COBALT: The Red Phantom (Book One)

Chapter 2: The Day Like Any Other Day (Part 1/2)

          He stared in cold panic at the cloaked figure perched upon the bus, their menacing shadow blotting out the sunlight as they slowly rose with a creeping smile. He couldn't tell if it was the same person Ray had been stalking, nor if they'd been sitting on top of the bus this whole time, and shirked his attention. All he knew was their presence held an inhuman quality, their sharpened pale features stretching into a wretched grin as they stared at Káel.

          Before the figure moved, Káel did what came naturally to him, lifting up his phone and snapping a picture against the halo of sunlight shadowing the creature's form. As he stared at the blackened shadow living in his camera, his mind raced to wondering what the hell he was doing, the real panic sending a pulse of energy straight through his heart as he jumped to his feet.

          In the chaotic jumble of emotions, the only thing the stranger had moved was its mouth, teeming with amusement while its beady black eyes carved through his soul. Káel was torn between courses of action, would they chase him if he ran? Or was his petrified state going to seal his fate?

          His lips quivered in fear as he pushed past the sickening lump in his throat to speak. "H-hi..." His palms went cold as the stranger twitched its head. "Uh-I... didn't see anythi-"

          A blinding blue ball whipped out an inch from the creature's face, its reflexes fast enough to barely dodge the mysterious object and fix its burning scowl just past Káel.

          He shot around to face a sight more ludicrous than the last, his panic nearly washed out by the paralyzing confusion in seeing Ray. Goggles down, and his right arm stuck out with the sleeve rolled back to reveal a mechanical looking bracer. It pulsed an unearthly blue, spitting out another strange ball of energy that beelined for the stranger atop the bus, prompting Káel to pinch his hand extra hard; just in case he was stuck in another vivid nightmare.

          He didn't burst awake, despite the half a dozen harsh pinches he gave himself, facing the reality before him as the stranger leapt off the bus and swiftly tackled Ray. He fumbled with his phone again, messing up the passcode a couple times, and lifting the camera to the ensuing fight with a spike of shock at the scene.

          The cloaked figure had doubled in size, its ragged dress smoothened to a velvety skin of fur with two arching wings as it flailed on Ray with ear piercing shrieks. Its violent scratching and kicking continued for a few seconds, until Ray gained the high ground, twisting onto its back to pin the monster. He pressed the bracer to its skull, the strange contraption humming with a faint blue that suddenly clicked off. Ray stopped, holding the creature down with a faltering grip as he smacked the bracer a couple times, pressing it against the creatures head without so much as a flash to give it life as it sat coldly against his snickering foe.

          Ray cursed under his breath, shoving the creature's head into the dirt with both his hands and staring over his shoulder at Káel with panicked urgency. "Run to your house!"

          Káel could almost feel the ice running through his blood as his feet failed to move, which way was his house? His mind frantically retraced his steps to the school, locking his gaze in the opposite direction just past some trashed up trucks and a couple scrapped beams. It was probably that way.

          Another shrill screech stabbed at his ears as he watched the creature thrust upwards and slam Ray's side with its left wing, easily throwing him off its back as he groaned to lean up. The creature let out a cat-like hiss, jumping on Ray with snapping fangs as he fought with its daggered talons that threatened to puncture the soft flesh of his eyes.