She didn’t so much as blink, because Grand Master Monkey took care of it. A single punch had the cop flying backward, and that’s when the shit hit the fan.
Everywhere around them, the cops lifted their weapons. Bing had already made it to the nearest kangaroo and touched it with a finger before it unraveled. Walter gasped. Bing had his power back! That was great, but now there were cops aiming everywhere, especially at the kangaroos, who suddenly bellowed as one and headed straight for Bing.
Walter grabbed his aunt, his expression fierce. Somewhere beneath Sand was his aunt. He was determined to reach the woman he remembered. “Stop this now! If you ever cared for me at all, stop it!”
There was a moment of flickering hesitation—a single brief second that told him she wasn’t quite lost, not yet. Adding to the restraint, Kong grabbed his father’s arm.
“Stop it! They have guns!”
Then he too was thrown backward.
“Kill the werewolf!” Grand Master Monkey bellowed before arching his back in a gleeful full-belly laugh. It was just like watching a bad kung fu movie, except it was playing out before him.
Monkey jumped straight past the flattened cop to land directly in front of Bing. Then he began beating up Bing in true demigod form. Spinning kicks, rapid punches, and that damned staff that was faster than the eye could see.
Worse, Walter knew he was holding back. He’d lived from that place. He knew what Monkey was capable of, and the grand master had a lifetime of skill to fall back on even before Monkey invaded his body. Which meant Bing had no chance of winning.
Sure enough, Bing began to fight, his efforts impressive, but he was no match for Monkey’s speed. He ducked, he blocked, he spun away, but Monkey was a demigod who never tired, never stopped.
Then Walter got an idea.
“Why are you fighting, Monkey? Is it honorable to kill a man because your son lost a competition?” That wasn’t the real reason, but Walter wasn’t going to out Kong on the internet. He turned toward Gator, using all of his creative power to deliver a compelling narrative. “The grand master’s son is there.” He pointed to where Kong was just now getting up from where he’d landed. “He and Bing were up for the same part as Red Wolf.” He made sure Gator turned the phone to where Bing—still fighting as a man—narrowly avoided a flurry of blows, only to get kicked in the side and thrown at the kangaroos. “Bing won fair and square, so now the man is using Monkey to enact his revenge. But Monkey is an honorable spirit, both blessed and punished by Buddha. Revenge, hatred, and fear weaken him. See how his power fades, how the body ages before our very eyes?”
He waited expectantly. Even he could feel the power that came from people watching through Gator’s phone. It tingled along the edges of his consciousness like a prickle of energy that he was shaping with his words.
Was it working? It seemed so at first. The grand master faltered a bit, giving Bing a second to catch his breath.
But then Sand took control. She stepped in, waving her arms wildly, and the kangaroos began to attack. Whatever attention had been on the grand master went to her now, and to the kangaroos, who started making god-awful noises.
That was it for the surrounding cops. Gunfire erupted, slamming into one kangaroo after another. Except these were phantom kangaroos. They took the hits, bellowed, and kept on going.
That was when somebody got the bright idea to shoot Auntie Sand.
A single gunshot to her chest stopped her just as she was about to leap onto Bing. She flew back with a gasp, and Walter watched in horror as blood blossomed on her chest and tainted the air. Dammit, he knew she wasn’t completely human, but the sight of his auntie lying on the ground, covered in blood, shook him.
She wasn’t dead—her glare of fury was enough to tell him that she wasn’t gone—but he didn’t have time to deal with her as Grand Master Monkey let out a furious roar. Worse, the kangaroos went crazy, attacking everything in sight.
The crew, who had been watching nearby, now ran away, half of them screaming. Even Gator started to back off, but Walter didn’t give him the chance. He needed the energy from Gator’s audience, all the power of the people watching live. He grabbed the man and used every skill he had to keep him here, filming.
And then it got worse. Bing took a blow from a mad kangaroo. The thing’s tail got him, and he crumpled. He looked to be barely breathing. Walter lunged forward with a scream. He dropped Gator’s arm and was prepared to do battle with an oncoming kangaroo just to get to Bing’s side, but while he was dashing around the mad creature, Bing’s body began to glow.
He’d seen it once before, but wow, it never got old. It started with a golden shimmer that seemed to come from within Bing’s chest. A split second later, it radiated outward in a blinding flash of light, just like on the TV show. And when Walter finished blinking, there stood Red Wolf in all his flowing, glorious fur. He was gorgeous as he now leaped sideways away from two more kangaroos, but he didn’t leave the fray. Instead, he circled the grand master, his teeth bared and his eyes darkening to red.
“Is that Red Wolf?” Gator asked.
“That’s right!” Walter exclaimed. “Red Wolf!”
He didn’t know what he was saying except that he was happy. Bing’s chest wasn’t caved in. He was alive and well as he faced off with Monkey. But still, one wolf against a demigod? He wasn’t going to last long.
Walter rushed forward, willing to fight alongside Bing. He knew he wasn’t going to be much help, but he wasn’t going to let Bing die either. He took a quick glance behind him. Gator was still streaming.
“Look around, Monkey!” Walter cried. “This isn’t a righteous fight. We aren’t demons.”
“Werewolves!” the grand master spit, his eyes hateful.
Shit. Under normal storytelling, werewolves could be called demons, and he couldn’t afford to let the audience tip toward the grand master. “Not a demon!” he cried, but the words were lost among sudden kangaroo chaos.
It took all his concentration to duck and weave as kangaroos started running everywhere. They’d been chaotic before, but this time they were—
