Silence fills the beach and hangs like a fog for several minutes. Elias stands drenched in sweat with a blood-covered sword, panting. The passengers from the catamaran gather around him. The dead Mist Wraith lies dead on its side. It is cat-like in appearance with spikes down its spine and a squared-off elongated jaw.

“Wow! ‘Ow ded you mahve so fast.” The red-haired man slapped Elias on the shoulder. “Moest ‘ave been skeppin time you ded. I bet I cooehldn’t blenk dat fast, really.”

Elias blinks at the man, unaware of what he was even saying.

Angel strolls up with a knowing smile. “He has his secrets.”

A cold sweat rolls down Elias’ spine, and he tenses up, shooting Angel a wary glance.

Rex and Tyrese start poking the Mist Wraith with sticks. “Think it’s still alive?” Rex asks.

“No, she’s dead.” Tyrese answers.

“How you know it's a she?” Rex inquires to which Tyrese points and Rex nods, deep in thought. “You think it’s edible?” Their eyes light up with excitement.

“What secret?” Leo asks as he closes in on Elias. The short man still has the gun. Elias subtly acknowledges the gun and shifts his posture to draw attention to the sword he holds. However, Leo seems more focused on Angel, his features are contorted like an angry bull. “Out with it, Valley rat, did he help you steal my truck? I saw others there with you.”

Angel notices Trevor and Luke discretely moving away from the commotion. Daniel steps forward, holding out his hand with his charming smile and twinkling blue eyes. “Name’s Daniel, glad you’re a fan of my work. Really need anything to come up missing we’re right there.” He throws Leo a go screw yourself wink and drops his hand when Leo doesn’t shake it.

Leo raises his gun to Daniel’s face, “Listen here, you stole my truck and got me stranded on the Triads. How about you stand in front of your girlfriend over there and I carve a hole through both of your smiling faces? Who is it you think you are messing with? Some small-time corner pusher? I’m Leo Graves, but you can call me ‘Three Graves’ tonight. Boys start digging some holes.”

“But boss we’re in the middle of fixin something to eat. We ain't had supper yet.” Rex complains, crying out when Tyrese smacks the back of the head.

Legs trembling from exhaustion Elias whispers a silent prayer and slips behind Angel to drop a swig from his flask. The red-haired man winks at him and Elias tries to act nonchalant, but it hits him like a caffeine overload. He takes a long deep breath to collect himself.

Suddenly a fist connects with the side of Leo’s jaw and a second later Hunter snatches the gun from his hand. “All of you are under arrest!” His face is firm his shoulders are rolled forward arms locked out pointing the gun at Angel. Daniel growls and Angel blushes. “I’ve had enough of this. This has been the craziest day of my life. Put your hands up.”

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Elias fights to keep his twitching eye in check. He feels as if there is a torrent rushing through his veins. His muscles leap on his bones. He is amped. He clenches his fists and tries to resist the urge to move but containing his impulses feels like trying to rein in a wild stallion. He needs to move, has to move.

“Hank, Keith I’m deputizing both of you. Use the zip ties to restrain these three.” Hunter commands. The firelight on the side of his face dims and he looks up at two stern bodyguards with squared-off beards.

The red-haired man laughs and elbows the man next to him, “Ah, sure and isn’t dis a grand bit o’ craic? She goes and nabs his truck, dem two mountainous bodyguards are ready to wallop de poor cop, and our dear lawman over yonder is still convinced we’re in the heart of the city. Begorrah, I should ‘ave brought a bag of popcorn far dis show, I should!”

“That’s our boss you got your foot on porky.” Tyrese retorts, glaring down at Hunter.

“Oink, oink.” Rex laughs.

“Better get in dere captain ahr dere’ll be blood ahn de sand.”

Elias steps out from behind Angel. Hunter steps back trying to get Elias and the two bodyguards into range for a shot. Elias leaps forward, but as he does pain devours every cell of his body. Skin rips free from muscle, muscle from bone, bone from ligament. On a cellular level, he comes apart. Pain ravages every molecule of his being. Then he is nowhere, being propelled through a nothingness. There are creatures here in the nothing. He can sense them. He can hear them hissing and slithering in the abyss.

He is nowhere and yet everywhere at once. Disembodied voices defy him. Whispers surround him. “You shouldn’t be here. Grab him. Who is this? He’s getting away.” Elias is spread thin across a vast expanse barely able to keep track of where he is, who he is. If he were scattered across the expanse of the stars, he wouldn’t have been more surprised. He focuses on pulling back toward his center. Toward the light glowing there in the middle of his being. He strains against the chaotic pull threatening to scatter him across the cosmos. With all his might, he forces himself back together, resisting the overwhelming forces threatening to rip him apart.

Elias materializes again face to face with Hunter, whose expression registers shock and confusion. Elias glances down and finds the sword still in his hand. He can stab the cop straight through right now. No. He flips the sword and holds it by the blade with both hands. Then drives the hilt of the blade into Hunter’s stomach.

Hunter folds around the pommel his feet leaving the sand. He is floating away slowly, and Elias looks up to see the fist that had been swinging toward the cop hanging in the air. Tyrese creeping forward with a powerful blow, his determination blazing like wildfire in his eyes. Elias kicks the big man and is nearly flung back himself from the raw mass of Tyrese. He spins and swings the sword like a bat sweeping the legs out from under the two big men like he is felling trees with an axe.

Then Elias crumbles to the ground. Every ounce of strength deserts him. The power that surged through him, the inner light compelling him to move, everything dissipates. He is like a dam broken and all the water has spilled out of him. He is so thirsty. So tired. Events unravel quickly around him, and he observes the space behind Angel, where he stood a second earlier. Fifteen paces back. How had he run fifteen paces so fast? Angel’s hair still billows forward from the wind of his passing.

Desperate to cling to his waning consciousness, Elias knows he needs to say or do something. Everything is spiraling out of control. “I am the captain,” he mumbles as he succumbs to the encroaching darkness, regretting the absurdity of his words.