The S.O.L.O.ists

Chapter 31

Kenton’s Point Of View

The monk that looks as if he were from a shaolin temple kicks me square in the face and I stumble back.  I crack my jaw back into place and I shake my head to get the ringing sound out of my ears. 

I see Annica nearly get the same style of blow but she grabs the monk’s foot before he could hit her but surprisingly he spins 360 degrees in midair and she whips with the movement also, finally falling flat out on the dark pavement. 

I hear a crack and she haltingly pushes herself up with her arms and I see blood pour out of her mouth.  Her teeth immediately begin rearranging themselves into place and the blood slowly dissolves into dust and she inhales the deep crimson powder. 

I whip out my left hand and my shadow bursts forward, lightning quick striking the monk on his orange covered back, lashing him painfully. 

He flies headlong and while twenty feet in the air, somersaults and lands cat-like onto the ground with ease.  Not making a single sound. 

He angrily turns around and glares at me with irate eyes.  He runs toward us at breakneck speed and does some crazy flip and we dodge out of the way. 

He surprisingly juts out both legs and we fall to the ground in unison.  The monk goes after Annica when she tries to stand up and she rolls out of the way before he jumps on her. 

Then I retract my shadow which was back into its normal stage underneath me and I form it into a boomerang with my mind and whip it at the man. 

He dodges it easily but as soon as it passes an inch of his face I summon in backwards and it smashes into his face, causing him to simply grunt instead of howling out in pain like I expected him to. 

My shadow returns to my side but I decide not to use it.  I glimpse at Annica as she blinks in and out of sight, bringing blows to the monk whom just effortlessly blocks them. 

I look around for a split second and find a dim light fixture across the street that serves as a street lamp.  So I reach out to it and it responds back to my call by swooping down swiftly into my hands and I whip it as hard as I can at the attacker’s cleanly shaved head.  But to my shock – once again – he stops fighting with Annica and captures the light in his hands. Then he hurls it back at me but I catch it with just as much ease. 

I have a bad feeling I know where this is all going.

I clench my fists and the light squirms and forms itself into a net.  Sharp, audible crackles of electric power come from it and I send it forward with a thrust of my hands. 

It wraps around the man menacingly and his body starts jolting around – like any mad man’s would – due to the electricity coursing through his body.  I release him after a minute and he crumples to the ground twitching. 

I cautiously walk up to them and Annica looks at me tiredly.  The dissipating in and out took a lot of energy out of her and she braces her hands on her knees.  Her knobby knees tremble the slightest bit and I offer to help her but she declines.  She’s a strong girl and I know she can manage. 

“Why would a monk do this?”  She tilts her head and ponders it over. 

“He must’ve gone rogue, obviously,” I acknowledge this and she just frowns as if saying ‘Of course I know that.’  She sighs, adding more tangibility onto how she’s feeling about this situation, “Yeah but why?  Why would he attack all of those people?  And why ‘Ender City’.  What’s up with that?”  I look down at the still monk on the ground, “That’s something that we have to deal with later.  Right now I think we have to bring him to the police. Think they can handle him?”  She shakes her head, ”Absolutely not.”   I lick my teeth, “I think I know what to do.”  I reach for my machete on my back and unsheathe it from its scabbard.   Then I open up the secret compartment inside the handle of my weapon and a small silver pen comes out and lands in my palm.