Big Sister Fumiko…"

"Yes?"

Mieko grabbed tightly on to Fumiko's blouse, her fear transferring through her hands. "Is there anywhere safe?"

"If we can make it to my house we should be safe, but we'll have to through the back. You up for that?"

"…yes…"

Fumiko stood up and led her through the sidewalk around the house into the back. On cue it seemed, a pounding thunder could be felt through the earth as the creature came running down, its weight having to be at least that of an average car for the way they were feeling it. It had put some urgency in their steps rushing to the back wall that divided all of the properties in their plots of lands. Fumiko checked behind them to see the creature speed past the house missing them and granting them safety. 'It's lost us…but we should stay in the back just in case…'

Mieko was the first up on the wall with Fumiko's help. The height was less of an effort for Fumiko as she joined the girl. There was a narrow path on the wall mostly covered by plants or vines, but the house was only a few lots away from them. However, a familiar growl from behind him forced their gaze back. They were just in time to see the beast leap into the air clearing the wall effortlessly, three houses down, having rediscovered their scent.

'It found us?!' The two of them froze for a moment unable to believe what they were seeing. A creature so large was able to move so smoothly through the air. The danger that they were in had only started to reach them when it cleared the next wall only two houses away now. "R-Run!" Fumiko managed to utter trying to get Mieko to focus as well as herself.

The covered path was filled with vines and plants that were threatened to trip them. Mieko had already been caught by Fumiko once from falling. However, when Fumiko looked back she saw that the brown-gray beast was getting even closer to them. It made her lose her footing and nearly spraining her ankle to keep herself up. She had to bite through the pain as they were almost to her house. In the last neighbor's back area was a shelf of potted plants that had escaped being reclaimed. Fumiko slid to a halt at the shelf and bent down to pick one up. 'I'm sorry, please forgive me!' She waited until the beast was about to leap again and threw the clay pot, less than a house away from them.

Already enraged and on scent, the animal did not try to avoid the flying object. It shattered instantly on its hard head covering its entire face with potting dirt and a large leaf plant. The blindness and shock prevented it from leaping, but all of its momentum was still present and it crashed into the wall. Fumiko sighed quickly, but it was soon. She could hear cracking just before the entire wall around the beast exploded into shards followed by the traveling earthquake-like force through the rest of the wall. Fumiko and Mieko were unable to keep their balance falling backwards away from Fumiko's house while the beast continued to charge unhindered by the wall and collide with their family's wall putting a hole it in as well.

An exposed root in her back and Mieko safely on top of her, Fumiko was not certain if she should be sighing in relief that they were still alive. She lifted her head up to look down at Mieko. Her small frame could be felt shaking through into Fumiko without seeing her face. "Everything's fine Mieko. We're still alive, right?"

"…mmhmm…" the little girl mumbled out of her lips. The deafening noise unseen on the other side of the wall was only heightening her anxiety. She could not see what was happening, but hearing it was making it seem even worse. It seemed hopeless.

Fumiko lifted Mieko back up to her feet and stood up keeping her hands close to Mieko for strength. She could only see smoke and debris from the wake of the creature as it had been finally stopped after another wall. Being halt had only served to increase its anger though as she could see over the top it moving once more and roaring loud enough to rattle the windows. It felt as though it was piercing her down to her bones making them shake and c***k from merely the bellow. 'I thought being in a house would be safe, but a stone and brick wall wasn't even enough! What do I do?!' She turned around to look down at Mieko. "Can you still run?"

"…I-I don't know…" stumbled Mieko starting to be caught up in the fear again. "We can't escape it! And there's nothing to protect us from it!"

"It'll be alright! You trust your Big Sister Fumiko, right?"

"…mmm…" The hesitation from Mieko made Fumiko try comforting her again. Mieko latched onto her quickly making it difficult for her move around. "I'm scared, Big Sister Fumiko…"

Fumiko gave her another pat on the head hoping to ease her. She knelt down to eye level with the girl trying to reach her through her eyes. "I'm here to keep you safe. Nothing will happen to you!" Fumiko managed a warm smile for her to give her strength. The ragged little girl nodded more certain now. "Let's get out of here!"

They escaped away from Fumiko's house through the narrow path of the adjacent home into the grass street. Behind them the thunder of the beast rose once more as it started back on its hunt. Their head start was only a few house lots before the beast barreled through the house they had just left, taking out a large corner of the home itself. Dust and debris settled behind it as it turned towards it targets once more. Fumiko had only looked back quickly at it to know how far away they were. 'I say all that, but I honestly don't know what we can do…'

'…Big Sister!' There was a distant tug on her arm that made her feel as though she was hearing voices again.

Her heart was pounding in her chest more from uncertain and desperation than fatigue. She was not used to all this running, but it did not seem to slow her down. 'I have to keep her safe… But I've never felt this…' Fumiko could felt the sweat on her face running down her body and the shortness in her breath struggling for her. The blood in her veins was still running cold with her mind unable to get the images out of her of what she saw that thing do. '…scared…'

'How am I going to get out this?' Losing their distance Fumiko turned them down the new street hoping to gain some of their safety. Unfortunately, the large animal was able to clear the corner of the wall and actually put it even closer to them. '…this thing wants blood! I can't stop it and I can't out run it!'

"Big Sister!" Mieko cried as she tripped. Fumiko did not wait for her to get back up and lifted her into her arms. The girl was still young and light that she barely felt a change.

Fumiko kept pushing her legs for more even though they were pleading with her to stop. Her lungs were dried out from the breathing, but she could feel none of it with her adrenaline pumping fiercely. 'I can't stop!' She could almost feel it breathing down her neck, the low growling from the animal's panting crawling even closer.

In the next street she turned down into the home for some safety knowing she could maneuver better in a tight space than it could. However, she had forgotten that there was a wall that plotted off all of the land and it became a dead end. There was by fortune's luck a stepped shelf in the back of the plot that Fumiko used to quickly clear the wall with the animal bursting through. The speed of the beast had seemed to increase suddenly closing the gap and coming out ahead of it as Fumiko was still in the air. Debris and greenery from the explosive impact of the animal flew up around them causing Mieko to scream deafening Fumiko's ears. All of the confusion threw up pieces at Fumiko with most missing her, but a couple struck her in the head and arm separating Mieko from her.

'Big Sister!' A faint image of another girl laid over Mieko flying body that tried desperately to reach out for Fumiko as Fumiko fell back trailing blood. Her eyes were already starting to lose focus before her head smashed against the edge of the bordering wall. It dropped her painfully like a doll face first in the grass and dirt hovering around consciousness. '…Kimiko…' Fumiko tried to stretch out her arm in the direction that she thought Mieko was seeing a brownish blur moving away.

"Big Sister!" screamed Mieko panicked as she was being cornered by the animal against the wall. She looked around settling deeply into fear when she saw Fumiko lying in the ground looking dead to her. "Big Sister! Please help me!"

'Big Sister!'

"Big Sister!"

'…Big Sister…'

The dull ringing in Fumiko's ears made it impossible for her to hear anything. All she could hear was an echoing familiar voice in her mind. '…Kimiko? Sister… Where's Mieko?' There were suddenly images flashing through her mind all of them covered in blood almost impossible to see clearly. It made her heart jump quickly beating harder and louder. She could feel her arms again and her hearing began to clear. Mieko's screaming was the first thing that she heard as everything went blank in her mind. 'Sister! I promised I'd protect you! Mieko?! I must… I can't let another one down!' Fumiko pushed herself back to her feet struggling with blood dripping down the side of her face. She straightened up starting to stagger towards the animal with her eyes becoming sharper and determined.

A glow appeared to reflect in her deep green eyes as her hair began to blow around her. "Not again!" Her voice seemed to have a percussion affection on the area ringing out through the area. The walls that divided the houses developed cracks quickly expanding from her position as the windows were next, shattering to pieces. As though there was a force underneath the ground the fragile cracking walls caused them to explode into debris flying up into the air away from Fumiko.

The glow that had been in her eyes was expanding to cover her entire body in a light orange-green hue that slowly bled off her twisting into the wind above her. They were soon becoming tendrils that played through the air leaving a trail behind. At first only a circle, but then two intersecting triangles before strange letters appeared accompanied by pictographs. It began to flash and glow moving away from her and over the animal unleashing a fiery column upon it.

Fumiko did not know what was going on trapped in the moment with her eyes growing wide in shock and confusion. "Yuki?! Is that you?"