“Looks like that smoke creature is having some trouble. I think I know who took your eye. Skipper seems to have a new Faustian weapon.” Commented Redmond, as he took cover inside the armory room.

  He was standing to the right of the door frame looking out into the main area of the reservoir building. CJ was swiping his arm at every box of ammunition, rack of firearms, or random confiscated board with a nail in it. The room looked barer than when they’d arrived now. Still, he held his left hand over his now burnt and crusted eye socket. His slate told him he was at his mix of one hundred and ten points of health, but his head still throbbed with pain. CJ then made his way over to the door to check on everyone else.

  Far across the contained water source he could see fighting and hear Elena’s chainsaw. His attention was quickly brought back to Marty now that gout's of flame were visible. Some of the scaffolding leading up to the second floor area had lit on fire casting an eerie dancing light over the surface of the water.

  “This is fucked. I hope my little surprise hasn’t been spoiled yet.” He said before wincing at another throb from his eye socket as his remaining eye scanned the battle. Some of the muscles behind his orbital bone still worked but they were rubbing up against nothing. “I need to get back out there and contact the team. Something weird about Marty’s message to me earlier. I’ve never seen the letters of someone’s name wiggle like that before.”

  “What about the children? You know, The whole reason we’re even in here.”

  “I’ve got eyes on them. At least I sent someone to watch over them when we came in. Look I’m going to have to leave you here.” Redmond started to speak in protest, but CJ talked over him. “Marty needs someone to take the pressure off of him. I’ve got a plan, but it means you won’t be able to see me anymore. God sakes, now my eye hole is itching.”

  Redmond wasn’t having it. He stepped out onto the path and continued forward. Immediately he was tackled by a bruised and battered Jerry. His lips were split, and blood ran freely from the top of his head. Right fist raised to crack against Redmond’s face before it separated at the wrist with a thin line of red. Jerry’s now detached hand flopped lifelessly to the ground as the man began to cry out. After being splashed with blood from the now spurting stump, Redmond scrambled out from under the wounded thug.

  “My fucking hand! What happened to my fucking…Ughk!” were the last words Jerry sputtered out.

  Another thin line appeared around his neck before CJ punted his head into the cistern. Slumping forward, the last of Jerry’s life fluids spilled all over the floor. CJ then dove into cover behind the tank wall.

  “Get over to the wall. You need cover or you’ll end up like me. I’m not looking forward to all the pirate jokes I’m going to get from Jenn.”

  Redmond looked dumbfounded. More blood than usual stained his clothes, but he’d never seen such butchery in his life. He never even saw how CJ did it. The CJ made a two and a half foot bat appear from nowhere before handing it over to him.

  “Take this. It’s better than nothing.”

  The doctor held both hands up and shook his head left and right furiously.

  “My class said I can do no harm. It was very specific that the strength of my healing abilities would suffer should I cause intentional harm. I won’t break that oath. Not while my boys are still in danger.”

  “Then for fucks sake stay low. I need to sneak over there, and you won’t be able to see me.”

  CJ cast Now You Don’t on himself slipping between the mind space of anyone perceiving him. He took a moment to look across the wide open space to see the fight Marty was struggling with as well as Elena and her group making their way around the other side of the oval shaped basin. There was a pair of men on the floor above them just before they made it to a staircase leading up. They had shotguns at the ready and were waiting for the ladies to pop out from under their position. CJ couldn’t make eye contact with them so he did the only thing he could think of, he cast Earth Fist on the wall they were approaching. Cement and gravel spun up in front of them into a stone fist before it bent into a ninety degree angle at the elbow. It then extended its index finger straight up.

  Jenn looked around searching for CJ while Elena just stood in front of the fist in that damn helmet. The was another person standing behind them holding two guns akimbo that CJ didn’t recognize. They seemed confused so CJ cast Poly-chrome flames on the index finger changing the color to black-light. Jenn and Elena immediately went back to back weapons out as the man behind them gestured up above them.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  That was all the time CJ could spend watching them as he crept closer to the battle of the big men. Marty was being pushed back by the flames coming from Skipper who was just herding him back. The big man Kowalski was throwing jabs at Marty every time the flames stopped for a second. Kowalski was bloodied from their battle, and it looked like he wanted to stage a comeback. It was time for CJ to turn the tide. He cast Half-a-Bitch on Skipper only to see a little red imp on his left shoulder appear out of nowhere. It held up its hands grabbing at the unaspected mana blade sliding in diagonally to create two pieces of Skipper. Its claws clamped down on the magic holding it at bay. It then whispered some words into Skippers’ ear, and he turned his head to look right at CJ.

  Now you Don’t dispelled and the demonic creature crushed the mana blade. He was ten feet away from Marty’s back, Kowalski was just passed the classroom door and Skipper just made it in front of the door.

  “I’ll handle the fire guy, take care of that big asshole.” CJ told Marty as he zipped passed him.

  Kowalski’s eyes danced with delight as he whipped his left arm out to bash the passing CJ slamming him hard into the barrier. CJ just grinned as his Kinetic Converted activated increasing his mana pool by a solid hundred points. That brought him up to one eighty five as he rebounded off the barrier. Shock in Kowalski’s eyes as the much smaller man seemed unharmed by his full strength attack. That was all the time he could spare focusing on the magician as Marty grabbed Kowalski around his now exposed waist. The hulking smoke man hoisted Kowalski off the ground and they both tumbled over the barrier into the water.

  “How are you still alive?! Why are you here killing the people that gave you refuge at the end of the world?” asked Skipper leveling his pitchfork at CJ.

  “We came to get the kids. Did you know it’s a fucking nightmare out there? Your outer defenses have fallen. People have been abducted by giant bugs, and you are in here sitting on your ass.” Skipper’s eyes narrowed on CJ at those words, flames kindled on the tines of the pitchfork. Then CJ noticed a small pile of cement rubble near the closed door and smiled. “Nice demon by the way. That’s new. You didn’t have that before Jerry left me for dead in the forest.”

  Is that what this is all about? You were a no-phone. Bait the hunters used. The chances of you dying any day was high. You should be kissing my feet for letting you help at all.” His right eye began to tear and run down his face as the imp on his left shoulder began whispering in his ear. “Admittedly you were the best runner. All the others died. We just couldn’t find a no-phone as fast as you.”

  CJ threw a seven of diamonds at the imp. It snapped its fingers, and the card burnt up in flight. It then began crackling and holding its belly with both hands. Skipper spun in a tight circle before jutting the pitchfork forward. An exact copy of the pitchfork made of flames rocketed out toward CJ who dodged to the left slamming himself into the wall before the door.

  “He doesn’t like it when you attack him. I have to kill you now and end all this madness before our only source of water is spoiled. I—” skipper was interrupted by fan of cards all tossed at the same time. Two of which burnt up in flight but four made it to him.

  The six, seven, eight, and nine of clubs all struck home in Skippers’ chest. That was thirty damage all at once. Thin streaks of blood ran from Skippers lips as he fell back away from the classroom door. He wiped his mouth with his right hand holding the pitchfork in front of himself defensively.

  “You’ve found a way to get powers I see. Oh sorry, is I a sore point?” cackled Skipper as he kept back pedaling toward an open door behind him. All the while the imp was pulling on his earlobe and visibly screaming into Skippers ear. He was hopping up and down on Skipper’s shoulder and emphatically pointing at CJ.

  A rage began to smolder inside of CJ at the eye pun. He needed to keep this fight out here with the wall to his left leaving him no blind spots. Seems like Skipper has just noticed that and is baiting him to follow. But there was something else. Why was Skipper crying from his right eye? Something didn’t add up. He was hard man in the past but never cruel like Jerry was. He always made sure to send back no-phones while those with power picked up and carried their kills. Something was definitely off here. CJ stopped moving forward as Skipper slipped into the room he’d been inching towards behind him.

  Doc Redmond jogged up behind CJ and furiously rattled the doorknob trying to get it open. Deacon backed up to cover the doctor in case flaming pitchforks got launched at them from the office down the hall.

  “Monty, you can open up. It’s us.”

  The door unlocked and then a stone hand from the inside the room pulled the door open. Redmond rushed into the room throwing his arms around his two sons. Several other children under the age of ten huddled in the corner along with woman holding a pool cue for some reason waived it back and forth. She had interposed herself between the bulk of the children the black furred rabbit. Apparently Redmond’s two boys, Ed and Riley, recognized the bunny and had run over to him.

  “You okay man?” CJ asked Monty whilst keeping his one eye on the door down the hall.

  “I am.” The rabbit’s response getting a gasp from the teacher and all the children. “I was worried when the chat dropped but… good lord! What happened to your eye?”

  “He can cast spells and talk!” one of the children shouted.

  “Short story. I say we leave Redmond here with the kids and this nice lady?” CJ asked quirking one eyebrow.

  “Thank God. If my fur gets ruffled anymore I was going to have to smack someone.”

  They left the room allowing Redmond to begin explanations of what was going on. CJ wanted no part of trying to explain all of this to kids. He then gave Monty the rundown on everything that happened since they split up at the entrance.