It was a long week. Too long. Alejandra watched Rafael’s black eye starting to heal, but the haunted look remained. She watched from a distance as Nick kept his dangerous glare. Kept his distance from everyone, even Evelyn.

And Evelyn. Alejandra was too scared to approach her. Since Alejandra broke up with Nick, it was a sign she was staying by her brother’s side. Evelyn stopped waving at her at the halls. It wasn’t something Alejandra took personally, because it also looked like the poor girl was just trying to get through the week. It broke Alejandra’s heart, but she doubted Evelyn would want to see her.

By Friday night, Rafael’s black eye had healed enough that there was a bit of yellow. His eighteenth birthday was tomorrow, but Rafael acted as though it was any other day. Hazel was planning on taking him somewhere, and Mariana was taking the evening off so that they could at least have a small celebration with their family after CCNC.

Mariana left for work, and Rafael didn’t wait long before he grabbed her laptop. Alejandra sat down across from him and pulled out her phone. “Let me pay off the smaller loan. I have enough in my bank account.”

“No.”

She dropped her phone on the table. “Come on, Rafael. You’ve been doing this for two years. Think of it as a two year catch up for me. Besides, I didn’t get you a birthday present.”

“Good. You don’t need to,” Rafael said.

Alejandra pushed her glasses up her nose. “At least let me take care of both payments. This way, you can take Hazel somewhere nice tomorrow for your birthday.”

Rafael cast a quick glance at her, then back at the laptop. “I won’t let you drain your bank account. This system we have is good enough. You have college to pay for.”

“So do you.”

The tapping keys filled the silence between them. Alejandra almost prompted him again as he clicked on something, not looking at her. “I’ll be fine.”

Alejandra shook her head. “And I have an entire working year ahead of me to gain it back.” Rafael again said nothing. “You can be incredibly stubborn when you want to be.”

He was about to say something else when there was a dull boom. Alejandra frowned as the table shook. She held it, glancing around. “Earthquake?” Rafael asked. She stood up and rushed outside. “Alejandra, wait!”

She walked outside and looked at the dark, cloudy sky. She didn’t realize time had stood still until the words filled her vision.

Roll for perception.

Alejandra grabbed the d20 and gave it a quick shake. It landed on a twelve, and with a +2, it bumped it to fourteen.

Time resumed.

“Did you get a roll?” Rafael asked.

“Yes. Fourteen. You?”

“Seven.”

Alejandra winced. Hraktar eased himself out of the door, looking troubled. She turned toward her character. “What do you think?”

The fighter, too, faced the sky. Ezekiel walked out, book in hand. “It was a slight tremor of the earth. I doubt it’s anything to worry about.”

They heard it again, a dull thud. Hraktar shook his head. “No, that’s the sound of a big animal getting pushed around by an even larger one. I’d know it anywhere.”

Alejandra winced, then she turned toward Rafael. Her brother kept an eye on Hraktar. “Can you tell where it’s coming from?”

Hraktar scratched his head. “Not far. I think this is happening within your town.”

She pulled out her phone and called Derek. It was instinctual at this point.

“Alejandra?”

“I got a fourteen. Did you get something?”

“Uh, yeah, actually. An eight. What did Hraktar say it was?”

“A big creature being pushed around by an even bigger one. Within town boundaries.”

“Shit. Um… I will… call you back. I’ll ask the others what they got.”

Rafael heard, turning his head toward the phone. “It’s football tonight. Evelyn will be cheering.” Alejandra relayed the information to Derek, causing him to swear again.

“I’ll go… Okay. I’ll go talk to Nick personally. You guys try to scout ahead. Be careful.”

She ended the call, not liking this at all. Rafael was already heading back into the house. “I’ll get the keys.”

She called Tyler, who didn’t answer. They all climbed into the car as she texted him instead.

Something might be up.

It was all she dared say as she finished buckling herself. Rafael backed the car out of the driveway. She rubbed her upper arm as they heard another dull thud.

Rafael began driving, checking his watch before focusing on the road. She glanced at her older brother. “You okay?”

Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators!

“Fine.” He tenderly touched his nose before stopping at a four-way stop.

***

Derek pulled into Evelyn's and Nick’s driveway. There was only one light on, and it was coming from Nick’s room.

“Stay in the car. I’ll get them,” Derek said to his mana fusor, throwing the door open and stumbling out. He didn’t bother with the front door. Walt terrified him, and he’d rather not see him. Derek didn’t hesitate, knocking on Nick’s window the second it was within reach. He tried to keep it quiet, but desperation was a stronger emotion.

His knuckles didn’t stop tapping against the window until the curtains pulled back and he saw Nick. His friend opened his window. “Derek, what—”

“Two enormous creatures might be fighting each other in Elmwood right now,” Derek said.

Nick blinked. “Um… what?”

“That noise. Did you hear that noise?”

“Sorta. Grizzizzik and Princess Clarissa figured it was a slight earthquake.”

Derek scanned the inside of Nick’s room. “You must have rolled low. Milo thought the same.”

He glanced out the window. “Admittedly yes. A seven total.”

“Alright, well, Rafael and Alejandra are scouting ahead. We’ll all meet up with them to be sure,” Derek said.

Nick’s muscles stiffened, and he glanced at Derek’s car to see Milo in the back. Grizzizzik walked into the room.

“Take Grizzizzik and Princess Clarissa. I’ll stay here,” Nick said.

Derek understood, and he didn’t want to argue. “Alright. Grizzizzik, go get Princess Clarissa. We’ve got to go. We can’t have two creatures battling in the streets.” The rogue nodded and slipped out of Nick’s room. Nick had his arms folded; his stance was dangerously defensive. “Are you going to roll from a distance the rest of the time the characters are here?”

“Yes.” Nick grabbed the window and slammed it shut.

Derek let the sigh come out before turning back to his car. He was scared of having another conversation about this with Nick.

Grizzizzik and Clarissa walked out the door and got into Derek’s car.

“What if it is a tremor of the earth?” Grizzizzik asked.

Derek shifted from park to reverse. “Then we can sleep comfortably knowing that’s all it was.”

***

Alejandra tried Tyler again, and again no answer. Rafael kept his focus, driving through town.

Hraktar leaned forward, pointing. “Go that way.”

Rafael didn’t question it. The thumps got louder. Alejandra rolled the windows down enough to hear hissing.

“Still not answering?” Rafael asked as Alejandra dropped her phone in her lap.

“No.”

Rafael slammed on the brakes. Alejandra gasped, bracing herself against the car. She almost shouted at her brother, but what tumbled into view caused all the oxygen to leave her body.

It looked like a mess of fangs, legs, and scales. It took her a second for her mind to realize what she saw. A huge constrictor snake was pinning a ginormous spider. There were a ton of legs and hissing and clicking. Blood pounded in her ear as she watched the spider break free of the snake. With two of its front legs, the arachnid slammed the snake down. The pincers on its face were the size of her arms, clicking away as it got closer to the snake.

Alejandra rolled the window the rest of the way up, staring wide eyed at the monsters before her. “I now have arachnophobia and ophidiophobia.”

Someone honked, causing Alejandra and Rafael to jump.

“Sorry,” Rafael muttered to the car behind them as he put on his blinker and pulled over to the side of the road. They watched as the car behind them drove by the chaotic scene as though it were a calm September evening.

The snake thrashed around, and Alejandra watched through the light of the streetlamps how the snake’s long tail should have crashed into homes. The snake threw the spider off it, going straight through the home. It got right back on its legs, scuttling toward the snake.

The only thing capable of tearing Alejandra’s gaze from the two monsters fighting was the phone in her lap finally went off. She scrambled to pick it up, putting it on speaker so Rafael could hear.

“Alejandra? Everything alright?”

“I’m watching Shelob from Lord of the Rings and the Basilisk from Harry Potter duke it out in the middle of Apache Street, but other than that, things are great.”

There was a long pause from Tyler. “To be clear, is it an actual basilisk? Is anyone turning to stone?”

“No, it’s not an actual basilisk.” Alejandra glanced behind her to see Hraktar loading his crossbow. “I didn’t know any other pop culture references off the top of my head that had a ginormous snake to paint a good enough picture.”

“Kaa. From the Jungle Book,” Rafael suggested.

“This one is so much larger than Kaa.”

“Ugh, don’t get me started on the lack of Jörmungandr in the MCU.”

“Um… what?” Alejandra asked.

“Not opening that can of worms. You and the characters? Is everyone okay?”

“Shelob and Bassie are fighting with each other. Should we… let them? Then kill the loser?” Alejandra asked.

Rafael made a face. “Is that what we’re calling them?”

“Mmm… my gut says no. They are in the middle of Elmwood. We can’t let them interact with our world.”

She sighed, then glanced at Rafael. He was still staring wide eyed at the monsters. He tore his gaze to look at Alejandra. “Um… okay? How?”

“Are you in the van?” Tyler asked.

“In our car. There’s a football game tonight in a different town.”

“Right, right. Keep the characters inside the car and distract the monsters until you get to an open place, like a park or something.”

“You think we should fight these things in a park?” Alejandra asked.

“Better a park then in the middle of the street.”

Rafael glanced at her, then turned on his blinker again. “Hraktar, when I say go, shoot one of those things.”

Alejandra glanced at Rafael, eyes wide. He suppressed a smile.

“Oh! Can I shoot one with some sacred flame?” Ezekiel asked, like he was a teenager asking to take the car for a spin.

“Go for it! But both of you wait for my signal.”

“Rafael,” Alejandra said.

He started making a U-turn. “It’ll be fine. We’re in a car and can go faster than them.”

“Hey, I’m on a date right now, but text me updates.”

“You’re on a date?” Alejandra asked.

“Is that shock I hear in your voice?” He was clearly suppressing a smile himself. “I’ll try to keep in touch when I can.”

Alejandra wasn’t sure how to process this, but she said goodbye and hung up the phone. Light filled the car as Ezekiel’s hands glowed.

“Roll down your windows, and get ready to shoot them,” Rafael said.

“Don’t you dare speed.” Alejandra scrolled through her phone, looking for Derek’s contact information. “We can’t get pulled over.”

“How does one roll down these windows?” Ezekiel asked.

Rafael responded by rolling both rear windows down from his control.

“Ooo,” Hraktar said, sticking his head out.

Ezekiel maneuvered so his glowing hand hung outside the back. “You go for Bassie. I’ll hit Shelob.”

Rafael rolled his eyes again at the names.

“Right.” Hraktar made sure the crossbow was loaded. “Um, which one is Bassie, and which one is Shelob?”

“Bassie’s the snake,” she said.

“Got it.” Hraktar lifted his weapon, taking careful aim.

“Alejandra?” Derek asked.

“We’ve got the monsters, and we’re heading for the nearest park.” Alejandra adjusted her phone to put him on speaker, too.

Rafael leaned over, but kept his eyes on the road. “A gigantic snake and spider. Just to warn you. I’ll head toward Franklin Park. It’s about two miles away.”

“Perfect. I’ve got Grizzizzik and Princess Clarissa with me. Nick’s staying home.”

The tension in her shoulders eased enough for her to notice. “Thanks, Derek.”

“See you soon.”

She hung up. Rafael glanced in his rearview window as Shelob and Bassie were again at each other. “Alright, Hraktar, Ezekiel, let’s get this thing started.”