Her voice echoed around the schoolyard "Please help me daddy" followed by sobbing that sounded so much like her that he almost came out from underneath the car to rescue his little girl. Almost. As soon as the Gliwlic realised he wasn't fooled it switched tactics completely, it didn't want to tug at his aching heartstrings anymore, it wanted to rip them out and floss its teeth with them.
It stood up on its seven heavily segmented legs and let loose a thunderous roar that came from deep within its cavernous chest. He felt every bone in his body rattle, his teeth juddering in place as he clenched his jaw and prayed he wasn't drawing its attention. Much as he missed his dear little girl he did not want to join her. Not yet.
After several tense moments of silence he opened his eyes and found himself struggling not to scream as he saw it walking right towards the side of the road where he and several other grieving parents were hidden away under their cars. They'd all received its messages in their lost children's voices all saying a strange man had left them at the school.
Back in his day the Gliwlic was just a schoolyard myth, something to frighten the younger pupils and also instil a fear of strangers in them, to protect them. Now it was very much alive and standing right in front of the car beside his. He hadn't seen its head yet but the stories said it looked like an old gas mask made from the skins of its victims.
He hoped it wasn't true and soon found out just how true it was as the Gliwlic crouched down to meet the gaze of Mrs Breathnach who came for her young Gawain. She was smiling like she'd found him as she gently held onto the outstretched talons of the Gliwlic and maybe she was seeing his face. Maybe that's what the Gliwlic did - it showed you your loved ones one last time.
He waited to see if it would kill her and decided that if the death was quick enough, he'd go next.
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