Page 30 of Forbidden

“Can we focus, please?” Luke said, following Malachi into the darkness.

“In theory,” Talon quipped under his breath, trailing after Alex, which left Ira to bring up the rear of the group.

The darkness inside the building was oppressive, even with the small pockets of light created by Luke and Alex’s flashlights. He stuck close to their heels as Talon and Malachi walked ahead, scouting out the darkness beyond their small beams of light.

“Hello?” Alex called. “We’re here to help!”

Up ahead, there was a crashing sound. “In here!” a young voice screamed. “Help us, please!”

They picked up the pace, moving through what might’ve been a hallway and out into the main room. The wooden rink floor, once polished to a shine, was now dingy and gray.

In the middle of the room, a boy and girl were wrestling with a black-skinned monster. The boy was on the floor, and an overturned LED lantern lit up a big section of the room, reflecting off the mirrored, domed ceiling.

The girl, who couldn’t be more than sixteen, was holding an old roller skate and hitting the demon repeatedly in the head with it as hard as she could, screaming obscenities at the top of her lungs. The demon’s claws were snagged in the lower leg of the boy’s jeans, dragging him closer and snapping its teeth at him. The girl was the only thing keeping the boy from the monster’s jaws.

“Ira, get the kids out of here and wait outside for us!” Alex said quickly, and then he and Luke were running toward the chaos.

Ira rushed after them, his heart pounding. He hooked a hand under the boy’s arm and hauled him up. His jeans ripped free of the demon’s claws. The girl whirled around, hefting the skate at them, so he shouted, “Come on, let’s get out of here!”

She followed, glancing over her shoulder as Alex and Luke circled the monster with their blades raised.

They didn’t have a flashlight on their way back out, and Ira nearly lost his footing more than once. Moonlight spilled in through the open door like a beacon, and he ushered the kids outside into the cool night air.

“This way!” He led them around the building to Talon and Malachi’s cars.

“Damn, those are nice cars,” the boy said.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Ira said, popping Malachi’s trunk. It should probably give him pause that they carried a bunch of dead paladins’ weapons around with them, but it was hard to care when he remembered they’d tried to kill Luke.Luke, who’d never been anything but a loyal soldier. Who’d lost his entire squad but still kept fighting because it was what they’d trained him to do. That is, until Malachi came along and showed him how much more there was to life.

Ira handed each of the kids a holy dagger. “You won’t need these, but I think they might make you both feel safer. They’re special weapons that can kill monsters like the one that attacked you in there. Are you both okay? Injured anywhere?”

The boy turned his leg. Through the rip in his jeans, Ira could see shallow scratches. He reached into the trunk and patted a rectangular black case that looked more like a suitcase than a first-aid kit. At least they were thorough.

“This is a first-aid kit. Can you clean and bandage it yourself?”

“Yeah, no problem. I mean, I don’t even think it’s still bleeding.”

“Angie did a good job keeping it off you, then,” Ira said, and they both shot him wide-eyed looks. Oops, right, he wasn’t supposed to know their names yet. “I have to go backinside and help them. You two will be safe out here. We’ll explain everything once the hive is dead, okay?”

“Hive?” Angela asked faintly.

“Uh. Yeah. I can’t explain yet, I’ve got to go before Alex gets hurt. I’ll be right back!” He didn’t wait for a response, sprinting back around the building with his sword dangling from one hand.

It was a little easier running through the black hallway this time, because he’d passed through it twice so far. He knew he’d be fine if he just stuck to the center. Strange noises filled the air, guttural hisses and snarls, the scrabbling of claws on wood or tile. He could hear the shouts of the others up ahead.

When he emerged into the main room, an inhuman shriek cut through the air behind him. He shot a glance over his shoulder. One of the coal-skinned demons was behind him, claws gouging into the wood floor as it chased after him.

Another burst of adrenaline hit him, and he lengthened his gait. His grip was painfully tight on the pommel of his borrowed sword.

Alex appeared in front of him. “Ira, duck!”

Ira dove to the floor, rolling, and the monster sailed over his head, its black skin like hot coals, cracked with molten orange. The scent of sulfur hung in the air.

Alex pulled him to his feet. “We told you to wait outside with the kids,” he said sternly.

This was it. This was the moment he’d seen in his vision. Ira gasped, twisted in his grip, and plunged a blade into one of the black creatures sneaking up behind Alex.

“And that’s why I couldn’t,” he said breathlessly. “You’re welcome.”

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