I Can Talk to Ghosts...

Lights flashed all around in the clouds that had become a permanent sight that night. A monstrous wind had come out of now where and lightning flashed through the sky. The Hounds stopped chasing and attacking things as a bright light suddenly slammed into the statute. It blew the statue to pieces as it dug deep into the ground. Duncan and Alan watched from the roof of the courthouse as the ground below them started to crack and come apart. There was a huge explosion of light and dirt and debris and the shock wave of it all blew passed the town knocking Alan to the ground. He stood up next to Duncan and looked at the center of town.

A tall, almost elegant looking woman was hovering just above the destroyed ground. Her long almost pitch black hair floated out around her like she was under water and a long black dress covered her body and swirled around on the bottom like it was made of fire and smoke. And on top of it all, there was that feeling which seemed to just radiate off her, the feeling of evil.

"Jeez..." Alan looked around as the Hounds started going crazy on each other and people.

"It is the way she controls them... as long as they feel her evil, they will be her demons." Duncan looked down right terrified for a ghost, "We must act quickly..."

"Do you know where this thing is that she's bound to?"

"Around her neck..."

Alan took a few steps forward, though still mindful to stay away from the edge of the roof (heights just wasnt his thing), as he looked for what it was Duncan was talking about. Sure enough, there was a black chain around her neck with a strange symbolized medallion hanging from it.

"Of course..." Alan stepped back away from the ledge, "It's always a necklace or something..."

"I guess movies are just accurate?" Duncan suggested.

"Maybe."

Suddenly there was a bagging on the door that led to the roof, followed but an irritated sounding roar. That Hound had come back and there was no other way off the roof; for Alan at least.

Well... okay there was one other way...

"You have to climb down!"

Alan looked at the ghost as there was another bash at the door and it dented outward, "Are you crazy?!"

"It's either that or you have to some how beat this thing!"

Alan looked to the ledge behind him, and then to the door in front of him where he could see the lights of the Hound slipping through as it was being bent farther and farther outward. Heights, or a man eating demon from Hell... what kind of choice was that?!

"Alan!"

All of the sudden the door blew off its hinges and the Hound stood in the door way. It let out a loud and angry sounding roar as it started toward them. Split second decision... hound, climb, hound climb...

"Hound!"

Alan snapped toward the creature just as it jumped out at him. He ducked suddenly and the Hound just barely missed him. It hit he ground behind him and slammed into the edge of the roof. It stood up and shook itself turning back to him. It roared at him as it swung its tail around its head and then all the way around itself as it lashed out toward him. The tails swung around and spread out so he couldnt really duck under the three incoming blades. In a sense of adrenaline his body reacted on its own and he jumped just above the ground enough so the bottom tail slipped under him while he also ducked under the two higher ones. The blades swung passed him, but he felt the tip of one just barely slide across his cheek. He landed on his feet again and looked at the passing tails in shock and somewhat a feeling of awe. That would be a move he'd never be able to pull again...

The Hound swung its tail back around as it charged at him again and tried to catch him in its mouth. He jumped out of the way just as its mouth snapped shut where his midsection had been. It came back around as the lines of light on it seemed to be burning now out of anger. Smoke and steam rose from them in great amounts like the small fires from the lines were starting to burn more furiously. It lashed its tail around again, but this time all he managed to do was duck and roll out of the way.

"How do I stop it?!" He shouted at Duncan as he ran around the roof top.

"Theirs a sweet stop on their backs! Right behind the neck!" He said feeling useless.

Alan jumped over the tail again as it swung out at his feet and then ducked behind an air conditioning unit that sat on the top of the roof. He heard the tails slam into the unit and it startled him making him jump.

"I cant believe this... Im stuck here... what did I do to deserve this..." He was muttering to himself as he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a larger pocket knife.

Well okay, it wasnt really a pocket knife, it was more like a regular boot knife or something (though Kyra said it was still considered a pocket knife). He unfolded it and held it tightly in his hand as he leaned back against the unit-side as he heard the tails slice through the metal again.

When he heard the tails get pulled out and guessed they were swinging back around he took the chance and jumped over the unit and charged the Hound. It turned to him and growled at him but he jumped over its arm as it tried to catch his legs in its claws and grabbed its neck. The Hound roared, or maybe howled at him as it lashed its head around trying to dislodge him from its neck and head. He held on tight though and managed to bring his knife over the Hound's neck. He slammed it down into the creature's "sweet spot", as Duncan put it. It howled in pain and he finally let go of it and was thrown to the side. The Hound started to go crazy and slammed into the side of the roof and dragged its back and neck against the wall in a futile attempt to dislodge the knife. It came off the wall and then charged at Alan who was a little dazed from being throw to the side.

"Alan!"

He looked up through blurry vision but before the Hound cleared the full length of the roof to him, it slipped on its own feet and then fell forward. It was dead. Alan leaned back against the roof ledge waiting for his vision to return to him as Duncan floated over.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah... just a little dazed." He said standing slowly.

"Well.... that's good... because we arent done yet..." Duncan said looking back to the sorceress who was starting to do something.

Clouds were beginning to swirl up in the sky over her and the lights within them were beginning to intensify and get brighter.

Alan pulled his knife out of the Hound's neck. He smiled and turned the blade around in his hand, "Thank you Kyra and your belief in knives..."

"You're gonna need that..."

Alan sighed and cleaned the blade with his shirt and then looked into the shine of the stainless steel blade, "Great..."