{"id":812,"date":"2011-11-02T00:00:02","date_gmt":"2011-11-02T04:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=812"},"modified":"2011-11-03T10:52:44","modified_gmt":"2011-11-03T14:52:44","slug":"day-18-chapter-11-14","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=812","title":{"rendered":"Day 18 – Chapter 11 – 14"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 J.T. roared.\u00a0 It was too much, far too much.\u00a0 Marin grabbed and thrown, Thom going for her, getting grabbed, crawling like a dying man toward water\u2026
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 And the thing that must be Angie\u2019s Shadow Man kept moving, moving toward Thom.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cStep off, you freak!\u201d\u00a0 He plunged toward the strange, cloaked man that seemed to flicker in and out of his vision, sword held high.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The mists made of ghosts surged around him.\u00a0 Something grabbed him, as if to stop him.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cNo, Jameson, please.\u00a0 You\u2019re not ready for it!\u201d<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Constance, now isn\u2019t the time.\u00a0 I can\u2019t let them die.<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019ll kill you!\u201d<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He tugged free of her ghostly grip.\u00a0 \u201cFortes fortuna adiuvat<\/em>, Connie,\u201d he growled.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 J.T. threw himself forward, howling some battlecry from a long ago battlefield he never fought on.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 At the very last second, the Shadow Man turned and caught the descending claymore between both hands.\u00a0 J.T. could only see darkness and glinting red and gold inside the shadows of that dark hood\u2014and the glint of sharp teeth as it smiled, an expression that promised torment before a slow death.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 His heart seized up, arms strained as his fingers tightened around the blade\u2019s hilt.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t cutting the thing\u2019s hands.\u00a0 How was it doing<\/em> that?
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He grit his teeth.\u00a0 If I hold it here, it\u2019s not killing them.\u00a0 It\u2019s not hurting anyone else.\u00a0 Just keep it busy until Paul and shove a shotgun against it and pull the trigger.<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Another shotgun blast echoed off to his left.\u00a0 Paul\u2014and Davon\u2014were clearly still at work.\u00a0 Drew and Carolyn were shouting.\u00a0 J.T.\u2019s pulse quickened.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 So eager to join the ghosts you see, Spiritweaver?<\/em><\/strong>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 A jolt went through him, like he\u2019d been plunged into Lake Michigan in the dead of winter.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He almost dropped the blade\u2014almost.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The Shadow Man sneered.\u00a0 You and the Old Soul already belong to us.\u00a0 You just don\u2019t know it yet.<\/em><\/strong>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cNo,\u201d J.T. whispered.\u00a0 It was token denial, but necessary.\u00a0 Dread coiled in his belly, coupled with nausea.\u00a0 What if it was right<\/em>?
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Oh yes.\u00a0 Oh yes.<\/em><\/strong>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 J.T.\u2019s arms trembled.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Something smacked into the side of the Shadow Man\u2019s head.\u00a0 A clot of mud and sod thumped to the ground.\u00a0 He roared and looked toward Carolyn, who stood nearby, hefting a cast-iron skillet in her free hand.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s right!\u201d\u00a0 She yelled at it.\u00a0 \u201cStart picking on someone else for a change.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Somehow, laughter that sounded like broken glass and cicadas became a rich, rolling laugh that shot shivers down J.T.\u2019s spine.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 She\u2019s trying to save you.\u00a0 How touching.<\/em><\/strong>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cJay!\u00a0 Down<\/em>!\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 J.T. didn\u2019t think\u2014he dropped, rolling to the side.\u00a0 The Shadow Man looked just in time to see Paul and Davon pull the triggers on their pair of shotguns.\u00a0 The narrow-spread mass of shot caught the thing in the chest and it roared in pain\u2014
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u2014and vanished into thin air.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The mists surged forward, starting to swallow the remaining Greys and shadow-creatures.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Someone was shouting in the distance.\u00a0 J.T. recognized Tala\u2019s voice, and Professor Doyle\u2019s.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Then the shadows were on them again.\u00a0 One loomed over J.T., snarling, but he found himself strangely numb to fear.\u00a0 He groped for the fallen sword, sucking air into his lungs as he drove a booted foot up toward the creature\u2019s stomach.\u00a0 His foot connected and the creature snarled, stumbling back.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 That was all the time he needed to roll to his feet and get his hands on the sword.\u00a0 He straddled Thom\u2019s fallen body and brandished the weapon, feeling strangely like someone out of one of the Lord of the Rings <\/em>movies.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cIf you want them,\u201d he panted, \u201cCome and claim them.\u00a0 But you\u2019ll have to get through me<\/em> first.\u201d<\/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 J.T. roared.\u00a0 It was too much, far too much.\u00a0 Marin grabbed and thrown, Thom going for her, getting grabbed, crawling like a dying man toward water\u2026 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 And the thing that must be Angie\u2019s Shadow Man kept moving, moving … 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-812","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-chapter-11","category-day-18"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1EBlN-d6","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/812","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=812"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/812\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":814,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/812\/revisions\/814"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=812"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=812"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=812"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}