He scrambled to his feet as his heart jumped and began to thunder within his chest. Every inch of his being screamed out a dire alarm. A second massive form followed the first, bearing the same ovular outline of a head, a lengthy body with unimaginably broad wings, and an extended tail trailing behind. His body constricting rapidly with fear, Janus recognized the presence above of two mammoth creatures, even as several frantic cries arose from the village warriors serving on the night’s watch.
He knew instinctively, to his great chagrin, that the giant forms boded tremendous horrors for the Onan village.
Janus started to run back towards the longhouse where his friends slept, crying out urgently himself. His voice added to the few desperate shouts of warning that were loosed just before the ground reverberated with a number of prominent thumps. The sickening sounds of wood smashing and splintering rose up all around him. Jerking his head skyward, he caught the dismaying sight of a host of large objects raining down from the sky.
Commanding his legs to move as fast as he possibly could, he raced desperately for the hide entry-flap of the longhouse where his companions were resting. He ran faster than he had ever run before in his life, bursting through the flap and nearly falling to the ground as he entered the longhouse.
Somehow keeping his feet under him, he burst through the storage vestibule and the next opening, streaking down the center of the chambers while shouting out hysterically. Many villagers leaped up from where they were sleeping, their eyes wide with fear, as they all felt the thunderous impact of the torrential assault underway outside.
“We are being attacked! Something is attacking the village, from the air!” Janus exclaimed, rousing his friends and the other occupants of the longhouse. “We need to get out of here, now! Everyone! Get away from the village! There’s no time! Get out, get away!”
“What is it?” Erika shouted to him as he entered their own quarters, her face reflecting the alarm and confusion gripping her.
The crashing sounds of destruction outside the longhouse were now mingled with cries of terror and pain, as the furious assault mounted with greater intensity.
“Huge creatures, in the sky. Get out, get out!” Janus yelled quickly, roughly grabbing at Antonio and Derek, who were closest to him, and shoving them along. “Get out now!”
As if to emphasize his frantic urgings, a large rock tore through the roof of their own chamber. Its impact cast a mess of shards and splinters all about where it smashed the sleeping platform where Logan had just been lying mere seconds before.
Another great stone crashed through the chamber next to them, and Janus looked in horror as it struck a village woman, killing her instantly in front of her husband and children. Yet another ripped through the roof and landed just beyond the entrance to the next chamber, throwing up a mass of dirt and debris.
“We can’t stay here!” Erika cried, pulling forcefully at Logan, who had frozen in indecision. “Come on! Out everyone!”
Following Erika and Janus, the group hurriedly made their way through the chambers to exit the longhouse. They had to hurdle over some debris, and Antonio tripped on a fallen boulder.
Janus doubled back as he heard Antonio cry out, gripping his hand and yanking him back to his feet in an adrenalized surge of effort, born from desperation. He nearly dragged Antonio through the last chambers as they made their way towards the exit of the stricken longhouse.
The other longhouse occupants had been alerted by Janus’ passage and the surging commotion. Foreigners and villagers alike shoved and jostled frantically to get to the outside.
A chaotic scene met their eyes as they ran out into the open ground. It was as if the most malevolent and enormous of hailstorms had been unleashed upon the village. Large boulders continued to rain down upon longhouses, crushing the edifices, as well as striking and killing many of the terrified, wide-eyed villagers running about. Some small fires had broken out where falling stones had strewn burning wood and sparks among the longhouse structures. Only the absence of stronger winds prevented the fires from quickly escalating into larger infernos.
Janus and the others did not hesitate for a moment, as they bolted for the main entryway to the village.
“Darroks!” Ayenwatha shouted out from nearby. He yelled to any that would hear him. “Go to the river! Go to the river!”
Heeding Ayenwatha’s call, Janus shouted out to his own group and any villagers nearby, “To the river! To the river!”
He saw Ayenwatha racing down amid rows of longhouses, accompanied by several Onan warriors. They were out of sight in just a few seconds.
Janus and the others did not stop to consider why Ayenwatha would race in towards the very center of the bombardment. Janus and his companions hurried across the open ground towards the front gateway in the outer palisade.
Rocks fell to their right, left, in front and in back of them. More cries filled the air, but fortune remained with the outsiders as none were stricken, though Antonio and Janus both came within just a couple paces of being pulverized by one large boulder. They finally won their way unscathed past the open gate of the village and started down the long hill slope.
In his panic, Kent lost his footing, tumbling down the slope. Derek caught up to him, and helped his friend up quickly. The others barely kept to their feet in their own frenzied haste, but all made it safely to the base of the large hill.
Janus, now trailing the others, took long, leaping strides as he covered the last part of the slope. The seven continued forward through the darkness, heading amongst the trees. Enough light filtered down from the clear night sky over them that they did not stumble about blindly, and were able to keep moving forward in a relatively orderly manner.
Though fading, the dismaying sounds of fear and wailing, mixed with the crackling and splintering of wood, followed them as they strove for the river’s edge. Above and behind them, a hellish glow now lit the summit of the hill from the fires burning within the doomed village.
From the base of the hill and on through the surrounding trees towards the edge of the river, there were no rocks or other debris falling from the sky. The stillness among the trees was a jarringly stark contrast to the unbridled assault being levied upon the village.
Out of immediate danger, calmer thought processes gradually returned to Janus. The group had slowed their pace to assess their situation, as they finally reached the water’s edge.
A number of terrified villagers were now gathering near to them, increasingly becoming a larger assemblage as other survivors streamed in from the beleaguered village.
Janus’ heart sank precipitously. The sight around him was anguishing. Mothers and fathers carried small, crying children. Those that had reached the water were frantically looking about for any sign of their family members and friends. Those finding the ones that they sought rushed to embrace their loved ones.
Some children looked around in grief and sheer bewilderment, with no sign of the parents that had urged them to run to safety. Older villagers collapsed to the ground, the surge of energy brought by desperation now betraying the frailty of their elderly bodies.
Janus and many of the others looked skyward nervously, searching for signs of the horrific beasts that had terrorized the village. The creatures were not hard to see, as they circled slowly around in the sky far above the hill, honing in again on the village at its summit.
The immense shapes filled the darkened sky, obscuring large expanses of stars behind them. They were monstrosities evoked from the abyss of nightmares, though what they were Janus could not say. Their wingspan was extraordinary, and it was hard to believe that such titans could remain airborne.