The Ambrose Beacon

by Alena Gouveia

  Chapter 18

  Monday Night, January 10th

  Cole jogged ahead of the rest of the group while listening for sounds of pursuit behind them. He could hear the fire continuing to rage where he knew their house had stood, but the only other sounds he could hear came from his family and their friends running behind him. He couldn’t believe that their house had been destroyed. He had spent most of his life in that house, and most of his memories of his family were tied to it. And now it was gone, along with everything that they had owned. Everything that he had associated with his mother was being consumed by fire as they fled for their lives. And he didn’t even have time to mourn.

  As they continued to run, the sounds that Cole had been listening for suddenly reached his ears.

  “They’re coming,” Louis said loudly from Harper’s back.

  Cole looked over at his little brother in surprise. He had barely heard the sound of their pursuers, and his hearing was the most sensitive of their group. At least, he thought it was.

  “You can hear them?” Cole asked Louis.

  Louis nodded silently, his eyes huge. “They’re behind us - where the trees start next to the driveway,” he said as he looked behind them.

  Cole stopped for a moment to listen more closely. Louis was right. The demons had just entered the forest. Jason and the rest of the group stopped and looked behind them, hoping they could see what Louis had heard, but dreading seeing it at the same time. Harper stopped and looked at Cole, seeking confirmation from him of what Louis had said.

  “He’s right. They just entered the forest,” Cole said to his uncle with a nod.

  He could hear the labored breathing of Jason and Tina, but as he looked briefly at the rest of his family, they looked like they had been out for a leisurely stroll, not running through the forest. None of them were breathing hard or showing any signs of serious exertion. And he realized suddenly that he could sense something coming from each of them. It was something that he couldn’t explain, but something that he knew tied him to each of them in some strange way. The only one that he couldn’t sense it from was Billie. He hoped it meant that she had been spared the unusual heritage that had been passed to the rest of them. If it meant that she would be left alone by the demons, he hoped that she had none of the powers that the rest of them had.

  Harper looked at his oldest nephew and nodded. Cole heard his uncle reach out with his thoughts to the wolves that had stopped a few yards in front of them. He asked them how much further it was through the trees to the McCallister house. They saw distances differently than people did, but Cole understood them anyway.

  “We’re not even halfway,” he whispered to his uncle, hoping that the others wouldn’t hear him. He knew Louis could hear him, but he was certain that Louis could have heard him no matter how softly he spoke. “Uncle Harper, they’ll catch us before we reach the house!”

  Harper looked back in the direction from which they had come, and then in the direction of the McCallister house. He knew that Cole was right. There was no way that they would make it to the house before the demons reached them. They had to do something to slow them down. He thought of sending the wolves to slow them, but he knew that with only seven of the pack left, they would be slaughtered by the demons. And any time they could buy would be minimal. He needed to place a more formidable obstacle in front of them so that as many of his family as possible could make it to the house. And he still believed that Cole was the one they were after, so it was essential that he ensure Cole’s safety. As he looked at the rest of the Ambrose children, he made a painful decision.

  “We’ll stay here and slow them down,” Harper said to Cole. He looked over at Dinah and Vaughan and added, “I’d like you two to help, if you’re up to it. The rest of you will continue on to the house and we’ll follow after you.”

  “Are you crazy!?” Jason asked as Harper put Louis down. “Harper, they’re kids. No matter what they’ve done against those things so far, they’re still just kids. You can’t put them in danger like that.”

  “They’re already in danger, Jason!” Harper yelled. “We all are! And unless we figure out a way to slow those demons down, none of us will make it!”

  It was the first time they had seen him lose control that night, and it stunned everyone into silence. Harper immediately regretted yelling at Jason, but it was too late. The silence continued until he managed to recompose himself. He looked around at everyone before continuing, “I don’t like this any more than you do. I would never willingly place any of my sister’s children in danger unless I had no other choice.” The inner turmoil was obvious on his face as he looked around at each of them. “But I don’t see any other way. And all we have to do is slow them down. They’re after Cole, so we’ll be able to retreat once we do slow them down.” Harper looked over at Vaughan and Dinah again, “But I will not try to force you to do this. You must make the choice; both of you.”

  “Of course I’ll help, Uncle Harper,” Dinah said with a resolute expression. She looked over at Vaughan, though she knew the answer he would give.

  “Me too,” Vaughan said and then gulped. “I mean, I’ll help slow them down too.” He held his sword in his hands and managed to look formidable in spite of his small size.

  “No way,” Cole said while shaking his head. “None of you are fighting those things because of me.” Tears filled his eyes as he thought of losing any one of his family members. He wouldn’t allow it.

  Dinah walked over to him and took his hands, “Cole, Uncle Harper’s right. You’ve got to get to safety. And you’ve got to take Billie and Louis with you.” She smiled at him reassuringly and then kissed him on the cheek as she whispered in his ear, “I promise we’ll be alright. We’ll only fight them enough to slow them down and then we’ll run for it.”

  Cole looked at his sister and could see the promise in her eyes. He looked at Vaughan, who nodded once at him. He had seen Dinah’s strength and speed and knew that it was more than a match for the demons. And the way Vaughan had fought to defend them near the overturned van left little doubt that he could handle himself against them. And then Cole looked at his Uncle Harper. He hadn’t seen his uncle face the demons, but he remembered what he had said about the Aes Sidhe. Cole had little doubt that a great power resided within his uncle, and that he would use that power to defend Vaughan and Dinah to the death.

  “They’re getting closer,” Louis whispered as he walked over to where Jason stood and took his hand. Jason looked down at him with wide eyes. Tina had tears streaming down her cheeks as she took Jason’s other hand.

  Cole faced his uncle as he finally accepted that his plan was the only one that stood a chance of succeeding. As he looked at the three members of his family, he wondered if he was looking at any of them for the last time. “Please be careful,” he said quietly to his uncle. “And keep them safe.”

  Cole looked over at Cody, who stood facing the direction from which they had come. He sent a mental request to the dog.

  Of course, Cole, Cody answered in Cole’s head. I’ll stay with them.

  Cole took Billie from Dinah’s arms and hugged his oldest sister quickly.

  “I’ll see you in a bit,” she whispered reassuringly.

  Cole hugged Vaughan and then his uncle and nodded once to Cody. And then he turned to the others. He heard Aidan whine and saw her run between the two groups as if she was upset. She looked like she couldn’t decide which group to stay with, and for some reason, that was the hardest thing for Cole to see. The poor dog’s distress epitomized what each of them was feeling at that moment. Finally, she sat next to Cole and looked up at him, whining softly.

  He looked at the three who were staying behind one last time before turning to the others. “Let’s go,” he said.

  As they walked away with Aidan following behind them, Cole only looked back once. He saw his uncle, his two younger siblings, and
Cody fan out and face the dark shapes that were slowly approaching through the trees. With great difficulty, he turned his head as he moved toward the McCallister house. He said a silent prayer that it wasn’t the last time he would see his uncle or his siblings again.

  Jerry turned the car on to the road leading to his home and felt some of the tension in his body release. The snow continued to fall heavily, and it was difficult for him to make out the street as he hurried along it. But they were almost home.

  “What’s that light up there?” Larry asked suddenly as he pointed at the left of the windshield.

  Jerry looked and saw a bright orange glow through the blowing snow. He felt a stab of fear hit his heart as he realized that the glow was coming from where his house stood. He knew that it couldn’t be good.

  They made the turn onto the driveway and the car slipped briefly in the snow, before righting itself. Once the car had straightened, Jerry slammed on the accelerator.

  “Look out!” Larry screamed suddenly as he threw his hands in front of his face.

  Jerry saw what his partner had a split-second later, and it was already too late. He slammed on the brakes, but even the anti-lock braking system couldn’t keep them from colliding with the large tree that blocked the driveway. The front of the car slammed into it with such force that the rear tires lifted from the ground for a moment before slamming back to the ground. Twin explosions rocked the car as both front airbags deployed and Jerry saw a flash of white before his face hit something hard but yielding at the same time. The sound of crunching metal and shattering glass seemed to last forever before quiet finally took over.

  Jerry felt a blast of cold air and looked over to his left to see that his window had shattered. An acrid smell filled the air and he saw smoke rising from the now-deflated airbags. He looked to his right and saw Larry move his head slightly through the clearing smoke and saw the branch that had come within inches of his partner’s head.

  “Are you okay?” Jerry asked worriedly.

  “Unh, I punched myself in the face,” Larry groaned. He moved his neck back and forth slowly before adding, “At least we know the airbags work.”

  Jerry looked over at his partner and saw a small stream of blood pouring from his nose.

  “You okay?” Larry asked as he wiped his nose with his sleeve.

  Jerry felt like he had been punched in the face too, but he felt otherwise okay. “I think so,” he answered with a groan. “What the hell is a tree doing lying across the driveway?”

  “I have no idea,” Larry answered. “But I’m sure the tree was wondering what the hell a car is doing crashing into it. It’s all about perspective.” He undid his seat belt and pushed his door open, “Let’s see how bad this is.”

  Larry pushed past the branch that blocked his exit and stepped out into the cold. Jerry stepped out a moment later and looked at what was left of the front end of their sedan. It was a strange thought to have at that moment, but the first thing that popped into his head was the huge amount of paperwork that he was going to have to complete to explain the accident and the total loss of their assigned vehicle.

  “I’m no mechanic, but I don’t think this car is going anywhere soon,” Larry said as he surveyed the damage. He was quiet for a moment before he looked over at Jerry. “Sid, please tell me that’s not your house on fire,” Larry said softly.

  But Jerry had already seen what Larry had. It was what he had feared the moment they had seen the orange glow in the distance. His house – the house that he and Arianna had built together, the home in which they had raised five children, the home that had been his only remaining tangible link to his dead wife – was engulfed in flames.

  “I’m sure Harper and the kids weren’t in there,” Larry said reassuringly, though his words sounded hollow.

  Jerry did not believe that any of his family had been in the home. “They weren’t. I can feel it.” As he said it, he knew that it sounded strange. But it was true. He not only knew that his children were safe, he somehow knew that they were nearby. He also knew that they were in some kind of danger.

  “I’m sorry about the house,” Larry said quietly. “I know what it meant.” He looked like he was about to say something else, but he just closed his mouth and shook his head slightly.

  Jerry could only stare dumbly ahead. It was difficult to make out any details through the blowing snow, but he could tell by the intensity of the blaze that nothing could have survived it. Everything they owned was gone.

  “Hey, what’s that over on the side of the driveway?” Larry asked suddenly, breaking the mesmerizing effect of the flames.

  Before Jerry could answer, Larry walked over to what looked like a large gray lump lying next to what he guessed was the top of the fallen tree. Larry’s form faded in the snow until Jerry could barely make him out against the darkness behind him.

  “Sid, you’d better come take a look at this,” Larry’s voice drifted over to Jerry. He sounded strangely subdued, and his tone brought Jerry’s senses immediately alert.

  Jerry ran over to where his partner stood and as he neared the large shape behind Larry, he realized with dread what it was. It was Harper’s van, overturned in the snow. It looked like it had hit the top of the tree as it had tried to avoid it and landed on its side. Jerry watched with baited breath as Larry looked in through the shattered windshield and then at something on the ground next to it. He reached down and picked something up from the snow, and Jerry saw a flash of pink in his hand.

  “There’s no one inside,” Larry said to his partner before walking over to where he stood. “But I found this.”

  Larry handed the pink thing over and Jerry looked down to see the familiar shape of one of Billie’s winter hats. “It’s Billie’s,” he said quietly. “She must have dropped it when they crawled out of the wreck.”

  Larry shivered in the cold and rubbed his hands along his arms. “But where did they go after they crawled out? They couldn’t go back to the house, and it’s too cold to stay outside with the kids.”

  Jerry tried to think of what Harper would have done. Without transportation, they had to find the nearest shelter.

  “James McCallister’s house,” Jerry said with a smile. “They must have gone through the woods to his house. It’s only a few miles through the trees, and Harper never would have taken them outside without warm clothing.”

  Larry nodded as he continued to shiver, “That’s not a bad idea. The warm clothing, I mean. We’d better grab our coats and head after them.”

  Jerry nodded before tucking his daughter’s hat into his pocket and heading back to the car, with Larry following behind him. They each grabbed their coats and Jerry was heading toward the trees when Larry grabbed his arm.

  “Aren’t you forgetting something?” Larry asked as he held out his hand.

  Jerry looked at him in confusion, waiting for him to say something. After a second of silence, Jerry gently pulled his arm away. “I don’t have time for games, Larry,” he told him. “My kids are in danger.”

  “I realize that, Captain Obvious,” Larry answered, still holding out his hand. “And it’s why we’re not going anywhere without a little extra help. Someone or something set fire to your house and I’d bet my large rear end that that tree didn’t fall over into the driveway from exhaustion. Something knocked it over, which means someone was trying to keep Harper and the kids from leaving. They’re being chased. And I don’t plan on meeting up with whatever or whoever is chasing them if we’re not ready.” Larry stared at him as he continued to hold out his hand, but Jerry didn’t understand what he meant. “The keys, genius,” he finally explained.

  Jerry smiled as he realized what his partner meant and fished in his pocket for the keys to the car. Larry moved to the rear of the car and unlocked the trunk before raising the lid. The back of the car was filled with heavier guns, ammunition, and protective gear. They both stripped off their
coats and donned bullet-proof vests and filled the pockets with clips of ammunition before putting their outer coats back on. Each of them took one of the assault rifles from the mounts in the trunk and then Larry closed it again. The weight of the equipment brought with it a sense of readiness, and more importantly, control. He hadn’t felt in control since they had left Colorado Springs and had felt what was left of it slipping through his fingers. But being so heavily armed made him feel like they were ready to face whatever lay ahead of them.

  “Now we’re ready,” Larry said as he headed toward the trees. “Try to keep up, will you?”

  Jerry chuckled as he thought of the distance between where they were and James McCallister’s house. It was only a few miles, but it was through deepening snow and Larry was a big guy. He had no doubt that his partner would lose much of his cockiness before they had reached the halfway point.

  Jerry thought of his children again and hoped that Harper had managed to get them to safety. As he and Larry jogged to within a few yards of the trees, Jerry saw something that caught his eye as it stood near the edge of the forest. When he looked straight at it, the blowing snow quickly obscured his vision. But he had been certain that he had seen three people standing there, watching him and Larry. And one of them had looked just like Anna, the girl who had come to his house selling magazines and who he had later seen on the news as a missing person. He stopped in confusion, but the snow was blowing too heavily for him to make out anything more than ten yards from his face.

  “Come on, Sid,” Larry called impatiently. He was already breathing hard and they had only just entered the woods. Jerry hoped that his partner could make it all the way to his neighbor’s house.

  Cole jogged with Billie in his arms as he scanned the trees ahead of him for any sign of the demons. The snow wasn’t as deep so far into the woods, but he knew that it was slowing Tina and Jason down. Cole could hear them both breathing hard, but neither complained. He looked back and saw Louis jogging beside Jason, but his little brother was barely winded and was running with his head tilted, as if he was listening for something. Aidan jogged beside Tina as she turned her head from side to side, scanning the trees.

  A noise drifted to his ears from behind them and he recognized it as the sound of something moving through the snow. It was separate and distinct from the sounds that Cole and the others made. He stopped to listen and recognized the sound for what it was - some of the demons had broken off from the main group to pursue them. They were moving quickly, but cautiously. He looked back at Louis.

  “I hear them, too,” Louis said as he looked back at Cole with wide eyes. “Back there,” he added as he looked back quickly before returning his stare to his older brother.

  Louis looked over at Mr. Holt, who seemed to be muttering something under his breath as he ran. He thought it was odd, and was about to ask him what he was doing. But then he heard a difference in the sounds behind them.

  “Cole!” he shouted. “They’re splitting up. Some of them are moving off to the side.”

  Cole stopped and waited for Louis to catch up to him. “What do you mean?” he asked his little brother.

  “They’re moving over there,” Louis said as he pointed to the right of the group. “They’re moving away from us.”

  Cole looked at where Louis was pointing in confusion. But when he listened closely, he could tell that his little brother was right.

  “Why would they move away from us?” Tina asked as she moved closer to Jason. “Are some of them giving up?”

  Cole shook his head as he looked back at her. She was still breathing hard, but not exceptionally so. Tina looked like she was in far better shape than Jason, who was practically gasping for breath. He didn’t speak, but was looking up at the tree branches around them and seemed to be mumbling something under his breath. Cole thought his behavior seemed strange, but under the circumstances, he couldn’t blame him. Tina continued to stare back at him, expecting an answer. Cole noticed for the first time that she didn’t seem nearly as afraid as he would have expected. He thought of everything that she had seen and how she had not only accepted it stoically, but had insisted on staying with them. It was a quality that reminded Cole of his mother, and made him grateful that Tina was with them.

  “I don’t know what it means,” Cole answered. “But I don’t think they’re giving up.”

  Suddenly, they heard a strange growling sound from behind them. At first, they thought that it was just the demons expressing some kind of frustration, but there had been a definite pattern to it, as if it was some kind of language. Louis heard the pattern in the sounds and heard the second group of demons that was moving away from them growl something in response. And then he heard the direction in which the second group was heading change. He looked over at Cole in confusion.

  “Crap,” Cole said under his breath. “The second group’s moving toward Mr. McCallister’s house. They’re going to try to cut us off.”

  Cole sent a quick message to the wolves running ahead of them and heard their confirmation back a split-second later. They offered to attack the second group of demons, but Cole told them not to. There were at least a dozen of the demons in that group, and Cole knew that they would slaughter the wolves. He asked them to track the demons, instead.

  “What do we do?” Tina asked. Even she could hear the demons behind them now. They were getting closer.

  Sounds of ringing metal and a scream drifted back to where they stood, and Cole knew immediately what it was. His family had started fighting the other demons behind them. He hoped the scream had been from one of the enemy, and not from one of his family.

  “We have no choice,” Cole answered grimly. “We’ve got to keep moving. I’ll try to figure something out in the meantime.”

  Tina looked at him and nodded resolutely as she said, “Let’s go, then.” She started jogging forward without waiting for anyone to respond, but they all followed her.

  “Are you going to fight the monsters, Cole?” Billie asked quietly from his arms as he increased his pace to pull slightly ahead of the others.

  “Only if I have to Billie,” Cole answered. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure we get there safe.”

  “I know,” Billie answered as she snuggled against his neck.

  Even though the cold didn’t bother Cole, the warmth of his little sister’s skin against his own seemed to give him a fresh wave of strength. He still didn’t feel like he had recovered from his brush with death earlier that day, but he at least felt like he had enough strength to defend them if he had to. At least, he hoped he did.

  Louis heard Mr. Holt’s mumblings grow louder as they ran, and he looked up at his teacher in confusion. He saw several pine needles fall in front of him and looked up to see the tree branches above them shaking, though there didn’t appear to be any wind blowing through the woods. He looked over at Mr. Holt again and saw him smiling as he stared up at the trees. Again, he was about to ask what he was doing, but he heard something suddenly directly ahead of them.

  “Cole, they’re in front of us,” Louis said loudly to his older brother.

  “I know,” Cole answered. He stopped and turned to face Tina. “Take Billie, I’ll lead them away from you while you make a break for Mr. McCallister’s house,” he told her as he handed Billie to her.

  Billie looked back at him as tears formed in her eyes, but she didn’t say anything. Tina nodded before answering, “We only need a few minutes.” She could see the lights from the McCallister house in the distance and knew that they were almost there. “Be careful, Cole,” she added as she reached out and squeezed his hand.

  Louis watched the exchange between his brother and Ms. Waverly with a sick feeling in his stomach. He was afraid for Cole, and knew that he had to do something. He remembered what he had heard from the first group of demons before the second group had moved off to the right. It had sounded like some kind of langu
age, and like the first group had been telling the second to do something. He remembered the sounds they had made. But he didn’t just remember them, he remembered them exactly.

  Louis shouted into the night, where he knew the second group of demons to be waiting, repeating the sounds that he had heard earlier. Everyone turned and stared at him in shock, but the only response he heard from the demons ahead were some confused-sounding growls. And they hadn’t moved from where they waited, blocking the way to Mr. McCallister’s house. Louis shouted the same thing in to the night again, but this time he tried to put a tone of urgency into his voice. He listened for some kind of response, but could hear nothing at first. Finally, he heard the sound of the demons ahead of them moving.

  “They’re moving out of our way,” Cole said, mystified. The wolves told him that the demons had moved, confirming what he heard. He heard the same surprise that he felt in the mental images they had sent. Cole turned to face his little brother and asked, “How did you do that?”

  Louis shrugged his shoulders before answering, “I just remembered what the first group of demons said the last time. And it made them move, so I thought I’d try it again.”

  Cole looked at his brother in amazement. The sounds that had come from his mouth would have been hard for any human to make, but Louis had managed to repeat the sounds they had heard earlier exactly as he had heard them. Cole knew that this could only be another manifestation of their heritage. And as he thought of what it meant, he knew that it could only mean that Louis was a possible beacon, as well. Solas, he corrected himself as he remembered the word his uncle had used. He hated the thought of his youngest brother becoming a target of the demons, but was thankful that his intervention had bought them some time.

  “Cole, let’s go before they turn back,” Tina said as she clutched Billie to her. As if to underscore the urgency in her voice, a scream pierced the night.

  They all looked back in the direction from which they had run and Cole wondered who had screamed. He hoped again that it had been a demon and not someone from his family. His mind struggled not to think such thoughts, but he was too worried. He looked over at where Tina stood and remembered his responsibility to the people around him. He had to get them safely to Mr. McCallister’s house.

  Cole looked at Tina and nodded. “We’re almost there,” he told her. “When we clear the trees, we run as fast as we can for the house, okay?”

  Everyone nodded in return. He checked one last time with the wolves to be sure that the path ahead was clear, and received a quick confirmation from them in response.

  “Let’s go,” he said as he jogged toward the edge of the trees and the McCallister house.

  As they approached the edge of the tree line, Cole saw something move in the snow beyond the woods. He held his hand up to the group to stop them and then held his finger to his lips. The snow continued to fall heavily beyond the trees, though it barely fell within them. The falling snow made it difficult to make out the details of what he saw, but he was sure that it was a person. And that person was holding something in its hands in a menacing way. He looked back at the others and held his hand up, indicating that he wanted them to wait. Tina nodded in response, but Jason still looked like his mind was elsewhere. Cole saw his lips moving, as if he was talking to himself, and he hoped that Jason wasn’t losing his mind. Cole looked down at Louis, who nodded once as he stared back. He was holding Jason’s hand, but Cole wondered if it was for comfort or if he was keeping Jason from falling behind.

  Cole turned around and crept as quietly as he could to the edge of the trees. As he moved forward, the shape began to resolve itself. He could tell now that it was definitely a person, and that the menacing object in the person’s hand was a rifle. He couldn’t remember seeing any of the demons with any kind of gun, even when they took human form, but he knew that it didn’t mean that it wasn’t one of them. The person moved forward suddenly, though at a slow and careful pace. Cole tensed as he readied himself to charge the person if he had to.

  “Hello?” a voice carried to Cole through the snow. “Who’s that in the trees?”

  Cole breathed a huge sigh of relief as he recognized the voice. It was Mr. McCallister.

  “Hello, sir,” Cole answered loudly. “It’s Cole Ambrose.” He stepped from the trees and into the snow.

  James McCallister looked back at him with a confused look on his face. “Cole?” he asked. “What on earth are you doing in the woods on a night like this? You should be inside where it’s warm.” He looked behind Cole for a moment, and seemed to be searching the trees for something.

  Cole tried to think of what he should say to his neighbor, but couldn’t think of any excuse that would sound plausible, especially when he brought the others out from the trees. He decided that he should be honest, at least partly.

  “We’re in trouble, Mr. McCallister,” Cole said. “Our house burned down and Uncle Harper’s van is flipped. We need help, please.” He heard the catch in his voice and realized how relieved he was to see his neighbor.

  “Who’s we? You mean there are more besides you?” James McCallister asked. But then he seemed to think twice about his question. “Hell, that doesn’t matter. Let’s get you all inside. Where are the folks who are with you?”

  “I’ll be right back,” Cole answered before turning around and heading back into the trees. He jogged the few yards to where the others were waiting. He could hear the demons that followed them quite clearly now, and he knew they had to be close.

  “We heard you speaking to someone,” Tina told him as she held Billie to her. “Louis said it was Mr. McCallister, but I wanted to be sure.”

  Cole smiled at her as he answered, “Louis was right. Mr. McCallister is waiting just beyond the trees. And those demons are almost here, so let’s go.”

  They jogged as a group to where James waited, just beyond the edge of the trees. He looked at the two teachers in surprise for only a moment before turning to Cole.

  “Son, where’s the rest of your family?” James asked Cole.

  “They’re coming up behind us,” Cole answered, hoping that what he said was true.

  “Well, come on,” James said as he beckoned with one hand. “Let’s get you inside. Maybe those damned wolves will leave me alone if I do.”

  They all walked quickly toward the house, which they could just barely see through the snow. The porch lights were all on, and the sight pulled at Cole and the others, promising warmth and safety.

  “The wolves, sir?” Cole asked as he realized what his neighbor had said.

  “Yeah,” James answered. “It’s why I came outside. Those wolves came scratching at my door and wouldn’t leave me in peace until I followed them out here.” He trudged through the deepening snow, which reached up to his knees, plowing a path for the others to use. “And I’d bet they’re the same wolves that chased your sister over here yesterday. I recognized the big black one that’s leading them.”

  Cole sent his gratitude to the wolves, but they only responded with a sense of urgency. He could tell from their thoughts that the demons were closing on them. Cole stepped aside to let the others in front of him as he looked back into the trees. He could see no sign of their pursuers, but could hear the sounds of them moving through the snow. The ruse that Louis had pulled had been discovered, and they were coming after Cole and the others again. He couldn’t tell how many of them were in pursuit, but he could hear that there were many.

  “Come on everyone!” Cole said loudly as he brought up the rear. “They’re right behind us!”

  Cole saw James look back at him with a frown of concern, but instead of asking what Cole meant, James quickened his pace, continuing to plow through the snow. He looked back every few steps, but not at Cole. He watched the trees, instead. The others followed as quickly as they could, except Jason. Louis pulled him along as if he was in some kind of trance, and Cole could s
ee that Jason’s lips were still moving.

  Suddenly, Louis turned his head and looked at Cole through widened eyes as he shouted, “Here they come!”

  Cole turned to look back at the trees, but he knew what he would see. At least a dozen of the demons were running through the trees toward them, with three of the creatures already past the forest and into the open air.

  “Run!” Cole shouted over his shoulder as he faced the creatures. He would buy the others as much time as he could. He asked the wolves to cover them as they made their way to the house, which was still nearly thirty yards further, and he heard them acknowledge his request. There was a sense of sadness to their thoughts that Cole had never sensed before. It only took him a second to realize that they were already mourning his loss. They knew as well as he did that he didn’t have the strength to face so many of the creatures, but they would honor his wish to protect the others and not him. He felt the familiar vibrations of his power passing through his body at the sight of the demons and readied himself mentally to fight them.

  A cry of surprise came from behind Cole and he heard Louis yell, “Mr. Holt, what are you doing!?”

  Cole turned to see Jason running toward him, his arms held up and his face full of fury. He stopped a few feet behind Cole and shouted a string of words in a language that Cole had never heard before. A strange wave of some kind of energy passed through Cole and sped toward the trees.

  Cole looked on in shock as the trees started moving. Branches moved and knit themselves with those of the trees next to them to form a barrier in front of the bulk of the demons, stopping them from crossing the tree line. And then the entire forest near the trapped demons erupted into a cacophony of sounds. Cole could hear the snapping of wood and the wetter sound of what he guessed to be the snapping of bone as roars of fury and pain pierced the night. The noise continued for several seconds before finally stopping. Cole stared at the trees as the woven branches released each other and he could finally see between them again.

  The snow in a huge circle within the trees had been churned up and the ground was covered with fallen pine needles and splinters of wood. It looked like a small tornado had torn through the trees. And there was no sign of any of the demons that had been trapped when the forest had come to life.

  The three demons who had managed to clear the tree line stared at the trees in obvious shock and fear. For a moment, they seemed to have forgotten about Cole and the others. Cole turned around and saw Jason looking at the trees in shock.

  “I can’t believe it worked,” he said softly before falling to his knees in the snow.

  Cole ran to him and pulled him to his feet as he shouted for the others to run for the house. He heard the fresh roars of fury as the temporary stupor of the remaining demons was broken. Cole started to pull Jason along beside him as he saw James make the steps a moment before Tina and the two smaller children did. James ushered them into the house before turning and running back toward Cole. The wolves stood on the porch, facing the direction of the approaching demons with their teeth bared and with raised hackles. Aidan stood beside them, looking nearly as ferocious.

  Jason stumbled and fell into the snow, pulling Cole down beside him. “I’m so tired,” he mumbled as he tried to stand again. “Cole, you’ve got to leave me. Get inside, please.”

  “Not a chance,” Cole said as he stood up and hauled Jason to his feet.

  Cole heard the demons running through the snow, directly toward him. He saw the wolves leave the relative safety of the porch and sent a mental command to them, telling them not to fight the demons. He felt them close their minds to him and he knew with dismay that they would not listen.

  But before the wolves could reach the demons, the crack of a gunshot split the air. Cole heard something hit the snow as he got Jason to his feet and when he looked behind him, he saw one of the demons lying in the snow.

  “Hurry, Cole!” James shouted as he ran a few more steps toward Cole and Jason and raised his rifle.

  Cole saw the wolves stop in fright at the sound of the gun and then they stared at the fallen demon in surprise. Before they could resume their attack, the gun fired again. Cole pulled Jason along beside him as he heard the second demon fall. The wolves moved to circle him, but wisely left an open shot for James.

  “Cole, get down!” James shouted.

  Cole dropped to the snow and pulled Jason down beside him a split-second before the third shot split the air. He felt something heavy hit his back, pinning him to the ground. He tried to push himself up, but he was still too weak, and his breath was now coming in heaving gasps. Finally, the weight was pulled from him and he was able to turn over in the snow. He looked over to see the wolves dragging the final demon away from him.

  James ran over to Jason and slung the rifle over his shoulder before pulling the younger teacher to his feet. He looked over at Cole, who had barely managed to stand without help. “That was close,” James said as he started walking toward the house with Jason leaning heavily against him. “You okay?” he asked Cole.

  Cole looked at the three mounds of black fur that lay in the snow and nodded silently. He looked over at his unlikely savior and saw that he was almost completely unfazed by everything that he had seen. Curious, Cole reached out with his thoughts to see if he could sense anything from James. There was a familiarity with the creatures, as if he had seen them before, and a sense of anger and something that Cole couldn’t place at first.

  Aidan ran over to him and cried as she looked up at his face, her tail wagging. “It’s okay, girl,” Cole told her soothingly before continuing toward the porch.

  He finally reached the porch stairs as James dragged Jason inside. Cole looked at the doorway and saw Tina helping James as Billie and Louis looked on with frightened expressions. A moment later, James walked back outside and stood next to Cole.

  “I’m guessing there are more of those things out there,” James said as his eyes scanned the trees. He reached out to steady Cole when he sensed the younger man weave slightly on his feet. “Where’s the rest of your family?” he asked with obvious concern.

  “Out there,” Cole answered simply before adding, “Fighting those things.”

  They stood on the edge of the porch, watching the trees, and looking for any sign of the four members of Cole’s family that had stayed behind. Cole leaned against his neighbor and found a small measure of solace in the iron strength that he felt coming from him. He felt something nuzzle against his hand and looked down to see Aidan staring up at him. She cried once before looking out at the trees, watching as Cole and James did for any signs of their missing loved ones.

  As he listened to the soft cries of Aidan and watched the trees through the snow, he realized what the other emotion was that he had sensed coming from James. He realized what it was because at that moment he felt it as strongly as James had. It was a sense of loss. He had no idea why James would have such feelings when looking at the demons, but he didn’t have the strength to ask. Cole tried to tell himself that his feeling of loss was pessimistic and that the rest of his family was okay. But as he stood next to James McCallister, and watched the trees for any sign that they had survived, what hope remained in his heart quickly dwindled.