Curses.
Riley's mind spun with curses in every language he had ever learned, and a few he had probably invented on the spot. Words that were not meant for children, not meant for anyone really. But in the face of almost certain death, maybe even the gods would allow him some leeway.
The figures of darkness closed in.
Their approach was deliberate, taunting, their forms twisting with every step as though the shadows themselves recoiled from them. They looked worse now, far worse, as if the very idea of nightmares had been sketched from their shapes.
The children trembled, their fear raw and unhidden. Riley saw it clearly, saw how their wide eyes and stifled sobs only seemed to amuse these creatures. The monsters fed on it, their voices curling through the air like knives.
"So are you really, huh?" one rasped, its words broken and wrong, distorted in a way that made the children cover their ears.
The other chuckled low. "Let's see. Let's see what you've been hiding."
