A hummingbird fluttering outside the window made Lewis second guess the absence of the clock’s ticks. The tiny bird darted across the silent yard, past the still leaves of the maple tree. It must have been one of the animals Mr. Gray ferried through the Beyond. An airplane hung motionless, high in the sky, defying physics.

Landon put a finger to his lips, motioning silence as he crept over behind the closed bedroom door. Josie and Lewis clutched their knives with nervous hands as they stood at the ready.

A creek sounded from downstairs.

“The back door,” Josie mouthed.

Landon raised his sword above his head, poised for a downward slash. He looked somewhat ridiculous with one hand wrapped in a sling, but his muscular arm held the sword with a steady intensity.

The silence was deafening as several minutes seemed to go by without any indication of the danger lurking downstairs.

A quiet thud from the stairwell made Lewis’s breath catch in his chest. The singular sound was followed by a rhythmic clicking—fingernails on the bannister. Josie’s bedroom was the first door at the top of the stairs.

Landon held as still as a statue as the doorknob silently rotated from the outside. The latch clicked against the strike plate and the door slid slowly inwards. Pale fingers appeared one at a time as the hand of an Agares gripped the side of the door and pushed it open about a foot and a half.

Lewis and Josie didn’t move a muscle. They were still out of sight from the Agares’ position behind the partially opened door.

A long body slid through the gap, arm first.

As soon as Landon had a clear shot he swung his sword down on the exposed forearm of the pale creature. It screeched horribly as its arm flopped to the floor, still twitching, though it was detached from its body.

The Agares crashed the rest of the way through the doorway, sending an arterial spray of red blood across the floor.

Josie pounced like a cat, launching herself onto its back as it stumbled across the room. With her legs wrapped around its middle and knives in both her hands, she hacked and stabbed repeatedly into its soft flesh.

Lewis’s jaw dropped.

Josie held tight as the Agares flailed about, trying to throw her off. They bounced around nearly knocking over her makeup table and then smashing into the wall before collapsing down on the bed. Landon and Lewis jumped into the fray, each grabbing hold of one of the creature’s remaining lanky limbs. Once subdued, Josie finished it off quickly with a strike of her cleaver to the back of its neck.

Josie stood up, both knives slick with the creature’s blood. Her face was splattered and her clothing soaked. Her intense expression was simultaneously terrifying and awe-inspiring.

Landon tossed Lewis a makeup brush that he scooped off the floor. Lewis didn’t waste any time as he quickly dipped the brush into the puddle of the creature’s blood and scrawled the message across the wall beside the door. When he finished, he turned back around to find Landon prying some sort of metallic device free from where it had been wrapped around the severed arm of the Agares. Landon wrapped it around his own wrist, where it sat coiled like a silver snake with its tip resting at the base of his palm.

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Pounding thuds sounded from downstairs. The second Agares was closing in on them.

“We gotta go,” said Landon.

A streak of light flashed past the partially open door.

Josie hustled over to the window and threw it open. She climbed out first with Lewis following close behind. Landon pointed his arm with the Agares device wrapped around it towards the door and flexed his hand backwards. A blinding flash shot out of the tip of the coil. A deep, bloodcurdling yell filled the hallway. He hadn’t hit anything, but their adversary was not pleased.

Landon aimed at the dead Agares next, sending out another streak of light as he bent his wrist. The body lit up so bright Lewis had to shield his eyes as he finished climbing onto the roof. A moment later the corpse had ceased to exist. Landon continued to send blast after blast through the doorway, laying down cover fire while Josie and Lewis hopped over to the branch of the maple tree and climbed down into the front yard.

After they were clear, Landon launched himself out the window and onto the roof. He didn’t head for the branch, choosing instead to roll down and hop straight onto the lawn. He landed with a pained grunt and came out of it with a limp as he joined Lewis and Josie in running down the street.

Flashes of light streaked over their heads as the remaining Agares fired upon them from the window. They hurried out of sight, cutting through the neighbor’s yard. Lewis knew the Agares could move fast. Landon stood no chance at getting away with his limp slowing him down.

They crossed over to the next street and continued moving through the silent world. Up ahead, a police squad car sat frozen in the street. Josie reached it first and ducked down on the far side of the car, breathing heavily. Lewis and Landon joined her when they caught up.

A roar that sounded like a dinosaur echoed in the near distance. The Agares was on the hunt, mounted on a basilisk.

There wasn’t enough cover for them to continue running.

The basilisk closed the distance fast. It neared the car, its claws making clicking sounds as it scuttled across the asphalt towards their hiding spot. They hunched down low beside the right rear tire.

The monstrous lizard paused on the other side of the car, its tongue flicking in and out of its gaping mouth, tasting the air. It could sense their proximity.

Suddenly one of Mr. Gray’s transplanted crows flew by overhead. The mounted Agares followed the movement, shifting the basilisk towards the front of the cop car.

Lewis placed the tip of the whistle into his mouth and blew it as hard as his lungs and its tiny opening would allow.

The basilisk screeched in pain. It dropped its head, trying to block its ear-holes with its bulky front legs. Time started back up in the same instant. The squad car lurched forward at thirty miles per hour and plowed into the beast’s side. The Agares on top crashed into the windshield as the car quickly screeched to a halt.

The police officer climbed out with a confused expression on his face. “What the hell?!” He drew his gun as he inspected the giant reptilian roadkill.

Lewis, Landon, and Josie ran over to see what state the Agares was in. The cop walked back around towards the front of his cruiser as well.

“Watch out,” said Landon, “it’s dangerous!”

“Stand back, kids,” the cop ordered.

With a tinkling of broken glass, the Agares climbed back up onto his feet, standing tall on the hood of the cop car.

The policeman raised his weapon, but a flash of light erased him before he could fire. The gun fell to the asphalt with a bang and a scrape as it slid across the ground.

Landon and Lewis looked at each other. They were both on the same page. Landon rushed out on the right side of the cop car as Lewis dove for the dropped gun.

The Agares turned, lifting his arm to erase Landon. Lewis snatched up the gun and fired again and again until he was out of bullets. The Agares slumped over as several of the shots met their mark. Still alive, the creature snarled at Lewis, but then Landon got his shot off.

The final Agares vanished in a brilliant flash of light.