Fearlings Three (The Fearlings Series Book 3) (8 page)

Ekabar waits until the Professor and James turn around. He reaches out, grabs James from behind, and tosses him sideways down the kitchen hall. He steps into the light revealing his thick dark leathery hand as he strikes the Professor. He falls forward and crashes into Rachel before she can react.

Rachel falls to the floor between the coffee table and the couch. She drops her gun as she falls to the ground with the Professor on top of her.

Stewart stares up in fear at Ocyrul holding Hydron and Drawk with ease as they try to break free. Stewart reaches out and grabs his mom as the Molawner Teelah fades into vision in front of Ocyrul.

“Release them!” Teelah commands.

Ocyrul steps forward and tosses the Molawners through the air across the room over the fallen humans. He reaches out with one arm and roars as he knocks the burning entertainment center sideways to the floor.

“No,” the Professor yells. He watches as the flames from the fallen furniture block the hall to the kitchen. “James!”

CHAPTER 17

Rick and Jeff stand at the rear of the car in the dark parking lot. The power in the area is out and their protectors Sevol and Rel are present in the darkness several feet behind them. There is frequent lightning flashing throughout the night sky all around them.

“I wasn’t ready for this,” Jeff says. His tone shows his fear as he shines one of the flashlights Rick gave him.

“Really…?” Rick says, “You have never been in a blackout with your protector? Unbelievable.” It is something that Rick has encountered before and it shows in his tone. He is not scared but he is aware. “Shine your flashlight everywhere you look. Rel and Sevol will protect us. They are stronger than the others. We will be fine. We just need to get inside your room to the candles. Ok?”

“Yeah,” Jeff says. He scans around and sees a couple in the distance as the man is teasing the woman about the dark. “Let’s go, now.”

“Wait,” Rick says. He aims the weapon in the air and fires. The blast scares the couple to duck down. He turns and yells to them. “Get out of here!”

“Rick?” Jeff asks as he fearfully scans the area. When his friend stops walking his nervousness increases. “What are you doing? We have to get to the room.”

“No,” Rick says. He steps back and looks to his protector Sevol. “We have to get out of here don’t we?”

“Yes,” the dark shadowy image of Sevol nods.

The door of the room next to Jeff’s opens and a man steps outside his room. “What’s going on?” Another door opens and curtains move as the guests inside the rooms stare out the windows.

“They are all in danger if we stay,” Rick says.

Jeff stares at the hotel as he realizes his friend is right. The attackers are bound to a circular radius around the Vauns. They cannot get close to others or they can be taken. He knows that Rick is right. They have to get out of here and fast.

“Get in the car!” Rick yells as he runs around the vehicle to the driver’s side.

Jeff opens the car door and is about to get in when the man in the room next to his yells. The tall shadowy image of Setah appears behind the man stepping into the walkway.

“Look out!” Rick yells as he aims his gun but the man moves too slowly.

“Mine,” Setah says as he grabs the man from behind and yanks him back inside the dark room. The door closes as the man’s screams fade inside the room.

“No!” Rick yells. He steps around the front of the car aiming his flashlight and gun everywhere he looks.

Rick’s attacker is the Molawner Notav. He fades into vision several feet behind Rick. He reaches out for the Vaun but Sevol stops him. Rick turns around and sees his protector grab the shadowy image of Notav and toss him sideways through the air to land on the walkway several feet away.

CHAPTER 18

Inside the house, all the candles in the kitchen are out except for one on the table. James stands in the middle of the room aiming his shotgun to the corner at the shadowy image of Ekabar.

“Your choice,” Ekabar says. His tone reflects his curiosity. “Travel to your parents or stay and create family.”

James looks down the hall as the flames rise up the walls blocking his path to the living room and his friends. He doesn’t turn around as his protectors Hydron and Drawk fade into vision behind him. He looks through the sliding glass door to the back yard, and then he turns to Ekabar.

“Run,” Ekabar says. “I will not chase.”

“I’m not running,” James says. He steps forward and leans over the table. He blows out the remaining candle and the room darkens. He stares at Ekabar. “I’m inviting you to take me.”

Drawk and Hydron step forward and stay close to their Vaun as Ekabar slowly walks around the side of the table near the back door.

“Why?” Ekabar questions.

“I will bring them back!” James demands. He walks to stand a few inches away from the larger Ekabar. “You already have what you want from them. Let me try!”

“Always the brave one James,” Ekabar says. He turns and raises his hand to the door and as soon as he touches the glass, it shatters. He steps outside onto the patio as he talks to the human behind him. “Follow.”

James turns and looks down the hall, and through the flames on the other side, he sees his friend Stewart staring at him. He says nothing then starts to the door.

Stewart stands in the living room yelling at his friend. “James!” He turns to see Professor and Rachel helping his mom to her feet. “We have to get to him!”

The small fire has spread up the walls of the hall to the kitchen. The light from the flames causes the otherworldly beings to vanish.

“We have to go around the house!” Rachel yells. She starts toward the door without thought. She doesn’t take the time to pick up a weapon or a flashlight, “Hurry!”

Julie bends down and grabs a flashlight and shotgun from the floor.

The Professor looks at Julie as she stands. Their eyes meet for a second as he speaks. “Protect your son.”

Julie turns and heads out the door, leaving the Professor in the house. She runs behind her son and Rachel as lightning flashes throughout the night sky.

In the kitchen, James stops at the open doorway. He hesitates for a second then walks out onto the patio. He follows behind Ekabar. Drawk and Hydron walk to the edge of the patio and stop. They watch in silence as their Vaun follows Ekabar into the yard.

Outside, along the sidewall of the house Rachel is racing toward the back yard when Ocyrul fades into vision. Before she can react, he grabs her by the arm and tosses her sideways. He raises his foot as the Vaun’s protector fades into vision in front of him. Ocyrul front kicks Teelah in her shadowy chest knocking her backwards to the ground next to Rachel.

“Rachel!” Stewart yells. Without hesitation, he charges the larger Ocyrul from behind. The Allumn is faster and much stronger. He reaches out and grabs the human by the neck. He spins around tossing him backwards to the ground a few feet away.

CHAPTER 19

In the dark parking lot of the hotel Jeff and Rick stand on opposite sides of the car. They watch as Sevol tosses the shadowy image of Notav backwards, crashing through the front window of a room.

Jeff steps forward as human screams erupt from inside the hotel. A second later, a man and woman exit the room running in fear. He stops walking and keeps his weapon aiming at the open door. “We have to get out of here Rick!”

Rick agrees but before he can respond, Setah fades into vision beside him. The larger being pushes him hard into the car. He bounces violently off the side door and back into Setah’s grip. He yells out as the being tosses him sideways through the air to crash into a nearby-parked car. He drops his weapon and flashlight as he falls to the pavement. He looks back to his attacker and doesn’t see Setah as Jeff walks around the car with his protector Rel.

“You ok?” Jeff says. He holds his weapon down as he shines the flashlight on Rick. “Where did he go?”

“I don’t know,” Rick says. He reaches for the gun then he stands. He sees the flashlight several feet away.

“Rick! Look out!”

Rick turns around and sees the attacker Notav fade into vision several feet away. He steps back and raises his weapon. Sevol fades into vision to stand beside Rick as Jeff and Rel step up. The four of them stare at Notav.

“You cannot have him,” Sevol says.

“One is all we desire,” Notav says.

The tall shadowy images of Setah and Notav appear directly behind Jeff. They reach out and grab the human before the protectors can stop them. With ease, they toss the smaller being backwards through the air.

Rel strikes Setah to the side then he turns to his Vaun as Jeff slams onto the roof of the car and rolls off to the other side, out of vision.

“Aaaaagh!” Rick yells as he aims his weapon and fires at Notav.

The images of Rel and Setah fade into the darkness. They appear on the other side of the car in front of the Vaun lying on the pavement. Jeff rolls over on his back and looks up. He sees both Setah and Rel standing above him locked in battle.

On the other side of the car, Rick and Sevol step closer to Notav on the ground in front of them. Rick aims the weapon and fires. He focuses only on killing the Molawner that has hunted his family for generations. He fires, blasting the shadowy image again and again across the pavement until Notav lies back first on the curb.

Jeff sees the gun a few feet away from him on the other side of the fighting Rel and Setah. Rel is stronger than Setah but not as quick. Setah strikes his arms up then pushes him in the chest knocking him backwards off balance. Setah turns and strikes the standing Jeff in the head, then he turns to engage the charging Rel. Jeff yells out in pain as his back strikes the side door of the car. He falls forward to his hands and knees.

On the other side of the car, Rick and Sevol stand over the fallen Notav. “I may not be able to kill you in your world but here,” Rick states. His tone reflects years of anger as he aims his weapon. “Your connection to my world is no more.” He pulls the trigger.

Jeff cannot see them, but he hears the blast from the shotgun. He doesn’t know what it means. He doesn’t know that Rick killed Notav. He just sees his protector Rel tossed backwards into the car behind him. He is helpless as the Molawner that has been hunting him since he was eight years old reaches down and grabs his arm.

Rick stares at the fallen Notav as he fades from vision. He hears his friend yell, which causes him to turn around. “Jeff!” He starts to the back of the car and runs around the vehicle with Sevol following. “Jeff!”

The Molawner Setah runs fast down the dark road dragging the smaller human by the arm. The protector Rel chases after them but he cannot catch them in time.