Champion (A Fanfic For Just About Everything)

Shadows

Fog.

It is neither light or darkness. Night, or day. Fog is the border between reality and fiction.

The girl could feel the searing pain shooting up her legs as she ran. She continued running, her lungs screaming for oxygen no matter how heavy her shuddering breaths became. She could see the bright street light up ahead, and she had a feeling it would aid in her escape. Just a bit further, and she'd be safe.

But before the artist could reach the light, one of the fast ones darted past her, that dark and shadowy energy trailing behind it. She kept running, until the fast shadowed man tripped her, and she fell to the ground, scraping her knees and arms on the gravel path. The artist cried out in pain and turned onto her back, much to her regret as the fast man pinned her to the ground and grinned psychotically. Her cries turned from pain to fear as she writhed in its grip.

The fog began to glow a bright red from behind the sprinter shadow man, and all of the shadow men shied away from the sudden bright light. The sprinter stumbled off of the artist and scrambled away. The darkness seemed to shriek in response to the blinding flare that had been thrown to repel them.

The artist shielded her eyes from the bright light, staring to try and see who had come to her rescue. Four gunshots sounded, and one of the shadow men burst into a thousand sparks, his body simply fading from existence. A man and a teenage boy with a baseball cap stepped through the light, both wielding flashlights in one hand and guns in the other.

"Dipper!" The older man called, kicking a shadow man to the ground as the flare faded away.

"Yeah, Mr. Wake?"

"Get her to safety! There's a light up there! Move it, kiddo!"

The boy ran to the artist and took her hand, pulling her to her feet and helping her the rest of the way up to the light post. The safe haven of light bathed the two, highlighting their features and seeming to block out the darkness.

"Let me see." The boy, Dipper, demanded, gesturing to the artist's hands. She held them out to him and he took hers in his, examining them carefully. "Yeah, gravel isn't very friendly, is it?"

"No... Neither are shadows..." The artist agreed, looking back to the older man, who was busy fending off one shadow while another approached from behind. Dipper followed her gaze.

"Alan? Oh, he'll be fine. He's dealt with this longer than any of us."

As if to prove his point, the man ducked low to dodge an attack, and the shadows clashed, killing each other. The two burst into two thousand sparks and disappeared.

"Dipper!" Alan yelled. "Simon and Timebomb are waiting for you up the hill!"

"Okay! Careful, Al!"

"Yeah, yeah. I get enough of tha- Ahh!" A shadow slashed his back with an axe, and he stumbled forward, dodging another attack and turning to shoot the beast.

"Come on! Mabel and Miraak will know what to do for you."

"B-but what about him!?" The artist cried out as Dipper helped her to her feet again and led her up the hill. Alan finished off the last one, running up and leaning against the light post, breathing heavily. His injuries seemed to vanish in the light.

"Did I not tell you to run? Come on!"

"It's not my fault, Mr. Wake! She insisted we stay!"

"Well, we're not the ones who need saving! Come on!" Alan ran forward, and the artist was still pondering his healing as she limped after them.

"Here, take this." Alan handed the artist a flashlight. "You'll need it."