by Brian Harmon
“Nice.”
That bizarre sense of vertigo washed over them again. This one was the strongest yet, knocking Delphinium to her knees and making Eric stagger backward.
“That’s going to be a problem if it keeps happening,” he decided.
Delphinium rose to her feet. “I’ll see what I can do about it.” And with that, she rushed off toward the house.
Eric turned his attention to the approaching imps.
God, he hated these things.
Cutting down the super imp had apparently only been a brief stroke of luck, because the first of these ordinary imps managed to easily duck his blade and latch onto his thigh, sinking its teeth and claws into his flesh in almost the same place as the one at Clodsend Park.
Cursing in pain, he grabbed the monster by its huge ear and tried to pry it off of him, but it locked its tiny jaws on his shirt tail and refused to let go of his leg.
The second imp didn’t wait for him to finish wrestling with the first. It ran toward him, squealing viciously.
Still cursing, he swung the blade again and managed to open a gash in the nasty thing’s bony shoulder without letting go of the first imp’s ear.
That was enough. The blade would do the rest. In a few minutes, the wound would worm its way deep inside the creature and put an end to its vile existence. He’d essentially already killed it. Unfortunately, it was perfectly content to spend these last few moments of its perverse life trying to tear chunks out of his flesh with its claws and teeth.
It lunged again, and Eric swung the blade a second time. It was a fast learner. It jumped back and out of the way.
He cursed again. How the hell was he supposed to fend off one imp while trying to pry a second one off his stupid leg?
But then Holly appeared at his side, a shovel raised high over her head.
The little monster turned its attention to her, snarling at her, and Eric lunged with the dagger. It dodged him again, but the distraction was sufficient to allow Holly to land a solid blow with the shovel.
As she beat the little creature to a smoking pulp, he turned his attention back to the first imp. He pulled back its head by one of its huge ears with his free hand and then inserted the blade into one of its bulging eyes. It squealed with pain, a horrid sound that ground at his ears. For a moment, it resisted, stubbornly refusing to let go of his leg. Then, finally, as the dagger carved deeper into its skull, the agony became too much and it dropped to the ground and writhed at his feet.
He backed quickly away from the beast.
“Look out!” cried Holly.
Eric looked up in time to see an ogre rushing toward him. He lifted the dagger, startled, but with a fierce shout, Holly cut the creature in half with her thrust.
“Nice,” he said. “That usually doesn’t work so well against those things.”
“Del’s spells,” she said, sounding a little winded, but otherwise fine. “Makes me stronger. And them weaker.”
“Right. And it rhymes, too.”
“It does,” she laughed.
“Incoming!” warned the bald bouncer.
Eric looked out over the fields again, bracing himself for another attack, and saw one of the giants closing in on them.
It looked even bigger than the one at Clodsend. And yet even with its massive size, he couldn’t quite wrap his head around what it looked like. A huge, deformed head sat atop a pair of crooked shoulders with no neck between them. Half-hidden in the rising smoke, he couldn’t make out the exact features of its face, but he could tell there was something dreadfully wrong about it.
It wasn’t running. It didn’t have to. Its stride was enormous. Five steps and it would be on top of them.
Four steps.
“Del says the big ones shouldn’t be able to get in,” said Holly.
“Don’t tell me,” replied Eric. “Tell him.”
Three steps.
Two steps.
Then it hit the perimeter of the blanket and let out a terrible, earth-quaking wail. Great, black plumes of smoke rolled from its body, enveloping the titanic brute as it toppled forward. It crashed to the ground on top of a pair of charging imps, shaking the earth beneath it and tearing a hole in the side of the old silo with one of its queer, horned hands on its way down.
“See?” squeaked Holly, her face pale with fright. “Not a problem…”
Eric couldn’t even respond. He stood there, staring up at the massive heap of smoking flesh that had crashed down almost on top of him, his heart stuttering in his chest. Had it made it just a few more feet, it would have crushed him flat.
A fierce wave of “what the hell am I doing here?” washed over him. He couldn’t quite comprehend it all.
But there was no time to dwell on the insanity of dead giants and squashed imps. The magic man still had plenty of surprises for them.
“Nobody told me these bastards could fly!” screamed Bernie.
Eric turned, confused. “What?” But then he saw it. Soaring toward them over the barn were two creatures that looked sort of like super imps but with huge, leathery wings. “Those’re new…”
Bernie’s next shot sent one of them spiraling toward the ground, a trail of smoke following it down. But the second one swooped in before he could reload, its talons outstretched.
Eric ran, his dagger raised.
Bernie held up his rifle with both hands, shielding himself from the monster’s claws, but it seized the weapon and tried to pry it from his grasp. “Get off me you ugly son of a bitch!”
Eric ducked under the creature and slashed it with the dagger. It shrieked in pain and let go of the rifle.
It rose up into the air, turning its toothy face and bulging eyes on him.
“Watch it!” yelled Bernie.
But the beast was surprisingly fast considering its apparent lack of aerodynamic design. It swooped down at him, talons raised.
Eric dove out of the way. He actually felt the thing’s claws whistle through the air right next to his ear.
Bernie swung the rifle around and swiftly clubbed the creature with the butt of the weapon before it could rise into the air again. It dropped onto the ground, dazed, and he laid into it, brutally bashing in its skull with three powerful swings. Then he stepped away from the smoking remains and looked up at Eric. “Thanks,” he gasped.
“No problem. Heads up.”
Two more ogres were heading this way. Bernie was a good shot. A quick reload and the next two bullets dispatched both monsters.
Eric wondered briefly whether a shot through the brain would’ve worked outside Delphinium’s protective shield. Carving huge gashes across their faces hadn’t stopped them. Was it only a matter of penetrating all the way to their foul brains or did the magic magnify the damage caused by the bullets?
He probably wouldn’t ever know. And right now, he didn’t care. He was only happy that the damn things were dying.
“How long can we keep this up?” asked Bernie.
Eric looked around. “Not long. They’re coming in faster than I expected.”
Holly turned and cast another spell at an approaching super imp, chopping it in two as easily as the ogre before it. The defensive spells had apparently also increased the amount of times she could use her thrust without resting. That was going to be a big advantage.
Bernie glanced at her and shook his head. “So…” he said, turning and drawing a bead on another charging ogre. “Witches, huh?”
“I know. Crazy but true.”
He fired, but the bullet hit low. The beast stumbled, but it kept coming. “How long have you been with them?”
“Since last night.”
Another shot finished off the stubborn ogre. “Wow. Crazy night.”
“It’s definitely in the top three.”
Bernie laughed, but it wasn’t really a joke.
An imp raced toward them. Eric moved to intercept it and slashed it out of the air when it leapt at him.
“So that Deli lady…” said
Bernie.
“Delphinium?”
“Yeah, her.”
“What about her?”
“You, uh…know if she’s seeing anyone?”
Eric hacked up a second imp and shot him an incredulous look.
“Just asking.”
Another wave of vertigo washed over them, this one so strong that Eric fell backward onto his butt.
When it passed, he had only an instant to thrust the dagger outward before another imp sank its teeth into him.
“There’s too many!” shouted Doug.
Eric tossed the impaled imp aside and looked up. He was right. Dozens of monsters were emerging from the corn all around them. A small army was rapidly closing in. “Fall back!” he shouted. “Onto the porch!”
Doug and Ponytail relayed the order to the guys in the back yard, who withdrew to the back porch.
He wasn’t sure how he thought this was all going to turn out, but he’d at least hoped they’d last longer than this.
As they repositioned themselves on the front porch, another blast of vertigo washed over them, but this time it was met with an opposing force. It came from inside the house, like a deep, hollow concussion, and blew outward. The approaching army was blown off its feet. Many of the monsters in front were instantly shredded, as if they’d walked into an invisible fan blade.
“The fuck was that?” asked Ponytail.
“Witches, man!” yelled Bernie. He was actually laughing. “This shit’s unbelievable!”
The monsters wasted no time regaining their feet. But as they began to advance again, one of them exploded. It simply burst, like a balloon, spraying smoking monster gore in every direction. Another one exploded a moment later. Then another. And another.
“What’s happening?” asked Norval.
“Del found their core,” replied Charlotte as she stepped out among them. “She’s reversing their energy flow, spontaneously ejecting them from this plane.”
Norval stared at her, his furry face drawn into an almost comical look of incomprehension.
“She’s un-summoning them,” she clarified.
“Nice,” said Eric. “Why didn’t I think of that?”
“I think stabbing and bludgeoning the ghoulies are more your style.”
“That is true.” He looked out over the yard. In spite of the spontaneous bursting of monsters by the dozens and those dropping dead with bullets in their skulls, they were still advancing faster than they were falling. “We’re not knocking them back fast enough.”
Charlotte stepped past him and released a thrust. Magnified by Del’s charms, it carved a path thirty feet wide through the invading horde, the five invisible projectiles chopping apart imps and ogres alike.
“Whoa…” said Doug. “Somebody tell me again why we’re protecting them?”
“They’re still coming,” said Eric, ignoring him. They were converging on them from the sides of the house, faster than the quartet of bouncers could shoot.
“Inside!” ordered Charlotte.
No one hesitated. For such big guys, they could move surprisingly fast when motivated.
Eric and Holly withdrew last and bolted the door behind them.
The bouncers spread out, positioning themselves so that they could cover the windows.
Delphinium was sitting on the edge of her chair, her slender fingers clutching the upholstered arms, her eyes fixed on the boiling water in the silver bowl. Poppy sat across from her, biting her lip and focusing on the water with surprising intensity. Jude was in one of the kitchen chairs on the far side of the table. He met Eric’s gaze for just a moment, fear and uncertainty flashing across his young face, a silent message cast across the room. “Save us already!” those dark eyes said.
Eric wished he knew how.
Jude returned his attention to the water. Across from him, Siena was trying. She had her eyes fixed on the boiling water, her pretty face scrunched up with effort so that she was practically scowling at it.
Alicia sat slumped in the other arm chair, her eyes fixed on the water as she waited for her energy to return. Marissa sat with her back to Eric, sparing him the pitiful view of her battered face.
The Dirty Bunny girls were standing around the table, each of them clutching a weapon. Margarita wielded a shotgun. The rude brunette had her pink deer rifle. Emily was holding a length of steel pipe against her chest and the blonde was brandishing a rusty axe. Each had a look in her eye like a caged animal, half-terrified.
Shondra stood with them, hovering over her daughter and clutching an ordinary claw hammer in her trembling fist. Cierra stood beside her, a reassuring hand upon her shoulder.
Eric prayed he wouldn’t regret dragging these people into this, and yet after what he’d seen outside, he couldn’t imagine him and the coven taking this guy on alone.
Another wave of vertigo washed over him, followed by another countering pulse from the table. But this time, the magic man’s force countered back. (Counter-countered?) A wave of energy struck the house, shaking it violently. Several of the women screamed. Several of the men cursed. (Margarita did both at once.) And Eric felt a sensation almost as if someone had thrown open a door and depressurized the room.
“What the hell was that?” sputtered Doug.
Delphinium was on her feet, her eyes fixed on the water as it sloshed in the bowl, splashing over the sides and onto the table.
“They broke the blanket!” gasped Poppy.
“Impossible!” spat Cierra.
“Obviously not!” snapped Jude.
Charlotte and Holly ran to the table.
Behind Eric, something heavy slammed into the door.
Shondra screamed.
Somewhere in the house, a window shattered. Bernie and Ponytail rushed to the hallway to check it out.
Lightning flashed. A crack of thunder shook the building. The roof groaned against an onslaught of wind.
Something horrible howled in the front yard, a terrible noise that filled Eric with crippling dread.
“Get it back up!” cried Marissa.
“I’m trying!” returned Delphinium.
Again, something struck the door, rattling it in its frame. Something big was on the porch.
If Delphinium couldn’t get the blanket back up, it would be game over for sure. By now, the magic man’s army was closing in, completely unobstructed. They had perhaps thirty seconds at most. If those things reached the farmhouse, it would be a few pathetic doors and windows separating the twenty-one of them from an army of thousands.
Eric squeezed the handle of the dagger and stood there, his heart thumping in his chest, his throat dry, beads of sweat sliding down his face.
Someone (it sounded like Bernie) shouted something in the hallway, but another loud rumble of thunder made it impossible to make out his words.
The door took another impact. Eric turned to face it, the dagger lifted in front of him. It dawned on him that this was where all of this had begun for him. Something was at the door and it meant to ruin his day. This time, however, it wouldn’t be a sixteen-year-old boy begging him for help. This time it was something big and mean and bloodthirsty.
He decided then and there that if he survived this he was going to take Karen on the anniversary getaway she wanted and to hell with the price tag. Don’t let me forget it, he thought at Isabelle. Hold me to it. No matter what.
Gunshots boomed in the hallway.
Someone was screaming.
The front window of the living room broke.
Shondra cried out again.
Margarita spun and fired her shotgun, a wild look of terror in her eyes.
Lightning split the sky outside.
And then the lights went out.
Chapter Forty
There was still enough light to see by, even when the wind snuffed out the candles. But the smoke and storm clouds that bathed the surrounding land in shadow lent an eerie gloom to the interior of the farmhouse. And the irregular strobe of the lightning casting
monstrous shadows across the walls only magnified that ominous feeling.
Looking around, Eric found himself in the middle of one of the most surreal scenes he’d ever witnessed.
People were shouting.
Gunshots boomed.
Another window shattered.
Doug swapped his rifle for the post mallet and ran to the nearest broken window, swinging it with all his might at the dark shapes that were trying to climb over the sill. To Eric, it looked like he was playing the most intense game of Whack-A-Mole he’d ever seen.
The front door took another hit and Eric heard the frame crack even over the chaos that was breaking out around him. Another impact like that and whatever monster stood on the other side would be through.
Cierra pushed him aside. “Get out of the way,” she demanded. She stepped closer to the door, then closed her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest, as he’d seen her do in Rob’s fraternity house. Then she thrust her hands out and pressed them against the painted wood with the tips of her thumbs and forefingers touching. Another gust of warm air passed through the room and she blew a basketball-sized hole through the center of the door.
A horrible, wailing howl erupted from the other side.
She leaned over and shouted through the hole, “No soliciting, asshole!”
But her gloating was cut short when the wounded monster rammed its huge arm through the hole and snatched at her face. She stumbled backward, cursing.
Eric lunged forward and plunged the dagger deep into the monster’s muscular forearm.
The creature let out another howl and tried to withdraw its arm, but Eric held onto the weapon’s handle, trapping the beast.
“Quit playing with that thing and kill it!” Cierra shouted at him.
“Don’t rush me!” he shouted back.
“I thought that thing was supposed to kill anything it cut!”
“It takes a minute!”
“Well hurry up!”
“Do you want to do this?”
This thing was no ogre, he realized. It was a little bigger, its skin was the wrong color, a sickly, mottled gray, more like the giant’s. This thing’s hand was leaner than an ogre, its fingers longer, with short claws that curled outward in wicked-looking hooks from the pads of its finger tips.
