Hello everyone! I hope everyone is well. Just a quick thanks to everyone who liked, favorited, commented, or simply still reads my fic. As always, comments and feedback are greatly appreciated. I hope everyone enjoys this latest chapter. Enjoy.

~The Wandering Piney


3:25 PM

"Ugh, there's got to be something here we can use!" Luna lamented, tossing aside some empty cardboard boxes. She hastily moved to the next pile of stuff. She threw aside more empty boxes and scoured a small dresser, pulling out the drawers and dropping them to the floor once she went through their limited contents. Nothing. The basement door creaked and groaned, and a collection of terrified gasps and shouts filled the basement. Luna pulled her hair and grunted.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit!"

She moved to the next pile. A bunch of lamps rested on top of a large table. She grabbed one of the lamps and momentarily thought about throwing it at the monster that Dusk, Fred, Brian, and Ray were trying to keep out of the basement. But what good would it do? The monster shrugged off gunfire; a lamp would be useless.

Luna's focus shifted to beneath the table. Several large metal pipes were tucked underneath the table.

"That might work!" Luna cheered as thoughts of hitting or stabbing the monster came to mind.

She quickly grabbed one of the pipes and began pulling it out, but the pipe got stuck. She tugged harder, but the pipe remained.

"Damnit!" Luna shouted. She knocked over the lamps, not caring when they shattered. She pushed the table, and it begrudgingly moved a short distance before Luna stopped and panted.

"Hey, Thorn! Can you give me a hand over here!" Luna called out to her friend.

She heard Thorn move and mumble something. Expecting Thorn to help her, Luna repositioned herself and prepared to move the table again. But Thorn didn't show.

Luna grimaced. "Thorn! Are you going to help me with this!" she shouted.

Instead, Thorn ran, and Luna could hear her footsteps grow fainter as Thorn ran farther into the basement. Luna called out to Thorn with a few swears mixed in with her pleas, but it fell on deaf ears. Luna could only stare in disbelief into the darkness, paralyzed by the realization that Thorn abandoned her. Her mind raced with anger, sadness, and disappointment, but all Luna managed to mutter was a single word.

"Why?"

The shouts and grunts of everyone on the stairs broke Luna from her troubled thoughts and brought with them a sense of urgency.

Luna shook her head. "Fuck you, Thorn!" she cried, wiping her face with her sleeve. She staggered back to the table and gave it another lift. Again, the table begrudgingly moved, but this time, there was a light clank as several pipes hit the ground. Luna dropped the table and grabbed one of the newly freed pipes. The pipe was about six feet in length, more than enough to do some damage or at least knock the creature back so they could close the door.

Armed with the pipe, Luna rushed to the stairs and gasped. The four of them desperately clung to the door, shaking with fatigue as they fought to keep the door from opening. But the door creaked and the opening widened. Dusk, Fred, Brian, and Ray all shouted, grunted, and cried as they were dragged forward a few inches. Another creak. More shouts. More inches lost. A wider opening.

Luna ran up the stairs as fast as she could. The only benefit the opening door provided was that another person could fit at the top of the stairs. Seizing this opportunity, Luna squeezed past Dusk and Brian and caught a glimpse at their terrified faces.

Her heart pounded against her chest, and the stench of rotten eggs made her gag. She fought the urge to vomit and continued forward as she looked past the door. She caught a glimpse of the rotten cloak and, as if it were a spear, thrust the pipe at the monster with all her strength. It hit, but the monster remained unfazed. Luna jabbed the monster again, this time hitting its face. Again, no reaction from the monster.

She went to swing the pipe and gasped when it came to a standstill. She tried to pull it, but the pipe wouldn't budge. Shuddering, she glanced at the monster and let out a horrified whimper. It held back the combined strength of four people with one hand while it caught the pipe with the other. Then with a simple tug, the creature yanked the pipe from Luna and tossed it aside.

Luna shuddered as she looked at her now empty hands. The creature growled, and Luna cried when she saw the creature glaring at her with an insidious grin that revealed blood-stained teeth. It hissed and raised its arm to swing at her.

Luna screamed and stumbled backward, hitting the doorframe and nearly tumbling down the stairs. She failed her arms in an attempt to keep her balance, and during the turmoil, the contents of her purse shifted. She saw a glint of metal, and her eyes widened. With everything going on, she forgot about the can of pepper spray.

She dropped to her knees, avoiding the creature's attack, and reached for the pepper spray. The creature struck the doorframe, taking away a large chunk of the wall where Luna had stood.

Luna pulled the can out and aimed it at the monster. She didn't know how much spray was left, but she didn't care. She pulled the trigger. The creature hissed and tried to turn away, but it was too late. The spray hit its target, and the monster let out an ear-piercing shriek, and it released the door so it could rub its eyes. The can emptied, and Luna threw it at the monster. The monster hissed and blindly lunged in the direction the can was thrown from as the swarm of flies descended onto the area. Luna screamed and raised her arms to brace herself, not that it would've done much good. She gasped. Someone grabbed the back of her shirt and pulled her backward, causing her to drop her purse. She fell into someone as the door slammed shut.

"Gotcha!"

She glanced at her rescuer and was surprised to see Brian holding her. He helped her gain her footing, and once he was sure she wasn't going to tumble down the stairs, Brian released her.

"Luna!" Dusk cheered as she hugged her friend, though she was breathing heavily and drenched in sweat. "You fucking did it!"

"I hope so," Luna replied between heavy breaths. She and Dusk ended their hug, and then Luna turned to Brian, who now leaned against the railing just as exhausted as the rest of them. Despite all the shit she gave him, he saved her from certain death. Again, Luna lowered her head and sighed for a moment before collecting herself. "Thanks for pulling me out of there."

"Don't mention it. Besides, your quick thinking just saved our asses," Brian replied with an exhausted chuckle.

Luna awkwardly looked away for a second. Fred and Ray were making sure the door was locked, though they both pointed to the fist-sized hole in the doorframe the creature made when it attacked her. She then looked back at Brian. "Uh, I'm sorry for being a jerk to you and accusing you of being a cultist," Luna said.

"I get it; paranoia can be a bitch, especially in places like this," Brian replied between hasty breaths. "If we make it out of here alive, it'll all be water under the bridge."

Luna nodded with a small smile.

"Good job, Luna," Fred said as he and Ray leaned against the door panting. "Are you alright?"

"I think so," Luna responded. "Though I lost my purse."

"Eh, you needed a better purse," Dusk said, trying to brighten the mood. "That one was so old."

Luna smiled. "Yeah."

"Now what?" Ray asked aloud, bringing the conversation back on topic. "We can't just sit here and wait for that thing to come back."

"We can call for help," Dusk suggested, and she took out her phone. "Shit! I have no service."

Luna grimaced. Of course, her phone was in her purse, so she couldn't check it, but she knew no phone would work.

"Neither does mine," Fred said, looking at his phone.

"I got nothing," Brian stated before pocketing his phone.

"I don't get it," Ray said, checking his phone. "I've always had good service here, even in the basement. This is the first time I haven't had service."

"The phones have been acting weird all day," Luna sighed.

"Do you think the monster could be doing something to them?" Fred asked.

"I don't know," Luna answered.

The group stood in nerve-wracking silence. Everyone knew the monster would return, and with nowhere to go and no course of action, their spirits dampened.

"Hey, Luna," Dusk finally said after what felt like an eternity. "Where's Thorn?"

"Uh…" Luna hesitated. She didn't know where Thorn went, and she didn't want to tell Dusk that Thorn ran off, but she knew keeping secrets from each other was wrong. Luna sighed. "Thorn, um, ran-"

"Do you guys hear that?" Fred suddenly interrupted as he motioned the group toward the hole in the doorframe.

They all became quiet and listened as they watched the hole. It sounded distant, but sure enough, there was a growing buzzing coming from behind the door. The light filtering through the hole faded, and the buzzing became deafening. Luna shuddered and took a step down.

"We need to run!" Luna warned as she took a step down.

But it was too late.

They stood no chance against the swarm of flies that burst from the hole and flooded the stairwell. They all shouted, but the buzzing of the ravenous flies drowned their agonizing cries. Luna swatted the air around her, but it didn't deter the insects. The insects landed and crawled over her body, and no matter how much she squirmed, she couldn't get rid of them.

Then the biting began. A thousand tiny bites, tearing at any exposed skin, all at once. The flies assaulted Luna's arms, neck, and head, tearing away tiny chunks of flesh. She covered her face with her hands and shut her eyes, but it did little to stop the flies from biting her face. She screamed and blindly threw herself against the handrail. Someone screamed as they fell down the stairs, and another person slammed into the door. Luna screamed louder as she felt the first bites on the rest of her body as the flies found their way under her clothes. Pain enveloped her body, and Luna blindly swatted herself, but the flies were relentless, and there was no escaping the pain. She stumbled backward and lost her footing. She fell, but she hardly felt the impact of hitting the stairs; the pain from the bites overwhelmed her senses.

She was on her back, kicking and flailing her arms in a blind and painful frenzy. Blood and tears fell down her face.

"Help!"

She barely heard herself shout for help, not that she expected anyone to hear her over the deafening buzz of the flies.

"Help! Somebody, please help me!"

Her pleas for help were garbled, muffled by the flies and her own screams.

"Help!"

Her flailing slowed, and she whimpered. No one was coming to save her. This was her fate, to be devoured alive by a swarm of supernatural flies in some dusty basement. But at least she wasn't alone. She blindly reached out into the darkness, hoping to find Dusk. Instead, she found only more flies ready to strip the flesh from her hand. She sobbed, and one last coherent thought, a plea to whatever god or force was out there, came to mind as the pain shattered her mind.

Please, end it already.

And then the biting stopped, and a heavy force washed over. For a moment, Luna thought she died, as when the force left her, she felt nothing. But then her lungs filled with air, and she exhaled. Her heart beat. The numerous welts and cuts ached. Her body trembled.

Luna cautiously opened her eyes and gasped. Above her, like an ominous thundercloud, was the swarm the flies, all facing downward and attempting to reach their prey. But they couldn't descend upon Luna and the rest of the group. Some unseen force pinned them to the ceiling.

A sudden flash of orange and yellow caught Luna's attention, and a strange, yet surprisingly protective, heat engulfed her. She shielded her face with her arm and watched in shock as a stream of fire struck the swarm of flies. The insects tried to flee, but much as they were to Luna and the group, the fire showed no mercy to the swarm; it incinerated the flies whose buzzing now sounded more akin to agonizing shrieks. Charred flies rained down on Luna as the fire consumed more of the insect swarm. The cloud of flies shrunk, and the fire grew, yet the blaze never dipped below the swarm. Soon enough, the flies were gone, and the fire snaked its way across the ceiling and shot through the hole in the doorframe. An inhuman scream reverberated from beyond the door, and Luna couldn't help but smirk at the thought of the cloaked figure burning. The fire then extinguished itself, and all became quiet.

Luna simply lay on the stairs, exhausted yet relieved. She turned her head so she could look down the basement steps and almost cried tears of joy. Her friend stood at the bottom of the steps with an outstretched arm as tiny flames danced around her fingertips.

"Thorn!" Luna cried with a smile on her face.


Panting heavily, Thorn lowered her arm, and the last of the fire disappeared. She wanted to rest, but instead, she ran up the stairs to help the closest person to her, who happened to be Ray. He was laying near the bottom of the stairs, clutching his head and groaning.

"Take it easy," Thorn said as she helped Ray sit up.

"My head," Ray muttered.

Thorn gently pulled his hand away from his head. Along with countless cuts and welts from the flies, Ray had a large gash just above his left eye that he likely got from falling down the stairs. Thorn dug through her purse and removed some linen strips, sterile gauze, and some alcohol pads from her purse.

"The cut's not deep; just keep some pressure on it," Thorn said as she quickly bandaged Ray's head.

Ray nodded, and Thorn moved on to the next person.

"Luna!" Thorn cried as she ran over to her fellow Hex Girl. "Are you okay?"

"I can use an aspirin right now," Luna groaned as she managed to sit herself up. Despite the numerous cuts and welts, Luna had no serious injuries.

Thorn took a white willow capsule from her purse and handed it to Luna. Luna quickly swallowed it. "Thanks."

Thorn sighed and lowered her head. "I'm sorry for running off like that. I never should've left you all."

"It's alright," Luna said with an exhausted sigh. "You came back, and you saved us, Thorn."

"But still, I…"

"Thorn, it's okay." Luna smiled. "Honestly, if you didn't run off, you would've gotten swarmed like the rest of us."

Thorn smiled. "Thank you, Luna." She went through her purse and handed her friend some bandages and alcohol pads. "For the worst cuts." She glanced up the stairs. Dusk and Brian were sprawled out across several steps while Fred sat up against the door. She looked back at Luna.

"Go help them," Luna said.

Thorn nodded and knowing her friend was okay, headed up the stairs.

"Thorn," Luna said, causing Thorn to momentarily stop. "I'm glad you're using your magic."

"Me too," Thorn replied, and she continued to Dusk, Brian, and Fred.

Thorn reached the top of the stairs where Dusk, Brian, and Fred were and was relieved to see them all getting up.

"Are you guys, okay?" Thorn asked.

"I'm a bit scratched up, but I'll be okay," Fred responded.

"I could use a drink," Dusk half-joked.

"I second that," Brian said, leaning against the wall.

"I'm glad you're all okay," Thorn stated.

"Thanks for saving us there," Dusk said, and she hugged her friend.

Thorn nodded. "I'm glad I got here in time."

After releasing Dusk from their hug, Thorn distributed what was left of her bandages so they could clean some of their cuts. After a few more minutes of ensuring everyone was more or less okay, they regrouped at the bottom of the steps.

"Thanks again, Thorn, for rescuing us back there," Fred said, speaking for the rest of the group.

"I'm just happy nobody got seriously hurt," Thorn replied with a nod.

"Uh, how'd you burn those flies?" Ray asked.

"Yeah, I was wondering that myself," Brian stated as he looked Thorn in the eye.

Thorn sighed. Luna and Dusk shot her a worried glance, but Thorn gave an assuring nod back to them. After what they had just gone through, Brian, Fred, and even Ray deserved an explanation for what was happening and why that creature was trying to kill them. So Thorn told them everything. She recounted how she discovered that she was a witch at the Alexander Levre House. She told them of the terrors they faced at the hands of the cult and the Fallen in New York. She explained how the Fallen possessed her and how the Broken instructed them to find the treasure of the Regal Hotel. No detail was left untold, and soon enough, Brian, Fred, and Ray had the whole story. Thorn sighed, though this time, she felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

"Wow," Fred said, at a loss for words. "That's… a lot."

Ray shook his head and laughed. "This is crazy."

Thorn raised her hand. Flames erupted from her fingertips. She flicked her wrist, and the flames floated in the air. They spun around her for a few seconds before extinguishing.

Ray's mouth dropped. "Holy shit!"

"Amazing! You're an honest-to-god witch!" Brian exclaimed with the biggest smile Thorn had ever seen on him. He laughed to himself, his eyes wide with excitement. "I knew it! Ah, this is fantastic!" He cleared his throat and resumed a more professional composure, though that child-like excitement remained in his eyes. "I'm sorry for my immature reaction; what you went through was horrible…" He paused, and his smile returned. "But you're the proof I've been looking for all my life that confirms my father's research! I have so many questions for you about magic and the cult!"

"It's fine. I understand," Thorn replied with a friendly smile. "But rather than answer your questions, it'll be easier if I just showed you the stuff I found."


"How in the hell is this even possible?" Ray exclaimed, gawking at the massive room before him. "This room dwarfs the entire hotel!"

"Magic, duh," Dusk teased as she stared in awe at the expansive room.

Thorn agreed it had to have been magic as before them was a "room" that rivaled the grandest cathedrals of Europe in size and grandeur, all somehow tucked into a six-story hotel. The first section of the "room", which alone was larger than the Regal Hotel's basement, was the only part that had light; the rest of the "room" was cloaked in shadows that obscured the fine details but not the various columns, arches, pews and stained-glass murals themselves. Cryptic symbols adorned the walls, including the one on Brian's sigil, but that was the only one Thorn recognized. The rest were unrecognizable and felt like some alien script mortals weren't meant to understand. But the strange script was the least memorable aspect of this section of the "room."

Thorn dubbed this illuminated section the treasure room for obvious reasons. Enough bars of silver and gold to make Fort Knox look like a child's piggy bank sat in trunks labeled "For Processing" in the far corner of the room. Ray immediately ran over to it, screaming like a child in a candy store. Yet the silver and gold didn't hold Thorn's attention for long. Next to the silver and gold were finely-crafted bookshelves lined with countless books, tomes, and manuscripts, many of which looked quite old. Thorn and Luna approached the books and glimpsed the titles. Most were in foreign languages, some of which were no doubt ancient tongues, and though there was a small section with English titles, which Luna began to examine.

As much as Thorn wanted to read through the contents of this library, her attention drifted elsewhere. On the other side of the lit section was a lab-like area where Dusk and Brian were exploring. A workbench sat in the center of the area, surrounded by shelves of beakers and clear containers full of miscellaneous items. Some she recognized as herbs, gemstones, and other seemingly random, mundane things like nails, woodchips, and string, but others were odd. One beaker contained a green flame that bounced off the sides of the beaker, while another contained what could only be described as a starry night sky transformed into a liquid that swirled around its container.

Yet again, Thorn didn't have much of a chance to look over the contents of the lab as her attention was drawn elsewhere. The area next to the lab area made her frown. An assortment of handguns, shotguns, rifles, knives, blades, axes, and other weaponry lay before her. There were also several ammunition cans labeled with different kinds of ammo, though curiously, silver was the most common. Thorn noticed Fred checking out an area next to the weapons. She saw several nets, ropes, and even the snare-devices that were used on her at the Fallen's temple. Yet Fred's attention was on a large cylindrical object.

"Wow! A Smith-Merkel Electro Rocket Net! I didn't think these still existed!" Fred exclaimed.

"Is it rare?" Thorn asked.

"Rare? These things were outlawed since the electrical discharge they emit is enough to fry an elephant," Fred explained. "The government bought them all and destroyed them, but somehow, this one survived."

"Oh," Thorn said, disgusted by the thought of an elephant getting electrocuted. She let Fred go through the trapping supplies as she turned her attention back to the rest of the room. She was in awe that this place existed, and wondered what else lay beyond the shadows.

"Hey, Thorn," Luna called out.

"Yeah," Thorn replied, and she headed to Luna.

"Check this out," Luna said. She pulled a book from a shelf. "On the Physiological Differences Between Mages and Mundane Humans," Luna read. She skimmed through some of the pages. "Mages have a superhuman resilience to blunt force but are highly susceptible to piercing weapons."

"Huh, I guess that's why I survived falling through the hole," Thorn thought aloud. "I wonder wh- HEY!"

Someone hit her shoulder. She spun around and saw Dusk snickering.

"Did you just hit me?" Thorn asked with her voice raised.

"So much for superhuman resilience," Dusk teased.

Thorn rolled her eyes and sighed as Dusk went back to check out some of the weirder potions and ingredients on display.

"Ugh, Dusk," Thorn groaned.

Luna giggled. "Did it hurt?"

"No," Thorn replied.

"Maybe there's something to that superhuman resilience," Luna said, handing Thorn the book. "Give it a read; you might learn something about yourself." She turned her attention back to the bookshelf and browsed the books.

Thorn looked at the book. She conceded that reading it wouldn't be a bad idea, and perhaps as Luna said, maybe she'd learn something about herself. But now wasn't the time to read. She placed the book on the top of the bookshelf and gazed into the shadows beyond the light. There was more out there, and curiosity consumed her.

She approached the center aisle. She could make out rows of wooden pews that went down as far as she could see before they blurred into the shadows. As she neared the darkness, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was watching from beyond the void and that it didn't want her back there. But Thorn shook her head, pushing aside the unpleasant feeling. She needed light. She noticed at the end of every pew that there was an unlit candle. She approached the nearest one and conjured a small flame in her hands.

"Hey, Thorn," Brian called out.

Thorn flinched and snuffed the flame out. "Oh, Brian, I didn't see you there," she said as she spun around and saw Brian a few feet from her holding a leather-bound book. "What's up?"

"I found a register of the cult's membership," he said holding out the book. "But I can't open it; there was this little notecard saying it required a spell to open."

"So, you need me to recite the spell?" Thorn concluded.

Brian nodded, though Thorn noticed he was blushing a bit. "Yeah," he finally said. "If you don't mind, of course."

"Sure, I'll help you," Thorn replied with a smile. "But first, I want to see what else is here."

She remade the flame and went to light the candle.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?"

Thorn hesitated. "Why wouldn't it be a good idea?"

"I don't know," Brian answered. He looked down the aisle and was visibly agitated. "Call it a gut feeling, but I just think we shouldn't go back there."

Thorn wondered if Brian felt the same sensation of being watched that she did.

"And besides," Brian continued. "We've barely scratched the surface of this treasure, not to mention we should probably look for something to fight off that cloaked thing before it comes back."

"You're right," Thorn conceded. "But I don't see why we can't brighten this place up. Maybe there's a way out or something we can fight the monster with." With her mind made up, Thorn lit the candle.

"Don't!" Brian shouted.

It was too late. The flame struck the candle and immediately turned blue. Thorn gasped as the rest of the candles simultaneously ignited, casting an eerie, blue glow on the massive room.

"Woah! This place is freaky," Dusk exclaimed as she and the rest of the group joined Thorn and Brian.

Thorn agreed with Dusk; the place was creepy and macabre, even by her goth standards. The gray floors and walls were striated and bore a resemblance to rope or string. Or tendrils, Thorn nervously thought. The columns were carved into the shape of massive coils of the same tendril-like designs, wrapping high into the distant, striated ceiling. Even the pews were engraved with the tendril pattern. Thorn thought that at any moment, something would pull the tendrils, and the entire room would shift. Stained-glass murals depicting a massive blue-gray shadow adorned the walls, reflecting and refracting the blue light of the candles, casting twisted blue shadows onto the pews and making it seem as though there was a ghostly congregation watching the group.

Thorn felt chills run down her spine as the group hesitantly walked down the center aisle.

"I don't think this is the Fallen's temple," Luna said, pointing at the far end of the room.

Thorn slowly nodded as she looked at where Luna was pointing. At the far end of the room, where all the tendrils originated, was a mural depicting a towering shadowy figure that dwarfed the hotel itself. But unlike its stained-glass counterparts, this figure's body was adorned with ten glowing spheres arranged in columns of three, four, and three, while an eleventh sphere sat below the ten. All the spheres were connected by coils of tendrils, creating a mesmerizing skeleton that resembled a paddle.

Why does that image look familiar? Ugh, I've seen that shape before, but where? Thorn couldn't recall where she saw the shape, but what was at the bottom of the mural caused her and the group to gasp in shock.

A dozen burnt corpses lay in a broken circle in various agonizing poses. All of them appeared to be running away from the center of the circle before they were struck down by whatever killed them. A thirteenth body lay against the wall with an outstretched hand facing the mural, and above the body sprawled in what Thorn assumed was dry blood was a single word: Why.

"Are these the cultists?" Dusk nervously asked.

"Who else would they be?" Luna said.

"What happened to them?" Thorn wondered aloud.

"I don't know, but whatever they saw must've terrified them," Fred reasoned, though he did nothing to hide the uneasiness in his voice.

"Maybe they died in the fire that burnt the hotel?" Ray suggested.

"Maybe they caused the fire," Dusk added.

"Or knew what caused the fire," Luna stated as she looked at the mural.

Thorn couldn't the uneasiness she felt as she looked for any identifying items or any clues as to who these people were and what happened to them. Did a ritual go wrong? Were they attacked? Were they the cultists, or were they perhaps victims of the cult? Was this even the same cult they encountered at Bolfield? Thorn had so many questions but no answers. She found nothing helpful, and neither did anyone else. But she did notice something off about one of her group members.

While the group examined the burnt corpses, Brian stood next to one of the pews with his arms crossed and eyes narrowed. Yet he didn't seem to be watching the group but rather the bodies themselves.

"Hey, Brian, are you okay?" Thorn asked as she approached him.

Brian's gaze lingered on the bodies for several seconds before he finally acknowledged Thorn with a glare. "We're disturbing their final resting place," he bluntly stated. "We need to leave."

He didn't give Thorn a chance to respond before turning his back to the group and heading down the aisle.

"What's up with Mr. Moody over there?" Dusk chimed in.

"I don't know," Thorn answered. "He didn't act this way when we found the foreman."

CRASH!

The entire room turned red, and unseen alarms blared as the rancid scent of rotten eggs invaded their senses.

"Shit! That thing must've gotten in through the hole in the floor!" Ray shouted.

"What do we do?" Dusk yelled. "There's nowhere to run!"

A mechanical voice from some sort of hidden speaker system shouted.

HOSTILE SUPERNATURAL THREAT DETECTED! SECURITY SYSTEM ENGAGED!

A blue energy barrier formed over the entrance of the room.

"Is that going to protect us?" Luna asked.

"I hope so," Fred said.

But to their dismay, the barrier dimmed and flickered.

WARNING! SHEILD LEVEL AT THIRTY-SEVEN PERCENT! INADEQUATE PROTECTION: SHIELD FAILURE IMMINENT! REQUESTING MAGE SUPPORT!

"Shit!" Ray yelled.

"We're fucked!" Dusk grunted.

"We have to find a way to restore the barrier," Fred said, motioning toward the various weapons, trapping supplies, and other magical items. "Then we can find a way to stop this monster!"

As the group sprinted down the aisle, Thorn shook her head as she was overcome with a sense of dread. They're not going to find anything before that thing gets in here. They reached the treasure area, where Brian was already rummaging through several manuscripts.

"I can't find anything about restoring the barrier," he lamented.

"Damnit," Luna muttered.

"Everyone!" Fred announced, trying to provide some order. "We need to split up and search each section separately! Luna, Ray, and I will search the bookshelves while Thorn, Dusk, and Brian will search the lab!"

Thorn sighed as everyone but her ran off to their assigned search areas. It's going to get in.

She looked through the barrier. She couldn't see the creature, but she heard its methodical footsteps approaching the room. She felt her magic coursing through her. I can't let this thing kill anyone else. I need to stop it here and now.

"Thorn, what are you doing?" Luna shouted.

"Someone has to keep this thing busy while you all restore the barrier," Thorn declared.

"No, don't you even think about going out there," Luna pleaded, and she ran to Thorn.

Dusk noticed Thorn and quickly ran to her. "Thorn, don't go out there."

Thorn sighed. "I have to." Her eyes were teary but she managed to crack a smile. "I promised you I'd keep you safe, remember?"

"Thorn," Luna pleaded, her eyes also teary. "Please, don't go."

Thorn shook her head. "I've already let this thing kill innocent people, and I can't let it keep killing. Not with both of you at stake."

Dusk went to say something but stopped. "Then you go fucking kick its ass!" she said, wiping her eyes. She hugged Thorn before going to search the lab with Brian.

"You better come back," Luna ordered between sniffles.

"I promise," Thorn said, and the two hugged for a few seconds. With that, Luna ran back to help Fred and Ray search.

Thorn closed her eyes and took a deep breath. I can do this. I have to do this. For all of them. She opened her eyes and exhaled. And with all the confidence she had, she passed through the barrier and gazed into those yellow eyes in the darkness.