Free Ravenous (Book 1 The Ravening Series) by Erica Stevens

the thing continued to ensnare me.
       “Bethany!” Abby screamed.
       Then it was there, in front of my face, floating before my wide, terrified eyes. Those thousands of needlelike teeth clicked as they rippled over like dandelions blowing in a summer wind. Though it had no discernible eyes I knew it was staring at me, judging me, sizing me up; tormenting me before it delivered its killing blow.
       The thing screamed suddenly, rearing back. I recoiled, wincing as I waited for the death blow to be delivered, but it did not come. I winced as it constricted painfully upon me, nearly cracking my ribs with its intense pressure. The thing dropped suddenly, hissing and screaming as it plummeted out of my line of vision. I inhaled sharply, finally able to draw a full breath as its crushing embrace on my lungs eased.
       My gaze found Abby across the way. My younger, smaller sister was sitting over the creature. The piece of glass within her hands had been driven through my original wound, severing the thing in half. She was staring at me in wide eyed horror; blood smeared her delicate, fair cheeks. Gratitude filled me; I pulled the limp thing away from me, dropping it onto the floor as I rose shakily to my feet. There was far more strength and courage in Abby than I had realized.
       I had only a moment of relief though as all of the lights suddenly stopped flashing and became focused solely upon our house. The beams blazed brightly, lighting the room far more than even the sun would. I lifted my hand, attempting to block the blinding light from my burning eyes. “Abby, get away from the window,” I commanded softly.
       “Bethany?”
       “Get away from the window!” I ordered more fiercely, my teeth clenching tight as my body thrummed with a sense of impending doom.
       Abby crawled toward me; carefully avoiding the thing sprawled on the floor. “Hurry Abby, hurry!” I urged.
       She was almost to me when another window shattered. Glass sprayed inward, showering the room with its sharp slivers. It cut across my arms, sliced my flesh, and one imbedded deeply in my raised right forearm. A hiss of pain escaped me; I grabbed hold of the shard and tore it from my skin. Blood surged forth but I had no time to try and staunch the flow, or to tend to the wound. Abby was curled into the fetal position, her hands wrapped protectively around her head. Her screams were piercing as they echoed throughout the room.
       We had to get out of here. Now .
       I toss ed the glass aside as I ran toward Abby. “Get up Abby! Get up!” I grabbed hold of her shoulders, dragging her toward me. “Abby get up!”
       She was still screaming as she stumbled to her feet. Her cheek had been cut, glass was in her hair, but thankfully she seemed to have weathered the exploding window better than I had. “Grab the plywood. Abby, grab the plywood!”
       She was dazed ; her eyes wide and confused. Shock was evident in her slack features and glazed eyes. The courage she had just recently displayed seemed to have vanished before this fresh onslaught of brutality. I thought maybe I should slap her, that is what they did in movies after all, but I felt the last thing Abby needed was any more physical trauma right now. “Abby please, you have to help me. I can’t do this alone.”
       She was moving with me to the plywood when a burst of motion caught my attention. The window was full; there were at least twenty of those things there now. They moved and dodged and darted as gracefully as bees as they swarmed toward us. Bile surged up my throat, panic hammered through me. They were coming for us. All of us.
       “Move!” I cried.
       I grabbed hold of the plywood, lifting my mom swiftly off the floor. Abby grabbed the other end, sobs escaping her as she caught sight of the creatures rolling toward us. “Hurry Abby, hurry.” The tears streaking down her face cleansed some of the blood that had sprayed over her. “Go,”