Oh God.I quickly crawl along the side of the table, hoping I can make it to the door before he turns the corner, hoping Amund heard me scream and is already on his way here. I hurry forward on my hands and knees, keeping low to the ground, only to realize the kitchen has gone completely quiet. No more scratching claws or heavy breathing.
Slowly, I look over my shoulder.
The killer is standing right behind me.
From my position on the floor, he towers over me.Shit.Not trusting my claws to come out when I need them, I quickly reach up and grab the first thing I can find on the countertop. A frying pan. Great.
Holding the pan between us, I climb to my feet.
The creature growls and takes a step closer.
I throw the frying pan at its head andrun.
I don’t get far before my world violently tips over. A massive body flies on top of me, slamming my back onto the cold kitchen tiles. Hard. The creature pins me down with razor-sharp claws. I can’t move. I can’t even scream. I lie there like a lifeless doll beneath the massive beast.
As teeth near my face, something in me yells,fight!
Instinct takes over. With my free hand, I fumble for the pan beside me. My fingers find smooth tile, more smooth tile, until finally—cast iron. I hold the frying pan up like a shield, trying to push the killer back. My arms shake as I fight to keep his jaws away.
But I can’t.
Teeth inch closer to my face. Wet ropes of saliva hang down, splashing me as I struggle against the berserkr. This is no normal animal. He still has human intelligence. A massive paw strikes the pan, sending it clattering across the kitchen.
The killer lunges for my face.
I twist away, but not fast enough.
My lip.There’s a sharp, searing pain as teeth catch my lip. Hot liquid spills over my mouth and runs down my chin as I scream, tears blotting out my vision.
“Edith,” Amund shouts, pulling the berserkr back from behind.
Amund is the only reason I haven’t been torn to pieces. Why the teeth missed my nose and my eyes. He has an arm hooked around the giant wolf’s throat, keeping it from ripping me open. His whole body shakes from the effort of restraining the berserkr.
The killer reaches up with clawed hands, trying to tear free of his hold, but Amund slips a weapon from his belt. A large dagger with a sharply angled blade, covered in something slick and dark. He slashes the creature’s arm.
The berserkr throws Amund off.
Blowing out a heavy, pained breath, the creature lopes on all fours into the dining hall. Amund jumps up, ready to pursue the beast, but something stops him. He turns to me, his expression frantic. “Edith? Edith, are you okay?”
I can’t even speak. Pain shoots through my body. I struggle to breathe as I sit up. It still feels like the wolf is on top of me, all teeth and claws. My hand trembles as I reach for my face.
Where part of my upper lip should be, I feel… nothing.
It takes my mind a moment to catch up.
My lip.
The berserkr bit off a piece of my lip.
No. I must be mistaken. I touch my mouth again, testing it to be sure.
Amund captures my wrist. “Enough,” he says, his voice surprisingly gentle. “Let me see.” He lowers my hand slowly.
I can tell from the look on his face it isn’t good.
My entire palm is smeared with blood. Even more covers my chest. Suddenly, I feel lightheaded. This can’t be happening. I refuse to believe this is real. This is a nightmare, one I’m going to wake from any second now. Amund inspects the rest of me carefully, checking for any other wounds with a panicked expression. I’m terrified of what else he will find.
Tears stream down my cheeks. I haven’t cried like this since losing my parents, but now that I’ve started, I can’t stop sobbing. My skin feels too tight. Too hot. I start to scream.
