A bright, piercing shriek echoes in the distance. The crowd gasps, and so do I, for I am certainly a part of this strange organism, no matter how unwilling I may be. The drums continue to pound as we hear three more cries rip through the night. An endless moment passes as we wait, watching the darkness for some sign of the outcome. Finally, movement at the edge of our straining vision. The drums begin to slow, to soften, to fall out of rhythm. They release us from the strange amalgam creature we had all become.

Storm & Shield