Chapter Eight: The Burnt-Down
The fireball hit the Source in the ribs and she lost her balance, letting go of the old man's throat. All stares turned to Phoebe, her hand outstretched towards Christy's last spot. Neither did Amos or Brooks know that she had just channeled the Leader of the Underworld's powers to the risk of her life. Had she not been possessed by such powers herself before, she might have been overcome by their darkness straight away.
Still she had never channeled so great a power and so dark a mind, and that was enough to hurt her badly, what with the set of shelves she had been knocked out with. Her nose started to bleed, and she faltered, holding out her hand to steady herself with the wall.
'So all of yer gran's tricks were real?" Amos heard Brooks whisper.
He turned to the other man and saw his blank face "Now's too late ter realize how stupid yeh've been all those years, just shu' up or I'll send you into a land o' nightmares." He could hear Brooks gulp.
"Whatever happened to yer eyes?" Brooks's voice shook. But Amos did not have the time to respond.
The Source was back on her feet, and the end of the wooden shack was falling in on itself, the fire licking and burning every inch it could get to. Phoebe managed to wave her hand towards Christy, throwing her into the flames her fireball had created. The Charmed One limped her way to the men and together they made their way to the door hanging on just the one inch.
The unnatural, cold laugh of pure evil that followed them through the threshold was not enough to stop them from stepping the outside. Once in the fresh air, they turned on their heels and looked at the crumbling house. Amos was crying silently, grieving over all the goods his beloved grandmother had left him and that were now history.
The final straw brought the house completely down, lifting a cloud of dust that took over a few feet. When it finally dissipated, Christy was seen standing in the middle of the flickering flames that had destroyed Amos's abode, not the least bothered by the heat of them.
Not moving, she spoke in her metallic voice again, "I guess it's time to end the game."
"Guess again."