I

The walk to the junk yard was long, it appeared to be located in an abandoned part of town, which since they’d smelled the yard long before they’d come across it made a lot of sense. It was spooky with all the deserted and boarded up buildings with their broken windows and metal chains at their doors.

It did nothing to alleviate Norah’s nerves as they walked along the chainlink fence bordering the junk yard, which was filled with rusty cars, bicycles, old washers and dryers, as well as many other previously loved thing that had been left to rot in that place of disrepute. Considering the situation it felt like an omen.

“Your mom’s gonna be okay”, Paul patted Norah on the shoulder, seeing the tension on her face.

Norah couldn’t offer much more than a tight nod, something about the energy of that place was weighing on her, trying to coax out the dark parts of her. She could feel it enveloping her like the noxious smell pouring out of the junkyard, causing the hair to stand up on the back of her neck.

“Shouldn’t Braran be back by now?” Josh’s voice may have sounded calm but he was clutching his knife with both hands with the intensity of a man holding a life rope.

Norah could feel the smoke on the periphery of her vision, but she was relieved for the distraction, “If he’s around he’ll sense us”.

“What’s his deal anyway?” Halle seemed oddly calm, though that casual grip on her weapon made Paul’s stomach somersault.

“What do you mean?” said Norah.

Halle stopped and leaned on the axe handle, “Well, he’s some kind of demon, right?”

“I guess so”, said Norah.

Paul glanced at her in surprise, “You mean you don’t know?”

“It’s never really… come up”, Norah felt awkward with them all staring at her.

Josh cocked his head, “But you said you’re friends”.

Why all the questions suddenly? Norah started to fidget and her cheeks became flush, “We’re not those kinds of friends”.

“Then how do you know each other?” Halle said, they were all staring at her intently.

Norah was beginning to feel dizzy and the smell from the junkyard was nauseating. She couldn’t tell them the real reason, not without telling them what she’d done.

“He fixed a problem for me back in New York.”

Before anyone could ask any further questions, Braran materialized beside Norah causing everyone but her to flinch.

“There you are”, Norah could not have been more relieved to see him, “Find anything yet?”

Braran shook his head solemnly, “I’m getting hints of something, I think he’s using a cloaking charm. There’s something interfering with the energy signature”. He began moving ahead like a hunting dog who’d caught a scent, “It’s definitely in this direction”.

Norah and Paul followed after Braran, while Josh and Halle pulled up the rear somewhat hesitantly. They had their weapons raised but their hands were shaking. Braran stopped abruptly and closed his eyes to focus himself, while everyone watched him expectantly.

Paul studied Braran with a distasteful sneer, whispering to Norah, “What's he doing?”

“He senses energy waves, I'm not really sure how it works.”

“You’ve really never asked him about it?”

Norah fidgeted, wishing she could abandon the interrogation, “What am I supposed to say – neat power you got there, what’s that about?”

“Why not?” Paul’s expression was hard, “Don’t you think it behooves you to study him, establish his weaknesses?”

“Establish his weaknesses?” Norah kneaded her forehead in irritation, “I don’t know if this has escaped your observation but I’m a little preoccupied of late. I’m not really in the headspace to be interrogating my friend about what his exact demon lineage is, particularly when he’s trying to help me”.

Paul gave Braran a dark glare, “He is not your friend”.

Braran opened his eyes and waved his hand through the air leaving wisps of red light that curled up and faded away. He glanced over his shoulder, “This way…” Braran moved ahead and Norah followed, shooting Paul a sharp look to join them.

Josh was staring at Braran with a half-giddy grin, “Now that… that guy is really something”.

Halle rolled her eyes as she pushed him to follow the others, “Keep it in your pants, dude”.

“It is in my pants”, he said sullenly.

Halle swallowed hard, shoring her grip on the axe, “We're gonna die, aren't we?”she looked to Josh for assurance but he simply grimaced.

As they kept walking they eventually came to an old abandoned arts cinema located in what looked like it could have once been a thriving neighborhood. The theater had grand wooden doors and white pillars that had turned yellow with age.

“Here. This is it”, said Braran. They all studied the cinema building incredulously.

“An old cinema?” said Norah. Braran nodded disinterestedly.

“Ugh, guys, slight problem…” Josh pointed to the doors, which had been fastened with heavy chains. There didn’t appear to be any windows or other entrances either.

“I don’t suppose you’ve got any bolt cutters in that super special spy geddup?” Halle directed the question at Paul, who didn’t look amused by it.

Braran studied the building, “I’ll see if there's another way in”.

“No, wait–” said Norah, but he’d already gone, “Now what?”

“I’ve got an idea”, everyone looked to Josh, and he seemed to shrink back under their expectation.

With a nervous look on his face, he took hold of Halle’s axe and gave it one big swing into the chains.

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II

The double doors flew open as they all rushed into the cinema building with weapons raised and ready to strike. It was a huge, ornate lobby with two winding staircases leading up to a mezzanine level. It was dusty and in disrepair and astoundingly deserted. The four of them glanced at one another in confusion.

“Is he sure this the right place?” said Josh.

There was a whimper, drawing everyone’s attention to a woman tied to a white pillar in the corner. Her eyes and mouth were covered with white fabric, but there was no doubt that it was Mary.

“Mom!” Norah ran to her side and began untying the gag and blindfold.

“Boy, am I glad to see you”, said Mary, she had a nasty bruise coming up on her left cheek but she otherwise looked unharmed.

Norah’s heart broke as she untied the ropes around her mother’s wrists, “Are you hurt?”

“Only my pride, sweetheart”, Mary placed her freed hand onto Norah’s cheek, their disagreements shelved for the moment.

“Where is everyone?” Josh was scanning the upper-levels, clinging to his knife with both hands ready to strike at something.

“Who cares, let’s just get my mom out of here”, said Norah, supporting Mary’s arm, when the scream of an electric guitar reverberated through the enormous room and it went pitch black inside.

A spotlight hit the upper balcony to reveal Glen stood in all his disgusting glory, replete in his purple robes, spinning his arm as he strummed on a brilliant white Fender Stratocaster. Every note squealing out from the overly loud PA system speakers that were fitted throughout the building.

Glen played a self-indulgently long riff before grinning down at them, “So nice you could join us”.

“Is this guy for real?” Halle’s voice echoed around the room causing Glen’s grin to turn to a snarl.

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

He jumped down off his podium and leaned over the balcony, the harsh spotlight deepening the shadows of his pudgy face, “For all my life, I've been kicked around by people like you”.

Halle couldn’t help herself, “People like me?” causing Josh to punch her in the arm.

“My creative genius has always been smirked at”, Glen glowered at them, “That ends today”. He once again picked up his guitar and played the lowest note as accompaniment to his own guttural humming that vibrated through the air.

“What’s he doing?” said Josh, dust and debris was raining down from the ceiling as the very building began to shake in rhythm.

Moments later, half-rotting corpses began pouring from over the balcony, down the stairs, and through every doorway, shambling towards the five of them at great speed.

Norah grabbed Mary’s arm and pushed her towards the open front doors, “Get out of here!”

Mary struggled against Norah, trying desperately to throw herself between her daughter and the approaching thralls, “No, I want to help!”

Norah wasn’t asking, all but shoving her mother out of the doors, “You don’t have a weapon and I can’t fight knowing that you’re in danger”, a thrall grabbed Norah by the hair and pulled her backwards, “Please, mom. Go!”

Mary hesitated, but when a thrall swiped at her she fled out of the doors.

Halle and Josh began swiping at the approaching thralls, putting themselves back to back as they raised their weapons, “What do we do?” yelled Josh.

“Hacking at things would be a start!” Paul swished his sword chopping off a thrall’s arm, pressing his back against a wall and launching the thing away, neither of which slowed it down for a moment.

Josh narrowly dodged an arm managing to shove several thralls into each other and knocking them down.

Braran shimmered into the upper balcony, watching the carnage with a huge smile on his face, “Two birds, one stone”.

A group of thralls were closing in around Halle, who swung her axe haphazardly but to great effect, “There’s way too many of them!”

“Hold on!” Norah was able to repel several of the thralls with a flick of her wrist, but they kept grabbing at her as she fought past them to get to Halle and Josh.

A thrall hooked its arm around Norah’s neck, but it was tackled by Josh, who slammed it onto the ground, “Paul! What do we do?” she said.

Paul was being throttled over an old box, but managed to strangle out, “Find the Necromancer! You need to break the connection or they'll just keep coming!”

Getting his footing, Paul kicked the group of thralls off him, cutting two in half with his sword in the process. Norah was scanning the balcony’s when she felt her body pulled by an unseen force, she looked up to see a grinning Glen hovering down in front of her.

“Looking for me?” he pinched his fingers together and Norah was dragged towards him, her arms stuck to her sides like she’d been wrapped in some invisible rope.

Norah’s eyes began filling with smoke as she struggled against the power, they rolled back into her head as she was lifted off the ground and into the air, she felt like she was being suffocated.

“You might have power little girl, but why don't you give it to someone who knows how to use it?” said Glen, feeling her fight against him.

Braran watched with a smile, “Come on, just give in, Norah. Let the darkness take you”.

Norah shook her head, forcing the darkness back down into her and her eyes became clear. She wasn’t going to use her power, but seemed like she was succumbing to Glen. She began gasping for air, her face growing pale.

“Norah!” Paul tried to fight towards her but he was forced back by the thralls.

“Vas est, tribuet Novit vasa pretiosa”, Glen chanted, a red energy began leeching from Norah’s nose and mouth, and she cried out in pain, “Potentiam caeli vis ignium ego vasa pretiosa!”

Braran's smile dropped as he watched the red wisps of energy being absorbed into Glen, “No! Come on, Norah! Fight back!”

“Yes! I can feel it! The power”, Glen cackled maniacally, “Vas est, tribuet Novit vasa pretiosa–”

A huge swathe of energy was ripped from Norah and sucked into Glen, causing his aura to become bright red. Seeing his plan about to go up in smoke, Braran shimmered to the center of the lobby and sent a wave of energy directly at Glen, knocking him out of the air.

The room shook as Glen struck a pillar and it broke in half as he fell to the ground in a heap, releasing his hold on Norah who fell to her knees clutching her throat and gasping. Fighting out from under his cloak, Glen scanned the room to see what had struck him.

“You!” he bellowed, seeing that Braran had double-crossed him.

Glen lifted his hand ready to launch an attack only for Norah to launch an enormous fireball at him causing him to disintegrate into a ball of screaming flames. Almost instantly the thralls flopped onto the ground and their bodies disintegrated. The moment so sudden it left Halle, Josh and Paul still swinging.

Halle peaked from behind clenched eyes, axe raised and ready to strike, “Did we win?”

“I think so”, said Paul, he was exhausted.

They were covered in cuts and bruises, but there was a big smile on Paul’s face, as Josh and Halle slammed their bodies into an excited hug. Norah, however, was doubled over before slumping to her knees in agony.

“Norah!” Paul rushed to Norah’s side.

“Wait, be careful!” yelled Josh, both he and Halle were keeping their distance.

Norah leaned her head back and her eyes were completely black, she was gasping and panting, trying desperately to force down the darkness.

Paul noticed Braran watching them from nearby with an ambiguous expression on his face, almost like he was happy, “What are you staring at, do something?”

“What would you have me do exactly?” Braran replied with a smirk, he shimmered so that he was standing over Norah, “She has to want to give in”.

Paul scowled at Braran, placing a hand on Norah’s back to try to ground her.“Come on, you have to fight it”.

Norah cried out in pain and clutched her stomach, her face was spitting along the cheeks and she was quickly losing control, “I can't. It's too strong. I–”

Josh and Halle appeared beside her, crouching down and placing their hands on her arms, “You can do it, Norah”, said Halle.

“We believe in you”, Josh glanced at Halle nervously.

Digging deep, with a grunt, Norah began forcing the darkness down, the blackness in her eyes flickered and waned, as with one final cry she slumped forward where she rested on her forearms. She was incredibly still, barely even breathing, as she rested there. After a long tense moment she pushed herself upright, and despite being sweaty, she was normal again.

She glanced at Paul, grabbing his hand gratefully, “Thanks”.

Paul couldn’t help but smile, “Don’t mention it”.

Norah scanned the room, relieved for the calm, then she frowned, “Where’s Braran?” seeing that he had vanished.

“I’ll save you, Norah!” Screamed Mary, running through the front doors swinging an old piece of pipe. She came to an awkward pause when she found only the group staring at her, “Oh, did you do it without me?”

Norah couldn’t help but laugh, “Yeah, mom, we’re good”.

Paul rubbed the back of his head with a relieved smile, “We’ve all had a lot of excitement today, maybe we should think about getting you kids home”.

“Hey, who are you calling a kid?” said Halle, swinging her axe and almost chopping off Josh’s arm, prompting Paul to snatch it from her. Halle gave him an awkward grin, “I agree, let’s get home”.

Paul and Josh helped lift Norah off the ground, leading her shakily to the door where she met Mary. Norah stopped suddenly and glanced back into the empty cinema, “We really did it”.

“Yeah, we did”, said Paul with a smile, before the four of them walked out into the night.

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III

The sun shone brightly as Norah, Josh and Halle left Hogarth High the following day, as if to reward them for the terrible night they had endured. Somehow it all felt like a bad dream, although Josh and Halle still had the bruises to prove it.

“I still can’t believe we did that last night”, Josh was touching a bruise under his eyes as if to remind himself he existed.

“Remember when Paul chopped that thing’s arm off?” Halle was uncharacteristically chipper, “That was coo coo bananas”.

“See, Halle, didn't I tell you junior year would be exciting”, Josh grabbed her into a headlock and ruffled her hair, “Although, do you think we can keep almost dying to a weekend activity?”

Norah’s eyes widened in panic, “God, no. I hope we never have to do anything like that again”.

“Not sure you have much choice in the matter…”, Halle grimaced.

“Yeah, if what Paul said is true, I’m sure that’s not the last beastie thing we’ll see in Hogarth”, Josh looked solemn.

“Speaking of Paul, isn’t that him over there?” Halle was pointing across the courtyard while shielding her eyes from the sun. Paul was stood by the school gate. He had a black eye and seemed a little anxious and out of place.

“I should probably go talk to him”, said Norah with a look of foreboding, “I'll see you guys tomorrow?”

Josh and Halle shared an uncertain look, before a huge grin brightened Josh’s face, “You bet”.

Norah felt relieved for a brief moment, before heading towards Paul with a churning stomach. He gave her an acknowledging nod as she approached, he was leaned against the front gate, needing it to help keep him upright. He looked worse for wear up close.

“How are you feeling?”

With a wince, Paul pushed himself upright, his eyes were squinted against the strong sunshine, but he was smiling, “I could do with some sleep”.

Norah nodded, she noticed he was holding his motorbike helmet and for some reason she felt disappointed, “I guess with no necromancer you'll be moving on?”

Paul mulled this over for a moment then shrugged, “I was actually thinking think I might stick around a while longer. I believe this town warrants further investigation”.

Norah laughed, “Won’t your sister expect you back for a debriefing?”

Paul smirked, brushing this comment off, “That’s my problem to deal with”, his face became more serious, “I really think you should consider exploring these powers of yours”.

Norah leant against the school fence somewhat sullenly, “You know I can’t”.

“You’re being short-sighted, they don't have to control you... I think with a little training, who knows, maybe you could even help people”.

Norah gave a gentle scoff, “You sound like Braran”.

This gave Paul pause for thought. “Well, he's not wrong”, he eventually conceded, although it looked like it pained him.

Norah closed her eyes and allowed the sun to soak over her, she enjoyed the warmth of it. She had no desire to investigate the depths of her own darkness and she wished people would stop asking her to do so. Paul knew better than anyone the consequences of that.

Paul softened his tone, “You might not like it but the universe doesn't make mistakes, Norah. If you have these powers, there's a reason.”

Norah opened her eyes and stared into the sky, “But what if that reason is bad”.

“It's not.”

“How do you know?”

“Because you're good”, Paul smiled earnestly, “I know it”.

Norah clenched her jaw, struggling with whether she should say something, “But I don’t want to be good”, she said shamefully, “And that’s the problem”.

Paul nodded his head, leaning against the gate with his arms crossed, “I’ll let you in on a little secret. Everyone feels like that. We all have the potential to be bad, but we have the power to choose how we act. Having dark desires within you doesn’t make you evil, Norah. It’s makes you human”.

Norah stared at him unable to form words, it was the first time she’d felt normal in almost a year. She stared at Paul, trying to think of something to say but nothing came to her.

With a smile, Paul pushed himself off the fence, “Just think about what I said”, he said, winking at her as he walked away.

Across the street, on the edge of the park, Braran was watching them from the shade of an oak tree. Something disturbed the leaves on the ground, and when Braran looked up Jer’Giman was standing beside him.

“So, let me get this straight. Not only did you not bring Norah over to our side, but you also lost me that necromancer’s soul”, Jer’Giman’s voice was light, but it was no less threatening, “I believe I’m running out of patience with you”.

“I took a risk, it backfired”, snapped Braran.

Jer'Giman clenched his jaw, giving Braran one of his snakey smiles, “Indeed it did”.

The way Paul and Norah smiled at one another made Braran want to vomit, “It won't happen again”.

“See it doesn't. I'd hate to have to rethink our deal”, said Jer'Giman as he shimmered away.

Braran watched Paul mount his motorbike and ride away, he narrowed his eyes, “I guarantee it”, he vanished into the breeze.

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THE END