Lies, Textbooks, and Leprechauns

Chapter 1: A Vision

The dust-covered room remained silent, except for the rhythmic breathing of the slender, hazel-haired woman performing CPR. "Come on, John," she urged under her breath, as she pressed down on his chest so hard she could hear the ribs crack. John didn't flinch, his body covered in bruises and slash marks.

Nicole knew she wasn't making any progress, cursing under her breath she pulled a gold coin from her pocket. She pressed her lips to it before pressing it to his chest, with a sputter and a cough, John started to breathe again as the coin dissolved into his chest. His eyes flickered open.

"Who are you..." he rasped, unable to focus on the woman with his vision blurred.

"Shh, save your strength," she whispered, scanning the dimly lit basement. Her fingers danced over the cold ground, her power to manipulate luck guiding her to a sharp-edged rock shard that gleamed faintly in the darkness. It was the perfect size and shape for the lock on John's cuffs. Without skipping a beat, she picked the lock.

"Can you walk?" she asked, draping his arm over her shoulder, feeling the solid weight of his muscular form.

"Try and stop me," John muttered, following her lead as they walked together.

Together, they stumbled toward the wooden stairwell, carefully navigating each step until they emerged from the storm basement into the overgrown yard. The woman's grey car sat at the edge of the property waiting for them. Once she loaded John into the passenger side, she quickly slid over to the driver's side. The engine roared to life, cutting through the night's silence as she peeled away from the area. But as they put some distance between them and the storm cellar, John felt an overpowering aura. John's head whipped around, his gaze locking onto something behind them.

"Someone's coming," he said, his voice barely above a whisper as the car sped away.

Through the rearview mirror, Nicole saw two figures emerge from the shadows, their strides unnaturally swift, their eyes shining through the night. "Supremes," she spat the word out like a curse.

"They're gaining on us," John warned, watching the pair move in on the car.

"Strap in," Nicole warned, swerving the car onto the main highway. The streetlights streaked overhead as they flew down the road, but they didn't make it far when one of their pursuers, with a snarl of effort, punched the road causing the ashvault to splinter. Tree roots erupted from under it, gnarled and grasping, causing Nicole to veer wildly and crash into the guardrail.

"Shit looks like I am going to have to do this the hard way," Nicole reached over and popped open her glove box, she could feel the Supremes moving in on them.

"We need to move, now!" John panicked, wincing in pain as he reached for the door handle.

With demonic speed, the two hulking Supremes surrounded the vehicle, their faces twisting into their demonic forms, the one with black eyes reaching a clawed hand for the driver's side door. The green-eyed one leaped over to the passenger side to prevent their escape.

"Stay down and don't get in my way," Nicole instructed, pulling a gun with practiced ease from the glove box. She aimed and fired in one fluid motion. A bullet, its tip appearing to have some clear liquid inside, found its mark in the green-eyed one's chest.

The effect was instantaneous – the poison searing through his veins, consuming him with an otherworldly fire. He collapsed, twitching violently on the asphalt.

"Kenneth!" the black-eyed one's voice cracked as he rushed to his to put out the fire.

"They never see it coming," Nicole said to John, her lips curving into a grim smile. She slammed on the gas, the car jumping forward, and they vanished into the night—leaving their attackers in their dust.