Shadow Bound

Setback

I rushed back down to the fight, and noticed that it was slowing down. There were fewer Shadows than before, a significant difference in number. Some of the other people started tag teams, tackling the creatures. A newfound vigor was buzzing between all of the people. I knew it was just the beginning though. The bigger guys hadn't even decided to show up to the party yet. Maybe they won't. I heard a roar, and knew that wasn't the case.
One crashed into the building. Then two. Then a small horde. There weren't as many, but there were huge. They were easily about ten feet tall, and their roars rattled my bones. It's time to put the zinc to the test. I wasn't sure how to spread the zinc to them, but at the moment, I just wanted to see if it worked at all. I spotted Matt in the corner, scooping up some liquid zinc with gloves and a ladle, placing it into a little bottle. I ran to help him.
"So how are we going to use this?" I asked, aiding him in scooping. He shrugged.
"Any way that will get it to make contact with them. Throw, shove, anything," He suggested. His voice was pained, breathy. He was going insane. I grabbed two bottles that had been filled.
"I'll test it. If it doesn't work, we're screwed." I remarked, and ran off. I snuck behind one of them, twisting the bottle cap open. I decided to jump on it's back, if I even can. Being Shadows, it was kind of hard to know if I was going to fall through, or if it was actually a hard surface. It was worth a shot though. I let it step a little further, allowing me to get a running start. I prepared myself, analyzing both the good and the bad possibilities of this. I didn't care anymore.
I didn't care if I died here. I didn't worry about leaving anyone anymore. I just wanted to be done. If that meant dying, then be it. I glanced at Dalton, who was fighting off a smaller soldier. I felt nothing but guilt. I didn't care if I left him. This fight had gotten to be way too much. It killed my family, made my life living Hell. I didn't care what happened to me.
With that thought, I sprinted, latching myself to the back of the Grunt. I crawled up as it spazzed out, slamming it's arms back helplessly. It couldn't reach me. I turned the bottle over, watching the liquid to ooze out, touching the Grunt's skin. Nothing happened. No. "Matt!" I yelled, still hanging for my life as the creature continued to thrash. "We have a problem! It doesn't work! Doesn't do anything!"
His eyes sunk, face flushed. "I don't know what else to do," He replied, eyes glued to the ground. His jaw dropped. We had run out of options. We were officially screwed. We were done for. No way of fixing this. They had won.
The thing got ahold of me, holding me in it's fist. It screamed in my face, exposing some gnarly teeth. It threw me to the side, going further into the house. My body hit the wall, spreading pain throughout my back. I ignored it, and attacked again, throwing myself at the Shadow. I grabbed a piece of debris, and starting smacking the creature's leg with it in denial. I knew it wouldn't work, but I didn't care. It just looked down at me, and made a noise that sounded like a demented laugh.
Dalton pulled me back. "It's no use!" He screamed, tears falling down his face. "We're done for!" He tried to get me away from the creature, pulling at my shoulder. The Grunt snorted, slamming his arm to the side in an attempt at smacking me away. I ducked, and Dalton got hit, getting thrown back into the wall. He hit the ground hard, and lay still. "Dalton! No!" I ran to his side. His head was limp, his breath shallow.
Then, the worst hit. The Grunts all rushed out, whimpering, cowering. Everything halted. The air became dangerously still, dead silent. We stared at the hole, waiting, watching. We hoped that everything was over, though I knew it wasn't. The worst was about to strike. The Grunts would only cower to one thing: The Alpha. Nothing happened for a few minutes, but it felt like eternity. I tended to Dalton while we waited, too worried to do much else. His arm was bent in a weird angle, and he had a gash deep on the left side of his forehead.
Edmund got onto his knees next to me. "I'll make sure he's okay, Laddie. I'll make sure he's tended to. The others need you. They trust you. You're one of the most influential people because of that stunt you pulled saving Damien."
"It's Dalton, call him Dalton. He went by Damien, but his name is Dalton. He's my brother. I can't lose him again. Please make sure he's okay. I'll try to gather the others together before the Alpha shows."
"Okay, Dalton it is. Go get 'em. You'll be great. We all believe in you." He reassured. I nodded, and went to a small group that was gathered. Bob, Gertrude, Paul and Elle were huddling together, trembling.
"Where is Matt?" I asked almost silently, worried that any sound would cause the Alpha to strike. They half heartedly shrugged, keeping their eyes on the hole. It had become dark outside, swallowing any light the surrounded the breach. We couldn't see anything outside, which made it even more ominous. I tiptoed away, trying to find my friend.
He was hiding quietly in the kitchen, his elbows on the counter, holding his head. I placed my hand on his shoulder gently, causing him to jump.
"We need you out there. The Grunts all left, cowered out of the house. That usually means something's bigger, doesn't it? We need you out there. These people trust you with their life, you've saved them. Just go out there and give them a pep talk, don't tell them that we don't know how to kill it." I suggested. He looked worse than before, his face was gaunt. "Are, are you okay?"
"I'm fine, I'll go talk to them," He replies, shooing me away. His hands shook violently, his legs trembled. He could barely walk. I followed closely behind, prepared to catch him if he fell backward. Matt approached the group in the center, having them come closer so that he wouldn't have to speak as loud.
"Listen, guys. We need to get ready for this. Be strong. We can finish this war, and then we'll have a normal life. There will be no one, no Shadows, standing in our way from doing so. We just need to finish this off. The Alpha is coming. I don't know when, it should have already shown it's face. But this will not be an easy battle, and to be honest, I'm not sure how we'll fight it. But I can't do it alone, Erin cannot do it alone. We need the force of everyone we can. So go get everyone that you know is hiding besides the children, and bring them back here. Go get the flamethrowers, and someone needs to be stationed at the ones on the balcony. We will win this war. The Alpha will fall, and we will be victorious. It's a group effort, and it's a grueling task, but we will not fail," He spoke with mock valiance, his back hunched, his words slurring at some parts. His body was breaking down, but he remained upright.
Everyone split, and I checked in on Edmund and Dalton. Dalton was now sitting upright, but his eyes rolled a little bit, going in and out of consciousness. "How's he doin?" I asked Edmund, who was lightly tapping his cheek to keep him awake. Edmund kept a positive attitude. I wished the others were as optimistic as him.
"He's alive. Dislocated shoulder, and nasty gash, but he'll survive. Nothin' a bandage and a little bit of ice can't fix, right?" He smiled, revealing his jagged, yellow teeth.
"Thank you. Try getting him some place out of the way, I don't want him getting trampled or anything. And once you do, come back. We'll need your archery skills here," I asked, trying to be as polite, yet confident as I could. All of my confidence was drained, my hope was gone. We were completely done for, we might as well accept it.
"Will do, missy. I'll be right back, stationed on the balcony in no time, okay?" He flashed the smile again, which filled me with a little hope. Throughout all of this chaos, he still remained positive and happy. That surprised me. He was probably the only one in this entire house that was like that.
I gave him a quick hug, thanking him for everything he's done. Telling him that he meant a lot to me even if we had just met. He just continued to flash that brilliant smile, picked up Dalton, and carried him upstairs.
"You too, Missy. Glad to have you on board here," He strut up the stairs with Dalton hanging loosely over his shoulder. The poor man was half the size of Dalton. The fact that he wasn't getting crushed amazed me.
I headed back to Matt, and prepared. There were three people stationed at the balcony. Crazy Bob, Gertrude, and someone I hadn't met yet held flamethrowers, and Matt held a couple bottles of zinc and copper sulfate in case it might have an effect on the Alpha. We were ready for anything. Even death itself.
We heard booming footsteps outside, all in an even pace. The steps became louder, closer, rattling the house. The Alpha was deciding to show it's face. We waited patiently, weapons in hand. We glanced every once in a while at one another, giving mental encouragement, telling each other that we can do this. Crazy Bob was smiling, eager to get started. I looked back up at the balcony to see Edmund giving me a thumbs up with his crossbow in hand and ready. I nodded back at him, and strengthened my stance. This could be my last battle, my last breath. Whatever happens, I was glad that Dalton was out of the way, safe from harm.

This is it.