"Open your eyes, Ebony Summers." Ariel's voice said. "I will protect you."
I slowly opened my eyes and looked around at the chaos that was surrounding me. The war had officially started, and I was right in the middle of it.
"We must find Leon." Ariel's voice said calmly in my head.
"How do we do that?" I said, standing up. "Oh, shit," I ducked as a sword was swung at my head, but I realized that something was different as I watched the world around me. Everything around me was in slow motion, yet I wasn't. I could see the creatures fighting each other like it was a fight scene in a movie, but this was no movie. Bits of blood were like droplets in the air around me, and with just one step back or forth, I was able to dodge whatever was near me.
"This is all kinds of awesome." I smiled as I punched through the body of one of the dark creatures. It literally exploded in slow motion. "Gross."
"I can feel that you are excited about this. It feels nice." He said. "What is this feeling?"
"It's called adrenaline." I laughed as another creature tried to scratch me with rather nasty-looking claws. "Hey, not nice." I punched him in the face, and again it exploded at my touch. "I want to do that again."
"Ebony, I have been looking for you," Callan said, next to me. "Are you ready to do this?"
"No, but I will. Wait, how come you're not in slow motion too?"
He looked at me, raising his eyebrow. "Excuse me?"
"You control that, Ebony. That is a power that you can control. Look around." Ariel said almost amused at me.
I looked around and saw that everything had sped up to a normal pace again.
"Impressive." I smiled.
"Are you okay?" Callan said, waving his hand in front of my face.
"Yeah, Sorry. I have an angel inside of me."
"You do, huh? Of course, you do." He rolled his eyes at me. "You know they are clingers, right?"
"I don't like him," Ariel said forcefully.
"He says hi." I smiled sweetly at Callan.
"No, he doesn't, but thanks." Callan punched a creature right in its eye socket, and black liquid squirted everywhere.
"Ew." I looked away.
"Says the girl with an angel inside her. Did it hurt?" Callan smiled.
"Yeah, kind of."
"That's what she said." Jake suddenly laughed, punching another creature in the throat next to me. "That's what they all say." He winked proudly.
"We must find Leon," Ariel said, breaking my focus on Jake tackling some creatures to the ground. "Now, Ebony."
"Okay, already." I grabbed Jake by the hand. "I have to go."
"I'm coming with you," Jake said, wiping his blood-soaked hands-on Callan's white shirt.
"Hey," Callan yelled, punching him in the arm. "Fuck you."
"We are coming with you, and that is that," Jake said, laughing as Callan tried to tackle him.
"I don't think that is a good idea," Ariel said abruptly.
"They are my family, and they are coming." I smiled at them as they looked at me awkwardly.
"She talking to us?" Callan said to Jake.
"Angel," Jake replied, taking out two more creatures by banging their heads together.
"Ahhhh, have to remember that." Callan nodded, wiping the black goo from his face. "Nice one, by the way." He high-fived Jake.
"They will only slow us down," Ariel said forcefully in my head, clearly annoyed by Jake and Callan.
"They are coming," I said sternly.
"Angel in trouble now." Callan smiled.
"To your left," Jake yelled as he threw a body over Callan's head. "Sorry." He yelled, tackling two more.
"Fine. We leave immediately."
"Thank you." I turned and started to walk but stopped confused as to where to go. "Where are we going exactly?"
"Listen to your light. It knows where to go." Ariel said gently. I closed my eyes and tried to tune out what was happening around me.
"Callan get the one on her right. I'll go left." Jake yelled as I heard the sound of bones crunching around me. I needed to concentrate, and focus. I felt a slight push of my body, telling me to go forward. It kind of felt like a strong gust of wind behind me, so I obeyed my instinct and moved forward slightly.
"That was awesome." Callan laughed. "His head literally exploded."
I focused on the feeling, and then I saw the light in front of me, like a firefly flying around my head. It was guiding me forward, towards Leon.
"Stop hitting yourself. Stop hitting yourself." I heard Jake cackle. I opened my eyes to see him beating a creature with its own arm. "Seriously, It never gets old." He laughed.
"Do the nose-picking thing." Callan laughed clapping his hands.
Jake started to place the finger of the creature up to its nose, and they both burst out laughing.
"This is whom you chose to bring with you? They are children."
"Boys, let's go," I yelled, walking towards the light. "NOW."
"Yes, ma'am," Jake yelled dropping the body and standing beside me.
"Two seconds," Callan yelled as I saw him throw a body into creatures running at him and knock them down like pins. "STRIKE." He yelled, doing a handstand and then flipping back onto his feet.
"I could do that so much better." Jake was suddenly walking on his hands very quickly, trying to catch up to me. He flipped onto his feet, back to his hands, and then jumped high into the air, landing on his feet again. "Fucken nailed it." He teased Callan. "Oh shit, to your right."
I heard Jake cheer and clap his hands as Callan took out more creatures. "Callan! Callan!"
"So, where exactly are we going, Ebony?" Callan was now walking behind me.
"Forward." I shrugged.
"As long as there is a plan." He touched my shoulder. "We can do this. We will fix all of this."
"I hope so." I swung my arm around his body. "Thank you for coming with me."
"Hey, you're my mom now, so I have to." Callan laughed. "Wait, stop touching me, mom. This is how stepmother porno gets started." He playfully pushed me away.
"I'd watch that," Jake said next to me. "I watched your real mom once. It. Was. Hot." He popped the T in hot. "She knows her stuff." He winked at Callan.
"You sick bastard." Callan lunged at him as Jake cackled loudly.
"We can still leave without them."
"Not going to happen, Ariel. Just accept it and focus on what we have to do."
"Fine. We travel tonight and should be there by morning. Carter will meet us there with the weapon."
My heart sank at the mention of his name, and I sighed loudly.
"You can do this."
I nodded, trying to be strong, but I knew I wasn't.