Ollie shut the door, ignoring the protests on the other side. He stood in the hallway, holding the bat like a slugger waiting for his pitch. The next goblin to come up those stairs would get the business end of this thing right in their face.
The first one appeared, a pudgy-faced greenie with beady eyes that lit up when it saw Ollie.
“Kill the hunter!” it screamed, mouth agape as it charged forward in a blind fury. Ollie made him pay for his reckless abandon by crushing the bat into the goblin’s cheek. The goblin bounced off the wall and then crumbled to the floor. Another ran up behind it and Ollie jumped forward, smacking it on the head before it gained any momentum. The second goblin staggered backward, then tumbled down the stairs.
Ollie crept forward and glanced down the staircase to see two more goblins coming up, working their way around their falling comrade, followed by a hulking Kranka. The hobgoblin’s eyes bored a hole into Ollie, who hurried back and knocked on the bedroom door.
“You’ve got about ten seconds to get out of here!” he shouted. He heard a high-pitched shout from Wendy, confirming that they still hadn’t convinced her to climb out the window. He shifted back into his slugger stance, waiting for the next two goblins. They stopped at the top of the stairs, snarling at him, but not attacking. The slow, steady thumps of Kranka filled his ears as the hobgoblin methodically made his way up between them.
“Hunter is hunted,” one of the goblins said with a sneer.
“Kranka will bash you on the head,” the other said, cackling, “till your brain oozes out of your ears.”
Ollie licked his lips as Kranka stepped forward, the two goblins squeezing against the wall to let him pass. Ollie readied his bat. “Not if I get him first.”
Kranka took two big steps forward. Ollie sidestepped and gave him a solid thwack on the arm, near the gunshot wounds. Kranka bellowed in pain but didn’t let up in his vicious attack. He barreled through Ollie’s next swing and backhanded him into the wall, knocking loose a host of picture frames that crashed to the floor. Kranka swiped at his chest but Ollie slid sideways and then one-handed the bat into Kranka’s head. The hobgoblin roared and lashed out again. Ollie ducked, more through sheer luck than anything else, but he wasn’t fast enough to dodge the kick that sent him flailing backward, landing on his shoulders at the far end of the hallway. He looked up to see Kranka advancing.
A muffled cry came from the bedroom. “Wendy, no!”
The door opened and Wendy stood in the doorway, staring up at the hobgoblin before her. Her eyes bulged, and her mouth opened, emitting a tiny, strangled squeak. Kranka turned his head and growled at her just as someone grabbed Wendy’s shoulder and yanked her back. The door slammed shut and Kranka roared. He threw his shoulder into the door, ripping the hinges from the frame.
Wendy screamed. Albert shouted. So did Andy, from farther away. Probably the roof. Ollie scrambled to his feet and lunged at the hobgoblin, smashing the bat in a downward arc right onto Kranka’s foot. The hobgoblin howled and jumped back, whipping his thick hand at Ollie’s shoulder, ripping through his jacket and scraping into flesh.
Ollie fell onto his backside, clutching his shoulder. He could already feel warm blood seeping through his clothes. He scooted backward down the hallway, then hopped to his feet and darted into the last room on the left. Another guest room, Mariah and David’s he guessed, since two suitcases sat in the corner. Footsteps scurried across the floor in the hallway, followed by gunshots and screams. The other goblins were going after Wendy and Albert.
But not Kranka. His heavy footsteps were coming this way. Toward Ollie.
Ollie scanned the room for anything that would help. Mariah was a witch. Surely she had something worthwhile in here.
“The whelp.”
Ollie spun around to see one of the first two goblins scurrying into the room. It snarled at him. “Your head is mine!”
The goblin ran forward, ducking under Ollie’s one-handed swing and throwing a punch into his gut. Ollie doubled over, caught by surprise, and nearly dropped the bat. The goblin wailed at him from up close, tackling him to the ground, raining punches on his head and torso. A few blows hit Ollie’s wounded shoulder, and he screamed. From the corner of his eye he saw Kranka standing in the doorway, admiring the carnage.
Ollie found a renewed strength. He smacked the bat against the goblin’s head a few times, until it ceased its barrage and started protecting itself. Once it did, Ollie wrapped his good arm around the goblin’s torso and rolled across the floor until they both reached the far wall, away from Kranka. Ollie dropped the bat and pulled the knife from his belt. With his free hand, he grabbed the goblin’s wrist and smashed it against the wall. Then he jabbed the knife through the creature’s palm deep into the wall, pinning the goblin, who shrieked in surprise.
Ollie retrieved the bat and rolled away from the thrashing goblin, who struggled to pull the knife, and its hand, from the wall. He got to his feet, facing off against Kranka, who stepped into the room.
“Nowhere left to go, hunter,” he said.
Ollie grabbed a small desk table in the corner and tossed it in front of Kranka. The hobgoblin easily knocked it aside.
“This is where you pay for what you did to my brother.”
“My dad killed your brother.” Ollie backed up against the foot of the bed. “But I definitely helped.”
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Kranka snarled then lunged forward. Ollie rolled sideways, across the bed, and then hopped off next to the window. He smashed the bat through the glass, shattering it. He turned as Kranka lunged for him again, keeping him at bay with a swing that almost connected with the hobgoblin’s chin. He let the momentum of the swing carry him around and smashed through the remainder of the window, clearing enough space for him to dive through.
He landed on the sloping roof and slid down to the edge. He glanced over to check his landing spot, then hopped down onto the back patio, jarring his knees more than he liked. A goblin bouncing along the fence, taunting the cows, turned to see him. He ran up to the patio, arms flailing, but a well-timed swing of the baseball bat sent it flying backward.
Two of the goblins still fought over the cheese grater, chasing each other around the backyard. Fortunately, they ignored him, but a third darted out from the side of the house, only to be met with a home run swing right in the neck. The goblin let out a strangled shriek and jumped off the patio. Ollie used the free moment to chase after a fourth, who took off into the backyard area, screeching in fear.
A roar filled the air. Ollie turned to see Kranka standing on the roof, arms outstretched, his face upturned to the moonlight sky as he cried out in a fury. The hobgoblin jumped off and landed on the patio, cracking the wood with his heft. He moved toward Ollie, still limping a bit on his injured foot, but otherwise taking slow, measured steps. He would kill Ollie, but he was in no hurry to do it.
“Fine.” Ollie took a deep breath. “Let’s do this.”
He ran forward, aiming for Kranka’s skull. The hobgoblin’s arm shot out, snatching the bat in mid-swing. Ollie pulled, but the hobgoblin yanked it out of his hands. Ollie backed away as Kranka held the bat in both hands. He snapped it in half, like it was nothing more than a twig, then dropped the pieces on the ground, a fiendish smile on his face.
“Dammit,” Ollie whispered, still breathing hard. He turned to run, but Kranka leapt forward and caught his arm. Ollie tried to wiggle out of the creature’s grip. The hobgoblin twisted him around, grabbed his ankle, and tossed him into the air. Ollie sailed over the back patio railing, landing on the ground with a crack. He cried out as searing pain shot through the left side of his chest. If his ribs had been bruised before, now they were broken. He tried to sit up, which caused even more pain. Definitely broken.
Kranka advanced, and Ollie struggled to get to his feet. He stumbled into the work shed, closing the door behind him. He searched the dark room for a weapon, and immediately found two – a shovel and an axe. He reached for the axe, gripping the handle just as Kranka burst through the door.
Ollie raised the axe with his left arm, trying to get a good angle on the rampaging monster. He swung, but Kranka blocked the haft with his arm at the last moment. The blade still managed to dig into Kranka’s shoulder, but only an inch or so. Kranka shoved Ollie away and retreated out the shed door. He pulled the axe from his shoulder, and then howled at the night sky.
Ollie didn’t give him a chance to retaliate. He grabbed the shovel and came out swinging. Kranka tried to deflect it with the axe, but Ollie swung hard enough to knock it out of Kranka’s grip. He swung again, the shovel tracing a wide arc through the air. Kranka lunged backward, out of range, and Ollie pressed his newfound advantage. He swung a third time, but Kranka used the pause in between swings to attack. He grabbed the shovel and ripped it from Ollie’s grip. Kranka’s other hand smashed into his shoulder, dislocating it. Ollie screamed, only for Kranka to wrap a hand around his throat, mercilessly cutting off the sound.
Ollie frantically pulled at Kranka’s fingers, trying to pry them away. The hobgoblin’s grip was too strong. Ollie gasped for breath, finding none. His face burned as Kranka lifted him into the air, admiring his catch.
In his struggle, Ollie saw the spear point again, glinting in the moonlight as it hung from Kranka’s neck. He flailed at it with his good arm, wrapped his hand around it, and ripped the leather strap free, feeling one last surge of strength in his body. Once in his grip, he jabbed the point deep into Kranka’s cheek. He ripped it out and stabbed again. Kranka cried out in fury, dropping Ollie. He started breathing again, and his vision steadied. He looked up to see Kranka clutching his face. The hobgoblin took several deep breaths, then snarled at him.
“No more games, hunter.”
Kranka left him, and at first Ollie thought he’d won. He realized how ridiculous that thought was when he saw Kranka lean over to retrieve the axe. Ollie tried to move, or crawl, or roll away, but he couldn’t do it. His shoulder was dislocated, one or more ribs were broken, and he could barely see straight. These were the last moments of his stupid, pathetic life.
Kranka walked up next to him and hefted the axe with one hand.
“I will enjoy this. It doesn’t repay what you’ve taken from me,” he raised the axe high, “but it’s close.”
Ollie squeezed his eyes shut.
A boom filled the air, followed by a loud clanging. He carefully opened his eyes to see Kranka lying on the ground a few feet to his left. The axe had fallen from his grip, landing on the walkway nearby. Kranka clutched his side, writhing in pain, and Ollie recognized the telltale signs of a shotgun blast.
He looked the other way to see Kimmie standing next to the fence, Buka at her side. Buka held the shotgun in his hands, a look of surprise on his face. The surprise quickly turned into a devious smile as he turned to stare down a few of the goblins still lingering nearby. None of them moved to attack.
Kranka stirred. Buka quickly turned the shotgun back to the hobgoblin and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened, and he tried again. Still nothing. He turned it over and stared down the barrel.
Kranka got to his feet, growling at the gun-toting goblin a few yards away.
“You!” he roared. “You TRAITOR!”
Buka’s eyes bulged as he backed away. Kimmie quickly grabbed the shotgun, pumped it, then handed it back to the cowering goblin.
Kranka rushed forward. Buka hurriedly aimed the shotgun up and pulled the trigger. The blast hit the hobgoblin square in the face. Kranka staggered back, his body tottering uncertainly before collapsing onto the patio steps. He lay there, wheezing for a long moment. Finally, the wheeze faded, and the hobgoblin went still.
The backyard fell silent. Then the screeching began. Goblins cackled and screamed, hopping up and down at the sight of their leader’s demise. Buka pumped the shotgun and waved it around at the angry goblins, daring them to charge. But none of them came close. Instead, one peeled off from the rest and ran up the trail back into the woods. Another followed. Then two more. Eventually, all of them fled back into the forest, leaving only Ollie, Kimmie, Buka, and what was left of Kranka.
The little goblin turned to Ollie, pointing Remi at him as he did. Ollie tensed. He wasn’t sure if Buka had deliberately aimed the shotgun at him or not, but images flashed through his mind of all the times he’d threatened the troublesome little greenie, and part of him didn’t blame the monster for wanting revenge. Buka stared at him, and Ollie wondered if he’d traded a pretty badass death at the hands of Kranka for a meek demise courtesy of a lame greenie, using his own gun.
Kimmie reached down and gently took the shotgun from Buka’s hands. The goblin gave it up easily, then looked at the ground as if ashamed. Ollie took a deep breath, then winced at the pain in his chest. He gave a weary thumbs up to no one in particular, then laid his head back on the patio.