It sounded as if someone was fighting a bear, but Eva knew better.
“Quick, form a pentagram!” Eva shouted at everyone.
Sebastian tried to create some light again, because otherwise, they couldn’t see how to form the needed pentagram. Without it, the holy water might not work.
“The holy water is in the well!”
Eva heard her father grunting and she looked around. Sebastian managed to shed some light and she saw that her friends were already forming a pentagram. Only she was missing. Right there, in the middle of the room, her father was wrestling a beast which resembled the stuff her worst nightmares were made of.
Its body was black and furry, but she could see the muscles on its legs, as it jumped at her father. Its head was half skinned, showing a bloody skeleton head. Its fangs were long and pointy, drooling and dripping everywhere. It smelled like something had died in here and had been festering in the sun for weeks. She had the urge to vomit but she knew that her father needed her help.
She rushed over to the well, wanting to grab the bucket. At that moment, the other Hellhound jumped in front of her, baring its teeth at her. She took a step back, knowing she couldn’t fight it. She also knew that her father wouldn’t be able to hold the other one for much longer.
“Good doggie,” she whispered, making sure not to make any sudden moves.
The beast snarled even harder at her, its body taking one step towards her. Suddenly, Sorwyce jumped out from the darkness, his cane fitting between the beast’s teeth, tugging at its head left and right.
“Quickly!” he shouted at her. “The water!”
Eva grabbed the bucket, then rushed back to her place in the pentagram. Her father was lying underneath the other Hellhound. She could hear barking and bellowing, like two dogs fighting. She took a step forward, and spilled all the water on it.
The beast shrieked with pain and she could see its singed fur. Her father quickly drew out the sword and, in one big swoosh, decapitated the beast.
Its head rolled over to Bella’s feet, who looked like she was about to lose her mind with shock.
“Bella, focus!” Eva shouted to her. “We need you!”
It was the wake up call she needed, because the moment she heard Eva’s voice, she snapped back to reality and held that dirt in her outstretched hand, like a saving grace.
Eva eyed her father, waiting for him to tell her what to do, but he was already rushing to Sorwyce to help him. The two men threw themselves on the muscular back of the furry beast, whose fury was unparalleled. It jumped around, throwing them off of it with incredible strength. She rushed over to the well and filled the bucket with more water.
Sebastian’s light flickered in the wind and Eva knew that they needed to hurry. There was too much draft and his light might go out at any minute. Without light, they were goners. She went back to her position in the pentagram, then waited for them to bring the beast into the middle. If they tried severing its head outside of the circle, or before the holy water was thrown on it, it wouldn’t work. The beast roared as the men charged at it, Sorwyce pulling its tail, her father squeezing its jaw clenched together, so it couldn’t bite them. Finally, they were inside the circle but the fight was still ongoing. She could see cuts on her father’s face and his hand was severely bleeding.
“Now!” her father shouted and she spilled all the water onto the beast’s back, just like before.
The beast thrust and tugged, its body twitched with the pain the holy water was inflicting on it. Her father drew his sword, and cut through the air but the beast was quick. It pulled away in time and he only severed its front, right leg. It hopped on three legs, still strong enough to defend itself. Its yellow teeth shone at them, spiky and hard. Eva didn’t know if it was just her imagination, or if the beast really looked bigger now than a moment ago. Its fur was all raised up and it looked twice its size. Humongous and frightening, she dared not even look at it.
Sorwyce grabbed its tail again and the beast turned around, focusing its attention on him. It dug its teeth deep into Sorwyce’s arm, completely biting it off. Sorwyce screamed in pain, watching his arm in the beast’s mouth, still bleeding. Roman seized the moment, while the beast was with its back turned to him, and raised his sword. A second later, its head rolled off and hit the wall in the far end of the room.
Roman dropped the sword and it fell with a heavy, metallic sound, piercing through the air. Her father slumped down on the floor, following it. He was breathing heavily. She turned to Sorwyce. He was pressing a part of his shirt onto the open would. Eva could see flesh and bone, there was blood everywhere.
“We need to get going,” Sorwyce squeezed through clenched teeth.
“You can’t go anywhere like that,” Roman shook his head. “You need to go see Amelie, she can help you before you bleed to death.”
“But, won’t he regenerate?” Eva asked.
“The bite of a Hellhound does not allow for vampire regeneration. Also, the blood won’t stop on its own. It’ll just keep leaking out of him, until there is none left. He will be… dead.”
Eva swallowed heavily. This wasn’t part of the plan.
“He needs to go, but he can’t go alone,” Roman growled in pain.
His own wounds were hurting him, but he started this, and now, he had to finish it, no matter what. He got up and walked over to Sorwyce. He was looking increasingly paler and weaker. Roman knew he didn’t have much time.
“Someone needs to get him to Amelie’s hut, now!” he shouted, at everyone and no one in particular.
“I can do it,” Bella offered. “I know where it is.”