Page 62 of Death Wish

The moment they solidified, they came at us, crawling over each other in a frenzy like something out of a horror film.

There was no way I was going to be able to get close enough to touch one of these things without getting hurt myself. Why did Cole get the gun? I needed one.

A rain of gunfire. He hit a few right off the bat, the smell of sulfur and burning rubber filling the enclosed space. But the ones that managed to break through uninjured rushed at us full force, leaping off the shelves and knocking over jars.

Glass shattered everywhere, spilling different pungent liquids and other ingredients.

The largest Halfling leapt for Cole. He shot at it but missed as it landed on top of him, toppling him to the floor. He held open his snapping jaws just inches away from his face.

I was about to reach for him to help, but needle-like nails dug into my calf and tugged back hard. I slammed onto the ground. Pain ricocheted throughout every muscle, and I couldn’t stop the scream from leaving my mouth.

Suddenly, I was being dragged across the floor. The creature holding on had a hunched back, its spine protruding through its thin, blackened skin, and a mouth that was too wide for its face. A true thing of nightmares.

I grabbed for the Halfling’s taloned fingers, all the while praying the white light would reappear and blast the bastard back to Hell.

The moment I made contact, a flash of blinding light exploded from my palm, consuming the room entirely.

A wail of pain sounded, and when the light dissipated, the creature I had been clashing with was gone.

Gone. Poof. Just like that.

Vaporized or just transported somewhere else?

From the shriek, I would put my money on the former.

I stared at my palms again. Like the other times, they were completely normal from my standards. Nothing that could hint at having super demon-zapping powers, but I’d take it. Anything that would help me survive this madness.

Before I could revel in my upgrade, I was smacked in the head by a pain so excruciating, my vision blurred. My entire body convulsed from the shock of it, and my world tilted. I cried out as the room began to disappear.

“Jade!”

Cole’s shouts were the only thing keeping me grounded. I hung onto consciousness by a thin string. Warmth pulsated through me, engulfing me, but instead of a soothing feeling, it left me perspiring and sickly. It seemed like my body’s reaction was getting worse and worse with every use of my new power. Maybe I was tapping into something I wasn’t supposed to. Something too great for me to control.

When I found Cole, he was wrestling with the same Halfling, doing everything he could to avoid its teeth from sinking into his neck. His gun lay feet away, lost during their fighting.

I struggled to my feet. When another jolt of pain ricocheted through my skull, tears prickled my eyes. I took several deep breaths and forced myself to stand just as another half-demon lunged for Cole.

Ignoring my body’s protests, I ran at it on wobbly legs and tackled it to the ground. We both fell with a boom, and I swore the ground shook underneath us. My fighting style definitely wasn’t the cleanest or most precise, but damn was it efficient.

The massive creature bucked wildly, like a spooked horse, and in its thrashing, managed to land a kick to my stomach. All my breath shot out of my lungs in an instant, making me sputter and cough.

The beast whirled on me, fangs bared.

Clenching my fist, I sucker punched it straight in its already unhinged jaw.

Again, when my hand made contact, the light appeared, drowning the room in brightness and making me wince.

Then nothing. The Halfling had disappeared.

As expected, the punishment for unleashing the power struck me next, doubling me over. It was as if dozens of tiny little hot knives were poking into my brain over and over, and barbed wire raked through my gut.

When vomit rocketed up my esophagus, I didn’t fight it. Everything in my stomach spilled onto the floor.

Yep, eggs, pancakes, sausage, and coffee. It was all there.

I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand.

The scurrying of claws retreating sounded, and when I glanced over my shoulder, I spotted the other Halflings fleeing to the shopfront and hopefully to whatever hole they’d crawled out of.

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