21 The attack (1/2)
”You two know each other?” An Ning asked, surprised.
”We've met,” Matt said without enthusiasm.
An Ning turned to Du Lu, a question in her eyes.
”He's my cousin,” Du Lu said reluctantly. ”His mom and my father are siblings. We haven't seen each other since...”
”Since he was outed?” An Ning said, drinking her iced strawberry-flavored tea with a straw.
”You know about that?” Du Lu asked, surprised.
An Ning didn't answer.
”You told her?” Du Lu turned to Matt furiously. ”Don't you feel any shame at all? Don't you realize what you've done to your mother? How humiliated we all were?”
”Shut up,” An Ning said coldly.
”What?” Du Lu gaped at her.
”You're starting to bore me. If you want to lecture Matt about his behavior, don't do it in front of me. Not after having just witnessed your own disgusting behavior,” An Ning said scornfully.
Du Lu flushed. His eyes rolled like they were rattling in his head and finally fell on Moira, who gave him a timid yet encouraging smile.He returned her smile and decided to focus all his attentions on her and completely ignored the two people behind him.
The decorated glass wall suddenly rattled with a ding when a strong gust of wind slammed against it. Surprised, they all turned to look outside and saw that it had turned really dark without them noticing it. The street looked desolate and empty as if everyone had gone home and left behind a chilling voidness in their wake.
Even Moira was surprised at how completely empty the street looked. She glanced at the clock. It's not even seven o'clock yet the darkness completely obliterated the fading light outside. The only lights left were the lights inside the shop.
An Ning and Matt glanced at each other. An Ning felt a flutter of apprehension in her stomach. She didn't like the silence, the darkness that somehow felt thick and cold. The only warmth she could feel came from the faint smoke emanating from the coffee maker that sat on the counter.
”Is it a blackout?” Moira whispered, startling them all.
Matt walked to the glass door and tried to peer outside. It was complete and utter darkness. He shivered, feeling goosebumps rise on the back of his neck and down his arms.
”Matt! Get down!” An Ning's voice was sharp and urgent. She ran to his side and dragged him back by the scruff of his neck in the middle of the room.
They stood in the middle of the room in a semi-circle, their eyes round with growing fear, totally transfixed, as the ghastly face of a demon suddenly appeared, peering at them with red, vicious eyes from outside the glass.
The creature had black matted hair, claws for hands and a huge ash-grey tongue that dripped thick saliva down its massive chest.Writhing hideously behind its back was a pair of wings that spanned two meters on each side. The hideous wings beat repeatedly against the glass, tap-tapping an ominous rhythm that made their hair rise.
”My god!” Du Lu gasped. ”What the fuck is that?”
”An Ning?” Matt asked.
”Hmnn?”
”Any escape plans?”
”I'm thinking about it.”
”Does it involve crosses and holy water?”
”I'm thinking about it,” An Ning repeated.
”Well, you better think fast before that thing eats us,” Du Lu said rudely.
”Du Lu?”
”What?”
”Shut. The. Fuck Up.”
”An Ning?” Matt said.
”What?”
”Your stepmother was not a witch but a demon.”
”Seems like it.”
”What do we do?”
”Fight, of course.”
The words had barely left her mouth when the demon wings stabbed at the glass until it shattered in small tiny pieces and scattered on the floor.Chuckling evilly, the creature surged inside with a frightening shriek. Its eyes rolled then refocused and unerringly found An Ning, who was standing unmoving next to the counter.
The giant wings furled and unfurled and whipped up such a wind, the force almost knocked them off their feet. An Ning stood her ground waiting as the demon lunged at her with bare fangs and long tongue slashing like a whip.
Amidst the sound of screaming and shrieking, An Ning heard Sam's shocked gasp and Richard's roar.