We Are the Revelation!

The shadows hovered there ominously. We were vastly outnumbered. “Six of us to about fifty shadows. Those are not very good odds.” I said. Ashley nodded. Andy stepped forward. “What’s he doing?” I whispered to C.C., who was right next to me. “He’s declaring to the shadows that we’re ready for battle.” He said. Andy then stood in front of us all. He looked straight ahead at the shadows. “Come forth.” He said simply. Immediately, we whirled around and yelled, “Positions!”
I yanked the bow off my shoulder and loaded it with an arrow from my quiver. Ashley whipped the hidden knife out of his boot and held it in front of him. Andy pulled the gun out of his holster and held it up. C.C. balled his fists. Jake loaded his machine gun. Jinxx made a ball of lightning between his hands. The shadows disappeared from their original spot and appeared at least forty meters closer. A few of them hissed.
Then, the first shadow made its move on Andy. It slithered forward, leaving a discreet trail of black smoke in its wake. Andy asserted himself and shot the shadow between the eyes. It screeched and dissipated into the air. Suddenly, a voice came from behind.
“We are not interested in the possibility of defeat.” It said.
A shadow attacked Ashley. He sliced its smoky head off in a second. It disintegrated into ash at his feet.
“Not within the silence of a deserted alley, or the clamor of a crowded street.” It continued.
One headed for Jake. He hoisted his machine gun onto his shoulder. As he pulled the trigger, bullets fell to his feet. The shadow he was shooting at disappeared.
“Fear cannot be vanquished.”
Two shadows headed for Jinxx. He held up his palms and two bolts of lightning shot out of them. They hit the shadows spot-on in their chests. The shadows screamed in anguish and melted into a black liquid.
“We cannot be destroyed.”
Four shadows advanced; two heading for me, two heading for C.C. He jumped up and roundhouse-kicked one in the face. This time, it did not disappear. It just smirked in C.C.’s face. C.C., angered, punched the ground. A giant shockwave was sent across the crackled ground, shattering the two shadows into broken shards of glass. As for the ones headed for me, I shot them both with deadly accuracy. As my arrows marked their spots in the shadows’ sockets, they quavered then evaporated.
“Fear will rise up again, take back the power, and crush the insurgent horde.”
Six shadows advanced, one for each of us. We all repeated previous attacks, but this time they were empowered by confidence and newfound adrenaline.
“As war fades into the memories of enlightened pinks and open wounds, the rebels will begin to perish. One by one, they should.”
I was starting to get annoyed with F.E.A.R.’s constant boasting. “Shut your demonic mouths, you liars!” I screamed to the shadows. Jinxx raised an eyebrow at me. “Not a good idea,” he said as he zapped away another shadow. He was right about that. After I said that, six shadows advanced, all heading for me.
“Feel the fear of dying young.” The voice continued, despite my request.
I started to panic. I hastily pulled arrows out of my quiver to shoot the shadows. As I planned, they made their points lodge in the chests of three of the shadows. They groaned and disappeared. I still had three more shadows to kill. Only one problem:
I only had one arrow left.
“Help me!” I screamed. The shadows seemed to gain power, drawing closer. Then I remembered what Jake said about the shadows feeding off of negated emotions.
“Do not ignore the chance to scream.”
I shook the feeling of fear from my heart and pulled out my one remaining arrow. Ashley, responding to my scream, came over to help me with the shadows. “Thanks,” I said as I loaded the arrow into my bow. Ashley nodded hastily. I shot one of the three shadows between the eyes. It evaporated into the air. Not knowing what else to do about the one shadow that I was taking care of, (Ashley had the other one) I pulled off my quiver and started smacking the shadow in the head. I hoped deer hide was strong.
“Lie awake at night in terror, admitting that fear will return to glory.”
I smiled as the shadow growled in pain as I continued to whack it. Ashley sliced through the other shadow’s stomach. It turned to ash at our feet. He then turned to help me with the shadow that I was still hitting over the head. Before he could do anything, it lost color and burst into flame. I quickly backed away. I slung my quiver back over my shoulder. The flame quickly died down, revealing that the shadow had gone.
“And the story of rebels who set out to conquer will finish in blood.”
Ashley looked at me. “Take this and use it,” he said. He handed me a small dagger. “It’s all I got.” I nodded and grasped the handle.
“You rebels claim that a brave new world is upon us. We are not fooled by the cannery in which you lay your claim. It is false.”
Ashley quickly ran off to take care of some shadows that had circled around C.C. He didn’t really need to do much, because C.C. punched the ground again, creating a shockwave like before, shattering the shadows that circled him. Ashley shrugged, and turned around to stab one that was standing right behind him. I looked at my new weapon, knowing full well that I had not a clue how to use it. I looked around, watching the shadows die.
“Your uprising will not succeed.”
Trying my best, I ran up to a lone shadow and stabbed it in the face. Following the black fluid oozing out of the wound, it turned to dust. I figured that when you stab them, they turn to dust. When you shoot them, they disappear. When you magic lightning bolt zap them, they melt.
“You should place your trust in fear. You must.”
There were only six remaining shadows. I sighed, knowing that this would be over soon. But, despite my relief, I felt like someone was watching me. I turned around. Behind me was a shadow. I screeched. Andy turned around. The shadow reached out its hand to try to get me. I stabbed its hand, but my dagger just went through the hand like I was stabbing pure smoke.
“In each uprising, a fake sense of safety will arise in you.”
My eyes widened in terror. I knew that was exactly what the shadow wanted. I was scared stiff. The shadow’s hand was inches from my chest. I could hear its ragged evil laughter. As its hand made contact with my chest, I screamed in pain. Where it touched, it felt like I was on fire. Andy yelled my name.
I was weakening with each passing moment. I could barely hear Andy’s running footsteps coming my way. The shadow’s hand grasped my neck. I looked down, and saw that it had burned through my shirt and that there were burn marks adorning my skin. I felt it squeezing my throat. It lifted me off the ground.
“A shadowy sliver of doubt will ignite towards those who protect and defend you.”
Andy was standing by me now. I was feeling faint, almost near death. A bullet shot rang through my ears as Andy shot the shadow. It growled and drew its hand away from me. It dropped me, and I fell to the ground with a loud thud. The shadow disappeared. Andy knelt down to me. “Alexandria, can you hear me?” he asked desperately.
“Let terrible thoughts fill your head. Let us come closer.”
I was having serious trouble breathing. He looked down to where the shadow had gotten me. My chest and neck were black and burned. I was in severe pain. I moaned helplessly. There were still shadows out there, and Andy and I were sitting ducks full of fear and bad emotions. To a shadow, that’s lunch.
“Stay close to fear. Feel the need to drop and pray. Let us conquer your thoughts.”
“I can hear you,” I groaned quietly. Andy nodded. “Good. This could’ve been worse, I hope you know that.” He said. I tried propping myself up on one arm. I ended up only mustering the strength to get up on my elbow. I heard a bullet in the distance. “We got the last one!” I heard Jake yell. “We won!” The happiness in his voice didn’t last long when he saw me lying on the ground with Andy at my side. The other saw us too, and came running. “Jinxx is coming. He can help you. Okay?” Andy assured. I nodded.
“YOU BELONG TO THE SHADOWS!” The voice continued to boom.
“I thought they said that all the shadows were dead.” I said. Andy nodded. “They are. That’s not a shadow. It’s F.E.A.R. himself.” He said. “He messes up your head. If he’s getting to you, try to shake it. It’s easy. Just thing of positive things and F.E.A.R. will go away.” I looked around. “This is really hard to put a positive spin on.” I said. Andy nodded. “Just try.”
“I WILL ROUND UP YOU REBELS! YOU DEVIANTS! YOU SO CALLED WILD ONES!”
As the others approached, their footsteps slowed. Jinxx knelt next to Andy. “Hang on for as long as you can, I can fix this.” Jinxx said. I nodded, letting out an acute gasp.
“I WILL FILL THE STREETS WITH YOUR FOES AND ANNIHALATE THE DANGEROUS AND OBTUSE IDEAS POISONING YOUR CHILDREN!”
He touched the spot where I was burned. I winced in pain. “It’s gonna be okay,” he assured. Suddenly, his hand started to glow. He held his hand there for a few seconds, then drew it back. On my chest was a glowing imprint of his hand. Slowly, the burns faded away and my skin tone returned to normal. The pain slowly subsided. “It’ll take you a while to regain your strength.” He said. “We should just sit here for a bit while you recover.” I nodded. “Thank you,” I whispered. “Don’t mention it.” He said.
“I WILL FEED DESTRUCTION AND MALICE INTO THE MALEVOLENT FUTURE WE HAVE PLANNED FOR YOU! YOU BELONG TO ME! THE SHADOWS ARE WHERE YOU WILL BE MADE SAFE!”
I started breathing normally. “Does it still hurt?” Jinxx asked. “It hurts a little, but not nearly as much as before.” I said. Jinxx nodded. Ashley looked down at me. “Can you stand?” he asked. I tried lifting my weight. I was visibly struggling. Ashley extended his hand to help me up. I gladly grasped it. He hoisted me up. I was standing shakily. Jinxx and Andy got up. I let out a deep breath. “Okay. I can stand. Yes.” I said.
“DO NOT DEFY ME! I WILL RETURN SOON WITH A STRONGER ARMY TO DESTROY YOUR PUNY FORCES! YOU WILL BE DESTROYED IN A CASCADE OF BLOOD AND LOST BATTLES! THERE WILL BE NO WARNING NEXT TIME! I WILL COME IN A BLACK PARADE OF SHADOWS AND DEMONS BEYOND YOUR COMPREHENSION!”
“Do you need help walking? We’re going back now. It’s over.” Andy said. I shook my head. “No, I’m fine.” I said. Soon, I found I was wrong. I tried taking a step. My legs buckled under me. I fell to my knees. “Aggh!” I said quietly through gritted teeth. “You need help.” Andy decided. He slipped under me and put my arm over his shoulder. He grabbed my hand with his and helped me up.
We all walked slowly back to the armory. As soon as we reached the door, Andy dropped me and I leaned against the door. I sighed. “It’s over.” I said. Andy nodded. I moved aside so that he could open the door. Once the door was opened, a terrible sight met my eyes. Sprawled on the floor, a small, rusted dagger lodged into her stomach, gun lying across the room, was Sapphire.