Disclaimer: I do not own the Night World series nor any associated characters, the only character in this I own is the main character, Holly and Harvey. However I will be introducing some new characters in passing within this next chapter.


Dinner was a rather sombre affair, Holly had ordered a salad and a small red wine, I had ordered a large steak and chips which upon seeing my stomach had taken a U-turn on it's choice and I'd nearly thrown up. With what I had found out earlier eating just seemed too normal, for how with the world about to end could life carry on as if nothing was happening?

And of course even here I was working. Phoning various people in the know and giving them the heads up whilst pulling strings on the other side of the divider.

"Elliot here."

"Elliot it's the idiot who got stabbed last night." I was going to have to be very careful about what I said with a non-slayer at the table as telling people about the Night World only ever caused trouble.

"What is it?" He sounded annoyed. "I'm suffering the repercussions of your stunt yesterday, Vicky has sworn if she ever sees you she's going to kill you."

"Tell her to join the back of the cue. Uh.. I'm not sure how to phrase this... Elliot, it's over, we're finished. Apocalypse two."

"What? But how?"

"Never mind how. Just get into hiding and pass the message along the grapevine. I'm going to start pulling strings and get in contact with some of the other large groups."

I hung up and then began dialing in another number before glancing at Holly who was picking at her salad with disinterest whilst obviously listening to my every word.

"Hello?" This time it was another Elder who I had worked for upon occasion.

"I need help."

"Who is this​?"

"One who walks both sides of the great divide."

"Shadow?"

"Yes."

"How can you need help?"

"Surely you've heard, the vote today."

"Oh but surely you don't need help, I mean you're the Shadow, noone even knows what you are let alone who."

"Just reschedule the vote, pull strings, anything, I just need a few hours maybe a day."

"Why? Why should I help you? You're the enemy now!"

I glanced at Holly.

"You should know why you hired me. Now imagine that same reason focused in a single direction."

"I'm an elder, how exactly are you going to get to me!"

"You seem very Adamant about that." I stressed adamant carefully. "I suggest you look up current events."

"I'll do what I can." She said bitterly knowing that I was more than capable of following through with my threats. She then hung up, well I think she actually may have broken the phone as I heard a smash that was cut off by the phone going dead.

I glanced at Holly again, it was obvious that I was threatening whoever was on the other end of the phone.

With as much of my work finished as I could with someone else present I decided to just wait for Holly to finish eating before paying and leaving. Now I'd done what I could, I could now look at my food without the urge to throw up.

I was suddenly ravenous. I began eating as though it was going out of fashion.

Two hours later I was escorting Holly home. The idea supposedly was that people were less likely to attack a a group and there was a fight I could even the field somewhat, which as I often joked to Holly would mine I was on the other side.

Really though it was a chance to let my guard down and relax, even vampires usually only attacked a person if they're alone and it was only a short walk from Holly's to my flat. Yes, the truth was that this was the high point of the day as it was the time when I was safest.

"Stop right there, fiend!" shouted a voice from behind us.

'Why me?' I cried internally. Four figures loomed up ahead in the alleyway that we'd taken as a shortcut. I whirled on one foot to see four other vague outlines in the half-light of a flickering lamppost just outside the alley.

'Well this is it, the Night World finally wins' I thought morosely.

"Step away from him leech! Thy reign of terror has come to an end."

'You have got to be kidding me' arrived in my head around the same time as, 'what the hell has this guy been reading'

I stepped in front of Holly before cracking my knuckles for effect (arthritis be damned).

"Listen gents we can do this the easy way or the hard way. It's honestly all the same to me the only difference is how many of your bones I break." I said.

While saying this I was sizing up the opposition, they were all armed with stakes and wooden knives though one was wielding a club that looked like it had minutes ago been a tree.

"Sir, please step away. You are in grave danger!" This was from the one who I assumed was the leader.

As this was happening the group were drawing weapons.

I took a step forwards, not much point as we were surrounded but impressions mattered.

"I think I would know if my best friend drank blood!" I said forcefully.

"Sir, you have no idea, for years they have lived amongst us, looking and acting normal, hiding the demon within. But they prey on innocents like yourself, people who trust them, to these creatures friends don't exist. Which is why your time is up leech!"

While stupid was delivering this monologue I was quietly talking to Holly.

"Holly, please tell me you have an idea." I said as quietly as I could.

"None."

"Something to fight with?" I said without much conviction.

"Two arms and two legs any good?"

"Not quite what I had in mind."

I glanced at the alley floor looking for a broken bottle, a shard of glass, a twig even, anything would do.

It was hopeless, all we had were our backpacks from university as we hadn't had time to get rid of them.

Hang on! The backpacks! They had pens and pencils in. Not quite enough to take on knives but it was something.

I slipped my bag off my shoulder and pulled out my pencil case before removing two biros – one black and one blue and two pencils. I handed one of each to Holly.

Sadly the group of thugs had not been idle either and were closing the ring they had around us.

"I'm sorry but if you defend that creature we shall have to kill you to."

With that they went for us, not quite all at once but in ones and twos.

I ducked a club which swung over my hand whilst knocking away the arm of one of the knife-weilders by hitting his wrist, I dropped the biro and punched upwards open handed literally driving his nose through his brain. I grabbed the dagger from his unresisting hand as he fell and turned in time to duck another blow from the club.

I risked a glance at Holly, whilst it was only the dead guy and the idiot with the club attacking me the other six were attacking Holly and she was quickly being overwhelmed.

The guy with club made another swing, instead of ducking I grabbed the arm and pulled towards me knocking him off balance before sweeping his feet out from under him. I turned and made towards Holly who was on the floor by now. I stabbed the nearest one in the back before they even knew I was amongst them. I pulled the dagger out and slashed the one to my left across the throat.

I turned and parried a blow, the four still standing stopped kicking Holly – at least they hadn't killed her - and three of them made a charge at me. The fourth merely stood back, glanced at his watch then watched the fight, amusement clear on his face.

The group's leader unsheathed a bokken I had failed to notice as another one stabbed forwards with a stake, I grabbed the stake and pulled, the owner of said stake refused to let go which brought him within range of my knife, I stabbed him in the chest then kicked him back into the other two whilst pulling out the dagger. This fight was too easy.

My shadow was suddenly obscured as someone blocked off the light from the damaged streetlight. I twirled to the side and stabbed back meeting resistance but the blade still going in as the club whistled past my ear. I pulled the dagger out then elbowed him in the chin, he fell unconscious and presumably dying.

The fight up to this point had taken maybe a minute.

I faced the two who still were interested in fighting me, there was no sign of the third. There was no way my little dagger could beat the bokken, it just didn't have the reach. I drew my arm back and threw it. The second guy tried to block it with his own dagger as though this was some sort of film. It didn't work. He too slumped to the floor.

I had decided not to throw at the leader as it was possible he would be smart enough to duck.

We began circling each other, as long as a avoided the point I had a chance, but not much of one. It had been ages since I had fought with this large a disadvantage, I had an honour of sorts but when it comes to fighting fair wasn't in my vocabulary.

Eventually he lashed out swinging at across forcing me to jump back to avoid being hit. He kept his guard up occasionally lashing out forcing me backwards eventually I would either hit a wall or be forced out of the alley. He lashed out again forcing me back further, if I tried to block it I would most likely break an arm.

I nearly slipped as I took another step back, I looked back as a flailed for balance, my still unnamed opponent lunged forwards nearly spearing me as I lost my balance completely and fell just passing under the blade time. I rolled backwards to a crouch and made it to my feet before he could attack again. I tried to circle past him.

I had slipped on a section of metal pipe that was loose, by this time I was much deeper into the alley. If I could only get back to the pipe I would have the upper hand. I managed to circle round him, or rather he let me circle round – this fight was really getting confusing. I backed away till my foot hit the pipe again, I levered my shoe under it and kicked up catching one of the ends with both hands and gripping it as I would a sword before swapping to a single left handed grip as though it were a shortsword.

The leader advanced warily aware that he had just accidentally allowed me to turn this from a one way beating to a duel.

He attacked no longing slowly trying to back me into a corner but an all out assault. Slash, parry, slash, parry, feint, stab, overhand slash, on and on it went. The offensive switching between us almost as rapidly as the blows. Finally we both locked blades each trying to overpower the other to make room for a first and deciding blow. Slowly I began to overpower him when he disengaged and stepped back out of range, as soon as I felt the resistance against my pipe disappear I did the same.

Despite the stupid speech and pointless attack this guy knew how to fight. So if he was this good why didn't he go all out like this when I was unarmed, I mean he proved his lack of moral code when him and his goons gave Holly a kicking so-

My train of thought was cut off as a narrowly blocked a blow to the head that despite the bokken's inability to decapitate would have smashed my spine.

The fight continued till we had fought each other up and down the alley twice in each direction before eventually coming to a standstill just where this all started. Another powerstruggle ensued.

My arms felt like lead and my muscles burned but no doubt he was in just as bad a state. Another disengage but this time neither of us tried to use the time to rest but rather to attack hoping we would get under the others guard before they regained the poise. I changed style aiming for his forearms and hands with each blow rather than the torso in the hope I could get him to drop his weapon. Finally I caught a break where he swept the blade at my feet, instead of jumping it as usual I brought a foot down on it pinning the tip to the floor, I swung catching him on his other arm a loud crack echoed across the alley before swinging at his remaining arm.

He managed to pull his bokken from under my foot and weakly parried it but the force of my swung made him drop the bokken. I advanced. I flourished the pipe swapping it to my other hand then grabbed his broken arm twisting. He screamed and dropped to his knees, I using my own knee to knock him over backwards. I swung using the pipe more as a club than the sword it had replaced earlier. The first blow knocked him out cold, the second opened a gash on his head, I stopped at the fifth.

I turned away and walked the short distance to Holly who was mercifully unconscious. She'd been stabbed but as far as I could see no major organs hit, nothing broken either just severe bruising, probably to be expected all things considered. I dropped the pipe and prepared to lift her when a voice spoke out from the darkness.

"Bravo, bravo. I honestly wasn't sure who'd win, it was all I could do to hold him back until you got a weapon." The guy who had apparently fled stepped from the shadows clapping mockingly. "And now it ends."

He pulled two katanas from sheathes on his back in a mirror image of my usual modus operandi.

"Any last words, Shadow?" Was there anyone who didn't know who I was?

I picked up my pipe, it was hopeless but I might as well try.

"Yes, bring it on!"

It was a poor fight from the start, my blocks were slow and weak, my attacks pitiful as I was so worn out from the earlier fight as no doubt was planned, at my best it would have been evenly

matched but not only was he more energized but he was even better armed than I was my pipe having to do the work of two blades.

It was nearly a minute when the pipe was just cut in half, I backed away the vampire advanced menacingly. I stopped and stood still, I was finished.

I tossed the pipe then waited.

I heard a thud and he fell forward turning rapidly into a mummified cadaver even as he fell. There was a wooden dagger in his back.

A robed figure jumped from the one of the roofs landing in a crouch before standing straight. The apparition walked over and retrieved it's dagger before drawing out a lighter and setting the corpse on fire.

"Mr Redfern sends his regards." And with that it scaled one of the buildings and was gone.

Author's Note: This is my first really major fightscene so plz review