How to escape your imagination

Chapter 13

"How are you going to stop this--thing--with a blowtorch...?" I ask watching Dustin haphazardly throwing the blowtorch onto the bed. I quickly run over picking it up before it can cause any damage to the bedspread.

"I dunno." He says grinning. "That was just for special effect."

"This really isn't the time for that." Max says, reading my thoughts. "But we really should focus on trying to figure out where she went, before she kills us all."

"I don't think it's a 'she' anymore." Dustin says, his back turned.

Max throws her hands in the air and glares a hole into the back of his head.

"Who's cares?" She says growing agitated. "All we need to do is find this thing and kill it--whether it's a he or a she or some genderless I don't know what."

"I still don't know how we're going to kill it with a blowtorch..." I say under my breath.

"Hey who invited this guy, anyways?" The quiet boy called Will says with a surprising amount of force for such a small child.

"I already told you Will," Mike says, still supporting El with his hands. "It's a long story."

"Well I--"

"Enough." I say, silencing the room with my loud voice. "I don't have all day, I need to get out of here before midnight."

"You aren't going to turn into a pumpkin Cinderella, we can take a bit longer than that." Max says laughing.

I shake my head and walk over to Mike. "I want to try to get out before I spend too much time in here." I whisper into his ear. "I'm trying to tell as little people as I can."

Mike nods in understanding and turns his attention back to the group.

"Guys we really should go." He tells them. "Before the sun goes down and we've lost our time."

"Ugh fine.  But we'd better make this quick." Max says. "I don't want Billy on my case again."

I don't bother asking.  As I walk towards the door, Dustin throws something through the air.

"Catch!"  He yells laughing.  I spin around quickly but not before the knife makes a narrow cut on my arm.

"Dustin!" Mike shouts.  "What the hell??"

Dustin looks legitimately shocked.  He rushes over and peers down at the minor wound.
"Sorry..." he says grimacing.  "I'll get something."

I shake my head, and reach down to pluck the knife from the floor.  "No time, come on."

Dustin shrugs and carefully gives everyone else a weapon.

"Let's go." He says once everyone has one.
"Before the light dies."
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"Where did you get all this stuff anyways?"
I ask, twirling the knife in my hand.  My dad had once taught me a bit of knife throwing.  He would call it, 'impressing the ladies", which was a skill I didn't need.  He showed me how to hit a target, how to disarm and enemy, and how to properly handle a weapon such as the one I am holding.  All skills were useful, but I believed I was the best at knife disarming.  I once asked my dad to stop going easy on me.  He did, I think, and it convinced me I could steal it away from even the most skilled mugger.  Although, none of it matters when you aren't in the right place at the right time.

"Jonathan?"  Dustin says, tapping my shoulder.  "Earth to Jonathan...?"

I look over at him, and see that the group is staring at me. 
"What?" I say combing my hand through my hair. 
"You have got to stop doing that."  Mike says.
"Seriously."
It seems I zoned out again.