isn’t going to take them long to figure out -”
He hadn’t even finished when from behind us the monks screamed, “Come back here!”
In a blur of shadows, Isidor had spun round, produced his crossbow from beneath his robes, and was sending wave after wave of wooden stakes flying back down the corridor towards the monks. They flew backwards and thudded into the floor. Kicking and screaming, they pulled at their robes as if in some way the coarse material was suffocating them. From beneath their robes, I got a quick glimpse of their limbs which were covered in thick, black bristling hair. Then they fell still.
Before we’d even had the chance to a draw breath, a horde of monks dashed around the far corner of the corridor and raced towards us.
“Find Kayla!” Murphy roared at me. “Go! Go! Go!”
“I’ll help her,” Isidor said, firing off another volley of wooden stakes at the approaching monks, he then turned and raced away down the corridor.
Glancing at Murphy, who now stood with his back straight and arms rigid by his sides, I knew that he was readying himself for battle against the mass of approaching monks. Pulling back their hoods and stripping away their robes with razor-sharp claws, they scrambled along the walls and ceiling. And just like I had seen Luke in that room at Hallowed Manor, these Vampyrus were in their true form. Their bodies rippled with muscle which was covered in sleek, black hair. With ears pointed upwards, and noses looking similar to snouts, they sped forward, their dripping fangs shining in red, open mouths, and their wings unfolding behind them. In three short bursts, Potter had reduced his habit to rags, which fluttered to the ground.
Rolling back his hood, Luke looked at Potter and said, “So much for a quick in and out and no heroics.”
Potter grinned at him, then, turning to face the approaching Vampyrus, he said, “You know you wouldn’t want it any other way!”
Then throwing himself at the wall, he scurried up it towards one of the approaching Vampyrus. I stood and watched as Potter raced across the walls, swiping at the Vampyrus with one of his arms, shredding them into strips as he tore through them. Chunks of Vampyrussplattered the walls of the corridor and rained down on the stone floor. As he set about another one, he suddenly snapped his head around and looked down at me, and his eyes looked black – gone was the sparkling green – now they just looked dead.
“Don’t you think you should be searching for Kayla,” he said more as a command than a question. Then almost grinning down at me, he added, “You really don’t want to see what I do next…I promise.”
“Yeah…erm…sure…” I mumbled as Potter turned and sliced through two more Vampyrus with one swift swipe of his claw-like hand. Then as if on cue, Murphy and Luke sprang into the air at lightning speed and joined their friend.
Wheeling around on my heels, I dashed away down the corridor in search of Kayla. As I went, my ears were filled with the sounds of tearing, ripping, and biting, along with screams of those Vampyrus that had been disguised as monks.
Catching up with Isidor, we reached a set of spiraling stairs and dashed up them, not knowing if we were heading in the right direction or not. Panic wanted to take control of me, but I sucked in deep lungfuls of air and tried to control my fear. Reaching the top of the staircase, we were greeted by two more of those hooded monks and they came screaming towards us. Within touching distance, Isidor released another round of stakes from his crossbow, harpooning them both in the face. Almost seeming to cartwheel, they flew back through the air, thudding into the wall at the end of the corridor.
“Kayla!” I shouted at the top of my voice. “Kayla can you hear me!” But the situation seemed helpless. I could barely hear myself over the sound of the wailing alarm and the agonising screams coming from below.
“Kayla!” I hollered again,
He hadn’t even finished when from behind us the monks screamed, “Come back here!”
In a blur of shadows, Isidor had spun round, produced his crossbow from beneath his robes, and was sending wave after wave of wooden stakes flying back down the corridor towards the monks. They flew backwards and thudded into the floor. Kicking and screaming, they pulled at their robes as if in some way the coarse material was suffocating them. From beneath their robes, I got a quick glimpse of their limbs which were covered in thick, black bristling hair. Then they fell still.
Before we’d even had the chance to a draw breath, a horde of monks dashed around the far corner of the corridor and raced towards us.
“Find Kayla!” Murphy roared at me. “Go! Go! Go!”
“I’ll help her,” Isidor said, firing off another volley of wooden stakes at the approaching monks, he then turned and raced away down the corridor.
Glancing at Murphy, who now stood with his back straight and arms rigid by his sides, I knew that he was readying himself for battle against the mass of approaching monks. Pulling back their hoods and stripping away their robes with razor-sharp claws, they scrambled along the walls and ceiling. And just like I had seen Luke in that room at Hallowed Manor, these Vampyrus were in their true form. Their bodies rippled with muscle which was covered in sleek, black hair. With ears pointed upwards, and noses looking similar to snouts, they sped forward, their dripping fangs shining in red, open mouths, and their wings unfolding behind them. In three short bursts, Potter had reduced his habit to rags, which fluttered to the ground.
Rolling back his hood, Luke looked at Potter and said, “So much for a quick in and out and no heroics.”
Potter grinned at him, then, turning to face the approaching Vampyrus, he said, “You know you wouldn’t want it any other way!”
Then throwing himself at the wall, he scurried up it towards one of the approaching Vampyrus. I stood and watched as Potter raced across the walls, swiping at the Vampyrus with one of his arms, shredding them into strips as he tore through them. Chunks of Vampyrussplattered the walls of the corridor and rained down on the stone floor. As he set about another one, he suddenly snapped his head around and looked down at me, and his eyes looked black – gone was the sparkling green – now they just looked dead.
“Don’t you think you should be searching for Kayla,” he said more as a command than a question. Then almost grinning down at me, he added, “You really don’t want to see what I do next…I promise.”
“Yeah…erm…sure…” I mumbled as Potter turned and sliced through two more Vampyrus with one swift swipe of his claw-like hand. Then as if on cue, Murphy and Luke sprang into the air at lightning speed and joined their friend.
Wheeling around on my heels, I dashed away down the corridor in search of Kayla. As I went, my ears were filled with the sounds of tearing, ripping, and biting, along with screams of those Vampyrus that had been disguised as monks.
Catching up with Isidor, we reached a set of spiraling stairs and dashed up them, not knowing if we were heading in the right direction or not. Panic wanted to take control of me, but I sucked in deep lungfuls of air and tried to control my fear. Reaching the top of the staircase, we were greeted by two more of those hooded monks and they came screaming towards us. Within touching distance, Isidor released another round of stakes from his crossbow, harpooning them both in the face. Almost seeming to cartwheel, they flew back through the air, thudding into the wall at the end of the corridor.
“Kayla!” I shouted at the top of my voice. “Kayla can you hear me!” But the situation seemed helpless. I could barely hear myself over the sound of the wailing alarm and the agonising screams coming from below.
“Kayla!” I hollered again,
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