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I tried to open my eyes, but nothing happened. The world
around me had gone pitch black. And with that realization
panic set in.
"You've
been burned. Here, sit up and take a sip of this."
A strong arm lifted my upper body and cradled my head
as cool liquid spilt onto my lips. I drank deeply.
"Where
am I?" I asked between gulps of water.
"The
basement of an apartment building on 42nd and Winston.
My apartment to be exact."
"Basement!
Where the hell is Harry!"
"Keep
your voice down. It's still hunting for you outside.
"Where's
Harry?" I asked again suddenly afraid to hear the
answer.
"Your
friend is dead." I was lowered back onto the ground
and something warm, but slightly scratchy, was pulled
over my body. Gentle hands tucked the material around
my feet and up under my chin.
The
shock of Harry transitioning from a live pain in the
ass to a dead brother in arms was almost too much for
me. I didn't want to think of the family that would
mourn him, or the man he could have been, if he had
lived long enough to grow into himself.
I
cleared my throat trying unsuccessfully to swallow the
fear that was rising from the pit of my stomach. "The
demon is still out there?"
"Is
that what that is? A demon?"
"What
did you think it was?"
"No
idea. Just knew I didn't want to be around when it came
to its senses."
It was a little surprising that he could see a demon
at all, most people just saw a dark shadow that they
didn't want to focus on. It was extremely rare to find
someone who could see a demon without training, and
unheard of to see it as more than an evil looking human.
And even stranger, he didn't even seem to be that surprised
that it was a demon.
"But
I missed."
"With
the knife? Yeah, but when all its attention was focused
on you I picked it up and stabbed it in the back. I
didn't stay around to see if I killed it, but it seemed
dazed and confused."
Suddenly
something was in my hand. My fingers slid down the cool,
smooth surface of the blade and across the slightly
raised protection symbols that had been carefully forged
into the metal. It was comforting to have it back in
my hands. For a moment I felt less vulnerable. But what
good was a dagger when you couldn't see?
"Who
are you?"
"A
good Samaritan."
As
my body warmed under the blanket my mind started slowly
functioning again. "Do
you normally go around saving damsels in distress?"
"Only
the attractive ones."
A
sudden noise set him in motion. His steps echoed as
he moved across the room.
"What's
wrong?"
"Do
you want the good news or bad news?"
"Good
news."
His
body was beside mine again. Warm fingers brushed hair
from my forehead.
"You
don't look like death warmed over anymore. There's some
color in your cheeks and those burns around your eyes,
don't look as bad as they did at first."
"And
the bad news?" I asked trying to ignore the little
shocks of tingling pain where his skin touched mine.
"Reinforcements
just showed up."
"How
many?"
"I
count three, maybe four. Two heading in the direction
of this building. It's time we made a graceful exit."
I
forced my body up and every muscle screamed in protest.
"How
are your legs?" He asked.
"Better
than my eyes."
Hands
steadied me as I got to my feet.
"Where
are we heading?"
He
began guiding me forward. "There are two ways out
of the building, the front and back door. The back has
been chained shut."
"Isn't
that a fire code violation?"
"You
can send the landlord a letter of complaint later."
"So
where to?"
"The
roof."
"You're
joking!"
His
hand placed mine against a smooth wood surface. "Afraid
not. Use the banister. Come on, get a move on. It's
seven stories straight up."
We walked in silence until a hand on my shoulder motioned
me to stop. A body pushed past and the sound of male
grunting and swearing filled the space around me. Metal
screeched against metal. A cool breeze suddenly caressed
my skin. Strong fingers wrapped around my arm pulling
me slowly forward. I stumbled along using my other hand
to balance against his.
He
suddenly stopped. "Wow!"
"Wow
what?"
"A
couple of blocks away there is a huge building on fire,
it's really going, the flames must be fifty feet in
the air."
I
had a sinking feeling in my stomach. "Which direction?"
"South.
It looks like some kind of a warehouse."
I
knew what building was on fire. A training night was
one of the few times you could find the entire cell
for my part of the city in one place. If the demons
torched the warehouse and setup a perimeter to catch
anyone who escaped, they would in one stroke cripple
our defenses. I had never heard of any demon attacks
with that level of planning or organization. Something
was dreadfully wrong, and there wasn't much one blind
and inexperienced DK could do about it. For now I just
had to get out of the snare, keep my ass alive, and
see if there was anyone left to report to.
"Now
what?" I demanded.
"Across
to the other building."
I
couldn't keep the amusement from my voice. "How?
Fly?"
"I
don't know. Can you? I saw you slam that thing into
a lamp post."
"No,
I can't fly."
"But
you did something to it?"
"Yeah."
"How?"
"With
my mind."
"Are
there many like you walking around?"
"A
few."
"And
how many are there of those creatures?"
"You
don't want to know."
His
hands left my body. I tried not to panic at the suddenly
loss of human contact. Blinded, standing on the roof
of an unknown building, I was suddenly filled with an
overwhelming feeling of helplessness. I took a deep
breath and tried to calm myself. It didn't help. My
heart was pounding frantically inside my chest.
I
almost cried out with joy when he spoke again. "Okay,
I found some boards. I can stretch a couple across to
the roof of the next building."
"If
you hadn't noticed, I can't see."
"I'm
open to other suggestions. Have any?"
"No."
The
man was insane. There was no way I was going to try
a balancing act across rooftops. Not even with my sight
and a net.
Two
hands came to rest on either side of my shoulders. "One
foot in front of the other. Take it slow. I'll guide
you from behind. And whatever you do don't look down."
"Very
funny."
It
wasn't like he was giving me much choice. His body was
forcing me forward. I took one step and then another.
I tried to relax, but every part of my body was screaming
to retreat, to go back.
I
could feel his warm breath on the back of my neck. Another
step and then another. I slowly made my way across the
makeshift bridge. With each step I could feel the boards
flex and bounce.
And
then it happened. I stepped down and felt nothing.
Missed
the board. The words screamed in my head as my arms
reached out desperate for something to steady myself.
He might have been able to keep me from falling if I
hadn't panicked. My body lurched forward. I was suddenly
completely off the board and free falling to my death.....
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