Chapter 21

Teaspoon and the others woke that night to hear the entire town gathered around out front. They were yelling for him to let them in. They crowded the door. Buck looked worriedly to Jimmy in the cell, but he didn't move. He just stared at the boards on the ceiling. Raven huffed in her cell.

"You should let me finish it. Once those people get in here, he will escape. He will then continue to kill innocent people. It will live because you let it." Raven said angrily.

"How's the back door, Noah?" Teaspoon asked ignoring her.

"Holding."

"What are we gonna do?" Noah asked.

"We got to get him out of here."

"How?"

"We go up." Buck said looking up.

They turned hearing the mob pushing and hitting the front of the building. Then the back. Cody went and picked up a hatchet from the corner.

"No time like the now." He said as he started moving the desk to the center.

The others started moving things to stack to stand on as well. Jimmy watched them. Teaspoon went and opened the cell door while Cody hacked away at the roof. Jimmy stood.

"Come on! Let's get you out of here."

"Just end it and this will go away."

"You are the only one that may be able to stop him, Jimmy." Buck said. "We need you to live."

Jimmy wasn't sure. They pushed him toward their stack of things. Noah and Cody helped pull him up and out onto the roof. Once on top of the jail, Jimmy could hear the mob yelling and demanding his death. He stopped.

"This way!" Noah yelled.

"Jimmy?! Come on!" Yelled Cody.

Jimmy stood and closed his eyes. "He's here."

Noah and Cody started looking around. They didn't see anyone.

"No one is here! Come on, Jimmy!" Noah yelled and grabbed his arm.

Cody and Noah pulled Jimmy down and off the roof. They ran down the dark alley when Jimmy stopped again.

"What now?!"

"He is close."

Just then Noah and Cody smelled it. The horrible smell filled their nostrils. The darkness surrounded them. A shadow swung out before Jimmy could yell a warning. The clawed hand caught Noah, flinging him back against the wall of the neighboring building. He fell limp to the ground. Cody could feel his heart pound as he frantically looked around. He heard a deep rumble behind him. He turned to see Jimmy transform into a black beast with glowing red eyes. He stepped back.

"Jimmy?"

He heard a noise behind him. He spun around to find another. He was trapped between the two. He didn't know what to do. He had nowhere to run.

"Jimmy, I know you are in there…" Cody started just as he was grabbed from behind.

Jimmy roared and jumped forward, knocking Cody away from the grasp of the other monster. The two tumbled and locked together as they fought. Cody pushed up from the ground. He watched them fight when they suddenly broke free.

"Listen to me. Join me. We will rule this world."

Jimmy just stood heaving. The creature in front of him began to change. Cody looked on in shock as Carson appeared in the darkness.

"We are unstoppable. Do you not recognize the gift you were given. I know who you are. I know what you are capable of. We can do whatever we want. Don't you crave that kind of power."

Jimmy stood and listened. Cody watched in disbelief as Jimmy soon became Jimmy again. Carson kept talking.

"I knew you had it in you. The darkness. Like me, you want to be untouchable. Fearless. Well, we have nothing to fear but one. And now is the time to get rid of that problem. Look, I am like you and together, we can put the fear in the night."

Cody couldn't lay down and listen to this.

"Jimmy! You are not that person! You are good inside! Listen to me, he is nothing like you." Cody said trying to get Jimmy to think. He didn't know where his head was.

"Time to go." Carson said calmly as he lit a lantern and tossed it into the side of the jail.

The building erupted into flames. Jimmy just stood. He could hear the town folk yelling and still pushing against the doors. He could hear Teaspoon and Buck inside yelling about the fire. Raven was inside and even though she wanted him dead, she did not deserve to die this way. Cody was yelling. He covered his ears. He could smell Carson as he neared. He was laughing. Jimmy could not take anymore. He quickly exploded into the beast that he was. Cody crawled away as Carson changed as well.

Jimmy rushed to the jail and burst through the wall. Boards splintered and fell. Teaspoon and Buck were coughing. They had opened Raven's cell, she stood with them. Jimmy went to pick them up when Carson burst in, running. He hit Jimmy in his lower back, tossing both of them onto the ground. Teaspoon and Buck looked around toward the hole in the wall. Fire was burning all around. Raven scrambled for her sword. Buck saw and rushed toward her. He grabbed her wrist and tried to force her to drop it.

"We have to get out of here!" Teaspoon yelled when Jimmy and Carson went his way as they fought.

He was knocked back toward a pile of rubble. He screamed out as a piece of wood pierced his thigh. Buck heard Teaspoon cry out. He let go of Raven and went to him. He tried to catch his breath from the smoke filled air. He grabbed Teaspoon under his arms and pulled him out through the wall. He saw Cody who ran over to help. They moved Teaspoon away from the danger. Buck turned to run back in.

"Don't." Teaspoon said grabbing his wrist.

They watched as the jail was consumed in flames. They saw two dark figures emerge. They stumbled and collapsed on the ground. Carson was the first to stand. He took a deep breath and quickly morphed back into the black beast. He smiled at Teaspoon as he jumped up onto the nearby roof. He vanished. Cody and Buck went to Jimmy. He was lying on his chest on the ground.

"He's burnt." Buck said as he looked him over. "Bad."

"Buck, look." Cody said.

The wounds were slowly disappearing. Jimmy sucked in a deep breath. He opened his eyes and pushed off the ground. They all heard people screaming. With a deep snarl, Jimmy changed. He jumped up onto the building.

"Where is Raven?"

"I don't know!"

"Help me up!" Teaspoon yelled.

They both ran over to him as Noah woke and moaned. Cody went and pulled him to his feet.

"We got to go."

They made their way around and onto the main street. Jimmy and Carson were locked in battle as the people screamed all around them.