The Warriors of Light
Chapter 16

The air grew denser, even with the air conditioner blasting in the van. Gregory, Serene, and Johnny were all in the back seat, while they left me in the front with a questionable driver. I didn't sleep at all last night. The earthquake subsided, but more worry grew on Gregory's face. He didn't want me anywhere near what we were driving towards. Whatever sense I had left, should've told me to run, too.

Suddenly, the van started to slow down to a near halt as we reached a sandstorm. "This doesn't look good." Johnny Stan spoke, nervously looking around. Gregory's eyes roamed through the sand looking for something. The van stopped as the driver started to panic. I placed my hand behind my back waiting to pull out my gun, just in case. There was a swoosh and then a crescendo scream. When I looked back, the driver was gone, the car door opened, fogging the car with sand particles.

"Ray!" I heard my name being yelled by Gregory and I looked back to see what he saw. My car door was torn from the van by something from the outside. My eyes widened but then closed as the sand started to obscure my vision. I felt my seat go back, then an arm pierced my peripheral vision. I heard a screech before I was handed some goggles by Serene.

I put them on and they were like night vision goggles. The aura was green, possibly to protect my eyes from the sun and the sand. Serene placed some on Johnny, who was handcuffed, before she got out the car with him. Gregory opened the door on his side and I followed suit. The wind from the sandstorm was pushing me back in. Gregory wrapped a bandanna around his mouth and tucked it in his shirt.

"What the fuck!" That was Johnny screaming as Gregory handed me a bandanna to cover my face. I hurried and tied it on, running over to Serene's side to see what was attacking. The goggles scanned, zooming in on the creature that was pulling us out of the vehicle. Serene took out her electric baton while Gregory did the same. The creature looked to have been from the sea but was tunneling through the sand as if it was water.

A long neck protruded from his body with scaly arms that seemed to be way too long for an average demon. This was a monster, not the average demon I was used to seeing. I had only encountered human-like demons before now, which caused me to gulp because they were already a handful.

I moved out of the way, hitting the car on my right side, dodging the creature's long tail. Gregory jumped up. A pull from his arm caused a blade to come out of his sleeves allowing him to pin down the creature's tail. It still wiggled furiously, trying to attack. I took out my gun, not sure if it would work on this thing as it had with demons, but I shot at the tail. The results caused a huge explosion of light as I was pushed back, now farther from the group.

I hit the ground hard, looking around for the others, but I was alone in the middle of the sandstorm. The wind started to circle me. "You are misit deus...Warrior of Light." The slithering in my ear made my flesh crawl as I quickly stood. There was that phrase again that the demons used. The monster appeared to me, tall, like a centipede trudging through the sand. "You do not belong here!" It came for me as I backed up, gun in my hands, again. I dodged his bite while moving and crawling to the other side.

His slithering tail crawled under me in the sand and came up fast wrapping around me as I grunted from the squeeze. I screamed a loud throaty cry that rattled my core and hopefully signaled for help. The demon screeched, loosening his grip, when I saw Gregory-sword in his hands as he sliced through the demon's body. He quickly grabbed me and pulled me to my feet, dragging me away from the monster.

"Do you feel out of your league now, Ray?" Gregory joked, but I knew he was asking seriously. "One of these days I will save your ass. You watch and see." That made him smirk as he helped me up.

"Your gun isn't going to work on this thing. His skin is harder than most, so you have to cut it." He gave me a sword. The same one I picked up at the church and nearly killed myself with. "You got this." There was a boost of confidence I wasn't prepared for because I know I didn't have it. The sword didn't even fell natural in my hands. I needed my gun. It was what I trained with. "A true Warrior of Light can use more than one weapon." Gregory continued as if reading my mind. The monster came back, again. Gregory moved out of the way and leaped into the air. The tail was exposed to me, now, torn from the previous cut. So, I took advantage and cut it, slicing down with the sword. I celebrated for a moment just to be flung back with a slight hit of the tail. I hit the car, again—with a groan-seeing it start to smoke. That gave me an idea.

Serene was fighting another one of those things on her side. With much difficulty, as she had to hold on to Johnny Stan as well. I whistled, catching the attention of both monsters. I held my arms out offering myself. "I'm what you really want!"

"Ray, what are you doing?" Serene asked in anger until she noticed my eyes glance at the car and then back at her letting her in on my plan. She ran up the monster, throwing Johnny Stan into the air like he weighed nothing, slicing the arms of the monster. She pissed it off, even more, running over to me. Gregory was pushed over to me by the one he was fighting.

"Get behind me!" I yelled. Once the monsters were forced into the sand, before resurfacing to attack, I aimed the gun straight for the van right in-between them. The bullet hit its target, blowing the monsters into bits. The force of them exploding drew us back and out of the storm. The raging sandstorm suddenly simmered, covering any evidence of the fight we had.

I stared at the head of the monster, shocked that my idea actually worked. My happiness, though, was short-lived when the head of the monsters jerked up violently, aimed towards me again. My eyes grew wide and then closed as I quickly flailed my arm holding the sword. After a heartbeat or two, I opened my eyes slowly, surprised I was still alive. The monster's head was inches from my face, now frozen from the stab I just gave it. It slid down my sword with its nasty green blood. I looked over at Gregory who stabbed the other head, just to be sure, with his sword.

With a disgusted look on my face, I threw the head away from us and fell on the ground- exhausted, panting from excitement, and, now, fully able to breathe since the sand had been suffocating us tremendously. The simmering of the sand now showcased what was around us, bones buried in the sand. Some still had fresh flesh on them, but it was only pieces of body parts. I would've gagged at the sight but I only looked, catching Johnny looking out at the sandy boneyard. The men he spoke about earlier must've been some of these body parts.