CHAPTER 356: 356-TAKEN AGAINST WILL

Clementine:

Lurkers stood near the cars, watching us and making sure we did not communicate with the black squad.

It felt childish to me because we were in the middle of a war with a monster, yet they still would not let us interact.

We walked in a line toward the river. The mud slowed us down.

Cold water seeped into the edges of my boots, and I hated the sensation, but there were more important things to worry about than wet socks.

When we reached the river, I understood what the villagers had meant.

The river was overflowing in an unnatural way. Its surface shook as if something underneath moved back and forth.

I stared at the water for a long moment before my heartbeat began to rise.

I already knew what was happening.

"That is the monster," I said. "Something inside is forcing the water out. The monster is right there." I pointed toward the middle of the river.

Joshua shifted his weight and narrowed his eyes at the surface.

"So we have to deal with it before the water reaches the houses," he replied.

"Yes, we do. And we do not have much time," I answered.

My hands felt cold with tension, but I was ready to fight.

It was different from usual because the monsters we fought had always been in the North.

Now, somehow, one has managed to enter the mainland.

The others gathered around us, and by now the black squad had also arrived.

We all watched the river continue to rise behind us, crashing against the edges as if warning us that we were already late.

I pushed down the fear inside me. I needed to focus. People needed saving.

The river shook again, and this time it was louder and more aggressive.

I stepped forward to get a clearer view, and that was when the water split apart.

A huge shape formed and came out, lifting the river upward with it. In seconds, the monster rose to the surface.

It was extremely big, larger than anything I had expected.

The front of its body looked bulky like a shark, but its shape narrowed into a flat body like a stingray.

The tail behind it was long and thick, covered in sharp scales.

The monster lifted itself high enough for all of us to see it.

Gasps spread across the area. Before any of us could react, the monster threw the water at us with so much force that everyone fell back.

We hit the ground hard. Before we could get up, the monster swung its tail across the land. It lifted the tail a few feet above the ground before striking downward.

"Everybody, duck!" I screamed, warning them not to get up too quickly.

All of them dropped flat on the ground. I already knew how frightened they must have felt.

"Watch out for the tail!" I shouted after the monster pulled its tail back into the river.

It paused for a few seconds before diving again.

I watched it disappear beneath the water and then start pushing the current outward to force the flood toward us.

"You need to be careful with the scales. You saw how sharp those were. When it swung the tail, the scales pointed toward us. If it hits anyone, the tail will drag them into the water," I explained quickly while standing up.

My hand landed on my sword at once.

"I am going back to the car. I do not think this sword will work alone," I told everyone who could hear me.

Oriana and the others stood near me, but once Oriana noticed the tail, she stepped back.

Even Renee looked unsure, and no one told the others to stay. It was a terrifying monster.

I began to run toward the car, but the muddy ground slowed me down.

I heard shouting and splashing behind me as I reached the SUV. I opened the back door and pulled out a bow and a set of arrows.

The rain made everything slippery, but I held them tight in one hand while keeping the sword in the other.

When I returned, I saw Mira fall to her knees.

The monster’s tail had struck her directly in the thigh. A large scale had cut deep into her leg, and blood spread down her skin quickly.

She lifted her head, and our eyes met. I saw the helplessness in her expression.

"Am I going to die?" she whispered.

Before I could answer, the monster dragged its tail back.

Mira was pulled forward at once, snatched from us and taken into the water.

Her screams echoed for a brief moment before she disappeared beneath the surface with the monster.

We all stood frozen. It felt strange that we had fought in the North for so long and survived, yet one monster appeared in the South and took one of our crusaders.

I moved slightly to my right and then to my left, and that was when I saw Ian looking at me.

His eyes met mine for a brief moment before Renee started to shout at him.

"You are the headmaster’s son. Did you know there was a monster like this?" she demanded, her voice rising.

Ian gave her a sharp, annoyed look.

They continued to argue back and forth, but I rushed toward the river before their voices could distract me. I sprinted as fast as I could.

"Clementine, what are you doing?" Troy yelled, trying to stop me, but I ignored him and kept running.

I reached the edge and jumped straight into the river.

The cold hit me at once, and I began to swim downward to search for the tail. It was difficult because the monster kept moving.

The current pushed me back and forth, making it hard to stay steady.

The monster rose to the surface again, and I knew this would be the only moment when I could look for Mira.

The tail was still underwater during the short pause the monster took each time.

It would lift itself, throw water, pause again, make strange noises, and during that pause the tail stayed resting in the water.

I swam toward the direction of the tail and saw Mira in a state that shocked me.