bang from behind, got both their attentions, making Phoenix turn slightly. Kane watched as the smaller woman’s expression switched from pure rage to confusion as Olivia shot out of the slide’s exit. In one swift move, his girlfriend snapped her strong leg across the witch’s right temple, connecting her hard shin bone with a much softer target, knocking the fight right out their attacker.
Leaping back into the water, Kane helped a now hobbling Olivia to her feet, quickly dragging her to the stairs. Together they scaled them, she leaning on him for balance.
“Hot damn, Belle!” Kane yelled, eyes wide in amazement. “That was friggin awesome!”
But the look on Olivia’s face said she regretted every second of her part. “Say that to my shin. Feels like I kicked a brick wall.”
“You know how that feels?”
She watched as Kane’s boyish grin turned into a frown as a glow grew from behind her. Olivia turned and saw it. The lifeguard’s body was glowing from the inside, almost completely revealing her skeletal structure. It was like looking at an x-ray in reverse. The darker part was the bone, instead of the tissue.
“We need to go,” Kane said, hauling Olivia away.
“Where are we going to hide?” she asked, constantly taking peeks behind them as they moved away.
“Hide?” Kane asked. “We ain’t hiding anywhere. We’re getting the hell outta’ Dodge—I mean, Disney—back to D.C.”
“Kane! You read me?”
He flinched, forgetting his sunglasses somehow stayed on his face during the underwater excursion. He slowed and let go of Olivia as the pair simultaneously answer their NVS4’s.
“I’m here, Hank. What’s up?”
“Oh, not much. Just getting chased down Ocean Drive by a miniature tidal wave of doom… You?”
Shit, Kane thought, them too.
“About the same here, except ours is a five-foot-zip pyro from hell. She’s basically a pierced up Smurf-witch. Nearly incinerated me, but Olivia got the jump on her and gave us some breathing room.”
He paused, listening to Hank curse, hearing him sounding out of breath, no doubt running for their lives. He could picture Hank and Nicole sprinting barefoot through the crammed South Beach streets like a damn Hollywood movie set. Only it’s not a green screen behind them simulating the water.
Ours isn’t CGI either.
“Stay alive and—” Hank started to yell before his comms went silent.
A roar erupted behind them and they slid to a stop almost falling on the slick ground. They watched in awe as the tidal pool glowed in a fireball, setting the surrounding trees and structures ablaze. The slide’s exit tunnel then melted into a pile of noxious goo, looking like silly putty.
“Oh, God,” Olivia quietly said among the screaming masses around them. Reflexively, she squeezed Kane’s arm tighter. “What are we going to do?”
Kane shrugged. “Only one thing to do…”
Olivia looked up at him, her eyes desperate for good news.
“We run like the devil herself is chasing us.”
He didn’t voice the next part, but he thought it to himself.
And hope the others survive too…
*
“Wake up!” she yelled. Her inner presence was alive and well, awake and ready for another round with the impressive duo. Phoenix hadn’t seen a real battle in some time. It was actually a pleasing feeling to see them fight back with such brutality. She expected it from the large man, but the woman was what caught her attention the most.
“She’ll die first.”
Phoenix was getting agitated by the weakness her immortal, yet, still fragile body was showing. While she could expedite the fractured skull’s healing, it would take much longer than she wanted to wait.
“Grrr!”
Her hand twitched showing the first sign of life in the last few seconds. She burned hotter and hotter on the inside, scorching the land around her with her primal rage. The water around her was nonexistent, turned to steam. If she needed to breathe like a normal human, her
Leaping back into the water, Kane helped a now hobbling Olivia to her feet, quickly dragging her to the stairs. Together they scaled them, she leaning on him for balance.
“Hot damn, Belle!” Kane yelled, eyes wide in amazement. “That was friggin awesome!”
But the look on Olivia’s face said she regretted every second of her part. “Say that to my shin. Feels like I kicked a brick wall.”
“You know how that feels?”
She watched as Kane’s boyish grin turned into a frown as a glow grew from behind her. Olivia turned and saw it. The lifeguard’s body was glowing from the inside, almost completely revealing her skeletal structure. It was like looking at an x-ray in reverse. The darker part was the bone, instead of the tissue.
“We need to go,” Kane said, hauling Olivia away.
“Where are we going to hide?” she asked, constantly taking peeks behind them as they moved away.
“Hide?” Kane asked. “We ain’t hiding anywhere. We’re getting the hell outta’ Dodge—I mean, Disney—back to D.C.”
“Kane! You read me?”
He flinched, forgetting his sunglasses somehow stayed on his face during the underwater excursion. He slowed and let go of Olivia as the pair simultaneously answer their NVS4’s.
“I’m here, Hank. What’s up?”
“Oh, not much. Just getting chased down Ocean Drive by a miniature tidal wave of doom… You?”
Shit, Kane thought, them too.
“About the same here, except ours is a five-foot-zip pyro from hell. She’s basically a pierced up Smurf-witch. Nearly incinerated me, but Olivia got the jump on her and gave us some breathing room.”
He paused, listening to Hank curse, hearing him sounding out of breath, no doubt running for their lives. He could picture Hank and Nicole sprinting barefoot through the crammed South Beach streets like a damn Hollywood movie set. Only it’s not a green screen behind them simulating the water.
Ours isn’t CGI either.
“Stay alive and—” Hank started to yell before his comms went silent.
A roar erupted behind them and they slid to a stop almost falling on the slick ground. They watched in awe as the tidal pool glowed in a fireball, setting the surrounding trees and structures ablaze. The slide’s exit tunnel then melted into a pile of noxious goo, looking like silly putty.
“Oh, God,” Olivia quietly said among the screaming masses around them. Reflexively, she squeezed Kane’s arm tighter. “What are we going to do?”
Kane shrugged. “Only one thing to do…”
Olivia looked up at him, her eyes desperate for good news.
“We run like the devil herself is chasing us.”
He didn’t voice the next part, but he thought it to himself.
And hope the others survive too…
*
“Wake up!” she yelled. Her inner presence was alive and well, awake and ready for another round with the impressive duo. Phoenix hadn’t seen a real battle in some time. It was actually a pleasing feeling to see them fight back with such brutality. She expected it from the large man, but the woman was what caught her attention the most.
“She’ll die first.”
Phoenix was getting agitated by the weakness her immortal, yet, still fragile body was showing. While she could expedite the fractured skull’s healing, it would take much longer than she wanted to wait.
“Grrr!”
Her hand twitched showing the first sign of life in the last few seconds. She burned hotter and hotter on the inside, scorching the land around her with her primal rage. The water around her was nonexistent, turned to steam. If she needed to breathe like a normal human, her
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