{"id":795,"date":"2011-10-26T00:00:21","date_gmt":"2011-10-26T04:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=795"},"modified":"2011-10-27T10:17:42","modified_gmt":"2011-10-27T14:17:42","slug":"day-18-chapter-11-11","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=795","title":{"rendered":"Day 18 – Chapter 11 – 11"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Breath burned in J.T.\u2019s throat as he came after the shadow creatures with his old but never-used claymore.\u00a0 He knew how<\/em> to use it, but he\u2019d never had the opportunity.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Not until today, and it wasn\u2019t nearly as fun as he\u2019d always imagined it would be.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 His body knew how to move, though, and it was different from fighting with kendo sticks and wooden staves, as they had in practice for exhibition matches at the renaissance festival.\u00a0 Wielding the longer, heavier sword was much, much different than those shorter, lighter weapons.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 And yet, his body knew.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He didn\u2019t know how many of them there were, but it seemed like a lot.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Kellin went down, scream ending in a gurgle.\u00a0 J.T. plowed into that circle, blade flashing, and passed through to the other side.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The ghosts in the mist shrieked, falling on Grays and shadow-creatures.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Marin ducked under his arm and behind him as he cleaved one of the shadow-creatures through the shoulder.\u00a0 The blade stuck for a moment.\u00a0 J.T. cursed, lips curling back in a snarl.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 No time!<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He yanked the blade back, feeling it catch, hearing the rasp of blade on something hard\u2014bone, metal, something\u2014and he cursed again.\u00a0 It was stuck, and stuck fast.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Damn it all!<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Another shadow filled the void left behind by the one he\u2019d already felled, the one with his blade stuck in it.\u00a0 Its ugly face split into a cruel parody of a grin and it lunged, clawed hands starting to uncurl.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Claws.\u00a0 Avoid them.<\/em>\u00a0 Dodging to either side wasn\u2019t going to do the trick.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 J.T. counter-lunged, driving at the thing\u2019s chest.\u00a0 He avoided the claws, but he didn\u2019t have enough momentum to push the thing back.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 It shoved him down onto his back.\u00a0 He hit hard, shoulders first, all the wind knocked out of him by the impact.\u00a0 The creature loomed over him, now snarling.\u00a0 It pinned his arms and legs, not that he could struggle to do anything but breathe for a few agonizing seconds.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Well,<\/em> he thought as he tried to suck air into his lungs.\u00a0 I guess this is it.\u00a0 Had a good run, right?<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Something dark gray sailed into his range of vision.\u00a0 It caught the creature alongside the head with a loud ringing sound and the creature roared, spewing salvia and other things that burned onto J.T.\u00a0 It collapsed sideways, twitching, its weight half pinning him.\u00a0 His eyes widened and he just stared for a moment, stunned.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The thing’s head was half crushed from a simple cooking tool, heavy though it was.\u00a0 A shudder went through him.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Carolyn dropped the cast iron dutch oven and grabbed his arm with both of her hands, starting to haul him to his feet.\u00a0 \u201cGet up<\/em>, Jay!\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He blinked rapidly as he shoved the thing off of himself, using her arm to scramble to his feet.\u00a0 He managed to take another couple breaths as he steadied against Carolyn\u2019s side and watched Marin, who was there with her.\u00a0 Marin planted her foot against the shoulder of the creature-corpse with his claymore stuck in it, wrapped her hands around the blade\u2019s hilt, jiggled the weapon, then slid it free.\u00a0 She held the heavy sword out to him one-handed, point down, her expression grim.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ve got work to do.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 J.T. grasped the weapon as if it was some sort of talisman.\u00a0 Carolyn grabbed the dutch oven again and started to dart off in Marin\u2019s wake, toward another knot of shadows and Greys.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He grabbed her hand before she was out of reach, spinning her back toward him.\u00a0 Carolyn blinked.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cJay, it\u2019s not\u2014\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI know,\u201d he breathed.\u00a0 \u201cJust be careful.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 She smiled, nodded, and squeezed his hand.\u00a0 He let her go, gulped in a few more breaths, and launched back into the fray a few steps behind.<\/p>\n

\n

\u00a0First<\/a>\u00a0\u2022\u00a0Previous<\/a>\u00a0\u2022 Next<\/a> \u2022\u00a0Latest<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Breath burned in J.T.\u2019s throat as he came after the shadow creatures with his old but never-used claymore.\u00a0 He knew how to use it, but he\u2019d never had the opportunity. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Not until today, and it wasn\u2019t nearly as … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[30,29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-795","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-chapter-11","category-day-18"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1EBlN-cP","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/795","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=795"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/795\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":799,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/795\/revisions\/799"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=795"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=795"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=795"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}