The shop door slams.
And something bumps into me again. Lots of things bump into me. I take a few steps trying to hustle and keep my shoes on. I trip on something furry and when I put my hand out to catch myself, there's definitely something there. A scream escapes and terror ricochets through me. My blood pounds in my ears. I tried to scramble up, but something is on me I fight against it and push it.
Oh God, I don't know what I'm touching. I can’t see anything. I’m fighting the air, but it’s solid and furry.
Fin wasn't mad or high. He saw something I can't.
A hot stab burns into my chest. I struggle up, fighting against what I can't see and losing. Another hot stab in my thigh. I want to be sick from the pain twisting in my gut.
I should have stayed in the shop where I was safe.
Something whistles through the air. The weight on me is gone and a cloud of indigo dust showers over me. A small silver tipped arrow drops to the ground near my head. I roll over and grab it and stab at anything that touches me. Another cloud of ink appears. I cough on the dust, not sure where it even came from. Three more arrows whistle toward me, and three more clouds of ink appear. I'm covered in dark dust. But there's nothing attacking me anymore.
I get to my hands and knees and retch up the contents of my stomach.
The midnight dust covers my hands and my head pounds.
I've no idea what just happened, and I'm not sure I want to know.
Fin walks over. “Did you get stung?”
I have no idea. I sit, my limbs turning to jelly, and stare up at him. He reaches toward me and I lean away.
“I need to flick the barb out or it will keep delivering poison into your system. I don't know if it's fatal to humans or not. It wasn't to me.”
Is he suggesting that he's not human? Nothing is making sense.
“What attacked me?”
“I already told you. You just didn't want to believe me.” He kneels next to me. “I'm removing the barbs now. How about you sit still and listen to me for a few seconds?”
I nod. Pain flares in my thigh and then in my chest, but then it eases. Whatever he's holding in his hand, he inspects. Then he stands and crunches them under his boot, before picking up the silver tipped arrows that had fallen around me. I hold out the one in my hand and he carefully takes it by the wooden end, like he's afraid of the silver, and then tucks them all into his jacket.
“Would you like me to lock up the shop now?”
I can’t get up. I’m not sure the world is stable anymore. I was attacked by invisible monsters that only he can see. Without waiting for an answer, he picks up the keys from where I dropped them when I fell over.
“The alarm needs set,” I call out. I’ll be fired if I don’t set the alarm. I struggle to my knees and then to my feet, but when I take a step, my leg goes from beneath me and I fall again, skinning my knee on the pavers and grazing my hand.
“Done.” Then he locks the door and strides back over, scooping up my dropped bag as he goes. He stops a yard from me and tilts his head as he looks up.
Oh God.I know what it is before he turns and shoots. A puff of ink explodes.
I blink and I think I see yellow smudges appearing on the roof, but that can’t be right.
“We need to get out of here.” He holds out his hand and this time I take it.
