SigRyd3r
Did you make it?
O'Leary
Yeah, we're at the store.
SigRyd3r
Side door, but hurry. He hasn't moved in a while.
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Green
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“Get moving,” said Green, already feeding energy to Asher through their bond.
Asher didn’t hesitate. He didn’t turn and flee — he couldn't — the river of shades was behind him, but the troll was a couple of feet down the aisle on his right, so Asher bolted forward, aiming for the gap between shelf and nightmare.
Green was right beside him as they sped forward. "Duck!" he shouted along the bond as the troll's club-like fist arced towards Asher, but the kid did the opposite; the shelves were packed with colorless breakfast bars, fruit snacks, and cookies — they'd already scavenged the colorful ones — Asher jumped, his left foot coming down on a hanging box of Cliff bars, the Law of Observation holding it in place, so the fledgling took the high road; up and over the troll's low swing blow. One of the troll's mouths swirled from its back to the underside of its hand, Green felt the Kah blast strike the floor as he ran under the arm — it would have slammed Asher to the ground, but the fledgling caught the troll off guard; empty hay tray, the kid surprised it! Over and under they sped past the troll, a still steady stream of color flaking from Asher as the beast's back mouths went to work trying to suck the fledgling dry.
The troll didn’t turn. Instead, its limbs and head shifted. The back became the new front in a blink, and the troll stomped forward. But instead of five mouths draining them, now there were twelve. The troll wasn’t fast, Asher was breaking away, but its range was greater than a single shade, as if each unbroken in the monstrous amalgam added to it.
“Oh, that was a bad idea,” said Asher. "Didn't exactly work as planned."
"No, that was tastier than a fresh sprout!" Green let the feeling of the binkie overtake him, sending the joy he felt along the bond. "Get those seeds ready!"
Asher reached into his pocket.
The troll's stomp forward became a steady trundle as it picked up speed.
“Turn up the speed. Go, go, go!” said Green.
Asher did his best to dodge the unbroken as they shopped in a stupor, oblivious to his flight from the troll, but at these speeds, it was near impossible; one shade broke as Asher stumbled on a stationary shopping cart's turned front wheel, the unbroken shade still holding it steady as it reached for a bulk box of KD; then as he tried to recover from the stumble, a second shade broke as he barreled straight through its unbroken body. There was no impact as he hit the shopper shoulder first to absorb the expected collision, but no resistance came; instead the person — the shade — exploded into mist and reformed into its broken form as Asher passed through. "They're like ghosts!" he said, his hand slapping the concrete floor to catch his balance.
More unbroken looked up and around at the sound of his voice.
"Yeah, bags of mist. Think later. Run now. Speak in the bond."
Energy from Asher’s shoulders and back flaked off and flew into the twelve mouths. Now, thirteen. Wilted, now there were fourteen as more of the mouths swirled to the front; all trying to drain Asher before he got out of range. Green could feel the energy slipping out of them, him to Asher and Asher to the troll; it wasn't like seeing a gas gauge, but he knew they only had about 20% left between them. “Now or never,” he said as they streaked past the next aisle. Even with the seed boost, Green knew a decision, a reckless one, would need to be made.
Asher threw the apple seeds from his pocket into his mouth and swallowed. Instantly, his reserves filled and Green pulled energy from him to refill his own. Asher was full, Green nearly so when the seeds burned out. “You weren’t kidding,” said Asher, adding a mental cheer. "We're going to have to chance the inner track; we can't go near checkout, right?"
"Yeah, this is going to suck."
Asher reached out, grabbed hold of the metal shelving, and took an aisle corner at full speed, breaking a family of four walking up it.
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Green felt the fledgling's smugness as he glanced over his shoulder, his attention on the troll and not the four shades forming to give pursuit. The troll's turn was too wide, and it looked as if it was about to collide with the shelf, but no collision came, instead the troll misted through at a full charge, closing the distance — fifteen sets of violet eyes and dark mouths swirling around its torso.
“Fuck. They can do that?”
Green sent an affirmation through the bond, but his mind was on what lay ahead. "Eyes front, fledgling." It was easy to forget the normal shades with a troll in pursuit, but that was a grave error. They needed to avoid breaking more, because if they broke a banshee. Well, that would be bad and there were always a few Banshees in a food box this size. “Asher, keep moving, but try not to break anymore shades.”
“Yup, doing my best here,” he said as he reached out and grabbed a colored box of snack bars from a shelf. He slid it into his satchel on the run, then slammed his hand through the top and pulled out a wrapped bar of some kid. He ripped the packaging off.
The inner river of shades was in front of them, and Green could feel Asher's mind lining up gaps, charting a path, as they rapidly closed. “Yeah. Good thinking, fuel on the run.” Green bolted ahead and noticed the second troll stomping towards them, confirming what he and Asher already knew. There was no going around; only through.
Asher pushed the bar into his mouth and started chewing. The river of people was straight ahead, and his feet slowed. “Green, we got a problem. There's no way through!” His head jerked left and right, looking for another way. The second troll was only an aisle away now, misting through the metal shelving.
“Asher, keep moving.” 1,000 to 1 odds, that's what the Ragers gave it, but Green had faith; they could do it. “Punch through.”
Asher nodded, picked his spot, hand grabbing a container of colorful candy from a shelf as he leapt into the river and sprinted for the other side.
The shades he touched broke, formed, and gave chase, but there were no loud shrieks as Asher crossed the first track. “Keep going, they’re right on your ass.”
The color flaking off Asher created a swirling snowstorm between him and the shades. He ripped open the circular candy container and shoved sour cherry gummies into his mouth, getting two handfuls in as he charged through the islands of clothing, breaking the occasional shade he couldn’t avoid at top speed. Green heard Asher’s mental battle cry as he grit his teeth, bent forward, and charged into the second track.
Shade parents stood dismayed as their young son threw a tantrum. Asher burst right through all three, but as they broke and formed, the small boy wasn't like the others. He didn't have legs, arms, or eyes. Instead, it stayed as a swirling gray cloud with a mouth and out of it came a piercing wail.
“A banshee! Straight for the exit, no stopping.” Green sprinted into the lead.
The effect was instant. As the sound reached the far corners of the building, all the shades that were touched by it, broke, formed, and hunted the source. The color flaking off Asher was all the signal they needed, and hundreds of shades gave chase. Asher broke through the inner track. Shades swarmed behind and all around. He shoveled candies as fast as his hand and mouth allowed.
Asher booked it into the aisle. “What if the door is closed?”
Green didn’t have an answer. The candy was keeping them sustained, but they were both getting close to empty again. He couldn’t remember having such an exciting day.
“Asher, this way!” called a voice.
“O’Leary?” said Asher. They turned left at the end of the aisle. A wall of shades swarmed between them and the door. “How do we get through that?”
“Triskele?” said Green, as a binkie overtook him, and he landed beside Asher. He could just make out two forms behind the wall of broken pressing forward. How? How was this possible? And next to him, Cheddar! That treacherous Fink!
“Cheddar, which twig is fire?” asked O’Leary. Several shades turned and headed towards them.
“I, I, I don’t know!” they said. “You better do something quick, or you’ll all cycle!”
“Can you clear the way?”
“No, no, no.” Cheddar shook their head. “Not without the Lady knowing. That would be bad.”
“It’s the pine, Triskele,” said Green.
“Can he even hear you?” Asher asked.
“Get down.” O’Leary pulled a twig, snapped it, and a small orb of orange-colored energy floated up from the break. He grabbed a hold of it with his right hand, swept his left hand out, drawing the fire towards it. Then his hands moved in unison through a series of gestures before they fanned forward. A blast of bright orange-green flame, wide as the aisle, shot forward.
“What?” Asher stared at the fire as it vaporized the shades and streaked towards him.
“Down.” Green charged forward, hopped, and slammed into the soft space behind Asher’s left knee; forcing it to bend. Asher took the hint and hit the floor; the remaining gummy cherries scattered everywhere as the fire raged over his head.
“Move, now! They’re already reforming.”
Asher pushed off the ground, getting to his feet. The two trolls heaved to a stop in the outer track — one behind them and one on the far side of the door.
Green bolted forward, about to follow Cheddar and Triskele through the door, but then he smelled oil. He turned and saw Asher standing there, eyes wide, his legs shook a little. The troll behind him closing in as the troll to their front picked up speed. They had to beat that troll to the door, or it was over. “Asher, they’re alive, but we have to go.” Green used a little of his remaining energy to push feelings of hope and bravery. “Now!” He sent those feelings along the bond with enough energy for a mental slap; took a step forward, got dizzy, and felt himself sink to the ground. “Keep going.” Well, this was how it ended for him. Green felt the fur on his side compress as he fell to the floor, but fingers brushed against his ribs, the barest trickle of energy sent by Asher, and the world blurred with motion as he was scooped from the ground.
“Save your energy, Green. I got this. Just hold on.”
Green felt another blast of heat, a jerking motion, screams for Cheddar to find the key. “1 in a 1,000,” Green thought, but then his world went dark.