Guardians Part 1

GUARDIANS
‭          Chapter 1

‭          In the darkly lit room the light from John's cell phone was blinding. He squinted his eyes and through bleary vision made out the new text message: "Something came up that needs immediate attention. Call me when you get this.” John grunted and sat up in bed, the cell phone's light cast an eerie glow on his room.
         "Why so early Allison‭?" ‬John asked the empty room.‭ ‬He slowly got out of bed and stretched toward the ceiling,‭ ‬his tall frame almost scraping the top.‭ ‬John shook his head to clear the cobwebs and sat back down at the end of his bed.‭ ‬The air was cold and goose bumps were forming on his skin as he punched in the numbers.‭ ‬It rang almost a full minute before Allison finally answered.
‭          "Hey John."
         "Hey Allison,‭ ‬what‭’‬s so important that you called me at three in the morning‭? ‬In fact why are you even up yourself‭?"
         There was a curt laugh on the other side of the line,‭ ‬a sound that seemed out of place and forced‭; ‬she was nervous.‭"
         "I think you better see this yourself.‭ ‬It's the magic pot again,‭ ‬but this time it's really acting weird,‭" ‬there was a pause,‭ “‬Not sure what to make of it.‭"
         John smiled despite the seriousness of the situation,‭ ‬he could never hear the pet name they had given the artifact without laughing.‭ "‬Alright Ally,‭ ‬I'll be there in‭ ‬15‭ ‬minutes‭"
         "You remember the way‭?"
         "It was only‭ ‬8‭ ‬months ago that we broke up,‭ ‬I haven't forgotten that fast.‭"
         There was another pause‭; ‬she was distracted.‭ "‬K see you in a bit.‭"
         John sighed and quickly began dressing.‭
         
         John drove quickly to Alison's house‭; ‬keeping only‭ ‬5‭ ‬over the speed limit the whole way to avoid getting a ticket.‭ ‬His modified black Toyota Celica glided in behind Alison's old beat up Saturn and whispered to a stop.‭ ‬John walked briskly to the back of Alison's house and started his arduous climb up the massive oak in back.‭ ‬John smiled as he climbed‭; ‬he had probably snuck into Allison's house at least a dozen times this way back when they were dating.‭ ‬He slowly climbed out onto a branch high off the ground,‭ ‬the full moon casting his shadow across the lawn.‭ ‬He rapped twice on the window,‭ ‬and a moment later it slid up and Alison's beautiful features were framed in the moonlight.
‭          "Hurry!" she whispered. John was half helped half dragged through the window and once it was secured and the drapes drawn tightly Allison flipped on the lights. John squinted his eyes for a second and after the bright flash had dissipated from them he could see that Allison was almost shaking she was so nervous.  Adorned in a pair of jeans that she wore like a second skin and a tight, fuzzy pink sweater that hugged her bust line she truly was one of the best looking Asian girls John had ever seen. It also took him a second to realize she was talking to him.
‭          "Are you even listening to me John?"
         "Yes of course.‭" ‬he managed to stammer,‭ ‬he was hoping that she hadn't caught him looking.
‭          "As I was saying the things been acting up like crazy for the past hour. The whole surface of it has been black. It looks like something really bad is happening and I hope the whole group is enough."
         John scratched his chin,‭ ‬the three in morning o'clock shadow feeling rough to his fingers.‭ "‬Let me see it.‭"          
         Allison nodded and bent over to grab the magic pot from under her bed.‭ ‬Without poking her head out from underneath the bed she said,‭ "‬You better not be staring at my ass again John.‭"
         "I would never.‭" ‬John grinned as he sat back on her bean bag in the corner,‭ ‬his eyes never leaving Alison's tight posterior.‭ ‬John would never normally ogle a girl like this,‭ ‬but since Allison had been in a very serious relationship with him‭ ‬8‭ ‬months ago he didn't think she really minded too much.‭ ‬Besides,‭ ‬they were a lot more playful now,‭ ‬even if they were just friends.
‭          Allison sat down cross legged on the carpet in her room and put the two foot tall pot in front of her. It was an ancient artifact that had survived since before demons and humans had even started fighting, and as far as they knew it was the only thing that could tell them when the demons came to earth and at what time. The color and the consistency across the shiny pot told how dangerous the threat was and through a little trial and error they had figured out that by dropping a city map into the pot it would somehow mark the affected area and spit it back out to them.
         "Let's find out what wonderful area of the city we get to visit tonight Allison‭" ‬John said in a sarcastic tone.‭ "‬I really enjoy these midnight jaunts we go on.‭"
         Allison rolled her eyes and took a city map off of the stack of‭ ‬50‭ ‬that she had stockpiled on her computer desk.‭ ‬She dropped it into the ancient pot and after a few moments the map fluttered out of the pot as if being carried by an upward column of air.‭ ‬She snatched it out of the air with uncanny aim and quickly unfolded it.‭ ‬She looked it over for a second and found where the‭ ‬blood red ink had stained a tiny section of the map.‭ "‬Hmm....‭" ‬She said aloud,‭ "‬It stained the big grass field across from the‭ ‬7‭ ‬eleven on south street.‭"
         John walked over and peered over Alison's shoulder,‭ "‬The demon is somewhere underneath the field,‭ ‬probably an‭ ‬abandoned subway station.‭" ‬John then looked at the pot,‭ ‬normally a dull gray when mild danger threatened,‭ ‬this time it was blacker than the darkest night.‭ "‬Let's round up the rest of the guardians,‭ ‬I guess it's going to be a long night.‭"

         John and Allison drove silently through the night,‭ ‬each lost in their own thoughts.‭ ‬John was thinking of his life before he had been recruited as a guardian,‭ ‬back when he was actually a kid.‭ ‬The last several months had changed him,‭ ‬he still joked with people and acted the same,‭ ‬but he didn't‭ ‬feel‭ ‬the same.‭ ‬Something was different in him,‭ ‬be it his new job as leader of the Guardians,‭ ‬the fact that something dies in you every time you kill,‭ ‬or even just the stress of such an enormous job thrust onto the shoulders of an‭ ‬18‭ ‬year old kid still in high school.‭ ‬The one thing that John did know was that he was older,‭ ‬not physically but emotionally.‭ ‬He was not‭ ‬18,‭ ‬and the rest of the guardians were no longer young either.‭ ‬All had been through killing,‭ ‬all shouldered the same responsibility.‭ ‬He glanced over at Allison briefly‭; ‬she was staring out of the window watching the starts past overhead.‭ ‬Her sharp green eyes met his in the reflection of the window before moving on to the distant horizon.‭ ‬They had all changed.
‭          The black Celica pulled into the 7 Eleven's parking lot. John counted two other cars already there; the others were waiting for them.
‭          John entered into the 7 eleven quickly. He gave a curt nod to the cashier and walked to the back of the store where three other people were seated at a little table in the corner.
         "What's the news John‭?" ‬Mark asked.‭ ‬He was a senior at their high school,‭ ‬and one of the funniest kids John knew.‭ ‬Mark had been his friend since‭ ‬5th grade and they were as close as brothers.‭ ‬Mark was right around five feet, seven inches,‭ ‬but weighing in at‭ ‬175‭ ‬pounds he looked like an ameture body builder about to try out for the state competition.‭ ‬His shoulders and arms were thick with muscle,‭ ‬and his compact body was built like a bulldozer.‭ ‬Mark had been lifting weights since middle school‭ ‬and he now held the benching record for their high school weight room:‭ ‬360‭ ‬pounds.
‭          "Not good. How’s the sandwich?"
         Mark smiled with a mouthful of baloney and wheat bread.‭ "‬Cost me‭ ‬6‭ ‬bucks and it doesn‭’‬t even taste good.‭ ‬At least it's got‭ ‬20‭ ‬grams of protein.‭" ‬Mark was always eating,‭ ‬his muscles burned up so many calories that the average person would be happy if they could eat half the calories Mark ate.
‭          Katie sat with her legs crossed in the seat across from Mark, a short white skirt showing off her shapely legs as one foot bounced up and down in an impatient manner. Katie was the youngest of the group, still a sophomore and only 16 she was barely old enough to drive. She could definitely be described as the little innocent girl next door, and for the most part she was. She had a ditzyness about her, something that made her seem even cuter to the people around her. John considered Katie to almost be his little sister, he had never even thought of dating her because she seemed so young.
‭          "I hope you didn't wear that around in the middle of the night before you had your Guardian powers." John said, eyeing the attire Katie chose. As always Katie liked to flaunt her drop dead gorgeous body to everybody she met. What's even more perplexing is that she had never had a boyfriend, she merely toyed with the men that were interested in her and then refused all advances... not so innocent after all. Today she had decided on wearing knee high black lace up boots with a white skirt that was definitely not school legal. A tight black v-necked tank top showed off her ample cleavage and slim hour glass figure and a white bow tied in her long blonde hair completed her black and white image.
‭          "I have three strong men to protect me, I think I'll be fine." Katie replied before flashing a dazzlingly white smile.
‭          "She just likes to show off the goods John." Allison said as she slid into the bench with Katie. "If I had such large boobs I would show-"
         "Hey cut that out‭!" ‬Katie yelled playfully.‭ ‬Allison had managed to slide her hand down Katie's shirt before Katie pushed Allison away.‭ ‬Allison grabbed Katie's hand as she fell out of the bench and they both fell in an‭ ‬entangled heap on the floor giggling.
‭          "You’re both hot so  let's get down to business," Terry said, his wiry form leaning against the wall.
‭          "Terry's right, were not here to watch you two grope each other," John agreed. He could see the look of disappointment across Mark's face.
‭          "I had to come up with yet another excuse of why I had to leave my girl in the middle of the night, I'm starting to run out of them." Terry said.
‭          "Terry you have a new girl every weekend, you can just use the same one over and over." Mark said.
‭          Terry let a grin appear on his face. Katie and Allison had regained their composure and were sitting on the bench again. "What do you have for us o' mighty leader?" Terry was of ordinary stature, maybe two inches short of six feet, around 165 pounds. He was in phenomenal shape though, lean and wiry compared to Mark's broad and bulky. Terry had dark tanned skin and an ethnicity that was hard to place. He had very intense black eyes and a charisma that girls found extremely attractive. It seemed like Terry had a new girlfriend every week, and more often than not he did. He was very smart, and was John's second in command when he was wasn't there.
‭          John took a deep breath before continuing, "We have another demon on our hands. We'll have to dispose of it quickly before it starts preying on humans."
‭          "So we just pop in, kill it, and call it a night. Maybe I can actually get a few hours of sleep in before school starts this time," Mark interjected.
‭          "Yea but this time the magic pot was black. Blacker than we've ever seen it come close to looking. Something very dangerous is lurking down there, we have to be extremely careful this time. No heroics." John glanced at Terry as he said this, reminding him that he had almost died before by going too far ahead and being overwhelmed. Terry nodded in acknowledgment.
‭          "It was pretty bad when it was just smoke a month ago, I can't image what black is like," Katie this time, her playful demeanor had changed and a concerned look crossed her face.
‭          John looked at each of them, locking eyes with one at a time. "This will be the most difficult mission we have done yet, but were stronger now. We know what we’re doing. We stick together and watch each other's backs; we'll be fine."
‭          John knew he was lying to them as they filed out of the 7 Eleven; they had no idea what they were doing. It is just a matter of time before one of us runs out of luck, John thought.

‭          Chapter 2

‭          
         The moon was rising high in the sky by now,‭ ‬its eerie glow illuminating the small group as they gathered to discuss the next course of action.‭
         Terry leaned against the side of his‭ ‬1966‭ ‬Mustang,‭ ‬the jet black paint glowing vibrantly from the moon.‭ “‬So where we heading‭?”‬ Terry asked as he lit up a cigarette with his Zippo.
‭          “How can you be a health nut when it comes to working out and eating right but smoke cigarettes?” Mark asked as he hopped off the curb in preparation to climb into his monstrous old truck.
‭          “Terry took a long drag and locked his eyes onto Jake’s, “We all have our vices..”
         John looked hard at Terry before letting his eyes wander,‭ ‬their knowledge of John‭’‬s dark past know only to them.‭ “‬According to the map the portal was opened somewhere under Dosher field,‭”‬ John said while pointing to the field on the other side of the two lane road.
‭          “Probably a subway.” Terry ventured.
‭          John nodded, “That’s what Allison and I thought as well.” Anybody know where the nearest entrance is?
         “Yea there‭’‬s one up at foot hill,‭ ‬probably two miles from here.‭”
         The other four guardians just stared silently at Mark‭; ‬his inability to even find his own house in the city was well known.
‭          “What? I go off roading around here all the time.” Mark said defensively.
‭          “Alright then, lead the way.” John said.
‭          “I’m riding with Terry!” Katie yelled as she skipped around to the other side of Terry’s drop dead gorgeous black Mustang. Terry rolled his eyes and slid into the driver’s side before starting up the massive 550 horsepower crate engine. Allison jumped into John’s car and with Mark leading the way they exited the 7 Eleven parking lot.
‭          Their short drive was ominously quite in John’s Celica. Normally they would make small chat by talking about Katie’s crush on Terry, or wonder aloud if Mark liked working out more than sex. Stupid stuff to merely pass the time, but not on this ride. They were dead quite.
‭          The subway station was a hulking ugly structure that sat alone on the side of the street, no other building around for at least a mile. The gray concrete rose threatening into the sky in jagged shapes with a huge glass dome scraping the heavens above them. “It looks completely desolate.” Allison whispered, her voice subconsciously quite because of their setting.
‭          John frowned, Allison was very tough, and rarely got scared. If she was acting like this then the whole group had to be terrified. “This place was shut down so many years ago, I don’t know why they haven’t torn it down yet. I hope the tunnel entrance is still open or we might be in trouble.”
         The three cars pulled into the empty parking lot and pulled next to each other in the closest spots.‭ ‬Mark hopped down from the driver‭’‬s seat of his truck with a big grin on his goofy face,‭ “‬I told you I knew where it was.‭”
         “Yes your amazing Mark.‭”‬ Katie said dryly as she slid out of the leather seat of Terry‭’‬s Mustang.
‭          “I know I am, but yet I never grow tired of hearing those words babe.”
         Katie groaned,‭ “‬can we do this soon before I act on my urge to kick Mark in the nuts‭?”‬ Katie asked sweetly.
‭          John said nothing as he mounted the steps to the entrance to the subway station. The door was locked but the glass had been smashed in long ago. They quickly entered and surveyed the station. The massive ceilings rose up 60 feet above them and in the middle of the room sat a dilapidated and rusty subway car. The ruined machine that had once been used to carry millions of passangers over the years was now no more that a rotting hunk of metal. It sat low on its rusted rails and filled the entire middle section of the once grand station.
         “This place hasn‭’‬t been used in probably twenty years,‭”‬ Allison said as she walked up to the rusted out subway car in the center of the station,‭ ‬her heels clicking ominously on the concrete.
‭          “More like forty,” Terry said as he jumped down onto the track and scrutinized the subway car, “This machinery is all cable operated, no computer system to centralize it.”
         John surveyed the crumbling building around him before letting his eyes follow the metal tracks athat led down a steep slope into the ground.‭ “‬Let‭’‬s get this over with,‭”‬ He said, abruptly starting down‭ ‬the incline.
‭          All five of the guardians followed John’s quick pace into the deepening dark tunnel. Their footfalls echoed off the expansive walls as they rapidly descended into the bowles earth and soon John was leading the way by the light of his cell phone, “Should have brought a flashlight,” he muttered. He glanced back at his group as they walked: Allison was to his right, her eyes furtive and alert as they progressed. Katie was walking almost with a skip in her stride, her soft humming and innocent eyes still did not hide the fear she so desperately did not want the others to see. Mark walked at the rear, broad shoulders squared against the darkness, hands clenched in fists ready for a fight. Terry was on John’s left, silent and confident for whatever lay ahead.
‭          Were just kids, John thought. But were the only ones standing in the way.
‭          John was just starting to think that they didn’t have much further to go before they bottomed out when he and the rest of the guardians were abruptly halted by an impenetrable wall of fallen rubble. The tunnel had collapsed years ago and huge chunks of reinforced concrete and mangled rebar filled the opening. “It will take a jackhammer and six hours of work to get through this,” John said. He looked over at Mark behind them with a grin on his face, “Lucky for us we got the next best thing.”
         Mark answered with a broad grin.
‭          “You ready to get to work big guy?” Jake asked.
‭          “Most definitely,” Mark answered.
‭          The power to transform had been given to the guardians months ago, and while they had finally been able to mostly attain control of their powers, it was still a very bizarre feeling to transform from human to guardian. Nearly 6 months ago all five of the guardians had each had a dream of the Lady of the light, or sun girl as Mark put it bluntly. She came to each of them and told them of their task; that they alone had been given the power of the guardians and that they must use it to vanquish the demons that preyed on innocent humans. The Lady of the Light had given them each a set of unique powers and abilities, weapons and the skill to use them. She had also given them the ancient artifact the guardians had humorously named the Magic Pot. It was awkward at first, the guardians all struggling to get a handle of their powers, but soon they did and after electing John as the leader they were now one well functioning cohesive unit, at least most of the time.
‭          “I love transforming,” Allison said as she closed her eyes and focused her thoughts on the power within her. The other four followed suit and closed their eyes as well, focusing their thoughts on the gift that the Lady of the Light had given them. Soon all five of them were standing and slowly, very slowly light started to emanate from within them. It seemed to come from their chests, yet it also glowed 360 degrees around them at the same time. The light was building in intensity with each passing second. Soon it was so bright that they would be forced to close their eyes if they could have opened them. Then all at once with a loud crack the tunnel was plunged into complete darkness. John opened his eyes calmly and let out a contented sigh. John’s power gave his eyes the ability to see in almost complete darkness, but since there was no light whatsoever in the tunnel even his powerful night vision did not work.
‭          “Light would be nice.” Terry said from somewhere in the darkness.
         “Hold on a sec.‭”‬ Katie said.‭ ‬A floating ball of blue flame suddenly ignited from Katie‭’‬s left hand and illuminated the cavern once again.‭ “‬There we go.‭”‬ She‭ ‬said with a smile.
‭          John briefly looked around at his guardians, fighting down a chuckle that almost always came when he saw their uniforms that the Lady of the Light had chosen for them. John himself was dressed in all black ninja garb. He had a hood covering his head and a black metal face mask that gave him the appearance of a demon. His gloved hands were equipped with powdered black metal hand and forearm guards as well as instep guards leading to split toe booted feet. His shortened katana was strapped securely to his back and a black bladed dagger with a dragons head pommel was tucked in the sash around his waist. He could feel his newfound strength and agility flow into him and his mind sharpen as he readied himself for battle. John knew this feeling of newfound power was why Allison loved transforming.
‭          Terry was dressed in baggy tan clothes complete with a dark leather chest protector. A dark cowl was across his head and his left hand was encased in a large metal gauntlet. Terry’s magical gauntlet could call forth an arsenal of weapons including an extendable shield, retractable sword, and an integrated crossbow that shot magical bolts. Of course he could just punch things too.
         Katie checked herself over to make sure her uniform was in perfect harmony.‭ ‬The Lady of the Light had chosen to outfit her with a strapless white one piece suit.‭ ‬Snug lacing across her large breasts kept it from falling down,‭ ‬and the tight fabric accentuated her hourglass figure.‭ ‬A short flowing red skirt sprouted from the hips of her suit and was just long enough to hide the thong that the suit formed underneath.‭ ‬White boots that ran to mid thigh matched Katie‭’‬s white elbow length gloves.‭ ‬An extendable titanium staff was strapped to the small of her back and the dagger that all Guardians had been given was attached to her right leg.‭
‭          “Katie you look like the porn star version of Sailor moon. Actually more like Sailor Venus.” Allison said with laugh.
‭          “I look like who?” Katie asked, more curiosity than anger in her voice.
‭          “You’ve never watched the anime show?” Allison asked, surprised
‭          “I don’t watch cartoons,” Katie replied coolly.
‭          Allison just rolled her eyes. Her outfit, while it consisted of more clothing than Katie’s was no less revealing. Allison was adorned in a super skin tight black leather body suit. It hugged every single curve of Allison’s lovely figure and left nothing to the imagination. Laces crisscrossed the narrow slit that ran from the small of her back all the way up to the uniform’s neck collar. Integrated gloves and boots seamlessly met with the leather and it was quite apparent that Allison wouldn’t be able to get the garment on or off without cutting it open. An elegant blue-steel recruve bow appeared in her gloved hand and the dagger strapped to her thigh was a perfect color match to her green eyes.
‭          “So what happens if you gain five pounds” Mark asked Allison, letting his eyes wander over her figure. “I mean I can practically see your belly button your suit’s so tight.”
         “I don‭’‬t intend to find out Mark.‭”‬ Allison responded with an edge to her voice that could cut stone.
‭          Mark laughed it off and stepped closer to the impeding wall of rubble. Unlike the others, his transformation also changed him physically. Mark was normally 5’7” and practically just as wide, but after his transformation he stood easily above 7 feet and weighed in at close to 400 pounds. He was adorned form head to foot in huge ceremonial plate mail much like some medieval giant. His armour had ancient runes and painted patterns showing battles of long past. An immense broad sword that he alone had the strength to wield effectively was strapped to his back. As he stepped forward his armoured footfalls sounded like distant thunder and grinned to himself as he got ready to dig his way through the rubble. “You might want to back up” he said. The others retreated up the tunnel to allow Mark to use is formidable skill.
         All of the guardians had been granted enhanced strength as part of their powers,‭ ‬but Mark became something akin to the hulk.‭ ‬A huge sound was heard from the distance as he started to pummel the rocks with his fists,‭ ‬each time he slammed his armoured hands into the concrete the whole tunnel shook.‭ ‬It only took a few minutes and soon Mark had slammed the last boulder against the wall and the pathway was clear.
‭          John walked up and placed his hand on Mark’s armoured shoulder. “Nice job. A little quieter would have been good though.”
         “It‭’‬s not like we could be heard from a mile away or anything.‭”‬ Terry said sarcastically as the group pressed on into the bowels of the earth.
‭          The group worked their way down as silently as they could now, knowing that whatever was down there knew they were coming. John cursed not having any ambient light down here, the only thing lighting the way was Katie to his right, her left hand still controlling the blue orb of fire. He hated having to produce their own light because the creatures would see them coming from a mile away. Not that they wouldn’t hear us either, John thought as he glanced back at Mark’s plodding feet.
         Twenty minutes had passed and still the subway tunnel continued.‭ ‬It was quite large,‭ ‬with enough space to house two train cars passing each other as well as a service path for workers to move on to the side.‭ ‬John was starting to get anxious,‭ ‬he didn‭’‬t want to stay transformed for too long.‭ ‬It wasn‭’‬t an exact science,‭ ‬but eventually the transformation would run out and they would have to revert to their weak former selves.‭ ‬They never knew exactly how much time they had before they needed to revert,‭ ‬and if they did during a fight then it could be all over.‭ ‬The sooner they got this done,‭ ‬the better.‭
The first time John had transformed had been the weirdest.‭ ‬He jumped into testing out his new found powers with exuberance and had found out his limits pretty quick‭; ‬how high he could now jump,‭ ‬how fast he could-
‭          There was an abrupt sound up ahead of them and the group froze instantly. John had the best senses out of all five of the guardians as they each had a specialty but even straining his ears he heard nothing save for the shallow breaths that he and his comrades made. He squinted his eyes as he peered into the darkness but the proximity of Katie’s light made it hard for him to see more than forty feet.
         The guardians shared a long silence as they crouched down,‭ ‬waiting for John to press forward.‭ “‬They know where we are,‭ ‬no sense trying to hide it now,‭”‬ John said as he stood up.‭ ‬His tall frame was etched by the glow of Katie‭’‬s fire as he reached his hand over his shoulder and drew his katana in one swift motion.‭ “‬Draw your weapons.‭ ‬Prepare for battle.‭”
         The sound of weapons being unsheathed echoed off the subway walls as the guardians readied themselves for the coming fight.‭ ‬Almost instantly the sound of scurrying feet could be heard from the darkness ahead.‭ “‬Allison,‭ ‬can you get a light out in front of us,‭ ‬illuminate the tunnel so we can see them coming from further away than‭ ‬10‭ ‬feet‭?”‬ John asked,‭ ‬the strain in his voice noticeable.
‭          “Yea hold on.” She pulled the string of her elegant recurve bow back and a long slender arrow magically appeared. She concentrated for but a second as the tip started to catch fire; such arrows required some time for her to manifest.
‭          John held his sword out in front of him with a relaxed grip, knowing that he was far quicker when his body was relaxed rather than tense. He slowed his breathing attempting to calm his nerves, even after six months of doing this he still got scared. Having courage simply meant that he          continued to do his job even if he was so scared he was ready to shit himself. Some leader, he thought. John was just about to ask Allison how much longer when he realized that one of those scurrying sounds was very close. It took him a second to realize it was actually above him and he barely had time to look up before he saw a descending shadow falling twenty-five from the ceiling above.
‭          “Move!” John yelled as he used his speed to dodge out of the way. The others were not quick enough and the creature, an apparition of crooked legs and claws sent all four of the other guardians sprawling. The flame on Katie’s left had died as soon as she was knocked off her feet and the only source of light was from the burning tip of Allison’s arrow which had fallen out of her hand and clattered across the floor. Allison swore as she regained her feet and sprinted as fast as she could toward it. John regained his footing quickly just in time to see Allison running for the arrow and realized she wasn’t going to make it in time; another one of the creatures had appeared and was right behind her. Its crooked hairy limbs carried the ungainly creature faster than John thought possible and he knew it would catch her off guard. Mark was still regaining his footing and he saw that Katie was already in battle with another of the creatures, her electric staff twirling and striking. He couldn’t see Terry but he could hear the clanging of steel behind him, and from the sound of it he was fighting more than one at a time. John looked back to Allison and saw that she was almost to her bow, just a second away from grabbing it and shooting it into the ceiling so that they could finally see their enemies. But she wasn’t going to make it, the creature that had been pursuing her was already in the air with its deadly claws raked forward in anticipation for the kill. John focused his thoughts as quickly as he could and threw the magical shruiken that appeared in his hand. The blade flew forth but to John’s dismay the intended target was blocked by another of the creatures trying to get to John. The blade buried deep into the center of demon’s chest and it went down in a heap of twisted limbs. But it was too late as the demon that was after Allison slammed into her just as she was about to grab the arrow.
‭          Allison felt the heavy creature land on her and its claws tear into her back, the sharp points ripping through her leather catsuit. She screamed out as she tumbled to the ground with the demon still attached to her. They landed hard and rolled over the very arrow she had been trying to grab and the entire tunnel plunged into darkness.
‭          Terry held his gauntlet above him with its extendable shield deployed. The creature’s claws slammed against it and almost sent him sprawling backwards. It was pitch black but he could smell the creature it was so close and he knew it was in front of him.  He regained solid footing and used his free right hand to slash the darkness in front of him with his dagger. He hit something but when he tried again it wasn’t there anymore. He stumbled forward in the darkness, the sounds of his comrades fighting the demons all around him. He couldn’t fight like this, he had to know where his enemy was. There was a shriek to his left and demon tackled him to the ground. Terry was expecting it so he rolled with the attack and ended up on top of the creature, its clawed hands scrambled across his leather chest protector. Terry grabbed its throat in the darkness and with a look of pure hatred used the dagger in his other hand and buried it deep into the demons eye socket with a vicious stab.
‭          Mark was furious beyond reason. After he had finally climbed to his feet from the initial attack the cavern had been plunged into darkness and now he could only see the world through fragmented images from the light that Katie’s staff gave off as she fought yet another creature, her quick strikes dropping foes left and right. He knew she was a good fighter, but he’d never seen her fight this well. Granted she was the only one that could really see because of the light from her staff but still, that golden haired Valkyre could kick some ass.
         Mark could feel the creatures crawling all over him,‭ ‬trying to find weakness‭ ‬in his armour.‭ ‬Some of the attacks were getting through and he could feel blood dripping down his body,‭ ‬little rivulets trickling off his armour from the small but numerous cuts he was receiving.‭ ‬It was pissing him off too.‭ ‬He grunted as he grabbed another creature off his back and simply crushed the life out of it with his hands.‭ ‬They were too close to use his sword so he had solved that problem by simply breaking them with his immense strength over and over.‭ ‬But his stamina was starting to wane.‭ ‬He felt‭ ‬a stinging pain as he was brought to his knees‭; ‬one of the demons had gotten under his armour and had ripped his chest plate off.‭ ‬The creature was cutting into him with its claws,‭ ‬tearing past the wool pad underneath and into his chest.‭ ‬He screamed and took what last strength he had to grab the demon by the throat and crush its windpipe.‭ ‬His vision was getting dark‭…
         Katie was starting to falter.‭ ‬Her reflexes were slowing down and the demons were to many,‭ ‬they just kept coming.‭ ‬She had fried so many with her staff that she had lost count long ago.‭ ‬It seemed like they had been fighting for hours,‭ ‬even though she knew it was only a few minutes.‭ ‬We‭’‬re going to die down here,‭ ‬she thought.‭ ‬A clawed appendage slipped in past her defenses and slammed her across her‭ ‬face.‭ ‬She flew back and slid on the concrete multiple yards until slamming into the raised concrete platform that was the service walkway.‭ ‬Even with enhanced strength,‭ ‬speed,‭ ‬and even overall toughness the savage blow still had nearly killed her.‭ ‬She could feel blood trickling down her face,‭ ‬the rivulets snaking down her heaving breasts and staining the white fabric of her uniform.‭ ‬She was disoriented and her mind was starting to cloud.‭ ‬She put a gloved hand to her face and from the bright light behind her she could see it was slick with blood.‭
         Wait‭! ‬She focused her thoughts and her mind started to clear instantly.‭ ‬Her staff had fallen from her somewhere yet she could still see her surroundings,‭ ‬some source of light was next to her.‭ ‬She turned her head sluggishly and saw that it was Allison,‭ ‬standing above her with an arrow alit with a brilliant fire aimed forward.‭ ‬Dozens of claw marks had torn into her black leather suit and she was bleeding from all of them.‭ ‬Katie in her confused state could still appreciate the skill with which she sighted the arrow and with perfect aim released it into two nearby demons that had been charging the girls.‭ ‬The arrow slammed into the first and continued into the second before exploding into a huge ball of flame.‭ ‬The two creatures as well as three others that were nearby were completely incinerated.‭ ‬The fire that had killed the‭ ‬5‭ ‬demons continued to burn on the bare concrete and its huge flames illuminated the tunnel for nearly a hundred feet in all directions.
‭          Allison gasped aloud when she saw what lay before her. Far off to the other side of the tunnel Terry was locked in furious combat with three of the creatures. The slender extendable blade from his gauntlet was darting back and forth cutting the demons with precise accuracy. His free hand was slashing and parrying as fast as it could and it looked like he would gain the upper hand.
‭          Not thirty feet from the girls John had found Mark and came to his aid. A small mountain of demon corpses were spread around them and Allison could see he was killing them so fast and with so much intensity that some of the creatures were waiting on the outskirts, trying to muster the courage to attack the blood stained ninja.
         Allison shifted her gaze further down the tunnel and finally found the source of this seemingly never ending‭ ‬demon supply.‭ ‬A huge creature was squatted down on what looked to be‭ ‬8‭ ‬or‭ ‬10‭ ‬long spindly legs.‭ ‬It had an elongated body with overlapping plates on its back,‭ ‬like the skin of some giant lizard.‭ ‬Massive coarse hairs sprouted from its body and a huge oval shaped head was raked forward.‭ ‬Two huge antennas sprouted from the forward part of its head and long narrow mouth filled with needle teeth could be seen.‭ ‬Two large forearms were joined with the main body and each had three long claws and one more on the opposite side,‭ ‬creating a crude opposable digit.‭ ‬The third and final segment of the huge demon was a long green translucent sac.‭ ‬A thick liquid could be seen pumping through it and every‭ ‬20‭ ‬seconds or so one of the demons that they had been fighting was pushed through until it tumbled to the ground in a heap of goo and within seconds rose and rushed forward to join the fight.
‭          Among the absurdity of it all Allison could say only one word, “Eww”
         John was almost at an end.‭ ‬His arms ached and his lungs burned and the creatures would not stop coming.‭ ‬As soon as he killed one it seemed that two more would take its place.‭ ‬Mark was still on the ground,‭ ‬he was trying to get up but he simply couldn‭’‬t‭; ‬his strength had failed him.‭ ‬Mark could feel his energy running out‭ ‬within him and right when he was about to try and stand up one more time he felt a cold chill run over him and within a few seconds he had transformed back.‭ ‬He was now his puny human self lying on the concrete with only John standing between him and the onslaught of demons.
‭          Allison had already begun firing into the huge creature from afar but her arrows and simply stuck in only a few inches into its armoured back. She tried again and again, the arrows launching from her bow in rapid succession but none of them seemed to aggravate it in the least manner. “Like a fucking crocodile.” She muttered in-between draws.
‭          Katie started to get up, tried to press forward to help her comrades but her legs had buckled after she had barely taken the first step. She looked up at Allison once more, but already her eyes were getting blurry and she knew she couldn't hold on much longer. She attempted to shout at Allison but it only came out as a whisper, "Go for its stomach."
         “What‭?”‬ Allison yelled back
‭          Katie mustered all her strength and said as loudly as she could, “Crocodiles have weak stomachs, attack it there.” And with that her eyes finally closed and she slumped back onto the ground. Immediately a soft glow coated her body and in a matter of seconds she had transformed back. Her original clothes were clean and unmarred by the sign of battle and even her wounds had healed entirely. The only sign of distress now was the mental and physical exhaustion. She opened her eyes sleepily for a brief second; the sound of fighting seemingly so far off… Then her large blue eyes closed slowly and she slipped into a deep sleep.
‭          Luckily Allison had heard her. “John get’s its stomach.”
         John nodded curtly as he sliced another demon in half.‭ ‬Terry had finally joined them and together he and John finished the last of the demons assaulting them.
‭          “Go for its stomach” John gasped to Terry, his exhaustion so prevalent that he felt like collapsing right there. Terry merely nodded and together they charged the massive demon.
         Allison used her accuracy with her bow to repeatedly shoot the demons that the creature was giving birth to.‭ ‬As soon as they breathed fresh air they found a long shafted arrow burying into them and not one of them lived long enough to require two.
‭          John used the last ounce of his speed to get through the huge creature’s defenses as quickly as possible. He and Terry both ducked and weaved through its claws and it was only bad luck that a huge sweeping leg somehow caught John right as he was about to dive under its stomach. The hairy appendage sent him careening into the green sac of ooze and it wasn’t until he was face down in a puddle of slime that he realized what had happened.
         Terry was more fortunate and had managed to slide under the creatures stomach. He knew he had only a moment to strike and with speed he did not know he possessed he flippedonto his back,‭ ‬extended his sword, and unsheathed his dagger all in one smooth movement.‭ ‬He let a evil grin cross his face and without wasting another second rammed both of his blades into the creature‭’‬s soft underbelly.‭
         John carried himself to his feet as quickly as he could,‭ ‬expecting the huge demon to be on him on any second.‭ ‬Upon turning he realized that Terry had managed to hit his target and would have found the situation rather comical had it not been so serious:‭ ‬Terry was underneath the huge demon with the sword on his left gauntlet buried into its belly.‭ ‬He was holding onto his left hand and using his sword as an anchor as the creature swung back and forth trying to dislodge Terry from its belly.‭ ‬John knew at once that if the creature managed to shake Terry off then it would only take a simple‭ ‬bite from its powerful jaws and he would be dead.‭ ‬John rushed forward and tightened the grip on his sword in anticipation of his next attack.‭ ‬He took a huge running leap into the air and brought his sword down as hard as he could on the fat green sac that‭ ‬the creature was dragging behind it.‭ ‬Instantly the blade pierced the translucent skin and John‭’‬s single blow sheared off the entire appendage.‭
         A huge gusher of blue blood erupted from the huge stump and the massive demon leapt forward. The huge bulk of it slammed into the side of the tunnel, causing a spiderweb of cracks to creep along the tunnel's ceiling and walls. Its scream sounded like that of grating glass and the demon stumbled forward, writhing in agony all the way. Its 8 spindly legs carried the ungainly creature quickly up the slope of the tunnel until in a matter of seconds it had disappeared from the guardians' view.
         A long silence followed and the only sound that could be heard was the heavy breathing of John and Terry.‭ “‬You think we killed it‭?”‬ Terry asked John,‭ ‬looking at the huge trail of blue blood leading up the tunnel and into the darkness.
‭          “I don’t know. Its bleeding a lot but it’s a fucking demon that shouldn’t even exist in the first place. It may not even need blood, could just be there for shit’s and giggles.” John smiled after he said this, his teeth red with blood.
‭          Terry didn’t laugh.

‭          The five managed to make it back up the tunnel without event. Katie was able to walk back up , though her legs were shaking as they carried her up to the subway station. Mark was still sleeping and hadn’t waken up yet, Jake had simply slung his friend over his shoulder. The creature’s trail had ended as soon as they got to the subway station, apparently it had stopped bleeding. A hole had been bashed through one of the stone walls by the time they got there, and most likely the creature had fled to find a safe spot to sleep during the day since no demon could stand daylight.
‭          John bid farewell to his companions, telling them all to get a lot of sleep. They would have to go after the creature again at nightfall.
         Mark regained consciousness during the drive back to John‭’‬s house and decided to‭  ‬crash in John‭’‬s guest bedroom.‭ ‬John simply stumbled into his bed with his clothes still on and collapsed on top of the covers.‭ ‬The sun was just starting to crest the mountains when he finally fell asleep.

See Part 2