Free From Gods by Mary Ting Page B

sore and her lungs were about to explode. She had never run so fast in her entire life. With her hands on her knees, slumped over,air frantically rushed in and out of her body. Something wet on the bottoms of her feet caught her attention, and she realized she was standing on wet grass. The coolness from the contact eased the burning sensation on the soles of her feet.
    Still panting, she snuck a peek through the bushes and dabbed the trickling drops of sweat with her hand before they could fall. Parched and needing water, she smacked her lips and tongue. Finally, when her heart rate was steady, she spoke. “Did…umm…did you see what I saw?”
    Mason arched his brows in an “as if” fashion. “Yeesss. It was the reason why we were running.”
    Having him confirm what she saw validated that she was not going out of her mind, but she didn’t like his mocking tone. She turned to him and stuck her finger into his chest. Yup…it was firm alright. Then she dropped her hand. She hadn’t meant to touch him. “What were those things? And who are you?”
    Mason raised a brow, giving her an incredulous look, then placed his finger over his lips. “Shhh….not so loud. Is this the first time you’ve ever seen them?”
    “Is that the first time?” Suddenly, Skylar’s anger went up a notch. “I’ve never seen what I just saw ever in my entire life. In fact, right now, I’m not even sure if I’m dreaming or if this is real. Things like that don’t exist. It’s nothing near normal.”
    “What a minute. They were in your house. They’re after you, so who the hell are you?” he whispered sharply.
    Skylar scoffed, irritated by his apparent accusation that she was to blame for them showing up. “Are you kidding? I was perfectly fine until you showed up. I would’ve gone home, straight to bed, and that would have been the end of my night, but noooo…you came along, and now these creatures are following you. So, let me ask you again. Who are you?”
    Skylar thought about what she’d said. The monsters were in Kayla’s house. Logically speaking, they were after her or Kayla, or even perhaps her aunt, but not him.
    Mason placed his hands on her shoulders, as if his touch could pacify her. “Keep it down. You really don’t know who you are, do you?” His tone was softer than a second ago.
    Skylar peered up to him in mystification. “I know who I am,” she stated, giving him an attitude, but she couldn’t help but notice how close they were. She wanted to melt into him. Focus…focus…not on him, but on why I’m here.
    “Then tell me why I couldn’t make you forget I was the cop?”
    Because you were so darn cute . “What do you mean? How the hell do I know? So you were the cop that pulled me over? Why did you try to make me believe it wasn’t you? I don’t understand.” Skylar placed both palms of her hands on her face, hoping this mess would go away, and just be a nightmare she could wake up from.
    Why was this situation so complicated? Meet a cute guy. He likes you and you like him back. Fall in love and go on dates. Why? Why couldn’t that happen, instead of meet a cute guy and monsters chase after you. And you have no idea why all the craziness is happening, making you feel like you’re insane.
    Mason was thoroughly sweeping the street with his eyes. Since there was no sign of the monsters, he turned to Skylar. “Look…I’m sorry, but now is not the time to explain. I only dressed up like a cop for that day because I was told those ugly creatures we call vultures were in town. I thought they were in your trunk. I got a strange vibe from your car, so I had to check.”
    “What? In my trunk?” Skylar finally understood why he’d wanted her to pop the trunk. She thought it was an odd request, but she’d done it anyway. “So…I was right. You’re my Doug…I mean…you were Doug, right?”
    “It’s not my name. I borrowed a friend’s uniform. Obviously, his name is Doug.”
    “Isn’t that