Team Crafted: Second Generation

Tyler

                                                                                             PART TWO

                                                                                                  ***

"I heard the rumors. I said, no, it can't be. The Ellis girl? Giving herself up?" It smirked. "But it's true, isn't it? You can kiss whatever code of honor you brats lived by goodbye, kid, 'cause your girlfriend's one of us now."

I moved the iron sword to the Shadow's throat. "Don't make me ask again." 

"I think we both know you will anyway." It said. "I mean, that's what you've done with every other Shadow before me, right? What's your total now? Am I lucky number 15?"

"Try unlucky 13." I corrected. "And there's a lot more of you where that came from, so it'll just be easier for all of us if you give it up. Where did he take her?"

"Try Desert Region Number 401. I hear it's lovely this time of year." 

I glared at it, taking a step back and turning away slightly.

"What? Can't think straight 'cause you're worried about him finding out about all this? What you've been doing?" 

"That's it." I muttered, and turned back towards it, slicing the sword into it's arm. There was a hissing noise that had become more familiar than I wanted to admit, and the Shadow voiced a loud screech that sounded like thirty cats being stepped on at once. 

Shadow's voices always did creep me out. 

"Where. Did. He. Take. Her?" I asked again, keeping my voice steady with hardly as much effort as I used to need. 

"I don't know, alright? I was left behind in the move!" It yelled at me.

"What move?" I asked.

"He moved just about everyone to a new base after you kids escaped the old one!" 

I yanked the sword back from its arm, and it gasped for breath (Could Shadows breathe? I didn't know.).

"You know what? I believe you." I said, pointing at it with the sword. 

"Happy to be of service." It snarled back. "Get rid of the bottles."

I looked down at the circle I had made with spare experience bottles I had found while exploring the rest of the "old" base, as the  Shadow had called it. Apparently, being surrounded by them completely keeps a Shadow's powers weak. No idea what they were doing in a base full of Shadows, but I assumed either they had no idea they were there, or it was some form of punishment. 

"Don't think so." I said. "If you don't have anything else to tell me, then you're nothing but a stain on the world." 

With that, I threw the sword directly at its chest. It passed through easily, and the Shadow exploded into black sand. 

I walked over to pick up the sword, and hid it back in my backpack where it had stayed the past few weeks. 

Another day, another dud of a Shadow. 

***

I let out a quiet sigh of relief when I returned to camp to find my dad still fast asleep by the dying fire, practically dead to the world. 

It had been harder to keep everything secret from him lately. His nightmares had only gotten worse since the rescue, and it was pretty hard to sneak out and in when he was sitting awake thanks to a nightmare.