The impaled man’s eyes rolled back into his head and he went limp. Dead.
“Ger,” Jessie said in disbelief.
“Sniper!” Graham shouted, his voice jerking everyone back to the present danger. The Gambler’s Ring sprung into action, moving to take on their assailants.
I grabbed Nell roughly and moved her out of the way as one of the Red Ring jumped off a car and swung a metal pipe where she had been standing.
Jessie lowered her shoulder and rammed the man, slamming him back into the car.
My eyes settled back on the man affixed to the concrete by that long pole of rebar. Someone had thrown that, strong enough that it was effectively a spear.
We have to take cover NOW.
Jessie shook her fist, the man she had pinned to the car was bleeding from his mouth and nose. Then she reached for her machete to finish the job.
Nell stopped her with her good hand. “Stop, he’s done,” she had to shout to be heard over the clamor of the two gang’s clashing.
Jessie rounded on her, eyes wide with rage. “A life for a life, bitch!”
Before she could continue, Spike grabbed her and tried to pull her away. “We need to get inside,” he pleaded as she fought him. He gave a sharp tug and she stumbled.
Rebar plunged into the car next to Jessie’s head, eliciting a metallic screech like the car was reacting in pain. That seemed to change her mind and she let Spike drag her behind the car. Nell and I hurried and ducked down next to them. Oil pooled around our feet. The rebar hadn’t penetrated the car fully, that was reassuring.
I could hear Louis’ loud voice above the chaos of the group’s forces clashing, “Now that’s more like it!” He whooped and his underlings cheered in response.
“Can you tell who is throwing those spears?” I asked Nell. She shook her head, holding her casted arm close to her chest. She looked shaken up. I couldn’t say I didn’t feel the same way.
I heard another steel bar penetrate the ground nearby.
Bones closed in around my body, locking snugly into place, though I doubted it would do anything to protect me against that. “Could you take out Louis and his gang?” I asked.
“Everyone is all jumbled together. I’d have to Shape everyone here. And then we’d be sitting ducks for the spear thrower.”
Did Graham know who it was? He had responded without the same surprise as everyone else. I risked a peek around the side of the car. A Gambler had been caught in the arm by the rebar. He was pinned down, yelling in pain and fruitlessly trying to pull himself free.
The rebar all had nearly the same angle. The thrower had some high vantage point with a good view of the parking lot, far enough away that Nell couldn’t sense them. There was only one building that it could be. A clock tower stood tall in the distance. It was missing the hands of the clock face.
I turned back to the group. Spike’s eyes were darting around like he was having a panic attack. “The spears are coming from that clock tower,” I said. “You can head to the building using the cars as cover, just make sure to stay out of the sight of the tower.”
Spike nodded.
“Those plants by the main entrance,” Nell said. “I could make some cover, but it’ll be slow.”
“Okay, good. Go with Spike and Jessie, work on that and get inside.”
“Your armour isn’t going to protect you,” Nell said, pulsing her anxiety.
“We’ll clear a path,” Jessie said grimly unsheathing her machete.
“I’ll keep moving,” I assured Nell. No doubt she felt my lack of certainty but she steeled herself and moved into position, crouched behind Jessie.
“Now!” I said and jumped out of hiding, opposite to the others. I first sprinted towards the man pinned to the bus. He was sweating heavily, teeth clenched together. His eyes widened as he saw me approach.
I stopped in front of him and ducked down behind the front wheel.
“Help me pull it out!” he shouted.
“The rebar probably bent on impact,” I said. “I don’t think it’ll come out easily. I can free you, but you’ll lose your arm.”
“Fuck that! You haven’t even tried!”
I relented, darting out of hiding and seizing the spiralling metal. The internals of the bus engine shifted and groaned as I pulled, but the rebar didn’t budge. The back of my neck was burning with the feeling that at any moment I’d get hit.
“Sorry,” I said and reached for his arm.
“Fuck you! I’m not losing my fucking arm!” he shouted, struggling fiercely, making his wound worse. “I don’t even-” he was cut off with a gurgle as the whole bus shook from another impact. I fell backwards, seeing the second piece of rebar buried in his neck.
Fuck this.
I turned back and Shaped antlers, building tension quickly before releasing it. I sailed over the line of cars and over several fighter’s heads, into the small clearing of the meeting area. My feet hit the concrete and skidded from the residual oil on my shoes. A gleeful woman swung a machete at me which I deflected with my forearm, chipping my armor. Another man charged me, slurring his words as he sought to tackle me to the ground before being intercepted by a Gambler wearing brass knuckles.
It was bloody chaos and the Red Ring was revelling in it. I stumbled, feeling sick to my stomach. What was this? Was it just the sight of that man being impaled?
I spotted Graham helping another man to his feet. Someone leapt on top of him and plunged a knife into his back. He arched his back in pain. I forced myself to move unsteadily towards Graham, ducking and weaving through the crowd.
By the time I made it to him, he had pulled the attacker off of him. With a roar, he threw the man bodily, sending him tumbling across the concrete. Louis stopped the man’s roll with his foot. He laughed and swayed on the spot. Was he drunk?
I almost threw up. Why did I feel drunk? The feeling was getting worse. I fell to one knee. “Graham…” I said weakly.
Graham noticed me and reached for me, pulling me behind him. I felt his whole body shake and I looked down. Cold spread across my limbs as I saw the rebar spear that had pierced his leg.
He pulled me to my feet and dusted me off. “Louis’ power is affecting you. Nick, go with Spike and make sure the people inside are unharmed.”
“But you’re-” I stammered.
“I’ll be fine. I won’t die from this. My body is designed not to.”
“Who’s inside?” I asked, glancing at the clock tower.
“Innocents who have nowhere else to go,” he said simply. “They should not be caught up in this.”
“Aw, let them be a part of the party!” Louis shouted.
“I’ll talk sense into Louis,” Graham said quietly. “Now go!”
I Shaped Locust Legs once more. It took everything I had to hold my balance until they were ready to go. Release. Just before I did, I tipped forward, feeling dizzy.
The Shape triggered and I leaped much too close to the ground. I clipped a car antenna and then bounced off the roof of another. When I came to a stop, my stupor slowly lifted and I could think properly again. Louis had some power that affected the people close to him. That was probably why the Red Ring was so reckless.
I spotted Jessie’s dreads over the tops of the cars, a few meters away. A few of the Red Ring were running towards her. I followed after them. As I drew near, a familiar man with a tail sprung away just as Jessie’s machete shrieked against the car hood where he’d been.
He landed on top of a car and spun in a lazy circle before bowing like he was performing a show. “Nice try but no cigar.” His tail waved from side to side as he crouched down and pulled another knife from his boot.
The two other Red Rings whooped as they joined the fray. I moved to stop them, only for them to spin and collapse as if they’d been shot. They both gasped in pain, holding spots where objects had embedded into their skin. They looked like large thorns made of a clear substance, almost like cat claws, except bigger and less curved.
Spike had his hands raised towards them and I noticed more holes in his sleeves that hadn’t been there before.
“Ooh, a Shaper too, eh cabrón?”
Spike just reached to his sleeves and pulled on the zippers that were at the shoulders. He pulled off the sleeves, revealing his arms. Those same semi-clear spikes lined his skin, along with some dark holes that were empty.
Jessie slashed at him again with her machete and he danced away. Jessie made a frustrated noise.
Nell was kneeling on the ground behind Spike, shaking and hugging herself.
The tailed man made a sympathetic face. “I know that hurts. Let me tell you, she doesn’t hold back on allies either.”
“Shut it, Deft,” a nasally voice called out from behind a nearby truck.
Deft glanced over and noticed me. He grinned. “Ah, the Wolf has come to save the Witch.”
“What did you do?” I asked, staring daggers at him through my helmet.
He raised his hands. “We’re just playing, no need for hostility. It’s just a shock, see? She’s fine.”
Nell was slowly getting back to her feet.
I snapped back to looking at Deft. Where had the knife gone?
His tail whipped and there was a flash of metal in the air. Spike reacted inhumanly quick, his arm flinging up and a projectile shot out and intercepted the knife in mid-air. Both weapons fell to the ground.
Deft patted his pockets. “You keep doing that and I’ll run out of knives. I’m sure I have a few more around here somewhere.” His grin froze as the skin on his arm started to bubble.
Nell set her intense gaze on him and clover leaves started to erupt along his arm. Jessie grinned sadistically and climbed up onto the car roof.
I was already in motion. The way this man Deft was acting. This is all a distraction. I tackled Nell, interrupting her focus. Deft fell back, freed from Nell’s grip, leaping away from Jessie’s slashes.
Nell shouted, “What are you-”
Before the answer cracked the concrete and stood quivering like a battle standard. Another length of rebar.
Nell was panting. Her face told me that her broken arm was hurting her. It certainly didn’t help that I kept moving her roughly. After coming to a stop, I lifted Nell in my arms. “Let’s move!” I called out.
Spike and Jessie moved ahead as more Red Ring members emerged from our surroundings. I ducked down as I spotted one with a gun. A bullet shattered the car light next to me.
Spike flung out his arm and two spikes embedded themselves into the gunner, sending him reeling backwards. Jessie charged a man twice her size. He punched her and her head snapped to the side, halting her for only a moment before she slugged him back and then hacked her blade into his knee. The man toppled and she stepped on the same leg on her way past.
Spike seemed to know exactly where the Red Ring was hiding, spinning with catlike reflexes to shoot them the second they popped out. I hurried forward, pausing every so often to see if another spear would come.
The entrance was in sight. I could see the woody vines curling out of the broken glass doors towards us. Nell hadn’t made as much progress as I would have liked.
I was about to make a break for the next car when a spike slammed into the car right in front of my face.
Seconds later a spear kicked up a cloud of dust in the spot I would have been. The sniper was anticipating my movements.
“Why the rush, caballero blanco?” The playful voice of Deft called out. “Are you scared we’re going to beat you there? I’m afraid it’s too late for that.”
As I stared at the rusty metal of the steel bar, I heard a deep rumbling overtop of the shouting and sounds of violence.
“You hear that? A storm is coming. But not a cloud in the sky. Strange, no?” Deft asked mockingly, implying that he knew what that sound was.
Bad, this is bad all around.
I sprinted out from cover. Spike barraged the area in front of me with spikes, sending the hiding Red Rings scrambling. Jessie chased after Deft, not even pausing as a knife was flung her way. Spike shot it down and the knife spun off course, grazing her cheek as she swung fiercely at Deft, missing by a hair.
I counted the seconds. There was no exact timing. Only a vague sense, from the assault so far. I had no choice but to rely on my intuition. My eyes were fixed on the next bit of cover. Five meters away. Four… It was tantalizingly close.
Nell squeezed my arms as I skidded to a stop. The whistling sound as the next spear cut through the air was like a death knell. A metallic hum, then it was here, sprouting up from the concrete like a metal tree right in front of me. I moved around it and made it to the car. I could make it from here.
I poured my focus into the Shaping around my legs, feeling the antlers creak as they flexed with pressure. Would it be enough?
“Do it,” Nell whispered, clinging tight.
We soared, further than I had ever gone before. The cartoon giraffe grew large in my vision, like it had bent down to greet me to Jerry’s Playful Palace. Then we descended.
My heart sank.
We were coming up short of the overhang of the building. The clock tower was still in view.
I crashed to the ground and instead of rolling I threw Nell forward, through the doors and onto the red carpeted floor. My chest scraped the ground and I pushed myself up hurriedly, feeling the dread.
The whistling sound came. I dove desperately. Too late, I realized that I had moved directly into the path of the deadly spear. I closed my eyes. A loud crack sounded.
When I opened my eyes, rebar quivered inches from my face. It glowed hot from the friction of hitting the tree that had shielded me from the spear. The tree, formed from the vines of a dozen different plants all coiling into one column, had bent forwards, splitting along the trunk slightly to cross paths with the spear.
I rolled over and met Nell’s eyes. She gave a relieved smile.
We stood up and I moved into the interior of the building. It was hard to make anything out as my eyes adjusted from the bright outdoors.
“Do you think-” Nell started before her head snapped to the side and she toppled over, her emotions cut short along our connection.
I caught her and shielded her with my body, trying to understand what had happened.
“Aww, can the girl not take a punch?” A deep voice drawled.
I laid Nell onto the carpet and stood up, letting my anger spill out. Antlers crackled in the air as my armour gained a new layer with sharp points and tightly woven spirals.
Two figures stood deeper inside.
The deep voice chuckled. “That armour ain’t gonna do a lick of good for you. Try your luck outside.”