by J. Thorn
He stepped toward the exit. The group had walked through the Screamers, but Dax could feel the monsters’ eyes locked onto them still.
A violent strike of lighting preceded a rumbling thunderclap. It startled Dax, and Monica gripped his hand so hard that the joints in his fingers cracked.
“It’s all good, it’s just light—”
There was another sound like thunder, but this cry had not come from the sky. Screamers dropped from the ceiling, landing in front of the group and blocking their path to the exit. There were seven of them ranging in size, shape, and gender.
The kids screamed.
Dax turned. The horde from the food court had left their positions and now stood at the edge of the exit corridor, blocking any retreat.
“What the fuck is this?”
Yvonne stepped forward, the grin spreading across her face. “Did you think we would let you go? Just let you walk out of here?”
Dax hadn’t, but he’d hoped.
Shouldn’t ever have trusted the bitch.
The boys cried, and even Monica couldn’t keep her tough girl act in play any longer. They weren’t leaving the mall. Yvonne had never intended to let them walk out.
Yvonne laughed. “Nothing brings more joy to our great Master than human suffering, and especially when experienced by children.”
Dax looked down to the three kids. Tears streamed down the boys’ faces. Monica shook her head, her eyes alight with a silent fury.
You’re not having it that easy.
He squared his shoulders and raised the oar, ready to fight.
“You wanna see suffering? I’ll show you suffering!”
With the kids behind him, Dax looked back and forth between the two groups, waiting for one of the Screamers to make the first move.
It was a Screamer from the group. A man, thin and balding, leaped at Dax. The Screamer swung its arm at Dax, who ducked the blow and jammed the end of the oar’s handle into the thing’s stomach. The Screamer cried out and doubled over. Dax raised his knee, connecting with the Screamer’s chin. The balding creature stood, dazed by the combination of blows. Dax dropped the oar and twisted the creature’s neck until it snapped. He didn’t think that would kill it, but the Screamer tumbled to the ground. The orange tint vanished from its eyes and a human corpse lay at Dax’s feet, staring blankly at the wall.
“Dax!” Monica yelled.
He turned to see a creature break away from the larger horde. Mouth agape, it screamed as it ran at Dax, trying to intimidate him. He retrieved the oar and raced towards the creature with the pointed end aimed at the creature’s chest. He jumped then, bringing the makeshift stake back and then driving it straight down into the Screamer’s heart.
The creature, which had been a middle-aged woman, cried out as it fell to the ground.
With the stake still in his hand and dripping blood, Dax quickly returned to where the kids and Papa Midnight still stood.
As Dax glanced back and forth between the two groups, he fought to catch his breath. He’d only brought down two of the creatures, and he was already exhausted. At least thirty Screamers stood in the food court.
How am I going to fight all these things by myself?
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw two Screamers slowly approaching from the group near the exit. Dax exhaled, and wiped the sweat from his brow. He stood straight again, ready to face off against the two creatures.
But then the two Screamers stopped.
Dax cocked his head, confused.
And he saw in his peripheral vision why they had halted.
What the fuck?
Chapter 12
Papa Midnight stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Dax, his cane raised high above his head.
“What are you doing?” Dax asked. “You’re going to get yourself killed.”
But before the old man could even respond, the two Screamers came forward.
Dax wanted to push the blind man out of the way, but opted instead to shake his head and focus on the creatures coming toward them. Who was he to stop the old man if this was how he wanted to go out?
Papa Midnight popped the rubber cap off the bottom of his cane. He then held it in his hands like one would a sword.
A male Screamer came at Dax, who caught the creature’s arm and grabbed him by the long hair on the back of his head. Dax slammed his face into a nearby wall. The Screamer’s nose smacked against the tile with a sickening crunch. Dax then took the thing by the throat and slammed it against the wall. Blood ran down its mangled face. He reared back with the stake and then plunged it into the monster’s heart.
After he’d yanked it out, Dax turned around–and couldn’t quite believe what he was seeing.
Papa Midnight was using his cane as a bo-staff, fighting off Screamers with a violent precision that Dax had only seen in martial arts films. He moved fluidly, and with a speed that belied his age and physical stature.
The voodoo priest ducked one of the Screamer’s swings and immediately swept the thing’s legs from under it. Without hesitation, Papa Midnight then drove the sharp end of the wooden cane into the Screamer’s heart. He hit the spot dead-on even though he was blind. Dax heard the pointed end tearing through muscle and tissue. Papa Midnight pulled his makeshift weapon out and the thing cried as the glow in its eyes faded.
The man then returned to his ready stance and waited for the next beast to strike.
Not wanting to be caught flat-footed, Dax raced back over to the group. The kids were still joined together, hugging and crowding each other on the ground. Dax and Papa Midnight covered both sides of them, each awaiting the next move from their supernatural foes.
“You guys doing all right?” Dax asked the kids.
“How did he do that?” Monica asked, presumably asking about Papa Midnight.
Dax wasn’t sure how the voodoo priest had fought off the Screamer, or how he was able to wield his weapon-cane so skillfully. But he now felt a glimmer of hope that they might make it out of this situation alive.
Yvonne stepped forward from the horde, cutting in half the distance between herself and the group of humans. Her army remained in their positions.
“This game is over. It is now time for you to die.”
Dax’s confidence faded as both groups advanced on them, but only three Screamers blocked the mall’s exit. If they could get past them, they could make a run for the boat. In fact, it now seemed to be their only option.
“All right, guys, listen up,” Dax said. “Here’s what we’re going to do. I want to—”
“Kevin!” Monica shouted.
Dax looked down to see that only Darius and Monica still stood between himself and Papa Midnight. He glanced toward the food court.
“Oh God.”
Somehow, Kevin had made it through an opening in the horde and gotten to the other side of them. He was running for the back of the room as fast as his short legs would take him.
Yvonne turned towards the boy, and she took off with uncanny speed. Before Dax could take a step forward, Yvonne had already made it to Kevin, blocking his path to the back doors. The boy cried out.
“Don’t hurt him!” Monica screamed. “Dax, do something!”
Dax ground his teeth. He pushed off and made a run for Kevin.
He only made it five yards before stopping. He was frozen then, unable to move his limbs. A sudden force hit him. It felt like someone had taken both of their hands and driven them into his chest.
Dax flew back, waving his arms as he moved through the air as if he was taking a backward plunge off of a diving board. He crashed to the floor near Monica, Darius, and Papa Midnight, his body slamming down on the tile. He clutched at his lower back.
Looking up, he watched the army of Screamers drop. Each took a knee where they stood, and they all stared in the same direction.
Dax followed their gaze up to the ceiling.
His jaw tightened as he saw the figure descending, like an angel floating down from the heavens.<
br />
Only, this was no angel.
It was something far worse than even the devil could have imagined.
“Serafino.”
Chapter 13
All the Screamers in the room remained on a knee with their heads bowed for their master. They chanted words in a language Dax had never heard. Even Yvonne was down on one knee.
Kevin stood still, trembling and staring back at Dax. Dax tried lifting his arms, but they wouldn’t move. His legs felt as though they weren’t even part of his body anymore. There was nothing he could do, except to watch as the demon’s feet touched the floor.
Serafino scanned the room. His long black hair fell down the back of his trench coat, and his face was blank. After several moments, the army rose to their feet. The Screamers blocked Dax’s view of Serafino at first, but they quickly parted, allowing the humans to see what was about to happen to Kevin.
Dax swallowed. The vampire leader stood only several feet from Kevin. Dax wanted to go after Serafino more than ever, but his body refused to move, frozen in place so that he was forced to observe.
“Dax, we have to do something!” Monica said.
But there was nothing to be done. Dax didn’t move. He couldn’t move.
Serafino stepped towards Kevin. Dax felt his heartbeat quicken, and a cold sweat broke on his forehead. The vampire leader stopped a few inches from the young boy; Kevin’s body quivered. His hands quaked uncontrollably.
Serafino reached out toward the child.
“Don’t you fucking touch him!” Dax yelled.
But the powerful creature ignored Dax. He ran his hand through Kevin’s hair, trailing a finger down his ear and to his neck before gripping the boy’s shoulder.
“We can’t let that guy kill him,” Darius said.
Serafino hadn’t even acknowledged Dax’s presence. He wanted to convince the creature to let the children go, but his lips had turned numb, and he couldn’t get his mouth to form words.
Then Dax remembered, and he closed his eyes.
Serafino, please. Let the boy go. It’s me that you want. Come have me, but let the blind man lead the children out of here.
He kept his eyes closed and awaited a response.
Nothing.
Serafino! Listen to me, goddamnit. Let them go! These are children!
But again, there was no response.
Dax opened his eyes.
Serafino had still not looked in Dax’s direction. He now had both hands on Kevin’ shoulders and was staring directly into the boy’s eyes.
Nearby, Yvonne watched the scene with a smile on her face. All of the other Screamers—the soldiers—only looked on with emotionless expressions.
There is nothing you can do.
The voice in his head now was Yvonne’s. Dax closed his eyes again.
Please, tell him to stop. Kevin is only a child. He did nothing to deserve this.
Dax opened his eyes.
Yvonne was looking directly at him now. The smile had vanished from her face.
Dead eyes see no future, she said to him telepathically.
A bright orange light flashed, and Dax followed it. Serafino’s eyes glowed as he continued staring into Kevin’s.
“No!” The single word felt painful and clumsy coming from his lips. Dax flexed his muscles, trying to break free from the invisible bond.
“It is not your physical strength that will break your chains, but your inner,” Papa Midnight said.
“Huh?”
“Use your mind, Jackson. Free yourself from all thought and emotion. Channel your free spirit into your enslavement and break free.”
Taking a deep breath, Dax calmed himself and closed his eyes. He tried to pace his breathing as he attempted to let go of any thoughts in his head. He blocked out the noises around him—all of his energy focused on breaking free from the power that immobilized him.
Let me go.
A feeling rushed through him, and he fell forward, an electric sensation awakening his arms and legs. He jumped to his feet and jogged several steps forward before he stopped again.
Serafino’s eyes had dimmed, and he’d stepped away from Kevin. Kevin stood in the same spot as he had before, looking up and staring at the vampire master.
“Kevin!” Dax yelled.
The boy slowly turned.
Dax clenched his jaw. His eyes went wide.
Orange was all he saw in the boy’s eyes.
“No!”
Kevin’s mouth dropped, and he stared through Dax, the glow in his eyes becoming more prominent with each passing moment.
“Enough of this,” Yvonne said. “Bring those humans to us.”
The horde moved then, and crept toward Dax and the others. Behind him, Papa Midnight readied his cane, prepared to protect Monica and Darius. Dax pulled the heavy, steel flashlight from his pocket. The oar was out of reach, and so he’d have to swing the flashlight like a club. He wasn’t going to let the Screamers take him. Not alive.
The first creature came at him, and Dax landed a blow to the side of its head with the light. But two other Screamers grabbed Dax. He tried to swing the flashlight at them, but they had him by the arms. He kicked and cursed.
“Let me go!” Monica said.
Dax glanced back to see Monica, Darius, and Papa Midnight being restrained. One Screamer lay on the ground near Papa Midnight, likely having taken a blow from the blind man’s cane.
Dax returned his attention to Kevin. The boy now stood at Serafino’s side. The vampire master had his arm around the youngest member of their group. They both looked to the sky, and then ascended. Serafino was using his powers to fly them both all the way up and onto a platform in the rafters, where the two then looked down over the horde of Screamers.
Yvonne approached Dax, getting right up in his face. She ran the back of her hand down his cheek while the two Screamers restrained his arms. Dax turned away, but it was of no use. She grabbed him by the chin and turned his face back toward hers.
“I’m going to fucking kill all of you.”
She smiled. “Bring them along.”
Yvonne walked away, and the horde followed. Dax thrashed about, trying to break free of their grip. Monica and Darius did the same. Only Papa Midnight did not fight. He started chanting again instead—useless shit, so far as Dax was concerned.
“We have such plans for you, Jackson. And much pain if you resist us,” Yvonne said. “I cannot wait to—”
The woman stopped there, and turned to the back of the room.
Even though it was late in the day, the sun had not yet set. It had only been hidden behind heavy storm clouds.
But the storm had ended.
Sunlight sliced through the parting clouds, a single beam shining through the large window at the back of the food court. The rays of sun filled the mall as the clouds scattered.
With the creatures distracted, Dax drove his elbow into the jaw of the Screamer on his left. The creature let go of Dax. He used his newly freed hand to grab the wrist of the Screamer on his right, flipping the thing to the ground.
Papa Midnight had had the same idea. He’d fought off his captor and was now swinging his cane at others.
A Screamer swung at Dax, and he ducked. He grabbed the smaller creature around the waist, lifted it off the ground, and slammed it onto the tile floor in an area that was drenched in sunlight.
The creature screamed. Dax held it in the light, watching as the monster’s face melted beneath black, oily smoke.
The Screamers scattered. They ran past Dax and the others as the sun continued to burn away the clouds.
But several didn’t make it.
Dax let go of the Screamer he’d been holding when its head burst into flames. Then he stood looking around the room as other Screamers suffered in the sun’s rays. They cried out, their screams echoing off the walls. Dax covered his ears and sought out the others.
Monica, Darius, and Papa Midnight also stood with their ears covered. The Screamers who had
been surrounding them had either retreated or were lying on the ground nearby, aflame in the sunlight. Amid the chaos, Dax hurried to Papa Midnight and the kids.
The sun glowed on the horizon, and its rays fully illuminated the food court. For the Screamers who hadn’t made it out earlier, there was no escape. They lay on the floor, rolling around as if suffering from seizures. One by one, their heads exploded into flames.
This isn’t over.
Dax heard the voice of Yvonne inside his head. A feeling told him where she was, and he glanced at the nearby department store.
She stood at the edge of the sunlight, her eyes on Dax. A tight group of Screamers surrounded her. Dax narrowed his eyes.
Fuck you.
He then turned his attention to the two kids and Papa Midnight.
“Come on. We have to go.”
“But what about Kevin?” Darius asked with tears in his eyes.
Dax glanced at the ceiling, to the platform where Serafino and Kevin had been standing.
They were gone.
Dax took the children by their hands. “Let’s go.”
Outside, the rain had stopped, but the water had risen several inches.
When Dax opened the doors, water flooded into the mall. A snake swam by and Monica yelped.
“It’s all right,” Dax said. “If you ignore it, it won’t hurt you.” Dax had to stay focused on getting the kids out of there, so he had to ignore the snake. And he hated snakes.
Water covered the walkway. It came up to his shin, to halfway between Dax’s ankle and knee. They trudged through the water, moving down the walkway to where they had abandoned the boat.
Thankfully, the small fishing boat was still tied to the dock. Dax realized they were down to three oars, though. He could maneuver with just one, but it would be difficult to propel the boat. Finding fuel would become a priority again. But for now, they needed to get to the boat and get as far away from the mall as possible. Then, hopefully, find food.
The boat rocked in the waves, its side slapping against the pier. Dax pulled the rope to bring the boat up to the walkway.
