They All Carried Ghosts

Chapter Seven- Falling Short

The black lizards charged towards us at full speed. The twins made a break for higher ground and started climbing clutter that led to the roof of the gas station. 

Dante began to fire his rifle at the lizards but all they seemed to do was flinch and the continued running towards us.

"Dang it." He said as she grabbed for a grenade. "Angelo! try to separate them. maybe we stand a chance with a few at a time."

Angelo looked at him confused. "How could "we" even protect them?!" He thought to himself.

"No" Mil said. She was still focused on her right arm and a large amount of white dust had formed around it. She looked up suddenly and the dust instantly became a sword much thinner than the great sword she used before. "I should be able to take care of this..."

I stood back and watched as Milena lunged forward and started hacking at the first few monsters that reached her, slicing them in half easily, and scattering dust everywhere. but the others were much faster than she expected. Two lizards scurried to opposite sides of her and rushed forward knocking her to the ground and the other jumped up to pounce on her.

Seeing her in danger, I ran up to try to drag her out of the way but the lizard pounced onto me instead smashing me into the ground on top of Milena. 

I lay there for a second trying to grasp my senses, I notice some of the excess dust from the already slain lizards floating around me and sinking into my arms and legs and torso.

 "Mil had strength to attack but her skills didn't really give her much protection" I thought to myself. 

"Thanks." she said ungratefully and pushed me off of her and got back into slaying the lizards who seemed to be multiplying rather than dying out. The twins were still sitting on top of the gas station and Dante and Angelo were climbing up the side with them. Hero was standing back watching Mil fight.

"Hero? you want to help?!?" i said sarcastically. I pulled out a dagger to defend myself from two lizards heading towards me, still absorbing all the dust around me on the ground as I stepped back.

"Oh sorry " she said "but I don't like using my special abilities..."

"Hero!!" I yelled as one lizards jumped on me and i fell on the ground. I fought back at it with the dagger at least keeping its mouth from gnawing at me.

"ok..." Hero said. She rushed forward towards a lizard that had run passed Mil who was still killing every one that came her way. The lizard stopped and turned to look at her. She listened to the creatures thoughts and dodged every move as it attacked. Then she grabbed it by its head and looked into its eyes. Suddenly, white dust swirled around her and enveloped her and the lizard.

When the dust around them settled all that was left was the lizard. It was a bit taller and was made of white crystals instead of black crystals now. 

It looked at Eze and nodded. "Its me Hero" Hero's voice echoed in his head. "I can take over bodies as well as read thoughts." 

I just looked back at her as I was fighting this same lizard. Hero ran up at high speed  and slashed the lizard off of me and started flying through the rest of them rolling and twisting as she fought them off with Mil. 

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"Very interesting skill you have there Hero." Mil said laying down on the ground exhausted. It took all of the afternoon to fight off all the lizards. All the while I had only cleaned up the mess afterwards.

"what kind of power is this?" i thought to myself, "the power of cleaning up a mess?? Woop dee doo." Needless to say watching Hero and Mil use their strengths to protect us all in such a way made me a bit jealous of them. They were so strong. What can I even do? Matthew thinks I'm trying to hide it... but, I know I'm not. i just don't know what it is.

"Thanks!" said Hero smiling and kicking back on top of an old car. "Its super cool sometimes but its hard to fight their own willpower away while controlling them"

"Wow. I cant believe you kept it up for that long" said Mil looking astounded.

"Well, that is why Matt said I was hard to keep up with!" She laughed. "He caught me once or twice to inspect me and see what abilities I had developed but I escaped every time. Switching bodies with guards and animals or whatever i could find. even if it was a flea I could switch with it!"

"hahaha" Mil laughed "That's a pretty handy skill to have"

That hurt me even more. Hero was a professional at her skill. Milena is a novice but she's still really good at it already. While me, I'm just a spectator.

"I'm gonna go for a walk." I said.

"Alone?" Hero and Mil  asked at the same time.

"Yes. I'll be fine."

"but you don't even have anyway to protect yourself" Mil said

That one kind of stuck a tender nerve.

"I'll be fine." I responded bluntly and walked away.