Eva skidded to a halt at the threshold of the changing room. Her sharp feet dug into the ground in an effort to gain more traction. She threw both herself and Irene to the ground, shielding the two of them from a harsh impact with one fist.
Another creature burst through the wall just as Eva dived out of the way.
It had a human head once again, but it turned into a patchwork mess of parts below the neck. The legs looked more crustacean than anything else and the arms terminated in crystalline spears.
There were at least two more things inside the changing room and another outside.
The crab thing started skittering towards the two girls. Unlike the first, which slithered slow and steady, this thing was fast.
Eva pulled all of Arachne’s blood to her. It formed into five marbles orbiting the two.
One marble split off, forming a ring around one of the crab-legged creature’s legs. With a clap of her hands, the blood detonated. The creature let out an inhuman screech as it lost balance and collapsed.
Eva scrambled to her feet, dragging Irene up with her. There had to be an emergency exit or
“Maintenance room,” Irene said with a gesture towards one wall.
They started running again. Eva took care to dig her feet into the ground. Slipping wouldn’t end with just a scrape. Together, they hit the unmoving door.
It was locked.
Eva wasn’t in the mood. Not wanting to waste blood, Eva opted for a strong kick.
Splinters of wood exploded as her chitinous foot connected. It wouldn’t shut properly, but the one creature burst through a wall. Eva doubted an intact door would have helped in the first place.
“Any exits?” Eva said as she entered the room.
Pipes and valves littered one wall. Far less magical than should be allowed at a magic academy. Then again, connecting all the pipes from the obviously space expanded pool room to regular space had to be a headache all on its own.
A small window, barely big enough to fit either of their bodies, rested high in the wall opposite from the pipes. Eva sent one orb of her blood to stretch around the glass. With a clap of her hands, the glass came out in a single pane. It fell outwards and a moment later came the sound of glass shattering against the ground outside.
A sob from behind her stopped Eva’s brisk walk towards the window.
Whatever adrenaline had been holding Irene together evidentially took its leave. She collapsed to her hands and knees. Tear streaks ran down her face. Eva hadn’t noticed until now, but her tears had probably been going on since she first caught sight of the snake-cerberus thing.
Eva placed her hands underneath Irene’s arms and tried to lift her back to her feet. “Can’t stop now. That door didn’t keep me out. It being all broken isn’t going to keep them out.”
Irene shrugged Eva off. “What is this?” Her voice edged with hysteria. “It’s always you. Why is it always you? Jordan manages to not upset everything, why can’t you? Why do you have to be such a freak?”
Frowning, Eva clamped her hands around the girl once again. This time she gripped with far less care. A little blood was surely preferable to whatever those things had in mind. “Questions to ask after we are safe. I’m going to help you up to the window. Be careful with the glass around the edges and on the ground outside.”
For extra safety, Eva sent two orbs of blood up to harden over some of the glass. The blood wouldn’t be half as sharp and could stand up to pressure so long as Eva kept it under her control.
“…don’t have clothes,” Irene mumbled. At least she was getting to her feet.
Once Irene was steady, Eva moved over below the window and clasped her hands together. “Ready to boost you up. And you better hurry.” The snake-cerberus thing was approaching the door. Something else behind it crawled closer as well.
Irene stood frozen until a noise in the other room startled her into action. She might have made a few gymnasts envious with how she jumped from Eva’s hand onto the window sill. It was good that blood covered the glass, as she gripped the edges hard.
Eva kept track of the slithering snake as she helped shove Irene through the small window. “Is there anything out there?” Eva asked. She knew the answer, at least within about fifty feet, but having confirmation might set her own heart at ease.
“Nothing.”
A stunted response. Eva shook her head. She’d deal with that later. “Good. Watch your feet.”
Eva sent her last orb of blood through the crack in the door. It splattered against the human face of the snake-cerberus creature–it was getting far too close for comfort. The moment Irene’s foot left Eva’s hands, Eva clapped.
