The Next Death; Chapter 16

I sit on my bed, working on homework. Mom and gran had gone out together for the evening and Marc had gotten called in for another night shift. Dan would be here but Felicity had wanted to do something so they had gone on one of their impromptu dates. I didn't mind being alone. It let me get stuff done without being bothered, a rare thing nowadays. I wasn't technically alone though; Charcoal was lounging at my feet.

The only sound in the house is the music playing softly from my laptop. I let my eyes drift shut as I enjoy the stillness for a second. Charcoal lets out a soft whine. My eyes flicker open. Her attention is fixed on my door. I pause my music and listen. The silence of the house floats back to me. Charcoal whines softly again.

"What is it?" I ask her.

Charcoal's head comes up, tilting. A second later her ears flatten as she growls, slowly rising to her feet. I look at the door again, pushing my laptop off my lap. I can't see anything. I can't hear anything either. Charcoal's growl grows louder as she bares her teeth, hackles rising.

I slowly reach out to grab my phone. I almost don't dare to look away from the doorway as I unlock my phone and pull up the number of the shop. Neal had told me someone would answer if I called. After all, it was the only way I had to contact them if I needed anything.

"Is something out there?" I ask Charcoal softly, as if speaking too loudly might bring whatever upset her running in.

Charcoal's only response is to growl before leaping off the bed, dashing out of my room, barking loudly. I take off after her as she chases whatever upset her down the hall. She chases it down the hall out to the living room. As I enter the living room, I find her angrily barking and growling at the corner under the cabinet there. She stoops down to look under, pulling back with a pained yelp of surprise before she begins to growl again. A second later a deep growl resonates from under the cabinet. I pull up short as Charcoal's growl dies off.

"Charcoal!" I exclaim as she suddenly whines, turning to dash out of the living room.

What on earth? I look back at the cabinet. A small voice in the back of my head tells me to call Neal. Whatever was under the cabinet was bad news. I take a step back as I lift my phone up. The screen has timed out again, forcing me to unlock it again.

"Yes, yes. Help, help. Call for help," a high gravelly voice trills. "Can help come fast enough? No, no. Probably not. But call, call. Curious we are. Curious girl must have curious friends. Curious to see them we are."

I take a step back. "You don't want to meet my friends," I warn the thing. "I'd advise you to leave before they get here."

I can hear what sounds like nails scuttling across the wooden floor. "So, the curious girl can hear us. How curious. Curious, curious. What are you we wonder?" I can see something move under the cabinet.

"I'm human," I state, lifting my phone, finger hovering over the call button up, "But my friends aren't. This is your last warning."

Hissing that almost sounds like a snake's rattle fills the room. "Curious girl makes to threaten us. Curious girl makes mistake. Mistake, mistake. If curious girl is human, that explains curious scent. A friend of reapers curious girl is. If friend of reapers curious girl is, enemy of us she is. Enemy, enemy. And foolish, foolish. Should have called sooner. Too late, too late. Much too late."

I sense the movement and look up to find a dark shape hurtling towards me. I don't have time to move. The thing lands on my shoulder, scuttling along my arm, claws like tiny pinpricks, making my arm twitch. It reaches my hand, tail whipping around my wrist as its claws dig in. It wrenches my phone from my grip before I can press the call button, throwing it away from us.

Instinct takes over. I whip my arm in a circle as I drop to a knee. Flipping my hand over, I slam it into the ground, pinning the thing between it and the floor. It cries out, releasing me. I pull away as two more dash out from under the cabinet, straight towards us. I'm not fast enough. I manage to kick the first one away, but the second one catches my ankle, biting down hard.

I cry out, lashing out with my mind, sending all three spinning away. I push to my feet, looking at the three creatures now across the room from me. They almost look like lizards. They have dark green scales that look like they belong on a snake rather than a lizard. Their tails are long and flick about more like a cat's. I can't help the shock that follows them standing up on their back feet. From here, their back feet look like a lizard's, but their front look almost like human hands, albeit covered in scales and clawed.

One glares at me, smacking its lips, almost as if tasting something. "Curious girl has curious taste. Curious, curious." It smacks its lips again, blinking. "Curious girl tastes like reaper."

"That would make curious girl part reaper." Another one quips in the same voice.

I eye my phone. It's too far to reach without drawing their attention. That left one option: use my power to pull it to me.

"Human can't be part reaper. No, no," the third quips. "If curious girl tastes like reaper and has reaper power, that makes curious girl reaper."

I focus my attention on my phone. For some reason, I find it hard to reach out for it. The most I get is a slight twitch of the phone towards me. Not good.

"But curious girl is human. No weapon. Living in human home," the second responds.

"Not human, not reaper. We thinks curious girl is the human our master searches for," the first says.

Very much so not good. I reach out again. Once more, all I get is a twitch.

"To our master we take her. Take, take," the other two chorus.

That left only running as an option. I shove off the floor only to go tumbling back down, the room spinning and tilting.

A cackling laugh fills the room. "Try, try. Yes, yes. Go ahead and try. Poison soon take over. Sleep, sleep. Sleep soon come."

Irritation flickers in my mind. No. I couldn't let them win. A warmth begins to flow through my blood.

"Strong, strong. Curious girl is strong," one of the creatures cries in alarm.

"Poison, poison. More poison for the curious girl," another responds.

I hold my hand out towards my phone. It twitches before sliding across the floor. It hits my hand as I feel the teeth of the creatures sinking into my skin. I cry out as they release their bit only to scuttle along my leg, digging their claws in before biting down again.

"Safe, safe. Curious girl will be safe. Power will keep curious girl alive," one says in what I can only assume is an attempt to soothe me.

I try to shove them off with my telekinesis, but it is once more gone. Black is creeping into my vision. A ball of light flies across my vision. One of the creatures cries out in what sounds like pain.

"Guardian, guardian! Curious girl has a guardian!" One of them hisses.

My mind is sluggish as I try to push myself off the floor. The ball of light flits between the three creatures. They cry out as it nears them, trying to bat it away. I pull my phone closer, attempting to unlock it. My hand shakes as I try to draw the pattern. I can't get it open, collapsing back against the floor.

The room grows bright. I look back for a second before I have to look away. The light is coming from that ball of light. The creatures are hissing and crying out as the light continues to grow brighter. Even looking away from it, I have to close my eyes.

There's three loud pops before the light begins to dim. Slowly I try to open my eyes. The ball of light is now a dim glow as it floats closer. It flits about around me, emitting what I can only describe as worried humming.

"Oh no. Can you hear me?" A soft gentle voice calls out.

My eyes focus in on the ball of light. "Was that you?" Even talking is taking an effort.

"Oh good! I tried to come sooner, but something was blocking me. As soon as it was gone, I came." The ball zooms around me. It flits closer to the bite marks on my legs. When it's near the bite marks, I can feel that same warmth from before, but not as strongly. "I don't know why they bit you so much. One would have been more than enough to make you sleep." The ball flits closer to my face. "I'm amazed that you're still awake."

"Not for much longer," I mutter, eyes finally drifting shut.

"Oh no. Don't fall asleep!" It cries.

"I'll be fine," I assure it. "My power is working against it."

"Power? Was it your power holding me off? What power do you have? How do you have it for that matter?"

I don't have the energy to respond, so I just grunt.

"Anyone could come home. You can't be passed out on the floor. That will cause alarm. I'll put you in your bed before cleaning up!"

I can feel myself being shifted before lifting off the floor. I want to open my eyes and look, but I don't have the energy. I try to stay conscious at least until I'm set back down, but sleep claims my mind.