Page 26 (1/2)

"Looking good over there, Stel," He called, turning his head just a fraction to avoid the blood spray frowispy body a ush of blood I heard when I rehts that had ood he looked than how round around his feet

"So this… uh," Seth started and then paused to turn swiftly in a kicking full circle, taking several Shadoith hi loudly in the otherwise silent African plain "Uh, this Valentine’s dance, is it a big deal?"

I soo that soe to run my hand over it and sunk my sword deeper into the culprit with extra-splashy blood "Why? Are you thinking about taking so about it, but if it’s… uh… la deal," Seth answered nonchalantly

"No, it’s not laoing to be fun," I shrugged o So much of his time at school had been spent with ive Seth as much space as he needed to make his own life there, choose his own friends… even date if he felt so inclined or gave into the throng of girls who see?" Seth pressed, crossing his blades in front of him and across the heads… or head-like places of two Shadows

"That’s the plan," I agreed Finally there see of Shadows as the wall of blackness attacking h the last of the lurking evil, finishing their individual piles as the dead and slaughtered disappeared into the night as if they really were soing alone…? Or do you and Tristan already have plans?" Seth asked and then cleared his throat quickly I looked up at hiht traces of anxiety and watched as he threw hi into the air and finishing as left of the Shadows in graceful, expert ht and his movements left residual traces in the air around him

"What? Tristan?" I asked and then laughed "Tristan and I never go to dances together People already have a hard enough tiether would be like… it would be like… well, ould never live it down!" I laughed again I plungedthe blade to ensure death The Shadow fell away and poofed into black, insubstantial nothingness before its blood had even stopped splattering

I lowered my swords and looked around at the nearly empty battlefield The desolate African plain was ht, but I relished in the dry, hot air I loved feeling the heat onI had traded in a pants for shorts The cracked, dry earth spread out like a sea of sandpaper around entle night breeze, sending scents of freshness and earthiness to invade ular basis

Without all the blood and carnage and saving the world stuff…

Serena and Nate joined us in a tight circle as the last of the Shadows disappeared back to the inner most circle of hell Good riddance

"Do you knohat their plan was tonight?" Seth asked Nate as he wiped blood off his hands with a bandana he pulled froet definite infor," Nate s

"It really is the worst," I agreed, looking up at a sky full of Stars Even the wide open Nebraska sky couldn’t co of Heaven’s army in their battle formations on display froroaned dramatically, "the smell is definitely the worst! Off planet we didn’t have to deal with these small demons and there was never the intensity of this s with herfire

"I could live without the set the chance

Silence fell over us as Serena and Nate pulled out a couple of water bottles and offered the my mouth of sweat, dirt and speckles of blood on the inside ofdrink

It was in the silence that I felt the chill of another evil creep over my skin slowly and softly, as if it were a whisper of so off the distant mountains The hairs onto find the source

Nobody else see like ere being watched; watched by so our moves… our conversations… our abilities There were not a lot of places for somebody to hide out here, this far from any kind of civilization A few clusters of cluttered brush dotted the horizon, but nothing that could hide the depth of evil I felt present

"Do you guys feel that?" I whispered, interrupting the conversation the other three had fallen into