by Sonhaven, T5, I'm Not Mister Mxypltk and GoozX
Danny Hearn felt joy, almost as if it were corporeal, and it had embraced him. His eyes slowly opened to small slits of life. Through a blur he saw a man and light coming from every direction so that it chased away shadow. A tear of happiness formed, and then the reality of pain.
"Ugh..." Danny groaned as he fully opened his eyes. The man with the light was replaced by a man wearing overalls with the name Bob Jenkins written on it.
"Sorry... I had to let the pain hit you. We were losing you there for minute," Tayden said and then smiled. "Welcome back... hero."
"Did you get the plates on the truck that hit me?" Danny said, trying to sit up in vain. Tayden laughed.
Danny's cracking smile went south when he suddenly remembered. "Priest," he said, staring at Tayden.
"He's fine. He's already awake and staring pensively at the fire... probably thinking about how he can get the strength to go back out there," Tayden explained.
"If he is, he's got the right idea." Danny tried to stand and collapsed.
"God, I love you people... but you aren't going anywhere. You're a hair away from external bliss. Lucky for you, Dirk, Grimm, and God seem to be on your side. Relax, Danny," Tayden said as he poured a morphine-like dose of calm onto Danny's troubled spirit.
Danny's eyes closed a little. "Gotta go back out there..." Then he settled down on the ground.
"You'll be back in the fray soon enough, Danny. Save yourself for now... rest," Tayden whispered to Danny.
Tayden bowed his head. "Lord, help them... give them strength... give us all strength."
Biggins ran to a small, open garage and took shelter from the rain. It smelled of gasoline and tires. Having defeated his share of vampires, or whatever they were, he felt like taking a nap before resuming his quest to help the islanders fight them. He stacked a few seat cushions that lay at the back of the garage and prepared to lay down, when he heard a weird whooshing noise. Grabbing a tire iron in his right hand, he peered outside and saw an angel land in front of him.
The angel was shining and had the most pretty face he had ever seen. In only a fraction of a second, the flash of a flickering streetlight had shone on Ameristar as she landed in front of the garage. Biggins inhaled deeply at the sight of the armored girl that smiled to him.
"Hello, there. Are you all right in there?" she said with a soft voice that reminded him of Marie. Oh, Marie; why did it have to end as it had between them?
"Mister? Are you...?"
"Sure, Miss. I'm fine. You just continue doing whatever you we're doing. I'll be fine in here."
"You should close the door just in case."
"I will. Thanks for your concern. I assure you that I will be fine." He gave her a reassuring thumbs up and a grin.
"Ooo-kayyy, have it your way." She turned about and started to walk toward the beach, when she got a signal in her helmet. She was being hailed by someone.
Phil Smith was calibrating the radio inside the UFO to the channel Ameristar was hopefully using. He had only tried for a couple of minutes, but the tension was making him restless. And rain and lightning was making it more difficult. Swearing loudly, he kicked the board in front of him.
"This piece of high-tech junk isn't working. If only..."
"zzrrzzhhh... here... zrrzzzh... not reading you... zzzrrzz... please repezzzzrzz."
He refocused his attention like a whip and, after a few trials and errors, managed to focus in on the correct signal.
"Umm... Hi. Ameristar, you have to get back to the caves. There seems to be something you can help Priest with, and we need his abilities in full power now. Please hurry. I don't know for how long I can keep this channel open. Over."
"Roger that, Phillyboy. I'll be over in a jiffy. Just sit tight. Over and out."
Ameristar suddenly appeared next to him in the UFO and almost gave Phil a heart attack. "Gah! Please warn me before you do stuff like that again."
"Sure... now where is this Priest fellow?"
Phil straightened himself and said, "C'mon, I'll show you. And, Ameristar...?"
"Yes?"
"Don't call me Phillyboy."
Laughing, she followed him outside.
Daniela of the PSI-Unit looked at Uncle Otto, lying on the floor under a blanket, like many other people injured by the hurricane, the Beast, or the vampires. She looked at the state he was in and tried to think of a way to apologize to him.
"Um..." she said, "...Otto?"
"Hmm?" the bear mumbled.
"Do you, um, remember me?"
"Yes..."
"I'm sorry for what I did, Otto. I wasn't being myself," she said, and then she thought, Or maybe I was being more myself than usual.
"It's okay, little birdie..."
"Really?" Daniela said, and then thought about what he just said. "Um... Did you call me little birdie?"
"Yes, little birdie... Now fly away! Spread your wings and fly to the skyyyyy..."
Daniela looked at the injured bear, confused. "What's up with him?" she asked Mick Harrison, who was walking by.
"Oh, I gave him something to ease the pain," Mick answered, "some roots I found."
"And do they work?" Daniela asked.
"Oh, yeah. They work. He's high as a kite, now."
Daniela looked at the bear again.
"AND BEYOOOOND!" he yelled.
Priest sat by the fire, alone. He looked into the flames, his expression static. His hand passed through the fire, the warmth, and the power. The flames seeped into his body. Over the past twenty-four hours, he had been knocked unconscious twice. He had overly exhausted his power once, and he couldn't handle the strain. Then he was caught off-guard at his weakest moment and nearly taken apart by a vampire. Priest knew his body well; he had a bad concussion and a broken rib. But this was the least of his worries.
His hand shook; he grabbed it close to his body. He felt the presence of two people behind him.
"Priest," Phil said as he and Ameristar approached the solider, "there are six of those things that attacked you hunting down Wulf. He needs our protection while fighting the Beast."
Priest listened and slowly got up to his feet.
Phil continued, "We have a plan but need the extra power. Ameristar has a device that might be able to help you recharge."
Priest thought to himself, his sight was a little off and his head fuzzy. If he died here and now, his mission would fail. He would fail everyone he ever loved. He would fail the father he had never met. Priest nodded his head toward Phil.
"Ameristar," said Phil.
The young lady took the Gaia unit and strapped it to Priest's back. She turned the dial to full power. "Don't worry, hunky, you won't feel a--"
"AAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!"
Energy at its purest form surged through every cell within Priest's body. His eyes let up yellow, and his muscles tightened up before ripping through his shirt as his large form grew.
"--thing."
For a moment, Priest's brain shut down, but he regained his composure. "Let's go."