The Tartok spun around lightning fast and reached out it's powerful left hand and grabbed Hazel's wrist that gripped the arrow.
It's hand was ice cold and it's skin felt chapped and leathery.
It leaned forward and roared in Hazel's face, a distorted and chilling sound, that sounded like the yelling of a man and the vicious snarling of a monster at once in sync.
It's breath smelled like rotten meat and a putrid odor of decay and must joined that smell as well.
It was no surprise, as that same twisted mouth had consumed the flesh and bodies of hundreds of people for over forty years now.
It's eyes were focused on Hazel, not noticing the eagle pendant in her other hand.
It's grotesque mouth gaped open as it pulled her forward and it leaned toward her to rip her throat out.

Hazel screamed and brought the eagle pendant right in front of her face, between her and the Tartok's gaping mouth.

An Apache prayer slipped into Hazel's mind, one that had been taught to her by a friend of her father's when her brother had come down with pneumonia. Fearing he would die, her father's old friend comforted Hazel while her parents spoke with the doctors. It had stuck with her, been on of her favorites memories, but only the first lines came to mind.

She didn't think they would help protect her. She was sure she was going to die in this room. So she whispered to herself for comfort as the Tartok's mouth closed in on her.

"Mountain Spirit, leader of the Mountain Spirits, your body is holy.
By means of it, make him well again.
Make his body like your own."

The beast shrieked and jerked away from Hazel at the close prescence of the pendant.
It staggered backward toward Amos, he rolled out of it's way and grabbed up his rifle and shuffled around behind Hazel.
He tried to grip his gun with both hands but couldn't, his right hand was black and blue and swelling, undoubtedly broken.
He slipped it into his left arm half-heartedly.
The Tartok stepped back away from the two, a clear burning hatred in it's milked over eyes.
Courtney popped up from her corner and broke for the stairs, running for all she was worth.
The creature roared at detected her prescence and strides forward, it turned and attempted to make a wide birth to Hazel's right to pursue Courtney.

Hazel kept repeating the prayer over and over in her mind, wishing she could remember the rest of it. High stress levels always made her forgetful, and she hated it. It was one of the biggest problems she would face if she managed to open a restaurant.

When! When she managed to open one. She would not allow herself to be fatalistic about this whole situation, no matter how easy it would be.

Hazel saw the Tartok going for Courtney. She tried to push herself to the right to get in it's way, holding the eagle up to interrupt its path. Her speed wasn't her best ability, though, and she hoped she would make it in time.

The Tartok was forced backwards again, though Hazel just barely had beaten it.
Courtney had already vanished at the top of the stairs.
A crash came from the kitchen, way off to the right.
The Tartok's head snapped around on hearing the sound.
It dashed forward in the direction of the kitchen and passed through the door, another loud metallic crash could be heard followed by a loud screech, undoubtedly from Courtney.
"Damn!"Amos hissed on hearing her scream, he rushed forward with his rifle in his left hand.

Hazel wanted to run upstairs. She wanted to run upstairs and escape into the attic where everyone else was, where everyone had said it would be safe. She didn't want to be here.

She was hyperventilating. She needed to calm down.

She didn't have time.

Feeling as if she was only inhaling and never exhaling, Hazel followed Amos, trying to imagine that she was a character in a movie or a video game, that she was safe on the outside of this horrific ordeal. That there was a save point in case she slipped up and made a mistake.

She forced the knowledge that there was no such thing out of her head.

Hazel got to the kitchen doorway and saw the destruction of the beautiful kitchen she had just been happily cooking in, saw the jugs of water spilled all over the floor from her stupid decision to try to put the fire out that she stupidly built up.

The Tartok stood near the kitchen window on the far side of the room, with Haley in a choke hold position with it's left arm.
"Please, please, please, please, do something I don't want to die!"She wailed, her makeup smeared across her face from sweat and tears.

Amos strained to raise his gun with the lone help of his left arm.
The Tartok raised it's right arm, it had a black frying pan in it's grip.
With a sharp flick of it's right arm, the frying pan hurtles across the kitchen and slammed into Amos's face with a loud Clank!
A spray of blood came from Amos's nose and he immediately crumpled to the floor, unconscious, the frying pan clattered to the floor nearby.

The Tartok then stepped backward toward the window slowly, dragging Haley with it, keeping it's right hand free.

Hazel was still hyperventilating. She felt light headed, but things felt like they were slowing down.

The Tartok wasn't in a rush. It could leave quickly, dragging Haley with it. But it wasn't. For some reason.

She bent down and picked up Amos' gun. This one was loaded. She hoped all she had to do was pull the trigger.

For a second, Hazel's arm started to come up to drive the Tartok away with the eagle. That would only have it escape through the window, though, most likely dragging Haley with it. Her hand came back down.

The eagle was wrapped around the knuckles of her left hand. The gun was in her right. The crossbow, shotgun, and quiver of bolts were hanging from her shoulders against her back, making her feel awkward and unwieldy, like running with a full backpack on.

She raised the gun and fired, taking only a second to aim at the largest part of the Tartok she could see- its chest. If she missed and shot Haley, hopefully it would be fatal. Being killed by a gunshot was better than being eaten alive.

The creature cried out and staggered backwards, Haley jerked away from it and rushed over behind Hazel, she was shaking uncontrollably and was obviously extremely rattled by the current events.
The Tartok turned and leapt through the window, shattering it and sending shards of glass everywhere.An angry hiss could be heard from outside, followed by nothing but the whooshing sounds of the wind outside.

Haley was still shaking, she spoke to Hazel,"Thank you.You s-saved m-me."

Amos groaned nearby and rolled over, he was regaining conscious very slowly.His nose was obviously broken and his face was soaked with blood.

"Yep." Hazel said, not really registering Haley's words. "Get the skillet, hang these over your back." Hazel handed Haley the shotgun on her shoulder and the crossbow.

"Get yourself ready to carry him upstairs, I'm going to grab the first aid kit I found in here earlier." She jerked open the drawers and cupboards, not remembering exactly where she had seen it. While she did that she found matches, a couple lighters, some emergency candles, and stuffed those in her pockets next to the bullets. She was frustrated with women's clothing. Why the hell would couldn't women's clothing have bigger pockets?!

She found a shopping bag and filled it with knives- steak knives, bread knives, butcher knives, all the ones she came across while finding the first aid kit, which she found one the bag was half full. She grabbed a couple frozen items from the freezer- she didn't see what they were, and stuff those in the bag with the knives and first aid kit. After a moment of thought, she dropped some of the unsecured items in her pockets into the bag and slung it over her elbow.

"Grab his feet, they'll be lighter. And move fast. We're going up the stairs and to the attic. Hopefully they haven't locked it on us." Hazel couldn't blame the others. She wanted to run upstairs and hide, too. But the fact that they had done it while she ended up staying downstairs made her angry. And the fact that it was totally unfair anger made her even more angry.

Hazel grabbed Amos' upper body, hooking her arms underneath his arms and lifting him up. "Ready? Go!" Hazel started running once she saw Haley nod.

They got about halfway up the stairs when they heard a loud smashing sound that came from the far end of the upstairs area, in the direction of the basement.
It sounded like wood being smashed apart.

Following that sound was a pair of high pitched screams followed by several loud Pop's, the sound of pistols firing.
Followed by a familiar sounding roar of anger.

Hazel snarled down at Haley. "Keep moving. Just go faster." Hazel picked up her pace, trying to get Amos to the attic. He was the only one who knew what was going on, one of the only ones who felt confident fighting this thing off. Hazel didn't think her bravado would last through the night if Amos was eaten by the Tartok, and since everyone else seemed to have a habit of running off, she didn't think they'd last if there wasn't someone who tried to fight.

"FASTER!" She hissed, trying not to draw the attention of the Tartok. Whoever was down there with it was armed and had no problem using the weapon. They would have to handle it on their own.

"Which way is the attic? Do you know?"

"I-I-I thinks at the far end of the upstairs area,"Haley stuttered,"we'll have to-"
She was cut off by the door at the end of the hall flying open and Courtney stumbling forward into her face, her .22 pistol flew from her hand and clattered to the floor.
A shadow passed over her, she rolled over to state up into the deathly face of the Tartok, it's cracked lips parted into a sneer, showing it's yellowed and chipped looking teeth.
"Oh My God!"She screamed,"Do something!"She screamed out toward the girls at the end of the hallway having seen them before she fell.

The Tartok reached down and grabbed her up by her hair and lifted her off her feet into the air.
She squealed and jerked and grabbed it's hands, trying to free herself.
Haley reached for her own pistol but found her pocket empty.
She must have lost her gun in the kitchen.
"W-what do we do?!"Haley said frantically.

"Dammit!" Hazel growled. "Keep hold of him!" She said to Haley. Hazel dropped Amos's body at the top of the stairs. He was already concussed, and better concussed than dead she resolved.

Amos' rifle was slung over her back. She swung it around and grabbed it in her right hand, the shopping bag still hanging off of her shoulder and bouncing off of her hip. She pulled back the bolt back, mimicking Amos' movements she had seen several times earlier that night. She fired the rifle, hoping there were enough bullets left. She didn't know how many were in there or how many had been fired.

She was really angry. The Tartok was in the way of the attic, and even if she drove it back, would that be enough to give them time to get into the attic? Was there even anyone left up there?

She fired the rifle, trying to buy enough time to figure out if it was worth it to try to get to the attic or if there was anywhere else she and Haley could hide. And Courtney, too, of course, so long as she survived being manhandled by the Tartok.

The Tartok stumbled back into the wall on the other side of the door from taking the shot.
It had dropped Courtney who lie now on the floor curled into a ball, she was bawling her eyes out and had her arms wrapped around her head.
The Tartok took a step back forward and was re-balancing itself.
It roared in anger, it's mouth stretched apart horrificly wide when it did.
It began rapidly walking forward back through the door to make it's next move.

"MARK! Watch out, it's coming for you!"

Hazel shot at the Tartok again and went racing after it. If she couldn't get it out of the way, maybe she could force it out a window down that hallway and get the guys upstairs to help Courtney and Haley get to the attic.

"Courtney! Help Haley get him to the attic! Take this!" She dropped the bag on her elbow onto Courtney as she followed the Tartok into the dark hallway containing the entrance to the attic.

"NOW!" Her voice was going to give out soon, she could fee it. She was never one to yell, and all of this yelling was making her throat raw.

The eagle, still secure in her left hand, was up in a position as if she were trying to block a punch while she ran. It felt awkward, but she didn't know how else to run with it in front. Adding in the rifle in her right hand, and this just didn't feel normal. Then again, nothing about this night did.

It was hard to keep her eye on the Tartok, but she did her best. She took a few deep breaths, readying herself to try and stop the Tartok from getting upstairs, to force it past the attic entrance and to yell up to help get everything and everyone upstairs. She hoped her plan worked. It felt suicidal.

The door behind Hazel, that she had just passed through, slammed shut suddenly and violently, rattling it and several pictures on the walls around, one of which dropped to the floor with a clattering sound.
The glass on the frame shattered apart and scattered across the floor.

On the other side of the door, Courtney and Haley slowly backed towards the stairs, Amos lay several feet in front of them, still unconscious.
Standing on the other side of Amos was the Tartok.

It was hunched as if ready to pounce, growling and rumbling like a starved dog that had it's prey cornered.
It's glazed over eyes leered hungrily at the two girls.
"Don't...fucking...move."Haley whispered as quietly as she could.

The beast continued to stare down the two girls.

It could see their heat signatures surely enough.
But there was no movement at all, not any.
Not a sound came from them.
It stepped over Amos's fallen body and stopped just five feet away from the two girls.
It released a savage and mangled sounding roar like that of a science fiction movie alien.
It sounded like the deep yelling of a man, mixed in with a warped howling sound.

Both girls stood stiff as statues, their faces and hands quivering.
Courtney was sniffling, holding back sobs.

Hazel whirled around and spit out a curse.

"Come on! Help us!" Hazel called up to the attic.

She ran back toward the door and slammed it open. Her breath was coming in ragged and hard. She was not a runner, and she had been hyperventilating only moments ago. Hazel couldn't breathe properly, and her chest was burning. A stitch was beginning to gnaw at her side.

She wanted to tell the girls to run, to get into the hallway and to the attic. She wanted to tell them that she would handle Amos' body. She couldn't catch her breath enough to speak, though, and all she could manage was a gasp as she pointed into the dark hallway with her left hand.

She hoped everyone else was coming down the stairs to help. Divide and conquer, that was the saying. If the Tartok managed to separate them and pick them off that way, they wouldn't last until morning.

There was no way to communicate that, though. She hoped her gesture would get through to them as she stood there, gasping for breath with the eagle and gun held in front of her.

Once she got to the attic, she was going to make everyone else take care of this crap.

The Tartok whirled around on hearing Hazel, snarling in frustration having been distracted from the two signatures before it.
Courtney took this opportunity to turn and try to make a dash down the stairs, which was a dire move.
On hearing her footsteps the beast whirled back around and, on seeing her movement, it arched forward and leapt with surprising strength.
Haley cried out and fear and dove to her right impulsively and slammed hard into the wall, which dazed her, though she still stood upright.

The Tartok seemingly flew through the air and slammed hard into Courtney, who had just barely started down the stairs.
They both sailed through the air and landed with twin crashes at the bottom of the staircase.
Courtney whimpered in fear and attempted to scamble up off the floor and run for the door.
The Tartok reached one powerful hand down and grabbed her by the neck, squeezing hard and lifting her into the air.
She choked and squeaked, gasping for air.
The Tartok's deformed mouth suddenly twisted into a sickening grin as it stated deep into her eyes, while she kicked and choked for air.

The Tartok raised it's left hand and stretched out it's two forefingers and, with severe force, thrust both fingers hard into Courtney's eyes, sending a spray of blood and tissue from her face and a screech of pain and terror from her mouth.
Her body went limp as the Tartok yanked it's boney fingers from her now bloody and empty eye sockets.
It slung her dead body across it's shoulders and rushed forward past the stairs down into the basement with it's prey.

Atop the stairs, Haley slumped down against the wall, having seen everything, gasps and sobs slipping from her mouth.
"O-oh my G-God..."She whimpered.

Hazel stared down at the blood splattered across the bottom of the stairs. Her stomach churned, and she regretted the cheesecake she made earlier. She turned to the side and emptied the contents of her stomach quietly for a moment.

"Come on. Grab Amos. We don't know how quickly it eats." Her voice was toneless and monotone as the shock settled ever deeper into her.

Hazel grabbed the bag Courtney had dropped, hung it off of her elbow again, hung the rifle along her back, and picked Amos up just the way she had held him earlier.

"Let's just get upstairs."

Hazel waited until Haley was situated and started moving toward the attic again.

"Hey!" She called up. "Hey! Actually fucking answer me this time!" She was angry, but her voice was hoarse, so she was trying not to get too loud. "Mark! Help us get Amos up there! He's knocked out and the stairs are screwed up. I swear if you keeping ignoring me I will take this eagle and get myself out of here."