A to Z Challenge - V is for Villain

This is part of an ongoing story throughout the Challenge.

If you're just joining me now, please start with A is for Abby.

V IS FOR VILLAIN

Abby started to move to check on Demetrius, but had to stop as Burrows rounded the desk. She couldn't turn her back on the thing no matter her desperation to know if Demetrius was dead or not. It had killed one of the Fearless when Burrows was a girl, and she wasn't a young woman. That meant it had several years to get stronger.

"I have no qualms about killing Burrows to kill you." Abby had several, but she wasn't going to let the monster know that. Perhaps if Tawa was with her, she might be able to tell her a way to kill the thing without killing Burrows too, but she was on her own.

She heard Demetrius then, stomping up the stairs and growling curses. Abby felt a warmth spread through her. No, she wasn't alone. She had Demetrius.

"I didn't think you would. That's what makes this even more thrilling." Burrows stopped in front of her desk and pushed her glasses up her nose. It was a silly human gesture, but somehow chilling in this moment. "I've always wanted to be the villain, the big bad wolf of the world. It's hard to do stuck in a pathetic little body."

"So you want Abby's? Not going to happen." Demetrius limped, but it seemed his pride was hurt more than anything else. He readied himself for another charge, but Abby put a hand on his arm.

"It doesn't want my body. It can't leave Burrows." It seemed easy enough to just kill the host to kill the beast, but Abby doubted it was going to be that easy. Something else was going on. Something she hadn't figured out yet.

"Then let's get on with the fight." Patience wasn't one of Demetrius' virtues. He ran head-on again, but wary of the dark tendrils this time. He dodged two and was smacked back into the bookshelf with a third.

There was no point standing around playing Twenty Questions. Abby used the fae's distraction and dove in, targeting Burrows' mid-section. She was swept back, stopping herself just before she fell down the stairs.

Demetrius and Abby made a second attack together, and then a third and fourth. Each time, they were knocked back. Neither of them were able to get close enough to land a hit on Burrows. The attic was small. There was only so much room to maneuver and the monster was aware of every tiny movement.

Abby threw one blade as Demetrius bellowed and swung from the opposite side. He was thrown back and Burrows caught the glowing sword. She held it in one hand, examining it with a childlike fascination.

"Interesting. It burns my essence, but human flesh can hold it. Perhaps it isn't so bad being trapped in this form." Burrows gave Abby a sly look. "Or maybe it's a sign that you can't kill me after all."

Abby recalled her sword and it re-emerged from her palm. "I don't know. Let me run you through with it and see what happens."

A to Z Challenge - S is for Swallowed

This is part of an ongoing story throughout the Challenge.

If you're just joining me now, please start with A is for Abby.

S IS FOR SWALLOWED

Go to the attic. That's where most of the characters are killed in Burrows' book. Tawa informed them. It's also where Jessica tells Matt that she kissed his best friend, but he still protected her and got eaten.

"What else does the book say?" Abby followed Demetrius up the stairs. Her steps were careful and silent. Her heart was still pounding and her lips still tingling. "Seems kind of soap opera-ishy for a kids' book."

Matt was the older brother of the protagonist. His death helped motivate her. Not soap opera-ishy. I just have a mature appreciation for the story, Tawa said. The attic is through the door at the far end of the hall.

Abby reached the top of the stairs and stood beside Demetrius. She could feel the heat of his body and had to battle the temptation to touch him. She silently chastised herself, demanding focus. There were five doors between them and the closed one at the end of the hall. All five doors opened slowly and green glowing cat's eyes locked onto their prey.

"Of course," Abby groaned. "At the end of a hall filled with monsters."

"I'll clear the way." Demetrius tapped his club on the floor and crooked a finger at the beasts. "Come here, kitty, kitty, kitty."

The answering growls didn't sound feline at all, but the monsters had a big cat's grace as they padded out of the rooms and fell into a synchronized prowl. Demetrius raised his club and roared, barreling down the hall at them. He smashed two against the wall as a third bit into his forearm. A fourth jumped high into the air over the others going for his head.

Abby threw her blade with her right hand. It twirled in the air leaving a pale blue contrail and hit its mark.

The monster fell motionless to the ground, but there were still four. Demetrius snarled and slammed the beast attached to his arm onto the floor. The position allowed him to headbutt another as it charged him as Abby moved forward to join him.

Abby! Tawa screamed.

Turning around, but not quick enough, Abby faced another green eyed beast that had come from a linen closet. It had snatched Tawa from her backpack and, with a technique like an alligator, it swallowed the stuffed hippo with two hungry gulps.

A to Z Challenge - O is for Obscene

This is part of one story through the month of April.

If you're just joining me now, please start with A is for Abby.

O IS FOR OBSCENE

Abby couldn't sit at the table any longer. Demetrius had all the subtlety of a rampaging ox. Yet for all his dramatic gestures and cliched lines, Myrtle Burrows was enthralled.

Excusing herself to go to the bathroom, Abby breathed out a sigh of relief when she entered the cafe's empty restroom. One of the lights flickered making a soft sizzling sound. She had expected to do all the questioning of Burrows, but the other woman would barely look her way. The fact her hands had glowed when she first met Burrows threw her off, but she hadn't meant for Demetrius to take it all over.

She sat down first of the two stalls. Abby hated seeing him behaving like that with another woman. She hated herself for feeling that way. She knew he was only acting. Besides, he made it clear he wanted her and she had turned him down. It was her own doing.

When Burrows met them in the cafe, Abby's hands didn't glow. She even shook the author's hand. Nothing.

It didn't make sense. The light flickered again and made her jump when it popped. Dark shadows settled in the stall with her. Only the single light over the entry door remained.

Abby shook her head and stood up. She should get back to the others. She was sure the answer was with Burrows. She walked to the sink and frowned as she saw her hands glow.

Looking up into the mirror, a hideous melted face grinned at her from the darkness in the far corner before it leapt at her. Abby didn't have time to scream as she whirled around, dropped low, and let her blades slide out. She slashed at the monster, but it flew up and over to rebound off the wall and come for her again.

She hissed with the pain in her ankle as she twisted and stood, holding her ground against the thing. It laughed lowly; the sound seemingly coming from all around her. A trick for amateurs.

Abby crossed her blades, and when the monster was near enough, she used them like scissors to cut through its skinny neck. The grotesque face fell to the right, but from within the ragged black robes, a second beast kept coming at her. It was like an obscene version of Russian nesting dolls.

It slammed into her chest and Abby fell back onto the tiled floor. She kicked up, sending it sailing to smack against the wall. She threw one sword pin it there, lancing it through one of the empty eye sockets. Abby was ready for the third monster when it launched itself out of the second's robes.

Standing and slipping on the floor, her swing missed and the thing grabbed her wrist with a bony hand. It smashed her hand against the sink, but couldn't force Abby to drop her sword.

"You're mine now. What a tasty meal you'll make." Its voice was a dry rattle, but its teeth didn't look old and brittle. Its mouth yawned, opening wider to impossible angles. 

The blade disappeared from the wall and emerged from Abby's free hand.

"I'm not on the menu." She jammed the blade up under the monster's chin and out the top of its head. No more came forth as it sank into a black mass onto the floor.

A to Z Challenge - G is for Giggling Gorilla

I'm writing one story over the course of the month for this challenge.

If you're just joining me now, please start at A is for Abby.

G IS FOR GIGGLING GORILLA

Abby sliced through the thick hide of the monster with the party hat. Copious amounts of black blood splattered her, but that wasn't what made her curse. The beast laughed as its wound stitched itself together within a matter of seconds.

It swung its meaty arm at her with the force and speed of a wreaking ball. Abby jumped to the side, trying to focus on an alternative method of killing this beast other than hacking it to bits. Her line of thought was interrupted as Demetrius roared and made another attack.

"Stay back!" Abby shouted and leapt back into the fray with her blades whirling.

"You get out of the way. Let me crush the beast." Demetrius growled as he brought his huge club down upon the monster. It squealed as it was struck, but it wasn't hurt that badly.

What is it with men and thinking they can solve all their problems with a big chunk of wood? Tawa said with her usual bitter bite.

"Let's not even go there. I need to find a way to kill it." Abby hissed as she was smacked across the face. There was a bright flash of pain before she forced it down. Warm blood trickled from her nose. She wiped it away with the back of her hand.

"Then leave it to me." Demetrius was like an animal when he fought. All brute force, instinctual, and deadly grace.

Are you ever going to let him pay his blood debt to you? Tawa sighed. Let him kill it. He'll eventually find a way.

"No. This is my job." Abby would not step away from her duty. Every monster she faced represented a child's life. She would end it as soon as possible. She dodged another flurry of blows.

Demetrius was noisy as he fought. Snarls and battle cries. Three days ago she had brought him home andm after resting the first night at her loft, he had gone to a nearby park and returned with his club. He claimed that it had to come from a tree spirit who willingly gave its limb for the purpose of being used against evil. It made one hell of a weapon, but it wasn't going to work quickly with this monster.

"Think like a child." Abby tore her gaze from the impressive display by the fae and zipped out of the way of the beast. She scanned the child's room. Books, lots of books, and airplane models. A row of hats neatly hung from a coat rack. Some other toys and a teddy bear with its eyes plucked out thrown into a corner. Monsters were always so cruel to the children's favorite toys.

Yes, what weakness would a child attribute to this beast? Bananas? Tawa sounded as frustrated as Abby felt.

Demetrius was thrown into her and they crashed into the wall. Chunks of plaster fell around them. He was quick to his feet and stood in front of her, bare chest heaving. He never lost hold of his club.

"Is it laughing at us?" He swung at the beast again.

Abby could hear a strange coughing noise and the monster was holding its shaking belly. She stood up and moved beside Demetrius. "It's giggling."

"I will not be laughed at by an overgrown monkey!" He roared and launched himself at the thing. He was promptly thrown against the other wall.

"It's a gorilla." The nightmares that came to life from children's minds never ceased to amaze her. Why the boy who lived there was afraid of a giggling gorilla, she didn't know, but it was sharper than the typical beast. It also had to have a weakness.

Head-on attacks weren't working. It was too clever to let her get behind it. It did a little dance as it and Demetrius exchanged blows. The polka dots on the hat sparkled in the dim light coming from outside.

The hat.

Abby darted forward. She did so without fear of the horrific beast or for her own life. Her only fear was that she so easily fell into working with Demetrius and liked it. Not that she'd ever tell him.

She swung with her left blade to distract the monster. When it dodged it, she brought the right sword down to slice through its hat. It howled. Its giggles turned into sobs. Abby rammed both her swords through its chest. This time, its wounds didn't heal. It sank to the floor with a pitiful sob and shuddered once before it died.

"The hat was its weak spot?" Demetrius scoffed. He rolled his shoulders, brushing off blood and plaster. "That makes no bloody sense at all."

"It does, but I don't expect a caveman like you to understand." Abby's glowing swords disappeared into her palms.

"Caveman? You're the one that snores." He shot back.

"You're the one carrying the club." Abby adjusted Tawa on her back and headed to the window.

"Perhaps I'm the one with the club, babycakes," Demetrius said as he hefted it over one broad shoulder. "But at least I resisted the urge to knock you out with it and carry you back to my cave while watching you towel off after your shower this morning."

Abby's mouth fell open and her cheeks flushed a brilliant crimson. There was little privacy in her loft and she had thought he'd been sleeping. She heard him chuckle as she hopped out the window. She slammed it shut and walked off without waiting for him.