The Terror Gaze: Book 2 of The Mortal Guard Series

Chapter 4 - Nick, Richard, and Adam: The Answer

Chapter 4 - Nick, Richard, and Adam: "The Answer"

"Yeah, Adam!" the otter touted.

"You look just like Boris," Richard stated.

Ivan turned his head, silhouetted by Richard. "Is this some sort of joke?"

"No!" Adam shouted. "I know it doesn't make sense, but Boris is me and I am Boris somehow. And I know this isn't really happening because I've been stuck in Boris's dreams."

Richard raised a brow. "You're aware this is a dream?"

"You are?" Adam blinked.

"What's the meaning of this?" Ivan growled. Suddenly, the room rumbled with such a loud force that it made everyone jump. "What the hell was that?"

Richard looked back at the door. "Sounds like something's happening in the lobby! Nicholas!" He pushed his hand on the door, opening it. As soon as he did, bright white light flashed across his face.

Ivan quickly came over, holding his gun to the back of Richard's head. "What are you on about—Huh?"

Outside, in the lobby, and only in the lobby, rain had started pouring, soaking into the carpet and covering everything. The rain came from nowhere, not even a cloud on the ceiling of the room.

"What sort of magic is this?" Ivan asked, pressing his gun to Richard's cranium.

"Nick!" Richard called.

The hyena looked up, as his feline adversary, wiped his claws across his right cheek, causing him to gasp. His fur was heavy, yet his TempRes uniform meant that he couldn't feel how cold the rain was. "Richard! I don't know what happened! It just started pouring! It has to be Boris!"

"Boris isn't here!" his partner informed. "Adam is!"

"A-Adam?!" Nick threw a kick to the cat's chest, launching him backward with his gravity boot. "What the hell?"

"Enough games!" Ivan hissed. "Tell me where Pierce Tucker is right now! Your magic won't fool me. You have ten seconds or I put a bullet through your skull!"

"Pierce is in this very room," the raccoon stated. "Disguised as that otter female over there."

"R-really?!" Adam turned his attention toward Leah's dark form in the chair.

She looked up. "Seriously, dude? How could you sell me out like that?"

Richard sighed. "Because this isn't real. As you can see from the rain in the lobby. Look, the stairs have also turned into a slope. It's only a warped memory."

Ivan turned. "Luca, kill the father and sister, then."

Richard used that moment in a flash, reaching his hand into his jacket and removing his blade from its sheath. With the momentum, he swiftly slashed across Ivan's neck, sending blood spraying from the Black Cross leader's wound as the hyena's eyes widened. Lightning flashed from the lobby again as he fell to his knees. "Adam, kick your chair back! Duck!"

"U-uh! Okay!" Only the otter's hands were bound, so he used his flexibility to bring his feet up to the edge of the table, pushing with his might and free falling backward, right onto his hands. "YOWZA!"

Quickly, Richard fired his Prism Pistol at each of the vampire's heads, knowing it wouldn't kill them, but take them out for a short while. As he expected, each animal's blood splattered on the wall as they collapsed. All the victims at the dinner table were screaming and crying out for help. The raccoon thanked the gods this wasn't really happening.

He rushed forward to where Adam was, pulling the chair up and using his knife to cut the rope. Richard grabbed his shoulders. "Where's Boris?!"

"Holy shit...you just took out all those vamps..." Adam gasped, looking around after he stood up.