Two smiles flashed across the wheat field. One sly, cunning, and devious, the other, the wicked grin of a heartless monster. Mikhaela shivered. The short man would have been terrifying enough on his own, but the animal stood beside him was infinitely worse. Mikhaela’s mind and spirit were a thousand miles away. Safe and warm in bed, with her sister beside her. Her heart knew the truth. Katie was anything but safe. She lay, helpless on the floor behind the two men. With every shaky step Mikhaela prayed that her feet would keep moving. She was her sisters only hope, and stupidity, stubbornness and dumb luck were all that was keeping her moving. There was no chance of her stopping them. She knew that. Trying might get her killed, but loosing Katie would be just as much of a death sentence.
The short man looked at his friend, pulled a fat finger across his throat and vanished. Tall and skinny’s mouth stretched wider. His pointed teeth almost sparkled in the glow of the rising sun. Mikhaela’s heart pounded as the gaping chasm between his chin and his nose grew. His lips expanded far beyond a Chelsea, or even a Cheshire grin. The corners of his mouth creeping beyond his ears. An enormous hand gripped his bottom jaw, and pulled, dethatching it from the rest of his face. It dangled against his chest for a second, then separated into two mandibles. His eyes rippled with excitement as he turned to look at her sister.
Katie lay face first in the mud, arms bound and mouth gagged with tape. Her shoulders were tense, expecting a rough hand on her neck at any second. Sharp stubble of wheat stalk dotted the ground below her face. She had to act while her kidnappers were distracted. Struggling without the use of her arms, she pressed her covered lips against the pointed husk of dead wheat and forced her head into the dirt. The stalk scraped across the roof of her mouth, gouging a trench into her soft palette. She couldn’t feel the pain, but the taste of blood that washed over her tongue told her the gaffe had been broken. She breathed in. The crisp tingle of air drawing through her mouth was reassuring. A spark of hope flickered in her eyes. If her scream had been what caused the crash, maybe she had a chance. She rolled over, lungs ready to explode, and was winded by fear.
The two men had abandoned all interest in her. Both had their attention fixed on someone else. Another girl. Katie couldn’t see past her captors. She knew the girl was in danger, she wanted to tell her to run, but the two men blocked her face from view. She began to shuffle, positioning herself to see around their hulking bodies. The short man’s sadistic smile came into her view. It’s menace punched her in the gut, stealing the air from her lungs. She froze, stunned by breathlessness, unable to take her eyes off of him as he faded into thin air.
Mud and dirt swirled in a mini tornado where he had been standing moments before. The wind blustered its way towards the other girl. Katie’s gaze wandered to her face and her heart sank. It was Mikhaela. What was her sister doing here? There was a look of terror on her face. Katie didn’t blame her. The two men were both worth fearing. Her sister’s eyes were fixed on tall and skinny. Completely oblivious of the gust forming around her, and blissfully ignorant of the dangers it presented.
Mikhaela turned her head. The two sister’s eyes met for a moment. Each one drowning in tears of desperation. Pleading with each other to run, to escape their perilous situation before the worst occurred. A momentary, wordless exchange before a violent tornado burst into existence below Mikhaela’s feet. Katie watched, helpless as her twin was lifted into the air and carried away. She scrambled to push herself upright, determined to chase down the wind. A figure looming above her stopped her in her tracks. Tall and Skinny was still there, and his face had mutated into something far worse than any nightmare. His mouth had split in three. Jagged enamel prongs lined two insect like lower jaws that opened into a throat large enough to swallow a bowling ball, whole. The creature descended upon her. She could feel its foul breath burning her nostrils. Instinct kicked in. She opened her mouth, and power burst out of her throat.
The scent of fear spurred Michael forwards. His distorted features were completely unreadable, but a wicked smile was painted across his heart. They had picked up a spare. Finally, he could have a decent meal. Like most of his victims, the girl was paralyzed in fear. He leaned towards her, saliva dripping from his segregated jaws as the dawn chorus filled his ears. His hand brushed against her shoulder. Her mouth opened and the girl screamed. Michael’s face was nearly ripped from his skeleton. The force that exploded from her voice tore his eardrums to shreds. He was flung backwards and crumpled into the floor. Katie blinked. Every muscle in her body twitched as she stood and looked around. The tall man was unconscious. He was no longer a threat. But there was no sign of the short one that had her sister.