The One That Got Away || Benny Weir

50

"Guys, this place is definitely haunted," Rory says as the three of them enter the basement of Darkwood Hotel. Benny's supernatural equipment was beeping as they walked and the lights were flickering. "We should go."

"Rory, look. On the monster scale, the vampire beats the ghost. You and Reagan are the scariest thing down here." Benny assures him. He knew that Reagan was the scariest as she is both a witch and a vampire, but Rory needed the confidence boost. 

"I am? Cool!" 

"Hold on," Reagan interjects as one of the detectors started going crazy. "There's a pile of supernatural energy here."

Benny looks and sees what seemed to be a cement mound and moved all of the stuff, revealing a small compartment. The small door creaks as Benny opens it, pulling out a glass orb. "Behold the Lucifractor!"

"What does it do?" Reagan questions as she looks at the Lucifractor. "I have no idea. Granda will figure that one out."

"For something so important, you think it'd have, like, an alarm or something," Rory mentions before the detector began beeping repeatedly. "You mean like that?"

They heard growling from behind and slowly turns around to find a shadow of a figure running towards them. "Run!"

"You lied to me! You said Reagan and I were the scariest things here!" Rory shouts at Benny. "Second scariest is still pretty good."

"How about third scariest?" Reagan's voice squeaks as she saw a figure in the corner of her eye. Benny and Rory look and saw the cloaked wizard. The robe was pitch black that made the face unseeable. 

"Thanks for finding that for me, kids." The wizard grumbles. "Now, let me have it." 

"Oh, you'll get it all right," Benny smirks as he aims the Lucifractor at the wizard before remembering he didn't know how to use it. "Run again!" 

*

"Thanks for leaving me behind!" Benny pants as he finally caught up with Reagan and Rory. 

"You look tired, B. You want me to carry that for a while?" Rory suggests. Benny nods and hands the Lucifractor to Rory, but he instantly felt drowsy and began to wobble around. "Rory." Reagan takes the orb out of his hands and immediately began to feel drowsy as well.

Benny noticed the look on his girlfriend's face and quickly takes the Lucifractor out of her hands "Maybe the two of you shouldn't touch this thing." Benny tells them before stuffing it in his bag. 

His phone began ringing in his pocket and picks it up. "Ethan, hey! Okay, we've found the Lucifractor and--"  

"You found it?" Reagan and Rory heard Ethan's voice on the other end. "Was there some kind of guardian thing?"

"Yeah, and--"

"Never mind! Bring it to the restaurant now. Hurry!" Ethan hangs up before Benny could get a word in. "Hey, guys. Do you feel well enough to, like, fly really fast while one of you carries me?"

Rory shakes his head while Reagan glares at her boyfriend. "I'll take that as a no."

*

"Benny, Reagan!" Ethan yells as he saw Rory and the two run into the restaurant. "Hey, okay, this is good news," Benny tells him as he hands Ethan his bag. "The bad news is right behind us." Reagan points to the shadow figure that was fighting a security guard of the restaurant. 

"That thing wants its chew-toy back. Why can't we just give it to him?" Benny asks. "Are you nuts? It's powerful enough now without giving it a superweapon. Maybe we can destroy one powerful thing with another." 

"Good idea! Do it now!" Benny tells him. "Maybe I can buy some time."

"Zakaroth nal--" Reagan chants until the shadow figure pins her against the table. Her hands glowed red but it didn't affect the shadow. "You're not nice." She hisses at him. "Ethan, do something!"

Benny tried to fight the shadow figure to help his girlfriend, and Ethan aims the Lucifractor. Purple lightning bolts shot out of it and hit the being. The shadow figure falls to the ground and retracts into the Lucifractor. 

Ethan stares into the glass orb, muttering something as he circles it in his hands. Suddenly, a huge gust of energy surged throughout the restaurant, leaving all of the vampires to fall to the ground. 

Reagan groans as Benny helps her off the ground. Then, Reagan walks over to Rory to help him up. "Whatever that thing is, I don't like it," Reagan tells them.

*

"Hey Eth, how are you-- you look rough," Reagan tells Ethan as she saw his appearance. His hair was matted and had dark circles under his eyes, showing he didn't get enough sleep last night. 

"Probably because I slept with this thing under my pillow." He explains as he held up the Lucifractor which was stuffed inside a sock. 

"Hey, let's Lucifrac something," Benny says, reaching for the Lucifractor. Ethan moves it out of his reach, causing the two boys to fight for it. "Boys!" Mr. Stern called out and the two instantly separated. "You know how I feel about horseplay in the halls. I am horseplay's greatest opponent."

"This is coming with me." Mr. Stern tries to grab the Lucifractor out of Ethan's hands, but he fought against it. "You can't take that!"

"I'm fairly certain I can. If you would like to argue the point, I'd be happy to hear your complaints in detention."

"No, sir." 

Mr. Stern eyes the three before walking away with the Lucifractor in his hand.

"I don't like the fact that something so powerful is now in the hands of Stern," Reagan says, and Benny scoffs. "Please. What's our vice principal gonna do with it?" 

Reagan rolls her eyes before looking in the direction Stern walked in. She couldn't put her finger on it, but there was something with that man she didn't trust.

*

"The Lucifractor was confiscated by your schoolmaster?" Anastasia growls, her fangs flashing and eyes glowing yellow. "It's just in his office. We'll get it back, easy."

"And, technically, he's our vice schoolmaster," Benny adds. "Which makes it even easier." 

"The Lucifractor is the greatest threat we vampires have ever faced. You have one day to get it back or we will raid that school. And you don't want that." Anastasia tells them. 

The three slowly turn away from the council to walk out the door until Anastasia spoke again. "Reagan." 

They turn back around.

"If you may stay behind, we need to talk," Anastasia says in a serious tone. Ethan and Benny glance between Reagan and the vampire council while Reagan nods.

"Of course." She looks at the boys. She noticed the hesitant looks on their faces. "Don't worry, I'll meet you back at the house."

Ethan and Benny eventually nod and slowly head out the door, not without looking back at Reagan once more. She sends them a smile before the doors were shut in their face.