Rachel yells as another Vaun slams up into the ceiling and falls landing on the table beside her and Rick.
“Stay close,” Professor yells. He looks around the room as the Molawner Notav reaches through the light and grabs a Vaun and tosses the woman back through the entrance to land in the dark hallway.
The Vaun in the hallway screams as an attacking Fearling grabs her and drags her away from the doors down the hall.
Rachel hears the Vauns screams fade. Everyone knows what that means. Rachel sees the attacking Molawner Culav reach out and grab another Vaun, tossing the man straight up into the ceiling shattering more lights.
“Protect,” Kynar says. He is stuck in the shadow of the darkness and is unable to reach his Vaun. He repeats his thought to Rob. “Protect.”
Then the Fearlings and Molawners stop. They stare at the Vauns as they huddle in the small area of light that remains at the end of the table near Rob and James.
Rick stands on one side of Rob and James. He stares at the shadowy outlines of the beings in front of him. He stands ready, with anticipation of attack at any second.
Jeff stands beside Nancy. She reaches out and grabs his hand to calm the new Vaun. “Stay close to Rel, he will protect you.”
“I know but you,” Jeff stops. He knows that Nancy is aware that she doesn’t have a protector. “I won’t leave you.”
Professor stands on the other side of Rob and James next to Rachel. Rachel looks to her Molawner Teelah standing in the darkness in front of her.
“He’s here,” Teelah says. She points across the room to the darkness along the wall.
Rachel turns to see a large shadowy image of the Molawner that she has never met before. His name is Ocyrul, he walks past a couple Fearlings, and as he nears the light, he doesn’t slow.
The smaller Fearlings Hydron and Drawk who protect the young James are ready. All the protecting Fearlings and Molawners are ready. They know what is about to happen.
Ocyrul raises his arms and the remaining lights on the ceiling shatter darkening the room. Instantly protectors appear next to their Vauns as they are attacked.
Rachel sees the Molawner Ocyrul vanish from vision as she watches in horror as the people she knows are being attacked.
There is a Fearling ten feet away from James. He is smaller like Hydron and Drawk. His name is Rykar and he is after the boy.
Rick’s Sevol and Jeff’s Rel are very powerful and are able to grab several attacking Fearlings and toss them back into the wall.
The small Rykar attacks James from the side, but is prevented by Drawk and Hydron. The two Fearlings grab Rykar rushing him back into the wall.
The Molawner Culav takes advantage of James’ protectors being distracted. He reaches out and grabs the boy then tosses the eight year old backwards to land at the entrance of the hallway.
“James!” Rob yells as he turns towards his son. He doesn’t see Ekabar reaching for him.
Ekabar grabs Rob and tosses him sideways into the wall. He turns as Kynar attacks him from the side.
Nancy runs to the fallen boy on the floor. “Get up James!” She pulls him to his feet. She looks down the dark empty hall.
The Molawner Culav appears behind her before she turns around. He grabs the smaller human and tosses her sideways into the hall.
Nancy crashes into the lockers then falls to the floor. She gets to her knees and looks across the way to James.
James cries as Culav drags Nancy down the hallway until they fade into the darkness.
Rob gets to his feet and sees the Professor run to James in the doorway. He turns around just as the Fearling Ekabar backhands him across the face.
Kynar grabs Ekabar from behind and slams the Fearling into the wall. He charges and strikes Ekabar again and again.
Rachel’s Teelah is busy defending off other attacks and cannot help Rob as Notav grabs him from behind.
Rick punches at a shadowy outline of a Fearling attacking another Vaun. His protector Sevol is fending off two attacking Fearlings several few feet away.
Rob is lifted off of his feet and tossed backwards through the air. He flies above his son as the professor kneels down to the boy. Rob lands hard in the hallway and slides across the floor slamming into the lockers.
James cannot break free from the Professor’s grip. His Fearlings Drawk and Hydron appear in front of him while Kynar appears beside his dad to protect.
Inside the cafeteria, Rachel turns to see Rick backhanded by a Fearling and falls to the floor in front of her. She bends down and helps him to his feet.
Jeff is grabbed from behind and is tossed to the floor. He is quick to stand as Rel grabs the attacking Fearling. He looks over as a Vaun is being dragged out of the room.
The Molawners, Setah and Notav, appear in the hall, one on each side of Rob and Kynar. They do not intend to attack the boy so his Fearlings cannot assist the father.
Setah reaches for Rob as he stands and the Fearling Kynar moves fast. He strikes Setah in the chest knocking him backwards several feet. Kynar turns around but cannot prevent Notav from grabbing Rob and tossing him backwards through the hall to land ten feet away.
Rob rolls over and gets to his knees. He looks up and sees Kynar grab Notav from behind. He doesn’t see Ekabar appear behind him until his son yells.
“Dad…!”
Ekabar grabs Rob and slams him into the lockers. He lets the human fall to the floor. He moves fast and reaches down.
“Dad…!” James yells. He breaks free from the Professor and runs down the hall chasing after Ekabar drags his dad away. “Dad…!”
Rob is beaten and weak. He can see James running after him but there is nothing his son can do. Ekabar is faster than the eight year old.
“Dad…!” James yells as Ekabar drags his Dad around the corner.
Professor sees Kynar fade into the darkness. He also sees James’s Fearlings Hydron and Drawk running behind him as he turns the corner of the hall.
Inside the cafeteria the attacks stop. Rachel and Rick move to the side as their Molawners Teelah and Sevol toss two nearby Fearlings aside. They finish and stand by their Vauns ready to protect.
The attacking Fearlings begin fading into the darkness one right after the other until they are all gone.
At the entrance the Professor stands. He starts down the empty hallway towards the corner. “James!” He stops as soon as he walks around the corner. He sees James and the two Fearlings Hydron and Drawk standing in the middle of the hall.
James is crying. He turns to the Professor and it is hard for him to speak. “My Dad, he’s.”
The Professor reaches for the boy. “You are safe now.”
“How do you know?” Jeff asks as he approaches from behind.
“They got what they wanted.”
“What?” Jeff asks. His voice cracks. He is not in control of his emotions. “What? Don’t they want all of us?”
“Yes, eventually,” Professor says. He stares at the crying James. “But they got what they came for tonight.” He takes a breath as he thinks about what to do next. “We have to get James out of here, now.”
CHAPTER 14
Several hours have passed since the attacks at the cafeteria, the sun is rising and no shadows from the night remain. The Professor and Rick are standing in Julie’s front yard while James and Stewart stand a few feet away.
James’ eyes are full of tears. He is trying to be strong. He is trying to be brave but he cannot help it. His mom and his dad both have been taken. He is with his friend and the others but he feels alone and he is scared.
“You,” Professor says, “you are sure you can take him?”
“Yes,” Julie says. Her eyes tear at the thought of Ann and Rob being gone. “Of course we will.” She can’t finish her thoughts. Her emotions are strong and she is in shock. She takes a second to focus. She breathes then looks to the Professor and Rick. “Where is everybody? What do we do next?”
“The Vauns are gone,” Rick says
. “They have scattered and I imagine that they will not want to meet again.” He pauses for a second. “I understand their fears and I imagine that we will have a hard time trying to gather them again, at least for a while anyways.”
“You are sure?” Professor asks, in a clarifying tone. “You are sure you wish to take the child. You know and I know what it means. You know what it means to have a Vaun in your house, with your son.”
“I will not leave Rob and Ann’s son to someone else,” Julie says. She wipes her eyes. “I will not.”
James turns away from the adults. He watches the light from the rising sun spread over the neighborhood. He wipes the tears from his eyes then turns to his friend. “They’re gone. They’re gone.”
“Can we find them?” Stewart asks. His tone is lost, hopeless with innocent faith. “Can we?”
The Professor, Julie and Rick hear the children speaking. They know their pain, the loss and the fear that the kids feel.
“I will find answers,” Professor says. He walks up to the young eight year old and bends down. “Time, it may take time but I promise you I will find answers.”
EPILOGUE
It has been eleven years since the attacks on the night of the last gathering. On that night, James’ mother and father were taken as well as six others. The remaining Vauns decided only to gather for one reason. Tonight is that night. The nineteen-year-old James has requested the emergency gathering for a reason. They are gathering outside in an open field during the middle of the day. The Professor and Rachel have continued finding new Vauns and several of them are present. James and the Professor are the last to show up and Rick, Jeff, and Rachel are the first to greet them.
“Good, this is a good turn out,” Professor says.
“They don’t want to stay,” Rachel says.
“They know that there cannot be an attack in the sunlight but they still don’t want to be here,” Jeff says.
“Most are here because of your father,” Rick says. “They know if they would have asked him for help, he would have come.”
“I won’t make anybody wait any longer,” James says. He takes a breath then speaks loud for all to hear. “I called everyone here because we found it.” He pauses. He knows they understand what he is talking about. “With the help of Rachel’s dad and the Professor, we found it. We can travel to their world. If our loved ones are still alive, we can bring them home.”
The End
A story by Michael Edward
Fearlings Two (The Fearlings Series Book 2) Page 7