Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter either. It belongs to its creator J.K. Rowling and probably Warner Bros. too. I'm not too sure about that. This piece of literature is simply the work of a humble fan. I also credit Laurell K. Hamilton for various themes, subjects, or references that I may use. It won't be a crossover but certain elements from the series will be used.

:Author Notes:Killian

This will be leaning more toward alternate reality. It will have the same characters just a different spin on things. If you're not a fan or strong cursing or maybe even violence and bloodshed then there is a good chance that this story isn't for you.

"'Let there be light!' said God, and there was light. 'Let there be blood!' said man, and there's a sea." George Gordon, Lord Byron

Potter

Chapter Ten: Bloody Saturday

By: Water Mage

The four walled room was huge. An office fit for any business tycoon. Its walls were decorated with tasteful, expensive paintings from some of the great artists in history, Van Gou, Rembrant, Picasso… A lacquer desk was positioned in front of a long, glass window, which held a magnificent view of the city of London. In a tall, high-backed chair, coated entirely in leather, sat the resident of this office. Killian McKnight lounged in his chair, eyes glued to the latest letter sent by his son, Harry. A frown became more pronounced upon his face, as he read further and further down the letter. A knock sounded at the door and jade green eyes looked up from the letter. At his call the door opened. Todd and Dylan entered the room. They both wore black suits tailored to their forms. Their hair was combed into the newest style. Long, covering the ears yet not touching the collar. A required picture ID that clipped onto their breast pocket completed their look.

"Sir, the Moongate Alpha Clan managed to break into Police Headquarters. According to this data, they successfully stole one hundred million pounds worth of heroin that was stored in their Drug Holding Room. Each kilo brick…" said Dylan, reading off the report held in his hands.

Todd placed a hand on Dylan's arm, signaling him to stop talking. He looked at Killian, concern washing over his face. "Sir? Is everything alright?"

Killian looked at them with hardened eyes. "Seems Hogwarts isn't as safe as I was made to believe. A troll broke into the school and killed a professor."

"Is the young master alright?" asked Todd immediately.

Killian nodded. "Harry is fine. He was witnessed to the murder and even with his exposure to similar bloody shit, it was still a shock to see his teacher get her brains bashed in by an eight foot troll." He turned his eyes back to the letter. "It seems he really liked her and her class."

Dylan scowled. "I knew sending him to that crackhouse without proper guards was a bad idea."

"He does have a proper guard," countered Todd. He turned to Killian. "Is Shadow still doing their job?"

"As far as I can tell. The troll thing was just an accident it seems," replied Killian, rubbing his chin in thought. "It seems though that a few of his teachers may have… issues."

Todd raised an eyebrow. "Issues?"

Killian sighed, letting out the breath he had been holding. Lifting his manicured hand, Killian loosened the knot of his tie, sliding it down till it was halfway down his chest. Expertly, with his one hand he unbuttoned the top buttons of his collared short. "One teacher seems to have some kind of private vendetta against Harry. The other…" Killian sighed again for what had to be the fourth time in ten minutes. "This Professor Quirrell according to Harry is evil. With a capital E."

Dylan clapped his hands together. A dark smile playing on his face. "Do we get to take them out?"

"No," answered Killian, shaking his head. "I don't want to get involved in that world quite just yet. It is still too new."

They nodded obediently. Todd spoke up as a nagging question tugged at his thoughts. "Sir, how does Harry know exactly that this Professor Quiralle --Quiralle, Quirrell same thing-- is 'evil'. I know that the young master is good at reading people, but its not like he can read thoughts."

Killian shrugged that gaellic shrug that he was famous for. It meant everything and yet nothing all at once. He stood up from his chair and walked to the window. His green eyes scanned the city below him. "Harry says that he can sense it."

"So he has ESPN?" asked Dylan.

Todd rolled his eyes. "That's ESP, git. It stands for Extrasensory Perception. It describes a way of communicating or of being aware of something without using the known senses. Usually the unknown sense deals with the mind, like telepathy, clairvoyance, or psychokinesis."

Dylan raised an eyebrow. "How do you know this?"

Todd shrugged. "I watched a lot of science fiction television shows growing up."

Killian's lips twitched and at the corner they pulled up, threatening to break into a full-blown smile. But right now and the topic at hand prevented him from letting himself indulge in such mannerisms. "I don't know what you would call it, but Harry says its telling him that Quirrell is evil and its creeping the hell out of him. And I believe him. If he senses are telling him this so clearly it must be some kind of inherited magical talent or something. For now he's keeping it quiet. He hasn't told anyone at his school, which I think is a good thing. Harry says he can tell he's the only one with this… 'power'."

"A trump card if I do say so," Todd smirked, feeling a rush of pride at his pupil.

Killian mouth settled into a grim smile. He placed his hand flat against the window, turning his gaze to the view of London before him. "Let's just hope this trump card is actually a real power and not just his imagination." He returned his stare to his two guards. They flinched at the dark look swimming in his eyes. "If this Quirrell so much as breathes funny in Harry's direction then all bets are off. We'll level that fucking castle to the ground."

October passed and they entered November, the weather turned very cold much to Harry's distaste. He had been holding onto the hope that maybe Hogwarts had magical weather control. The mountains that stood near the school could be seen going from their usual brown color to a misty gray as snow piled up their steep, rocky slopes. Every morning frost coated the ground and a new first year everyday had to be brought into the infirmary, for accidentally slipping on one of the many ice patches that littered the grounds.

Two and half weeks, that was how much time had passed since the Halloween Accident, as some students had taken to calling it. Those whom had managed to see the murder were given the option of having sessions with the school counselor. Most of them had taken the option, wanting badly to put the event behind them. Harry still heard some of the girls' wake up screaming during the night. Their sweet dreams had turned into nightmares, filled with towering trolls and blood raining from the sky. There was even talk of teachers doing a school wide memory charm to erase their memories, but of course no such thing could ever be allowed.

Herbology had been cancelled for obvious reasons. No teacher had been found that could replace Professor Sprout, not even a substitute. Many of the plants in the greenhouses were dangerous, either poisonous or simply just plain murderous, so just any teacher wouldn't have worked. It took extensive knowledge and skill to handle those plants.

Harry sat in a tall box stand that towered high in the sky. Many other identical stands bordered the long, green field below. His friends sat on either side of him. Today was Saturday and it was the schools first ever Quidditch match. Terry and Kevin had seen a Quidditch game before, since they had grown up knowing of the magical realm, but for Harry and Hermione this was something they were anxious to see. Hermione had taken to hanging around them ever since they had defended her from Ron outside of Charms Halloween day, two weeks ago. She really was nice to talk to and with her love of books and knowledge; Hermione fit in nicely with their group.

"They look better everyday, I think," said Hermione.

They followed her gaze. Hermione looked with a sympathetic frown to where most of the Hufflepuffs were clomped together. Along their cheeks each one of them wore a painted on black stripe. The students of the badger house had taken their Head of Houses death pretty hard. The stripes along their cheek were in memory of their fallen Professor Sprout. Professor McGonagall was now their acting Head of House, while also continuing her own assigned duties, but for the Hufflepuffs it wasn't the same. Harry couldn't fault them for it. He had seen Professor Sprout's death first hand, it wasn't no easy death. You see there is death and then there is death.

Even to Harry who had seen many people die, Sprout's death was gruesome.

Kevin nodded. "They do look better."

Harry agreed that they did also. On his lap Thor laid out, meowing softly. Kevin opened his mouth to add his input but suddenly the crowd began to roar and clap. Harry eyes looked down to the field. The Gryffindor team in robes of scarlet and the Slytherins in jade robes marched onto the field to loud cheers. Mr. Matheson was referring. He stood in the middle of the field waiting for the two teams. With a magnified voice, Mr. Matheson asked them to mount their brooms, once they heard his brief rules of the game. Then with a sharp blast from the silver whistle, hanging from his neck, they were off.

"Amazing," Harry breathed inaudibly, watching as the fifteen brooms launched into the air with an amazing speed. Seeing how fluid and graceful they moved in the air was really jaw dropping.

Terry grinned widely at Harry and Hermione's slacked jaws. "You think this is something. You should see a professional game."

"My dad took me to see the Quidditch World Cup last year and trust me they have nothing on the pros," smiled Kevin.

Harry watched the game with undisputed attention. He shouted along with the rest of the school, cheered when a goal was scored, and booed when Mr. Matheson made a bad call. Right now, for this one moment he was a regular kid with no worries about people killing him or some dark force plotting to conquer his soul. Harry grinned, and jumped up out of his seat as Draco closed in on the golden snitch. With quick movements, Harry saw the blond close his hand around the flying ball.

"Draco Malfoy has caught the golden snitch, earning his team a hundred and fifty points, and winning the game," a voice announced from all around them. The Gryffindors sulked, the Slytherins cheered, and the rest of the school applauded civilly and politely. The game ended just like that.

"Well it certainly is a rather barbaric sport but it is interesting," said Hermione, as they walked together back to the school.

Thor ran between their legs, slipping once and awhile on the icy ground. "Now I want to see a professional game," said Harry. "If they are better than the school teams, then it should really be something to see."

They entered the school feeling immediately warmer and grateful to be out of the cold weather. They waved goodbye to Hermione watching as she climbed the stairs, which would take her to the floor housing the entrance to Gryffindor Tower. Talk still centered on Quidditch as they continued on their way to the Ravenclaw common room. Not fifteen minutes later they finally came upon the mirror that served as the entrance.

"Never judge a book by its cover," spoke Kevin. The mirror's surface wavered like a rippling pond. One by one they stepped through.

The common room was filled with people. Most sat in the cushy chairs that surrounded the roaring fire in the hearth. They chose to sit in the table by the window. Thor scampered off as soon as he saw a girl open up bag of chips. Harry shook his head with a smile. Thor was barely a couple months old and ate the present rate of eating he would be fat in no time at all. Time passed slowly for the next few hours. Harry still found it odd for him to be sitting around on Saturday. Usually, he and his father would try to take a trip into London to do something, like catch a movie or go out to eat.

Terry looked up after Harry sighed, for the ninth time in less than five minutes. "What's wrong, Harry? That has to be eight time you have sighed."

"Ninth," corrected Kevin, moving his knight a space on the chessboard laid out between he and Terry.

Harry shrugged. "I just feel restless. Its Saturday and we're playing chess, woo pee. I just wish there was something more fun to do."

Terry suddenly grinned evilly. "I have an idea."

Harry and Kevin blinked as Terry raced up stairs. He was gone before they even could ask what he was thinking. They looked at each other, each looking at the other questioning. All Kevin could do in answer was shrug dumbly. He was as clueless as Harry was at the moment. Terry returned running back down the stairs, taking two at a time. He hit the bottom running. Terry slid back into his chair barely out of breath. Harry and Kevin turned their gaze on the object the spiky haired youth laid down. A large, clay bowl painted gray sat in front of Terry.

"Ummm, don't you think it's a bit late to be eating cereal," Harry joked.

Terry rolled his eyes. "Ha ha. You asked for something to do and you mock me when I actually try to entertain us."

"Cut the drama," smiled Kevin. "What's with the bowel, Terry?"

Terry smiled, picking up the bowl he cradled it in his hands. "This my friends is a genuine holy relic." His voice got real low and they had to lean in to hear him. "They say this bowl once used to belong to Elios himself then it was lost to him after a great war."

"Elios?" questioned Harry, the name sounding foreign to his ears.

"Elios is the priest of Elysion," answered Terry. "The Holy Land that protects Earth from within. Elysion is a beautiful garden that lies at the heart of the Earth. Elios is the priest and everyday he protects the Earth by banishing dark forces, and praying for salvation."

Kevin raised an eyebrow. "Sounds like a child's tale."

Terry shrugged, taking no offense to the statement. "I'm just quoting the information I got from my mother. She's the one that gave me the bowl and the story. Anyway, remember when I told you guys she was a physic that works at the Ministry." He continued at their nods. "Well, I kind of left out a little add on."

"What might that be?" asked Kevin.

Terry smiled sheepishly. "She passed on her gifts to me. I'm psychic, too. I guess you can say it runs in the family."

"Well fuck me," Harry grinned. "That's cool. I never met anyone with psychic powers. But still what's with the bowel?"

"The bowel is for me to tell your future. I haven't really mastered my powers yet but I'm strongest in water reading. My mum says I'm a rather powerful Water Oracle, considering my age and everything. Before you ask, a Water Oracle is someone who can extend their will into water, using our divining powers we can be blessed with visions of the future, past, or present."

"Aces!" said Kevin grinning. "Let's try it out. Read my future first."

Harry looked around their dormitory feeling a little dumb for agreeing to this. After Terry couldn't get a good reading going, in which he blamed the other students for talking so loudly, they had retreated to the silence of their dorm. The windows were shut and locked and the curtain had been drawn, cutting out the moonlight that had drifted in. The door was locked from the inside. Terry claimed he didn't want their dormmates to disturb his vision by busting in during the middle. So for light they had twelve candles occupying various spots around the room. See, now you could see why Harry felt a little silly.

They sat cross-legged on the floor, the clay bowl filled with water was in front of them. Kevin and Harry sat on either side of him, silent just as he had asked them to be. Terry's head was bowed and his fingers were steeled together, pointer fingers touching his chin. His eyes were closed and his mouth never stopped chanting the same nine syllables over and over, as he lost himself within his mediation.

"Rin-Byo-To-Sha-Kai-Jin-Retsu-Zai-Zen," Terry chanted, clearly and unwavering.

Harry looked down at his watch. It was going on ten o'clock. That meant they had been sitting here for almost an hour. Harry mentally gave Terry five more minutes before he called this whole thing off. Maybe his psychic powers as he called them needed some fine tuning, because this seemed like nothing but a joke. Suddenly, an unseen wind blew through the room. Harry looked at the window, but it was still tightly closed and the latch still was in place. The wind came again, this time harder and the candles started flickering. Seconds passed and the wind became stronger and louder, and despite this Terry continued chanting never wavering in the slightest. His calm control was absolute.

"Oh, my god!" whispered Kevin, looking at Terry in shock.

Harry followed his gaze and gasped. Terry was still sitting there calmly but there was a change. His eyes, which were once closed, were now wide open. They stared into the water never blinking. The strange thing was they were white from edge to edge. A milky white that was nothing but unnatural. No expression was on his face. He seemed inhuman.

Harry hesitantly reached out and laid his hand on Terry's shoulder. "Terry?"

Terry turned to Harry, his eyes still clouded over. A shiver threatened to run up Harry's spine, but he held it down. He met the stare head on, refusing to back down an inch. Finally, Terry visibly shuddered and then he blinked. When his eyes reopened they were no longer milky white, but their normal sky blue. He looked at Harry then at Kevin and they frowned in concern, recognizing the look in his eyes. Horror. Terry had seen something horrifying in the throes of his vision.

"What happened? What did you see?" asked Kevin quickly.

Terry placed a hand on his temple, massaging it slowly to tone down his throbbing headache. "I thought something was wrong at first. Usually, it doesn't take me long to get a vision. I'm really, really, powerful. I'm not bragging. It's the truth. So I kept up my reading when I began to realize why I couldn't get a vision."

"Why?" blurted out Kevin.

"Wait a moment and I'm sure he'll tell us," replied Harry, sending Kevin glare. Terry was still a bit shaken up over whatever he had seen. Rushing him for answers wouldn't solve anything. They just had to be patient.

Kevin apologized, blushing slightly for being rude. "Go on, Terry."

Terry nodded, still massaging his temple. "My vision was being blocked, which is something that shouldn't be possible. No one on Earth has that type of power. Finally, instead of fighting the force or whatever I let it pass through me and I accepted. I gained a vision of a kind I was never expecting. I was in dark forest. I'm pretty sure it was Forbidden Forest, the one that is on the East Side of the school. I was standing in a clearing." He said this in a monotone, his mind going back reliving the vision. "There were unicorns all around me. I could feel their power. Unicorns are the purest creatures on the planet or any realm for that manner. They glowed and radiated in the moonlight. It was so beautiful." Terry's voice grew dark and sad at the same time. "There was a black shape. I think it was man. It walked like one, but it was cloaked so I couldn't tell. But whoever or whatever it was evil."

"You okay?" questioned Harry, rubbing his back.

Terry looked up; his mouth set in a grim line. He rubbed his arms in an unconscious action, as if he was cold. "I'm fine. Its just, I've never felt anything like that before. So much dark power concentrated in one being. It was mind blowing."

"Are you sure you're okay?" asked Kevin, throwing a blanket over Terry's shivering form. The boy was shaking as if it was winter inside the room. In reality it was quite warm.

"I said I'm fine," snapped Terry, making Kevin flinch back. His eyes widened as regret filled him; he looked apologetically at Kevin. "I'm sorry."

"Its alright, mate," Kevin smiling his forgiveness. "You're just shaken up is all."

Terry could only nod mutely at the statement. He knew he was, but they hadn't seen what he had seen. "The dark being he was like a creature of nightmare." He paused fighting off a shudder. "He swooped down on us, the unicorns, I mean with terrifying speed. He killed them." He looked at them with shocked eyes. "He killed them all. Even the youngest ones, the babies."

"Heavens," swore Harry, shaking his head. He looked at Terry feeling empathy for him. "You're going to be fine. All you need is a good nights sleep."

Terry shook his head violently, shaking off the blanket from his shoulders. "No! You don't understand. I can still hear their screams in my head and in my heart. Their screams of my pain still sound out in my soul. This is something that a nights sleep won't fix."

"What can we do to help?" asked Kevin, biting his lip in a habit he only did when anxious or nervous. This situation was probably a mix of both his emotions. His lilac eyes were locked onto his friend's filled only with concern, and a strong amount of determination to help him.

Terry stood up and they stood up with him, not sure what he wanted. He looked at them in the eyes, his gaze serious. "I know who sent me the vision. It was sent from the Powers that Be, the beings of great power that live and guide humanity from a higher plane of reality, an ethereal realm."

"You don't surely believe that," scoffed Kevin, his Scottish accent even more pronounced as he voiced his dismay at the notion. "Next, you'll be talking about angels and aliens being real, too."

Terry glared at him. "My mother has told me that with her line of work, she has seen that anything is possible in this world." His face softened. "I'm not saying that gods and goddesses are real." He muttered "even though they are" inaudibly. "But whoever sent my vision is more powerful than me or you. And they just want me to make things right. In order for my powers to work I was trained and taught to believe in higher powers. If you don't believe in them, just please believe in me."

Harry ran this through his mind. Magic and vampires, unicorns, and wizards, were real so why couldn't higher powers exist. Terry got his extra powers from somewhere, so why not some divine place? Harry paused maybe just maybe he was a believer. "Okay, say I believe you, what then? The Powers sent you the vision but why you? Do they want you to help the unicorns."

Terry smiled a small smile. "It hasn't happened yet, but it will. I was sent the vision to right the wrong. I say we go into the Forbidden Forest to warn the unicorns." He looked at each of them pleadingly. "Please guys, we have to do this. Trust me."

"I'm in," smiled Harry. "If the vision was sent directly to you then I guess you are meant to help them. By default that includes us." Mentally, he was wondering if maybe that was what the Powers wanted. Going into the dark forest was dangerous, but if Harry went along well the chances of surviving were way higher.

Kevin sighed, giving Terry a friendly smile. "Alright I'm in, too."

Terry smiled relief evident on his face. "Thank you."

It was close to midnight, as the three of them crept through the school with silent steps. They were dressed head to foot in black clothes. Their robes they decided to forego for the night. Harry was wearing a plain pair of black jeans, sweater, and shoes. A long, black duster hid the guns he had hidden on his person. His long hair was in its usual tied back form, and completing his look was a black beanie that fit snuggly on his head. It wasn't a fashion statement. His fucking ears got cold, so it was practical. Terry and Kevin took Harry's advice and dressed similar but they wore their black cloaks and wizards hats, instead of beanie and duster. Its not like they had one anyway so the option wasn't even available to them.

The Firestar 9mm was secured in a shoulder holster that was looped through with his belt, so that way it wouldn't be lose and flying around. Something you didn't want. The Beretta 10mil went into the side pocket of his duster fitting nicely in the big pocket, the black hid the bulging shape it made. Extra clips for both weapons went into special designated pockets. It was best he didn't get those confused, because in crisis you didn't have time to be confused. The mini-Uzi had a modified clip that held thirty rounds, which was more than enough to cut any person in half. It was overkill for any human but Harry didn't know what the hell was in this forest. The mini-Uzi was on a shoulder strap. It had a clip that attached to the back of the pants so it didn't swing around too much, but you could pull it out into the open with one hand.

Harry had armed himself while the others were checking to make sure everyone was either sleep in their dorms or passed out in the common room. They had been gone a long time, so he had more than enough time to arm himself appropriately. His knives of course were secured to their sheaths on his forearms. He regretted not bringing his sword, but he knew that he wasn't that good with it yet. He needed to practice more with it, before actually trying to use it in combat.

Sneaking out of the school was ridiculously easy. All they had to do was avoid Filch, the Caretaker, and that damn cat with the red eyes he called Mrs. Norris. Harry got a sudden chill as they actually neared the edge of the forest. He had experienced it once before and had vowed not to go into its depths, but now was a special circumstance. Idly, he wondered if maybe he was psychic with these senses he was developing, but something inside told him that wasn't the case.

"Okay guys," said Terry as they stood in front of the trees that marked the edge of the forest. "Here we go. You can turn back if you want to."

In answer, Harry and Kevin stepped forward wands out providing light to guide the way. Their steps were heavy as they trudged through the thick snow that littered the forest floor. Which was funny because the grounds outside were only coated with frost and it wasn't actually cold enough for snow to fall. Harry and Kevin just followed Terry, as he was their leader at the moment. With his powers he was sensing the unicorns out. The boy had only explained a bit about his powers. From what they got his powers required a lot of training and discipline to use them like he did. All those times they thought he was zoning off, he was actually meditating he told them.

"They're not too far now," said Terry his eyes closed, and hand extended outward.

They continued forward, Harry and Kevin providing light and Terry being their human compass. Harry kept his eyes and ears open, looking and listening for anything trying to sneak up on them. If Terry was right then there was a being of unimaginable evil preying in these woods. Finally, the woods seemed to open up and they stepped into a circular clearing. Unicorns all glowing silver under the light of the moon, frolicked everywhere on the green lawn. Where there was snow covering the forest floor, the clearing was perfectly green. There were even a few flowers in full bloom covering the lush, green grass. It was beautiful. There were no other words for it. Well, magical could have fit too if you wanted to get technical.

The unicorns tensed up once they noticed the three boys standing at the edge of the clearing. It was like time froze and they were stuck. No one moved. The only sounds that could be heard was their own breathing. Terry walked forward hands up in the universal sign for I'm unarmed, please don't hurt me. Hesitantly and slowly he approached the glowing creatures. Harry had pocketed his wand, wanting to keep his hands free just in case the creature from Terry's vision decided to pull a Houdini, and appear from nowhere. A majestic looking unicorn with a long, gleaming horn, broke free from the herd and approached Terry. They met in the middle of the clearing. Cautiously, Terry placed his hand against the creature's brow, near where the horn protruded. Harry watched confused as both, unicorn and Terry, closed their eyes in unison. Then after a minute passed, they broke the whatever it was.

"Go please," said softly Terry, pleading with every ounce of his soul.

The unicorn neighed softly then it looked at the others in the herd. It neighed louder and quickly they galloped out of the clearing, as if they had been shouted at. They soon became lost in the dark shadows of the trees. The leader looked back at Terry and it bowed its head, as if thanking him, then it too galloped off into the trees.

"I'm thinking Mission Accomplished," Kevin smirked.

Harry snorted. "We're not out of here yet."

They agreed and turning back they began to walk back they came. Terry explained a bit about the touching thing he did with the unicorn. It was sort of like a mind meld, but with auras or some shit. Harry wasn't into that new age stuff so it wasn't like he even cared. Right now his main priority was getting out of this damn forest. It was seriously starting to give him the creeps. Kevin stopped suddenly. His head cocked to the side and his entire face was scrunched up in deep thought.

"Shhh," he said softly, placing his finger to his lips.

Harry was about to say he didn't hear anything then suddenly he did. The sound of a twig snapping, which in reality wasn't loud, was practically booming in the eerily quiet forest. Harry pocketed his wand and with one hand he gripped the mini-Uzi hanging from his back. Without even trying he went to that calm place inside of him. That place in his mind where nothing registered but keeping himself alive. Instantly, his face went slack as whatever tied him to his emotions severed and became disconnected. Everything became clearer. His hearing and eyesight sharpened. His heart, which had been thudding loudly in his throat, was now a calm steady beat. Never wavering.

"Show time," Harry whispered.

Suddenly, from the bush exploded a dark shape. Faster than he could blink it crossed the meters separating them. Terry raised his wand a spell on the tip of his tongue. The figure slapped Terry as he sped past him. The boy went flying backward landing roughly a meter away. The figure didn't so much as pause as it jumped forward with speed that didn't really seem possible for his height and build. It slammed Kevin into the ground with a shoulder-check, and sped past him to grab Harry by the throat. Its momentum carried them back into a tall oak tree. Harry let out a muffled yell as he felt his back explode from the impact. White stars exploded behind his eyes. Throughout the haze, Harry glared at the figure. Now that it wasn't moving so fast, he could make it out. The skin was pale, yellowish-white. The skin clung to the bones of his face like wax that had half-melted. Its eyes weren't decayed but they stared at Harry with a hunger/insane glint. Its jaw was barely hanging on. Only thin strips of flesh kept it from entirely falling off.

"You are so ugly," Harry whispered, his voice coming out in a rasp. He kicked with all his might, catching the creature in the gut. It fell backward. Not winded because it didn't breathe but the impact had obviously just shocked it.

Without a thought Harry ran to split the distance between them. He grabbed Terry by the hand hauling him up, ignoring the screaming pain of his back. Kevin got up on his own, regarding the thing with a recognizable gleam shining in his eye.

"Terry is this the thing in your vision?" asked Kevin quickly, watching cautiously as the creature slowly recovered.

Terry shook his head. "No, this is something else."

"It's a fucking zombie that's what it is!" screamed Kevin jumping out of the way, as the zombie came charging toward them.

Harry swung the Uzi into his left hand. Harry remembered to aim low and letting out a controlled breath he fired. He almost stumbled backward as the machine gun kicked to life. The zombie jerked back, body flaying like electrocuted animal, as the spray of bullets caught it in its gut. It soared back landing hard on its ass. Harry stopped the spray of bullets and his screaming. He hadn't even realized he had been screaming because it wasn't heard over the noise of the machine gun.

Terry and Kevin stared…

The zombie jumped back to its feet and ran at Harry as if it wasn't even hurt. Harry fired the Uzi again but the zombie ducked under the spray as if Harry was merely shooting water at it. The monster smashed into Harry. The momentum took them backward into a bush. Harry felt as knives had been stabbed into his back as he once again was slammed back on it. Harry's mouth set in a thin line as the zombie snapped its decaying mouth at the beating pulse of his neck. Suddenly, the zombie was flying backward. Harry looked up to see Kevin single handedly throw the zombie into a tree. Breathing hard, the blond looked at Harry with so many emotions he couldn't even begin to read him. The zombie couldn't feel pain, since hello it was dead, and before they knew it the thing was running toward them again.

Harry retrieved the Beretta from his pocket. Holding it securely, Harry sighted down his arm and fired point blank into the zombie's skull. It jerked back like a broken-back snake. Harry fired again and again till there was nothing left of its face except a bloody stump. It was grotesque. Still despite this the zombie continued on. Harry clicked empty. He went to a knee and withdrew the Firestar. The zombie was moving much more slowly now almost lethargically. On the sixth or seventh shot the zombie collapsed to its knees.

Harry clicked empty and dropped the Firestar. With quick movements he pulled out his knives. He saw nothing but the zombie before him and his mind was telling him that it still was a threat. He didn't even think as he stabbed his knife into the creature's sternum, feeling the bone crack and break easily at the applied strength behind the blow. Black blood oozed against his hand. Cold and thick, smelling almost like spoiled meat. Harry sliced up, then with a quickened slash he brought the knife down. The small intestine spilled out like an uncoiled bloody snake, dropping unto the ground. The zombie fell back, its eyes rolling into its head. Its body spasm and shook in convulsions.

"Die dammit!" Harry yelled, slitting its throat with the knife

Blood gurgled up, bubbling and spurting. Finally, the zombie's entire body stilled and it just lost what little life it held. Breathing deep, Harry slowly brought his head up. Somehow his hair had fallen out of its customary look. Now his hair curtained around his face and some of it stuck to his left cheek, which was coated with blood. Leaves and twigs stuck in his hair and dirt covered an entire side of his face. Slowly, he turned to face his friends, his feelings returning as he left that spot in his mind. He felt regret, sadness, shame, anger, frustration, and sorrow all at once. The sorrow was for the friends that would surely shun him now that they had seen what a killer he could be.

Kevin and Terry stared. Terry sported a bloodied lip and he was favoring his left leg, since he had fallen pretty hard. Kevin had a long gash running from his eyebrow to his chin. Both looked as if they had gotten into a fight with the ground and lost.

Terry gazed at Harry with new eyes. "Harry, I think you have some explaining to do."

All Kevin could do was nod mutely as he stared at Harry, shocked beyond belief.

Harry looked at the zombie, which was only a bloody mass. There was barely anything that distinguished it as being once human. Except the limbs that were still attached. Harry bit his lip staring at the body. One of his knives was still sticking up out of its chest.

He cringed, staring at the sight. Oops.

Someone asked why everyone still calls him Potter instead of McKnight. Well, when Pam Anderson married Tommy Lee we didn't call her Pam Lee or Pam Anderson Lee.