Not like this… not like this… please not like this!
I was paralyzed. I… I couldn't move.
It was the same as when it first appeared back with my mother.
The primal terror of the whole world being it's prey.
But I could move then…, why…, why not now!
Move! Move! Move!
Nothing happened. My powers didn't work.
If I don't move, they'll all die!
Please…, someone…, anyone!!!
Make my body move!!!
Someone grabbed my hand.
It was trembling and damp with cold sweat.
It was Elise's hand.
She… she had moved…
And grabbed my hand…
Because she trusted me, had faith in me.
That I'd protect us.
I…, that's right!
I'd promised her, promised them.
That I'd protect them with my life!
My soul overcame the fear!
MOVE!!!
I turned around on my heels, letting go of her hand.
Facing my mother's murderer.
The shadow stood hunched over on the edge of the desk, in front of the window, to the right of my mother's vase.
Its head, barely not touching the ceiling, was staring straight at me.
My hand moved to the two weapons on my hip, the knife and gun.
I drew my gun, took the safety off and aimed.
But the shadow was not there anymore.
In an instant, the shadow now stood on the left side of the vase with the same posture as before.
I readjusted my aim, but it had preemptively teleported again to the right of the vase.
My finger stiffened. Its behavior was odd! Why didn't it attack us or teleport somewhere safer!?
!!!
Shit! The gun is a trap! He wants me to shoot! I can't leave evidence behind!
I reholstered the gun and drew the knife.
The shadow didn't disappear. It moved its leg.
Kicking my mother's vase off the table.
I kept my eyes on the shadow, until it disappeared at the same time as the sounds.
*CRASH* *CREAK*
I turned around, grabbed Elise's arm and pulled her towards me!
Just in time before a roundhouse kick caved her head in.
I dragged Elise past me and threw her toward the door, where Ken was standing.
All while keeping the shadow in my sight.
*Bump*
"Ah!" "Guh"
I heard Elise and Ken collide with each other.
All the while the shadow tucked its still-airborne leg in and shifted it by pivoting on its grounded heel.
I took two steps back to the others, and the shadow disappeared again.
*CREAK*
I turned around again. Ken was glued to the door, holding Elise.
And the shadow was to his side, about to kick!
It was outside my knife range! I took another step forward and shot out my right leg to intercept!
My shin collided with its foot, a few inches from Ken's head.
"Arg."
I gasped in pain as I stopped the momentum, my shinbone taking the force.
The shadow tucked in its leg again, putting it to the ground. As I did too.
Pain shot through my right shin when I put weight on it, but I gritted through it.
It shifted its arms and disappeared.
*CREAK*.
I turned to the side.
It was in a boxing stance, about to throw a straight punch at Elise's head..
But I was now standing in front of them. I was fast enough and in range.
My muscles tensed, ready to use the razor-sharp knife to intercept the punch and stab its arm, pinning it to the wall.
Then the shadow disappeared again.
*CREAK*, was the sound I heard.
As my forearm, the one holding my knife, was grabbed.
The shadow was on the outside of my right arm as it pulled hard.
I was forced to step forward to maintain my balance, grimacing as more of my weight went through my leg.
It kept holding my arm as it drove its right knee towards my diaphragm.
I blocked it with my left hand.
I saw the shadow move its left arm towards my hip.
I shifted my weight towards it and body checked it.
The distance was too short to hurt it, but the momentum made it lose its balance and stumble backwards.
It let go of my arm immediately, and I slashed at its neck with my knife!
But it teleported away to the middle of the room just before the knife cut.
I still felt the weight of the gun. It didn't manage to grab it.
While the shadow was still stumbling, I grabbed the knife handle with my teeth and drew the gun again.
I aimed, but the sound and sight overwhelmed all accuracy.
*CREAK* *CREAK* *CREAK* *CREAK* *CREAK*
The shadow was teleporting each millisecond all across the other side of the room while still stumbling, giving me no stable target to shoot.
The gun's useless like this if I can't kill it. If I miss, he'll send the police after us. And if he grabs it like he almost did just now, it's all over too. The risk is too great.
I ejected the magazine and flung it out of the gun behind me at Elise and Ken's feet.
I held the gun sideways, pulled back the slide and caught the ejected bullet out of the air, palming it.
I put it back in the holster and grabbed the knife with my right hand again.
Just as the shadow stopped stumbling backwards, and stopped teleporting for a moment.
I saw it looking at me and starting to think while standing in the middle of the room.
I waited too. It was the only thing I could do. Throwing the knife was too risky, since I couldn't defeat it bare-handed. So I had no ranged weapons. The only thing I could do was intercept it and cut it down.
Or use the one trick I had prepared.
The shadow shifted its stance. I focused.
It was preparing a kick with its right leg. I raised my arms high.
And then…
A cacophony of loud creaks once again assaulted my ears, as the shadow teleported all across the other side of the room while still winding up the kick, assaulting my senses and preventing me from reacting in time.
And then it kicked low while still teleporting on the other side of the room!?
I shifted and focused my entire being on hearing any sounds behind me.
To block the kick coming for Elise or Ken!
And in an instant, it was in front of me.
"AAARG!!!"
I screamed as I felt my right shinbone break.
The impact was instantaneous. It kicked the same spot as it had hit before. I couldn't react at all.
I stabbed towards its face in reflex, but it had instantly teleported back towards the room.
It was too slow. The pain made me lose intent in the moment. The stab came at mundane speed.
I shifted my weight to my left leg. My right one couldn't bear weight anymore.
The shadow shifted and prepared a high kick again, but he no longer bothered teleporting.
Because my father and I both knew my resistance was over.
He would teleport behind me, to kick one of their faces in.
And I couldn't intercept like before now that my right leg was ruined.
Even if I managed a miracle and give my all to make it there, he'll teleport and attack the other one.
I could only jump back completely and put my body in front of them. But even then he'll eventually make it through me.
I couldn't win anymore. He'd kill them.
But I had to protect them! I had to stop my father somehow!
How! How! HOW!!!
The shadow almost had its kick ready.
And I… I…
There was only one thing I could still do.
I screamed.
"I'LL KILL JAMES!!!"
The shadow halted for a moment and looked straight at me.
"If you harm them, I'll kill him! I'll go to the mansion and kill Jane too! I'll launch a terrorist attack on the fucking White House and make a manifesto that it was under your instruction! If you harm them, I swear on my mother that I'll burn your entire fucking legacy to the ground!!!"
It listened silently to me…, and then…
It lowered its leg.
My father kept staring at me for a moment.
Before slowly shaking his head.
I focused. Because that wasn't a refusal.
It was the start of the negotiation.
"I'll bring James back from Philadelphia. He then can go back to you on his own if he wants."
…The shadow put up two of its fingers.
"And that Willow girl too."
It lowered its hand, but then shook its head.
"…I'll bring them back to Washington too, like you wanted."
It immediately shook its head again.
"Tch. What more do you want then!"
The shadow raised its arm…
And pointed towards me.
"…You said you wanted me. …I can oblige to talk in person…, but if I'm still unconvinced after that, we'll let each other go and go our separate ways. …Is that a deal?"
The shadow stood there for a moment, staring straight at me…
Straight at my soul.
And I didn't flinch.
After a long moment.
My father nodded.
And disappeared into thin air.
No creaking sound was heard. All was quiet.
At that moment…
I threw the knife.
It flew towards where he was just standing.
Immediately, I used the same momentum to grab the unloaded holstered gun.
I pulled the slide back and inserted the bullet I had palmed in my left hand directly into the barrel.
I aimed as the knife went through where it was standing.
The knife flew through the spot and embedded itself in the opposite wall.
No other sounds were heard all the while.
The shadow hadn't just turned invisible while staying still. It had teleported out of the room.
To be absolutely sure, I looked around at all the shadows cast in the room.
There was nothing resembling a humanoid one, not even from the people present, because the sun wasn't shining straight through the window this time of day.
It was truly gone. My father was truly gone.
I… I protected them.
I put the safety on the gun again and put it in the holster.
And turned towards them.
They were pushed against the door, trying to make themselves as small as possible.
Ken was holding Elise. They were both trembling.
And they looked at me with the most afraid expressions I had ever seen on them.
"My father's gone. It's over. You're safe again. You…, you don't have to be afraid anymore."
They processed my words, both looking around the room. And then, slowly, I saw them begin to compose themselves again.
Ken let go of Elise slowly, and she took a step towards while opening her mouth.
"Jack, are you…"
"WHY DIDN'T YOU SHOOT HIM!?" Ken yelled, interrupting her.
She turned around in shock, but he continued.
"I saw it! You could have had him! He would've been gone, you fool! Why didn't you! He'll… he'll come back for us again!"
I met his anger unfazed, and spoke calmly.
"He'd claim a witness heard a gunshot and would send the police after us like with those stooges. And if they found evidence that we were attacked, they'd force that whole safe-house idea on us and force me to go back to my father for my own safety."
The calm logic took the wind out of Ken's sails, but he still kept talking.
"Why did you negotiate with him? You could have defeated him! Maybe this was our only chance! It would have been over!"
"He broke my leg, Ken. I had no other choice."
Ken's eyes went wide. He was stunned. And Elise's panicked voice took over.
"You… your leg's broken!?"
I looked at her ashen face and nodded.
"Oh no no no. I…, are you in pain? We…, we have to treat you!"
"But even with your leg like that, you should have…"
"KEN, SHUT UP! He's hurt! We can talk about this later!"
"N… No, you don't understand! You saw that thing! We couldn't do anything! This was our only chance!"
Elise was about to explode in anger, but I grabbed her shoulder.
The shock interrupted her, and she looked at my face.
I just shook my head, and then focused on Ken again, as he continued talking.
"You talked him out of it now. But what about later. He'll attack us again. And we can't stop him then. We can't do anything."
I looked deep into his eyes. He held my gaze but averted his eyes after a few seconds, looking down at the floor.
Then he spoke again. Saying what I wanted to hear.
What really bothered him.
"I… I couldn't do anything."
"…That's not true. You're the one that saved us."
His head shot up. He looked me in the eyes again.
"What you did to the floor allowed me to fight. Without that, I wouldn't have been able to do anything. So thank you, truly."
Ken's expression changed. He couldn't believe what I had just said to him.
"What does this floor even matter!? I…, I couldn't fight back at all. And…, and I never even considered that he was already here standing on that desk. I… almost got us all killed."
"We didn't consider that either. We all made that mistake. And what you did to the floor allowed me to keep up with him. When Elise grabbed my hand, it snapped me out of my fear and allowed me to fight in the first place. I'm the one who fought, but all three of us held him back just now. We survived, and next time, together, we'll make it through again."
Ken took it all in, and then gave his final retort.
"How are you so sure? You…, you lost that fight. You couldn't do anything either."
"I never intended to win in a straight fight, remember. And after that negotiation, he won't just attack us out of nowhere. It also gave me something to proceed with."
"What?"
"I have to go to Philadelphia, no, I want to, for my brother. And there, that Willow girl. I don't know her, but it's odd and very unlike my father to put so much emphasis on her.I have a feeling there's something there that we can use against him. But, you'll have to trust me on that, okay?"
Ken looked into my eyes for a moment, and then…
He finally yielded.
"Fine…, fine. I…, I still don't like how this all went down, but…, but I'll trust you if you're so sure. And…, thank you, for saving us."
I smiled at him, and he looked away shyly.
I then looked at Elise, who had in the meantime put my arm around her shoulder so that I could rest my weight on her.
…She still had a worried expression on her face.
"Thank you too. If you hadn't grabbed my hand, I don't know what would have happened."
"I…, I didn't intend to. I was so scared…, and…, it just happened."
"Even so, thank you."
"…Thank you too, for saving us. But…, your leg. Are you in any pain?"
"…It hurts like hell, to be honest."
"Then don't just hide it! I…, I don't want you to be in pain."
"I know. Your dad, let's go to him now. He can heal me and we'll tell him everything that's going on. My father overheard us anyway, but after what I said to him, he won't attack us or your dad out of nowhere. …Do you still agree with telling him everything?"
"…Yes, he deserves to know. But…, Jack, what you said to your father. You didn't mean it, right?"
"No, of course not. I just said whatever got him to listen."
Elise looked me straight in the eyes when I said that.
"…Even if something happens to us?"
"Nothing will happen to you. I'll protect you."
…She kept looking into my eyes, but before she could speak.
"I promise," I said, interrupting her.
…I saw a lingering doubt cross her face.
But she buried it quickly.
"Alright. I believe you. So let's go downstairs. Ken, can you support his other side."
"…Yeah sure," he said.
"Wait, grab the magazine and the knife first," I added.
He nodded, grabbed the magazine off the floor and gave it to me, after which I loaded it into the gun again.
Meanwhile, he walked past me to the knife. He pulled it out of the wall and inspected it for a moment.
He walked back to us looking disappointed.
"Sorry, the blade is ruined. I… I should have made it durable instead of making it sharp," he said conflicted while handing me back the knife.
I took a look too, and he was right. There were cracks running through it. A… a sharpening stone couldn't fix it anymore, Elise's birthday present.
"I'm sorry," was all I could say when I saw her looking too.
"It's okay. It protected us. That's all I could ever want for it."
"But-"
"I still have the two other knives you gave me. And…, you can make dinner for me with them to make it up to me, alright?"
"...Alright then," I finished with a defeated smile on my face.
But I still looked at the last of my regrets in this room.
The broken vase, the amaryllis plant on the floor, lying in a heap of scattered dirt.
"I'll… we can take care of it later, okay?" Elise said when she caught me looking.
I just nodded. I didn't want her to hear my voice crack.
After that, Ken supported my other side, and all three of us slowly made our way downstairs.
Towards William, who we would tell everything to.
…I didn't know for sure how he would react. It… it scared me.
But that fear paled in comparison to what I would also have to tell him.
…That I was now dating his daughter.
Whom I had put in mortal danger.