Fear (Book One of Fear Series)

Chapter Seven: The Fight

ONE YEAR AND SIX MONTHS LATER

“Happy birthday, Zoe.” Andrew said, holding out his glass of soda. I held mine out and we touched glasses.

“Thanks Andrew, for everything. I wouldn’t have possibly survived the past year and a half without you.”

“Well it is my job to protect you.” We both chuckled.

“But seriously,” I said. “Thank you. You’re the best friend I’ve ever had.”

“Same goes for you.” Andrew smiled.

  We drank our soda in a few blissful moments of silence. It was around five o’clock in the morning and we were eating at a quick meal at a small diner in Dermott, Texas.

“You know, I’ve come so far since the night we met, a year and a half ago,” I said, breaking the short period of silence. “Remember how I thought you were a complete lunatic at first?”

“Yeah,” Andrew said as we both burst into laughter. “I guess you kind of had a right to though. I was so clueless about what I was doing that night.”

“I know,” I got out through my giggling. “You were just so awkward about everything too. When you tried to explain to me what this whole job was about, you could hardly put two words together. I was so frustrated and confused.”

“Yeah. You threatened to call the police so many times. I was freaking out. I had no idea what to do. I was just trying to play it cool for the first half hour or so.”

The owner of the diner glanced at us from the kitchen as we kept going into fits of hysterical laughter. I didn’t care. It was my birthday and I was with my best friend. I was going to take a break from fighting the Terrors and have a good time, or so I thought. But my happiness was cut short.

The diner filled with a red glow. Andrew’s blue eyes grew wide, but I just took a deep breath and rolled my eyes, only slightly nervous.

  I pulled a pure white dagger from my backpack that was lying beside me in the booth. I stood as two Terrors glided in the door. I faced them and stared them down. I looked into the black pools that took the place of eyes in their milk-colored skull.

The owner came from the kitchen to see what the red light was all about and stopped dead in his tracks. He froze in fear, unable to move.

  I pitied him. In a blink of my eyes, I remembered what it was like to see a Terror for the first time. It was loads worse when I was seven. My heart sunk for this man who would now be made fun of for telling the story of this morning.

  But my feelings of remorse for the man were soon replaced with feelings of hatred and revenge toward the Terrors that were slowly moving toward me.

I stepped forward and they stopped. There were a few seconds of silence before the Terrors both opened their mouths to speak.

“Zoe Elizabeth Alexandria, you will come with us,” they said simultaneously in their deep, monotone voices.

I brandished my dagger. “In your dreams, boys,” I responded.

“You will be taken by force then.” The Terrors unsheathed their black swords and pointed them toward my chest.

“Not tonight. Not ever.” I shouted in a loud, clear voice. “Leave now, or we’ll have to do this the hard way.”

The Terrors held their position; they always did. I shrugged.

“So be it then.”

  I attacked swiftly and carefully. I charged and ducked under the swing of one Terror’s blade. I plunged my close-to glowing dagger into its gut. It jerked back, then disintegrated. I dodged the blade of the remaining Terror, but it nicked my shoulder as it suffered the same fate as its companion had.

  The red glow diminished instantly. Black blood dripped from my blade. The owner was coming to and he looked at us both in shock and, well, terror.

“What—” he started.

“Don’t worry, sir,” I said before he could say anymore. “You’re safe now. Thank you for the delicious meal.”

  I put a wad of money on the counter, grabbed my backpack and Andrew’s arm, and walked out of the diner to my car.