The Daring Leap
Lexa tugged Clarke to her left, taking the few steps to the rail by the landing. She pulled herself up on the bottom rung and urged Clarke to do the same. She looked back when all she felt was resistance.
“What are you doing? Are you insane?” Clarke’s wide eyes looked from the office door and back to the substantial thirty-foot drop from the landing to the bottom floor.
“We don’t have time to argue. Let’s go.”
One glance towards the stairs confirmed her statement. The creature was ambling closer and closer. It raised its fire hand in the air, poised to throw the flame towards them. Lexa gave a desperate look, pleading with her eyes, and nearly sighed in relief as Clarke clambered up on the rungs.
“I'll go for the left. You, the right. On three.”
Lexa didn’t even have time to start her countdown. The hiss and crackle of flames grew louder as the fireball hurled towards them. Lexa jumped a fraction of a second after Clarke, her fingers wrapping frantically around the purple rope. A hiss tore through her gritted teeth as the friction burned her iron grip. The agonizing traction slowed her descent to a full stop, and Lexa spared a glance to her right. Clarke swung on her rope, her face in a permanent grimace. She nodded wildly, and both loosened their grip enough to slide down the rope.
Feet securely on the tiled ground, Lexa looked back at their hunter, the demon glaring at them over the railing. Ignoring the scorching burns on her palms, Lexa grabbed for Clarke’s hands. “Are you okay?”
“That’s a loaded question,” Clarke hissed in pain, her face scrunching up. Lexa released the gentle hold she had on her, but Clarke reached back down, intertwining their fingers once again.
“We should get out of here.”
Despite the adrenaline still coursing through her veins, Lexa curled her lips in a small smile. She guided Clarke through the hallways towards the back exit, sighing in relief when her eyes landed on that beautiful glowing green sign. She tugged Clarke’s hand, eager to get the hell out of there, and broke into a jog. They were feet from the door. So close. When a figure stepped in front of them, halting the pair in their tracks.
Lexa instinctively put her body slightly in front of Clarke as she stared down the demon. It snarled its mangled jaw, a deep dark growl bubbling up from its massive chest. Lexa’s eyes darted all around her, desperate to find something to defend them with.
The creature flexed its arms at its side, flames erupting in both hands, and Lexa took a quick step to the right. She had every intention of grabbing the standing flagpole that was just out of reach and use it as a spear of some sort, but just as her hand was reaching for the pole, an office chair hurdled across the tiled floor and collided with the demon, sending it crashing to the floor.
Lexa barely had time to register Clarke settling her outstretched leg to the floor before she was being pulled towards the door. Clarke guided them around the stunned creature, her hand pushing the safety bar. Lexa was hit full force by the fresh, brisk air, but before she was pulled through the threshold, her eye caught something resting on the floor.
A pentagram made of what appeared to be twigs lay on the tile. In Lexa’s minimal knowledge of supernatural creatures, she recognized the symbol as something generally associated with the demonic. Something was screaming at her that this thing was necessary, but Clarke was also pleading with her beautiful and terrified blue eyes to get the hell out of there.
Lexa should…
