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Aiden stepped away from Ashlyn’s knife.
“Woah!” He grinned as he shot his hands up in mock defense, heart thumping. He was quite literally a hair away from getting slashed across the face with the weapon in her boots. “Someone’s jumpy!”
Ashlyn’s foot landed with a thump. Cringing when she realized she almost very nearly took Aiden’s head off. “Sorry,” She sighed, rubbing her temples. “I’m just…I–”
“You’re nervous?” Aiden finished for her, grin softening.
Ashlyn nodded, averting her gaze. The graveyard was just as dingy and basked in red light as the night before. And the night before, and before. No phantoms. At least, not inside.
The rest of the gang was getting ready, talking away the nervousness nestled in their guts. Ashlyn tried to do the same, but she couldn’t. So instead, she began to load the bags in the jeep. Checking unnecessary things, like if the seatbelts worked. You never know, she reasoned.
The plan was to drive to the gun shop on the other side of town, the town pharmacy was right across from it. They needed better weapons, and Logan needed more bullets before heading to the school to test their distance theory. And unfortunately, their medical supplies were running low.
And Ash didn’t want it to go wrong again. Not like the first time they’d ventured out of the graveyard to secure her parent’s jeep. The spinning red sky flashed in her mind, a disturbing grin that tore at the skin preying above her.
“Ash!” Aiden said loudly. She flinched, her eyes refocusing on the blond in front of her. “Stop stressing, we’re going to be fine!” His hand rested on her waist for a second, before thinking better of it and pulling her into a side hug. “Even if something goes wrong, you always get us out of it.”
A few months ago, Ashlyn would've broken his hand for even laying a finger on her, but now, she let herself sink into his hold. Ever since that night on the porch, her skin didn’t buzz uncomfortably when he touched her, or anyone in the group, for that matter.
She hated herself each time she wished he'd touch her more.
“Yeah, alright. You’re right,” She said, reassuring herself.
Even though she was used to the affection of the group, she still couldn’t bear it for too long. Especially, now that the gang was starting to stare. She pushed him away, taking a deep breath.
“Alright guys,” Ash projected her voice enough so that they could hear her. “We have six more hours, let’s do this.”
—
The door to the graveyard shut behind them, Ashlyn stepping on the brake, slowing them down just enough so that Aiden could catch up. The boy leaped into the passenger seat, several phantoms on his tail.
“Step on it, Ashlyn!” Tyler said. Ashlyn obeyed, slamming her foot on the peddle. The jeep lurched forward, and everyone yelped, grabbing each other for stability.
The forest zipped past, the phantoms behind them giving up their chase fairly quickly. Of course, the smaller ones didn’t stop until they were well out of sight. Those ones were stubborn.
“Getting in and out of the graveyard is getting easier!” Taylor said, smiling. “We’ve got this.”
Ben nodded, smiling as Logan celebrated with Taylor. Tyler reluctantly joined in. Ash let a small smile paint her face, relieved that their plan was going smoothly so far.
“Told ya we’d be fine,” Aiden said from beside her.
“Yeah. We’re fine,” She agreed quietly.
“So!” Aiden said. “Who wants to sing Dead Girl Walking with me!”
Everyone but Taylor groaned as they began to sing (yell).
This was going to be a long ten minutes.
Ashlyn parked the jeep a little ways from the gunshop, just by the line of trees. They couldn’t park right in front of the store, obviously. Phantoms weren’t just outside the graveyard, hundreds were roaming around town as the entire population of their home turned into phantoms when they shifted.
“Okay, let’s go over the plan one last time,” Ash said.
Aiden thumped his head into the window. She glared at him, resuming her sentence.
“Me and Aiden will go inside the gunshop, while Tyler and Ben head to the pharmacy across the street.” Ben and Tyler nodded, the twin bumping their shoulders together good-naturedly.
“Tay and Logan will stay here. Taylor will comm us in case of an emergency and we need to get out of there. Logan will shoot any that get too close while Taylor drives the jeep to gather the rest of us.”
“Gotcha! Don’t worry about a thing, Ash!” Taylor smiled.
“Okay. Just remember, don’t do anything rash, don’t die, and don’t–”
“Don’t stray from the plan,” Aiden finished. “Can we go now?”
Ash resisted the urge to slap him, her eye twitching.
“Fine. Alright.” Ash relented. She put her hand on the handle, her heart quaking. We’re going to be fine, no ones going to get hurt this time.
She clicked the door open and Aiden followed quickly. The town was dark and eerie, phantom noises buzzing in her ears constantly as they creeped out of the shelter the forest gave them. Tyler and Ben were right behind them, looking around for anything that moved.
Once or twice, they spotted phantoms moving in their direction. They hid behind sparse trees, and eventually, the gunshop. “Be careful,” Ash whispered to Tyler and Ben as they began to move their separate ways.
“Stop worrying, Carrot-top,” Tyler grinned. “We got this.”
She nodded as Ash and Aiden slipped into the store, leaving the others on their own. “Please be okay,” She whispered. Aiden put his hand on her shoulder, giving her a small squeeze of reassurance.
They quietly looked around, Ash taking out her plugs to make sure there weren’t any phantoms creeping inside. When she was sure they were alone, she allowed herself to talk a bit louder.
“First,” She said, pointing behind the counter. “We need bullets for Logan. Did you grab the bag?”
Aiden patted the gym bag around his shoulder, the black bag resting on his waist. “Perfect,” Ash said, jumping over the counter. “Alright, so we need a specific kind of ammo for Logan’s shotgun. I think it’s a 14-gauge, right?”
“Yep!” Aiden replied, eyeing the racks before getting bored and looking around the store.
“Okay, fourteen, fourteen,” She muttered lowly, running her fingers over the different kinds of bullet packs. After about five minutes, she was sure they weren’t there. “Shit, where could they be? Why don’t they have them here? I saw a whole rack of them just last week!”
“I mean, it’s hunting season. I’m not too surprised,” Aiden shrugged. “Maybe they have some in the back room?” He pointed to a door off to the side, a plague labeling it employees only.
“Smart,” Ashlyn said, pushing the door open.
Aiden beamed.
The room was small and cramped. Dozens of boxes and crates littered the floor, stacking on each other like children’s blocks. “Check the crates, there should be a crowbar somewhere around here to pry them open.”
“Aye aye!”
Aiden walked toward a stack of crates, hands on his hips as he inspected them. Maybe he could tip them over and they’d crash open? That would be fun, but it would most definitely attract noise.
As Aiden contemplated if he should have some fun with this or just look for that crowbar Ash mentioned, the ginger squatted down and looked through the black, metal shelves. There were all sorts of things encased in plastic bags and bubble wrap.
I’ll start with the smaller ones first, she thought, grabbing a bag. Just as she began to tear it open, the ringing of a phantom became evident. At first, she thought it must’ve been a stray outside, but then it became loud– almost deafening.
“Aiden!” Ash cried out, covering her ears.
Aiden whipped toward her, eyes looking for any signs of injury. So he wasn’t able to defend himself when the gangly black phantom barreled into him.
“Shit–”
Aiden and the phantom crashed into the boxes and crates behind him. They burst open, all kinds of weaponry and supplies littering the stone floor.
Another phantom screeched as it ran past Aiden and into Ashlyn, slamming her into the shelves. Sharp, stabbing pains shot through her back and up her body.
That was going to leave a massive bruise.
Ashlyn grunted as she twisted her body under the skinny phantom, straddling it as she kicked the knife out of her shoe. Just as she did an arc and stabbed the phantom in its head, Aiden yelled.
She turned around just as the boy was slammed head-first into the door. His eyes looked dazed and far away as his muscles went slack. She yelled his name as the phantom that had pinned him to the door opened its jaw widely. Huge, flat teeth ready to chomp down on his skull.
Ashlyn yelled as she launched herself at the phantom, knocking it away from Aiden. Her instincts were flaring, all her brain continued to tell her was to get it away from Aiden.
She looked around for a weapon to potentially stab it with, but all she had was her shoes. Before she could decide what to do, the phantom dug its claws into her skin before throwing her away from it.
She hit the far wall, slamming into it with force. Seriously, what was with these things and throwing her into solid surfaces?
She opened her eyes blearily, moaning in pain. The phantom was getting up, crawling over hungrily to a still half-conscious Aiden. No, no, no!
Ashlyn launched herself up again, her vision spinning as she slid on the floor, stabbing the phantom in the arm. She’d been aiming for its chest, but it twisted just in time.
It screeched, the noise grating against her ears. She grabbed Aiden, pulling her with him. She grabbed the handle and tried to pry open the door. A dawning sense of deja vu shot through her gut when it wouldn’t open.
“Fuck!” She yelled. The phantom must’ve jammed the lock after slamming Aiden into the door. She continued to try and open it regardless, shaking and kicking at the door in a panic.
Meanwhile, the phantom recovered and began to stalk towards them. Ashlyn cursed, grabbing Aiden by the armpits and dragging him in the opposite direction. “Get away,” Ash muttered, sweat dripping down her face. “Get away .”
The phantom didn’t listen, clicking and twitching its head as it began to walk toward them on all fours. It was a horrific sight, its humanoid figure distorting the longer she looked at it. Black skin pulling too tightly on its skeletal figure. Rotting yellow teeth snapping in her direction, all too eager to tear into her skin– stop.
“Stay away–” Ashlyn slipped on one of the guns that’d slid across the floor from before. She hit the ground painfully, her rear end burning.
How are we going to get out of this? Ash thought, her mind in a frenzy. It was supposed to be okay this time! Why do I keep doing this wrong?
She shook her head, her arms aching as she continued dragging Aiden. Come on, Ash! Think! Aiden groaned in response, and her mind stopped. The faint buzzing came back, then came the familiar chant of protect Aiden, protect Aiden, protect Aiden.
Ash pulled him behind her, finally hitting the wall of the small room. It seemed like forever until she couldn’t move back anymore. Her breathing was ragged, her heart beating painfully against her ribs. She couldn’t see it, but her eyes were blown wide. Her vision was blurry, but she could also see everything so, so clearly.
The dark humanoid figure toying with its prey. The room began stretching and stretching and stretching. The walls were closing in. The little light they had from the small, rectangular window from above was glowing a brighter red with each passing second.
Protect Aiden.
Ashlyn’s arms were spread out, palms against the wall, encasing him in a makeshift protective cage. His head was lolled on her shoulder, the occasional groan– well, actually, that had stopped a moment ago. He wasn’t dead, was he? No, just knocked out, right?
Why wasn’t the phantom moving anymore?
The shadow figure was staring past her, eyes blank and body unmoving.
Ash spared a glance behind her. A chill traveled down her spine when she was met with Aiden’s eyes fully blown and half-lidded. His mouth was set in an unsettling grin, almost akin to the phantoms. The red light basked him in shadows, his blond hair bloody– no. That was the light.
It was silent for a moment, everything completely still.
This is my chance, the one sane voice in her head whispered. Weapon– I have the knife in my shoes, but I can’t really use them if I’m down like this. Any sudden movement might trigger it. Aiden has it distracted, but that doesn’t mean I can just move around like I want. Ash looked around for a spare gun that might’ve strayed toward her. Nothing. Aiden’s breath was hot against her neck, the only thing keeping her from panicking again.
Hold on. Aiden’s dagger!
Ashlyn carefully and slowly moved her left hand and felt around his thigh where he kept his dagger strapped. She finally found it, gripping it with a white-knuckle grip.
As soon as she began to pull it out, the phantom stood to its full height, screaming. Her mind rang in protest, her ears prickling and the familiar scent of blood reaching her senses.
Her vision tunneled as the phantom latched onto Aiden’s leg, only interested in dragging the teen away.
“Stay the fuck away from him!” She yelled, slashing it in the face with the black dagger wildly. The phantom unhinged its jaw, black liquid dripping onto the floor, staining the stone.
Protect Aiden, the monster in her gut whispered.
Ash didn’t know if Aiden was still awake, but she knew he couldn’t defend himself right now. So, like the even-minded leader that she was, she hurled herself into the phantom.
She heaved and grunted as she stabbed the black demon in the head.
Stab.
Again, the voice urged.
Stab. Crunch.
Again.
Stab. The liquid splattered her face.
Again.
The phantom wasn’t moving by the third stab, but that didn’t stop her. Her primal instincts were triggered perhaps by the fact that she thought they were going to die. Even worse, she would bring Aiden down with her.
No. That wasn’t right. She’d never felt this way before.
She stopped herself. The dagger hung midair as she looked down at the mangled corpse below her. Its skull was completely crushed, nothing more than goop and the whites of what used to be eyes. It was bubbling, convulsing.
Ash dropped the dagger, unmoving as it clattered to the ground. Slowly, she touched her face, feeling the black goop drip down, mingled with her sweat. Her face hurt, like her skin was stretching further than it should be able to. Why?
Footsteps resounded from outside, running. Voices.
Ashlyn scrambled for the dagger again, pushing herself back up against Aiden.
Protect.
The footsteps stopped in front of the door. Nothing happened for a moment, then a resounding BOOM! It echoed as the lock was shot clear off. Cautiously, a girl pushed the door open.
Who were these people? And why did they look so strange? Their skin wasn’t inky black, no white eyes, no claws. What were they? Were they here for Aiden?
“Ashlyn?” Taylor whispered.
The girl in question’s eyes were black voids as she stared mindlessly at them. Aiden’s arm was swung over her shoulder, the other limp at his side. He looked confused as to where he was, but that didn’t stop him from keeping his head on Ash’s shoulder. He beamed when he saw them, waving with his free hand.
“Oh! Hey guys!”
It had taken quite a bit of coaxing to drag Ashlyn out of whatever state she was in. She looked like a predator protecting its young; a wolf to its cubs. Everyone had to sit there quietly as Aiden calmed her down, her breathing finally returning to normal as she asked where the hell were they and what happened?
Then her eyes landed on the abused phantom, and it all came flooding back.
“Oh.”
Yeah.
It was a boring ride back to the graveyard, according to Aiden. As Taylor took the wheel, too concerned for Ashlyn’s state of mind for the time being. Ash told them what she could remember.
“I think we were right,” She whispered. “Back at the arcade… I don’t think it was much different. Besides, you know…” Latching onto Aiden and refusing to let anyone near him. Ash winced, embarrassed at the memory.
“Why did it happen, though? What triggered it?” Logan asked, yelping as they came across another bump in the forest.
“Yeah. You were completely out of whack,” Tyler supplied, glaring at Ashlyn suspiciously.
“Maybe it was…” Logan began before Aiden tuned them out. Boring.
Aiden glanced at Ashlyn again, her mouth moving. More theories, blah, blah, blah.
Honestly, he just thought it was cool as hell. And maybe it itched his brain in just the right way to see Ashlyn so feral and protective over him.
Why? He had no idea.
Aiden plopped his head down on Ash’s lap, smiling at her teasingly.
“Seriously, Aiden? Now isn’t the time, we’re trying to figure out what the hell is happening to me– to us.”
“I get injury privileges. You guys can carry on, but I want to be comfortable,” He smiled smugly.
Ash sighed.
Aiden knew he won.
He rested his legs on Ben’s lap, tucking his hands behind his head as he watched Ashlyn continue talking about the whole situation. Whatever it was. Maybe he should be paying more attention since you know, they very well could be turning into the monsters that haunted them every night.
But he was tired. Getting slammed head-first into a metal door took a lot out of you.
Plus, Aiden thought as he continued watching Ashlyn. The view isn’t too bad.
He could worry about potentially further life-threatening things later.
And the fact that he got knocked half-unconscious and was pretty much useless from the get-go. Yowch.