A to Z Challenge - T is for Tawa

This is part of an ongoing story throughout the Challenge.

If you're just joining me now, please start with A is for Abby.

T IS FOR TAWA

"No." The word came out as barely a whimper.

There was an answering roar of pain from down the hall. The monsters had taken Demetrius to the ground. He was sitting on one, pounding another, and a third had just leapt onto his back.

There was no time for Abby to let loose her tears. She swiped at the monster who had swallowed Tawa with her sword, scratching it across the eyes, and then ran down the hall as her other blade emerged from her right hand. She used her momentum to skewer the creature on Demetrius' back. She hopped over him and tossed the dead thing into one of the rooms. She spun and chopped down another beast. Black blood splashed over the walls and dripped on her from the ceiling.

Demetrius killed the other two. Ignoring his wounds, he picked up his club and met the newly blinded monster as it tore down the hall at them. His swing sent it flying against the wall. Abby was there to stake it to the ground and disembowel it. There was nothing inside but shadows and ooze.

"No!" This time, her cry rattled her throat. Abby would have fallen to the floor if Demetrius didn't put an arm around her. A few shuddering sobs escaped her before she could speak again. "Tawa. It ate Tawa."

Demetrius held her closer, stroking her arm. "Tawa went down honorably. But there's no time for mourning. Now is the time for vengeance."

Since the night when Abby had killed her first monster, Tawa had been the only one who ever truly knew her. Her parents had no sympathy for a child's wild imagination. Her friends at school could never know. Then as an adult, no one knew her secret calling. Tawa wasn't only her teacher and guide, she was her confidante and best friend. Her life was a little less lonely with the stuffed hippo.

Now Tawa was gone.

"Vengeance." Abby numbly repeated. Her face hardened as she walked to the attic door and opened it.