Skirmish at School
John's heart pounded as he made his way not to the Bathroom but to his locker. For two years he had dreaded the coming of this day. Every so often he looked behind him and would catch a glimpse of a shadow and he was certain now that he was being followed. He reached his locker and unlocked the padlock securing it. Fortunately, those two years of reprieve meant he also had two years to prepare for it. Opening it he reached inside and grabbed a Jacket and the second backpack that he had put there at the beginning of the school year. Inside was two sets of clothes, a hoodie, a balisong, lockpicking kit, a flashlight, a water jug, rope, jerky, bandages and band-aids and about $10,000 dollars he acquired through duplicitous means, 'charity's fine subscribe to mine.' He put on the jacket and strapped the Backpack to his back.
Looks like he would be back on the run again, he thought. A faint scratching could be heard, and he knew that whatever was following him was close now. But the question is where I should fight it. He considered going outside but then remembered Silena was out there and she could get hurt. So instead, he settled for the Gym, it was big enough with room to move around. When he got there, he found the doors locked up for the day. John shrugged and disappeared and reappeared inside. he set his backpack off to the side and took out his pen. He gave one end a twist and the pen extended, opening up to reveal a bident. About 5 Feet long he has a butt spike on one end and two prongs on the other. The two prongs however differed. One was a barbed spike and the other was a serrated blade with a curve.
As John waited, he saw the shadow again and the jiggling of the lock. With a loud grunt, he heard the sound of metal snapping as the lock was broken and he saw the creature that was following him. Another sound was heard behind him and John saw a second creature that resembled the first enter from the other entrance.
They resembled anthropomorphic bears, with brown fur and...John almost chuckled...jeans? Standing on their hind legs they towered about eight feet. Looking between then John's brow furrowed, these didn't look like what he saw before. In fact, he was unfamiliar with these creatures. John shook his head, he could think about that later, for now he needed to focus on the monsters before him.
"So, you finally found me huh?" He said with a snarl, "what took you so long?"
It was the second creature that spoke, "you were tough to track down son of Hades. But we got you now."
John snarled, "you can try, but if you think I'm going to just roll over and-" he paused, "wait, what did you call me."
The beast snorted, "no matter you will die regardless."
John's grip tightened on his bident, "bring it on Boo-Boo."
The first beast lunged forward teeth bared and claws out. John waited for him to get close enough before thrusting forward quickly. The points of the bident struck the bear on the nose. The bear roared and backed away trying to wipe his nose with his paw to get rid of the irritating pain.
The slightest sound reached the corner of his ear. The second bear had been trying to sneak up on him. Not a bad effort considering his bulk, it might have worked to one with less experienced. But John had done this enough times to know better than to leave his back exposed. The bear made to swipe his head off, John disappeared, and the paw swiped only air. John appeared above them, his bident underhand and putting all his weight behind it plunged the Bident into the back of the first bear.
The bear roared in pain and began thrashing about trying to throw the boy and his weapon off. "Gerroff me, gerroff me" he yelled.
"Hold still then," his brother replied and aimed another swipe at John. John waited until the last second before vanishing again, the claws missing him by centimeters. Those claws ended up scratching the back of the first bear causing him to roar again and back pawed the second bear in retaliation. The brothers glared at each other before turning to John who was staring them down with murderous intent.
Now very angry, the bears charged at him. Blood pulsed through his veins as John gripped his bident. 'They think I will run.' he thought, 'but I'm not leaving until they are both dead.' So, he lowered his bident and charged them back. As thy got close the bears swiped at him but both missed as John chose his target and drove the prongs of his bident into open maw of the bear he hadn't injured yet. That didn't however prevent the bears body from slamming into him and causing him to land hard on his back as the bears corpse dissolved into dust.
John winced in pain as he struggled to his feet. As he did so another roar went up, he looked in time to see a massive claw swipe him across the chest. and sending him flying into the far wall. John heard a crack from the impact as he crumpled to the hard floor below. He looked up and saw the last bear charging again. Once again John waited then vanished again causing the bear to slam snout first into the wall dazing him. Taking advantage of this John once again appearing above him aimed another strike, this time it landed true as he drove the bident into the bear's neck. The bear let out one last loud roar of pain before collapsing to the ground and vanishing into dust.
John breathed a sigh of relief onto to wince again as a sharp pain came from the act. 'Something broke,' he knew. Part of him wanted to head home, his mother could tend him, but he brushed this off at once. 'Two had already come and there will be others," he thought. He couldn't risk leading them home and endanger his family. No, he had to leave, but he supposed it couldn't hurt to say goodbye to Silena he wanted to get his other backpack anyway. Doing his best to hide the pain he headed back to the bench. but stepping out of the school he was greeted by a horrific sight.
Silena was on the ground struggling her eyes wide with fear. Pinning her down were the two vampires he had saved her from earlier in the year. But this time they looke3d different. Their hair no longer looked like flames, they were flames, their shining legs he could now see were prosthetic, which explained the metallic shine and the other leg, 'Goat's Legs?' John brushed these thoughts aside as he noticed that they had brought a friend. A monstrously fat woman in a denim dress and slits for eyes, what skin was bare has patterns on it that resembled scales.
John didn't hesitate to act, 'this will hurt' he thought recalling his recent injury, but he didn't care, he had to save Silena he couldn't fail again. With all his might he hurled his bident then vanished. The bident sailed through the air and embedded itself into one of the Vampires, reducing her to dust. Her partner looked up only to see the boy appear before her as he grabbed his bident and slammed the butte spike into her face causing her stagger she barely had time to react when the barbed prong found its way through her mouth. As she dissolved to dust, John put himself between Silena and the big woman his bident ready to strike.
The woman regarded him and laughed which sent a chilled down John's spine. "You think you can protect her son of Hades," she snarled.
"You won't let a pacifist live in peace, will you?" John stated. "It's me you want right, so come and kill me."
"Oh, but why settle for the main course when we can also have desert later," A voice said to the right. John turned to see another monster, it had the head of a man, the body of a lion and a monstrous scorpion tail. The hind legs, John recognized that what he had seen before. In fact, he knew what creature this was, A Manticore.
"You should have killed the two Empousa when you had the chance, the Manticore said, we might not have found you otherwise. and You would have saved her from this fate." he raised his tail and lunged it forward. Sending several barbed spikes towards Silena.
John's eyes widened and threw himself over her grabbing her arms and vanished. They appeared somewhere away but john didn't know how far but he hoped it was a good enough distance. He looked to Silena who was still trembling in fear and was now clutching his arms. He cupped her tear-streaked cheeks. "Are you alright?" He asked, "did they hurt you?"
Aside from a few scratches on her arms she seemed okay.' She shook her head, "n-not much," she replied softly. "Wha-what were those things?"
It was then that the realization dawned on him. 'She-she can see them, that means.' his eyes widened in shock, 'by the gods, she's like me, like her.' This is likely her first true encounter with monsters.
His eyes looked at the scratches and he closed his eyes in despair. 'This is all my fault,' he thought glumly. 'I should never have let her get close to me, now she's in danger and it's because of me.'
Silena's hands had moved to his back and her eyes widened in horror. "Oh John, you're hurt."
Now that the adrenaline from the fight had worn off a searing pain coursed through his back. The manticore had not wholly missed as several barbs were embedded in his back. He collapsed and Silena caught him, and he began to wheeze in pain. "I'm sorry," he said "I'm so sorry."
As he was fighting the pain and struggling to stay conscience. they heard a chuckling as the Manticore appeared around the corner. It seems they had not gotten as far as he had hoped. With great effort he put hi self between the monster and Silena. Sitting in an upright position, he grasped his bident with both hands intending to impale the creature if it tried to pounce or to catch the tail if it struck.
The manticore continued to chuckle, "a valiant effort boy, but ultimately futile." He raised his tail again. but before he could strike once more. A fierce cry rang out and a Spear rammed into the Manticore's side. The Manticore Roared in Pain as he turned his head to look at the one who dared to strike him.
Startled John's Eyes followed the shaft of the spear to the hands holding it. It was Clarisse. There was a fierce look in her eyes as she removed the spear and the Manticore turned fully towards her only for Clarisse to thrust again driving the spear deep in his chest. The point John noticed cackled electricity. The manticore roared again and raised his tail intending to strike him down
John took a deep breath and struggled to his feet using his bident as a prop, intense agony coursing through his body. But his determination to protect Silena was able to override it for the time being. Calling on what little strength he had left and lunged at the manticore his Bident aimed outwards. he caught the tail between the prongs of his bident and pinned it to the ground. Clarisse gave another cry as she put her weight behind her weapon as she drove it deeper until it reached the heart. The Manticore tried to swipe at her, but the spear was longer than his reach. He struggled for a few moments before he finally slumped to the ground and dissolved into dust.
With the monster gone, John strength was now depleted ad he crumpled to the ground. Silena rushed over and caught him her eyes swimming with tears as Clarisse came over to him. Silena moved to remove the barbs from his back, but Clarisse stopped her.
"Those barbs may have hit an artery," she said, "it's best to keep them in."
"Clarisse," John gasped through the pain, "take Silena and get out of here."
The big girl moved to take Silena by the arm, but she wretched free and knelt by John. "NO," she cried, "Please get up!"
John shook his head 'curse her stubbornness,' "dammit Beauregard," he gasped, "leave me, save yourself."
Silena shook her head and cupped his head in her hands. "I'm not leaving you here."
A strange sensation came over him as her words struck him to the heart. he didn't know what this was, but he couldn't dwell on it for long as his eyes rolled up and he fainted. The bident rolled from his hand and returned to its fountain pen form.
Desperately, Silena turned to her other friend. "Help me," she begged as she tried to lift him up.
"He told us to go," Clarisse protested trying to get her to follow him.
Once again Silena shook her head, "we can't leave him here, he'll die."
Clarisse looked at the unconscious body of her friend before closing her eyes and sighing deeply. With a flick of her wrist, she retracted her spear into a hairpin and slung the slight boy unto her shoulder. As they did so a familiar car came to a stop and Silena's father bolted out.
"What happened?" He demanded.
"Daddy!" Silena cried as she ran over and hugged him tightly. "We were attacked by some...monsters and Johnny is badly hurt. Mr. Beauregard closed his eyes and sighed. "Your mother warned me this day would come," he murmured mostly to himself. He gently lifted John's head.
"We need to get him to the hospital," Silena urged.
But her father shook his head, "there is only one place that can help him now," he said grimly. "Get him into the back seat, but make sure you don't irritate those barbs." They did so but as they made ready to leave Silena stopped them. "We should get our bags," she said, "and John's as well."
Reluctantly they made their way to the main entrance where Silena and John's backpacks were still there. as they moved to leave Silena remembered the bag John dropped nearer to the entrance. Silena ran over to get it. Remembering the big woman, she looked around frantically but strangely enough she found no sign of her.
With no sign of any danger near, the girls picked up the bags and put them in the trunk of Mr. Beauregard's car. As Clarisse took the front seat while Silena was in the back cradling John's head in her lap. He seemed to grow paler, and each breath grew more laboured and ragged. Mr. Beauregard began to drive but this time it was to a new destination.
A distance away the woman in question was crawling away weakly or at least trying to. Behind her, her serpentine lower half was pinned to the earth with a machete, its celestial bronze blade gleaming in the sunlight. Her chest was riddled with buckshot and her left arm hung uselessly to her side as the claws of her right hand dug into the earth trying to pull. A crunching sound was heard as heavy boots clomped towards her crushing flora alive and dead under them.
At first, she had thought it was The Ranger, he who slaughtered her children times beyond counting. Now she was wishing it HAD been him. He was worse than the Hunters, but not as bad as his students. They were not as good in the craft as their master, but they would jeer and make mock as they killed the monsters they hunted. Now one of their finest was strutting towards her, a clicking was heard as a firearm was loaded. A mechanical right hand grabbed her by the hair and lifted her up and the barrel of a shotgun was stuffed into her mouth.
"You like eating children," Hoss Delgado stated his right eyes glaring. "devour this instead you bloated sea hag."
His finger squeezed the trigger.