We needed a plan.
Then I saw it--an old maintenance shed near the far side of the courtyard. Small. Concrete walls. One door.
Perfect.
"Stay here," I told the girls. "No matter what, don't come out until I say."
Stacy opened her mouth, but I cut her off. "I'll come back. Just trust me."
I darted from cover, heart hammering, and ran low along the shadows. I made it to the shed unnoticed, slipped inside, and shoved the rusted door shut behind me.
It was dark, filled with tools and garbage--but it was exactly what I needed.
I found a rusted wrench and hurled it through the window on the far wall.
CLANG!
The noise rang through the courtyard like a dinner bell.
The snarling stopped. Then came the sound of clawed feet, dozens of them, charging toward the shed.
I waited.
The first thump hit the door. Then another. Soon they were crowding, screeching, slamming against it.
I waited a ibt longer.
Then I threw the door open.
One lunged immediately-I met it with a crushing swing of the bat, sending it flying into the wall. Another followed--I twisted, brought the bat around in a low arc, and took its legs out from under it. The narrow doorway bottlenecked them, forcing them to come one at a time.
Exactly what I needed.
I fought like a man possessed.
Each strike felt easier, more natural. The bat moved faster than it should. My vision sharpened. I could see their movements before they made them. Blue light flickered across my arms, pulsing with each kill.
I lost count of how many I'd taken down.
Blood sprayed. Bodies piled.
The last of them hesitated, growling, pacing just out of reach. They could sense something had changed.
Then one broke the line and charged.
I stepped into the swing, shouting from my gut, and brought the bat down with everything I had. The blow cracked the creature's skull and sent a shockwave rippling through the air--dust kicking up, debris flying.
Silence.
They were all down.
I stood there, breathing hard, body slick with sweat and blood. The bat was splintered. My arms trembled.
No--more than that.
I felt powerful.
I looked at my hands again. That faint shimmer of blue danced along my skin... then faded.
What the hell is happening to me?
I limped back to the wall. The girls peeked out from behind it, eyes wide.
"It's safe," I called. "Let's move."
I standed there trying to look strong.
As we made our way toward the car, my steps slow and heavy, I couldn't stop thinking about it.
Every time I killed one of those things... I felt it.
A rush. Like something was surging into me--not adrenaline, not just rage. Real strength. Real speed. It wasn't just in my head. I was moving faster. Hitting harder.
It made no sense.
I looked down at my hands again. The faint shimmer was gone, but I hadn't imagined it. That soft, blue glow--it was real. I felt it.
What the hell is this?
I glanced back at the courtyard, now littered with corpses. Those creatures weren't natural. Nothing on Earth moves like that. Their bodies seemed to rot even before they hit the ground.
They're not from here.
Otherworldly. That was the only word that came to mind.
And if they aren't from here... maybe whatever's happening to me isn't, either.
Magic?
The word sounded ridiculous in my head. Like something from a fantasy novel Stacy would read. But after what I just survived... I couldn't rule it out.
Something changed when I killed that first one. Maybe something inside me unlocked. Or maybe--whatever powers them left behind something when they died. Something I absorbed.
I didn't ask for this. I sure as hell don't understand it.
But right now? I needed it.
Then I heard her.
"Dad... are you alright?" Stacy's voice cut through the haze--soft, but not scared. Just... concerned.
I turned to her and managed a half-grin. "Do I look alright?"
She wrinkled her nose, glancing at my blood-smeared clothes. "Honestly? You look like a meatball someone dropped on a parking lot."
I chuckled. "Charming, as always."
She stepped closer and looked me over like a tiny, worried doctor. "You're not... tired? At all?"
I paused, noticing for the first time--I wasn't. Not really. My heart was steady. My breathing normal. My muscles didn't ache. After all that, I should've been collapsed in a pile of sweat and regrets.
"I feel... fine," I said, surprised. "Weirdly fine."
Stacy narrowed her eyes. "Is this like when you said kale chips were fine?"
"That was different. That was lying."
She cracked a smile, and for a second, the weight of the world felt lighter.
I ruffled her hair gently. "I'm okay, Stace. I promise. Let's just get to the car. Then we figure out what the hell's going on."
Her smile faded into a small nod. "Okay, Dad."
She took Sofia's hand again, and we kept moving--me in front, both girls close behind.
Finally, we were far from all the chaos, driving along a quiet road.
I glanced at the rearview mirror. My daughter and her friend looked relieved--safe now, knowing that I could protect them.
Turning my eyes back to the road, I asked, "How are you two feeling?"
They must have heard the worry in my voice. My daughter spoke up for both of them.
"Dad, we're both okay... but I'm mostly worried about you."
"Me?" I chuckled. "Didn't you see me swinging that bat at those things? Wasn't I awesome?"
Her friend giggled.
"Don't joke like that, Dad," my daughter said seriously. "I was really scared. Don't ever do something like that again."
"Come on, sweetheart. I'd do it a hundred times if it meant keeping you safe," I replied, catching her gaze in the mirror.
There was pride and love in her eyes.
"I didn't know you could fight like that," she said quietly.
"What, you thought your dad was just fat?" I teased.
"No! You know I don't mean it like that, I love you no matter what you look like," she said, pouting.
Her friend burst into laughter, then winced from her bruise.
And just like that, we drove--laughing, teasing, and carefully steering the conversation away from the darkness they had just escaped.