Metamorphosis part 1

Max held onto Mila's hand, and she held Max's hand back. Max could tell that her best friend was actually spooked by the slight tremble that she felt and the wide eyes that starred in the direction of the thud.

Max herself was terrified but she needed to put on her big girl pants and keep Mila safe. She put her finger to her lips and slowly inched her way to the plastic bag full of spray paint. She pulled out one can at random before there was another thud. This time much closer.

Max pulled one more spray can out and tossed it to Mila who caught it with ease. Max crouched down low and headed towards Mila. She was almost there when her foot hit something small and round. It rolled across the floor and hit the side of one of the metal ducts with a loud and hollow “ bang”.

“Shit!” Max grabbed Mila's hand and slipped underneath the duct. The two could hear the sound of paws hitting the concrete. Then several loud thuds above them as something heavy stepped across the sheet metal. Thud, thud, thud. It was right above them now. Deep and ragged breathing was coming from right above their heads. The thing jumped down then slowly lowered its head. Its paws looked similar to a dog's but it was covered in dark green scales. When it lowered its head, there were no eyes, just large nostrils and a mouth full of sharp teeth. The creature breathed in deeply through its nostrils and let out a snort.

It then appeared to run away. After a few minutes of complete silence. The two girls' hands were squeezing each other so hard there were indents in their skin when they let go.

“Mila, I don't know what that was just now but I think we need to get back home. I'm gonna check if the coast is clear please wait to come out till I say.”

“No. We can both check together. I don't want to get separated by accident. Something bad will happen to you.”

“Alright. Do you have the lighter I gave you?”

That's a stupid question Mila thought. Of course she had the lighter. Max had given it to her as a birthday gift so it was a precious item that Mila never went anywhere without. She really was completely smitten when it came to Max.

“Yeah it's in my pocket.”

Max pulled her lighter out that matched Mila's. “Paint plus lighter is a flamethrower. I'll slide out on the left, you take the right. If the thing is gone we make a run for the fire escape. Good?”

“Yup. On three, one, two, three,”

The pair slid out armed with their spray cans and lighters. Back to back they looked around and didn't see the creature.

“Mila, I think we should…”

Max was interrupted by the sound of ragged breathing and a large glob of drool that hit her shoulder. They both looked up in unison. The creature was hanging from some scaffolding left behind from building repairs to the school. Suddenly it sprang down, nearly jumping on Max. It stood snarling between the two girls. Before it could attack Mila , depressed, the spray can trigger behind the open flame of her lighter.

The creature howled in pain. It started staggering backwards. Max fired up her spray can flamethrower and the two pushed it back to the edge of the roof. One misstep and it fell off the side of the building with a loud thud.

The pair let out a sigh of relief. “What the fuck was that?”

“I don't know but it was creepy! We need to get back before more of those things show up. Let's go!”

“I'm going home with you, Mila. I can't go back to those junkie parents of mine. They probably don't even realize I'm gone anyways.”

“Alright, that's fine with me.”

The two headed for the fire escape, in too much shock to process what they had just experienced or what they had seen. Max reached for Mila’s hand as a deep growl could be heard from behind them. Just as Mila turned to face the sound, she was knocked to the ground. The creature was the same as the one they had knocked off the roof, but this one still had half the fur of a dog on it. The scales underneath were covered by patches here and there of white and tan fur, along with an entire ear and eye that was hollow like a mask.

The creature had Mila pinned to the ground with her forearm held tightly in its jaws. Max’s heart beat so hard that she could feel it in her throat. For just a few seconds she utterly panicked, hyperventilating and nearly fainting. The sound of Mila’s voice calling her name brought her back to reality. Sweat rolled into her eyes as she searched for some kind of weapon. She couldn’t burn the thing with Mila under it so she needed to think fast. To her right she noticed a long pipe, protruding out of the ground. Without a moment's more hesitation, Max grabbed onto the pipe which was red hot and yanked it back with all her might.

The heat seared the flesh of her palms but Max gripped it tightly and struck the creature in its ribs. The beast opened its mouth and Mila withdrew her arm. The pipe was still sizzling in Max’s hands as it struck the creature again and again causing the thing to slip past the edge of the roof and fall to its death.

Max breathed heavily as she approached Mila, still clutching the burning pipe. “Are you ok, Mila?”

Mila clutched her bleeding arm. “I’m ok… but Max, doesn’t that hurt?”

“Oh the pipe? I uh, can’t let it go. My skin is stuck to it…”

Mila got up and with a hand wrapped in cloth ripped the pipe from Max’s hands. Her face went white before she fell forward onto Mila’s shoulder.