As the Blakesley family made their way to there new friends as Vivian liked to put it; Eliot felt an uncomfortable silence as they stumbled through the dark isles. He understood that Natalie most likely did something to his father to make him act the way he is, but he couldn't figure out what. She said she didn't have any abilities, could she have been lying or did she buy an item that did this. There were so many options, he just hoped the situation can be solved diplomatically without violence.

Once they reached the other's the tree man lunged and grabbed Natalie holding her up circling its arms around her, she was shocked out of her sleep but before she could scream Vivian had her hands over her mouth. ‘So I guess violence then’ Eliot thought. Natalie looked scared beyond belief, her eyes were wide open and she was shaking like a leaf.

What surprised everyone though was when James aimed his rifle at his wife. “Viv, put her down this instant.”

Vivian looked over at her husband and smiled. “I'm not going to hurt her, I just want to have a conversation with her; Aren't we friends Nat, dont friends talk?” We heard the groan of wood as the treeman tightened its grip on Natalie. She nodded her head vigorously while stiffening a moan.

James visibly relaxed and put his gun down, he looked confused for a second wondering why he would aim his gun at his own wife. “That's good, I thought you were going to hurt her.”

“I would never.” Vivian lied. Eliot was seeing a whole new side of his mother that he never knew existed, he wasn't sure if he liked it; but what he did know was to never get on her bad side.

“Now before I move my hand you're going to remove whatever it is you did to my husband, is that understood?” Vivian demanded looking into the woman's eyes, she could see fear in them; she smiled.

Natalie looked over to James and her eyes flashed pink. James wobbled for a second and then he looked at his wife and then Natalie.

“What did you do to me?” James asked, his voice getting deeper as he stalked closer to Natalie. James was a big man who looked like he ate steak for breakfast lunch and dinner bone and all; So when Natalie began to squirm even more Eliot couldn't blame her. He would be scared too.

Vivian removed her hand and took a step back to give James all the room he needed “Please don't make my husband repeat himself, he doesn't like that.”

“It was my ability! I have an ability called bewitch and I could charm males to do what I want for a short time, please I just wanted to have higher odds in surviving. I didn't mean any harm, I swear!” She was screaming towards the end, Eliot wondered why her nephew Thomas never woke up, they were making a lot of noise and he just layed there like a dead man.

“We would have helped you regardless, but you had to do some sneaky shit; not only did you tell him to protect you, you made him choose you over us. What if one of us died because of your whore of an ability!?” Kat was laying it on the older women, it felt good seeing someone else get chewed out by her.

“I'm sorry, please just let me go we will leave in the morning. You'll never see us again.” Natalie pleaded

“Speaking of which, why isnt Thomas waking up, he a deep sleeper or did you use your ability on him too?” Eliot asked

Natalie face went white at the question, and she tried to go with the deep sleeper suggestion but everyone knew it was bullshit.

“Wake him up.” Eliot ordered the older woman. He had to admit this was kinda fun, the whole interrogation thing; made him feel like he had control. He couldn't help smiling a little at the whole senorio.

She saw Eliot’s smile along with the large canine at his side and thought the whole family was a bunch of sadist, she was sweating profusely at what her future had in store with the Blakesley family. She looked over to Thomas and her eyes flashed pink as she wiped away the charm, he immediately woke up. Thomas was as confused as James was initially but once he noticed the situation he immediately backed away.

Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

“Whats going on?” Thomas asked trying to see everyone in the dark.

“Oh, nothing much. Your dear old Aunt here has something to tell you.” Eliot said playing it up, he was having a blast.

“Thomas look I just wanted to bring you back to your father. You wouldn't listen to me, your father is a good man, my sister loved him. He's only strick because he loves you.” Natalie tried reasoning with Thomas but he still looked confused,  maybe her ability makes sure that the person never finds out what's happening to them unless she tell them.

“Tell him how you did it.” Kat said playing along, she was grinning now too.

“...I controlled you, kinda. It's not as bad as it sounds, I would have stopped when we got to your father. Please believe me.”

“You would take me back to the man who beat the living shit out of me for no other reason but because he could. He locked me in a fucking meat freezer for hours, I swear I would have died if it wasn't for these satellites. I told you all of this and you want me to go back; what the fuck is wrong with you!?” Thomas was screaming at the top of his lungs now. In hindsight maybe they should have kept their voices low, they were in the middle of an apocalypse after all.

Natalie flinched at the sheer ferocity of Thomas’s anger. “...Thomas he didn't mean any of that, that's just how fathers are sometimes.”

“Fuck you!” Thomas seethed

Before she could reply, the wall behind them exploded inward throwing shrapnel and debris everywhere. A cloud of dust billowed towards them shrouding them inside, destroying the little vision they had. Eliot heard multiple thrall screams, and panicked he couldn't see anything; he pulled out both his pistol and dagger; Anubis was right next to him that gave him little comfort.

He slowly walked away from the blast site and bumped into someone, he quickly turned around aiming his pistol into Thomas’s face. Eliot sighed in relief that it was just him, he was about to blow his brains out.

“Could you point that somewhere else please.” Thomas asked, the room got colder all of a sudden, and Eliot saw a blade of ice being formed in Thomas’s hand.

“Ah, sorry about that. Can you cover my back while I cover yours? We gotta get back to the others.”

“Alright, just be careful.” Thomas replied while resting his back against Eliot’s.

“.... Eliot…..Eliot where are you?” Eliot heard his dad calling out to him, he began walking into that direction.

“Dad keep talking i'm coming to you.” The only reply he heard where plasma shots and the groans of thrall being shot up. At Least he knew where they where now. His father's light show was like a beacon.

Eliot saw his first thrall come out of the dust walking towards them when he was a couple feet away from his family, as he was about to pull the trigger Anubis took off, jumping at its throat mauling the poor thrall splashing blood everywhere. ‘Can you stop stealing my kills, please?’

Another thrall came from behind the previous one ignoring Anubis, Eliot shot it in the head clipping its bone white cranium, it kept on moving so he unloaded another shot in the creature's face burning a hole straight through. He felt Thomas move behind him and heard the sound of flesh being cut, then felt his back against his again ‘this guy works fast’.

Anubis was back with him with black covered teeth, and pep in his step. The dust was settling down and he could see the other group again, he could also see at least fifteen more thrall stumbling there way towards them. That was nothing new, what was new where the thralls with glowing hearts in there ribcage. They moved slower than the rest but Eliot could tell they were more dangerous.

He aimed his gun at one of them, and shot two beams of plasma in its neck and chest. It collapsed but it's glowing heart started beating faster, glowing more and more with each beat. Eliot wondered who blew up the building and he was about to find out.

“Fuck”

The thrall glowed a bright red before exploding in a catastrophe of guts and blood. The concussive blast from the explosion picked everyone off their feet sending them spiraling to the floor. Eliot groaned in agony from hitting the floor so hard, he looked around to make sure everyone was alright. All he saw was a ‘heart thrall’ standing above him with its heart beating rapidly.

‘I’m de’ The thrall exploded so quickly that he didn't even have time to finish his thought. A thin blue veil washed over him as the blast overwhelmed him tossing him to the other side of the department store. He hit the wall and then fell to the floor in a heap, his body was bruised and his back hurt like a bitch he looked up and saw another ‘heart thrall’ with its fluorescent beating heart.

He quickly aimed his gun at its heart and unloaded shot after shot while screaming at the top of his lungs. The heart instantly dimed and the thrall was dead. Eliot forced his battered body up, he was breathing heavy and his heart was pumping so hard he thought it was about pop out of his chest. He looked at the dead thrall with singed holes in its chest and vomited all over it.

“Fucking hell man, don't surprise me like that.” Eliot whispered while wiping the residue vomit from his face.