“Stay still damn you!” Gulm shrieked as he burst from the third-story floor. Once again, Kevin leapt nimbly out of the way. “Damn it, not again!”

“You’re not very smart, are you.” he said to the worm, balanced on a desk. “Why would I stand still and let you eat me?”

“Hrgg…hrgg…haahhh!” Gulm’s mouth opened wider than his whole body. He started convulsing, then vomited up a mass of slimy red sucker-tipped tentacles that shot after Kevin.

“Yipe!” The vampire ducked and the tentacles dug into the whiteboard behind him, gouging holes in the plaster and plastic. “What the he-uuuh?” Gulm reared back and slurped up the tentacles like spaghetti, with a horrible hurking noise. His drool splattered everywhere as he did.

“Plastic. I hate eating plastic. And the drywall’s so stale!” Gulm complained, narrowing the eyes on the left side of his head.

“That’s…that was your stomach?” Kevin asked, feeling queasy.

“Of course it was. And it’ll be your funeral parlor!” He dove back into the concrete, heading towards the door. “Heh heh…let’s see how you get out when the exit’s blocked!” he chuckled to himself. He reached out with his hearing, trying to find the vibrations his prey was emitting. However, he could detect no movement in the room. “Huh?” Popping out of the floor, he found Kevin gone and the window open. “Damn it!”

“That thing is gross and stupid. Why did I have to antagonize this one?” Kevin muttered, crawling slowly up the side of the building. His head was swimming; the sun was far too bright and hot for his tastes, despite being overcast. Every handhold dug into the wall was a struggle. The worm burst out of the classroom, biting and snarling.

“You little-ow!” Gulm swung back and forth, trying to shake off the burning sensation. “Aargh! It’s the daylight! I hate sunlight undisguised!” He roared, smashing into the side of the school. The worm was blinded, half in the air, and nearly mad with pain. Kevin supposed he wouldn’t get a better chance. He let go of the brick.

“Yaaahhhh!” He landed on Gulm’s neck and squeezed, trying to cut off the blood flow to his brain.

“Eh?” Gulm tried to look up at him, but it was futile. He started shaking with rage. “You…you! Argh! Fine! If you think this’s a rodeo, better hold on, cowboy Yee-hah!” Gulm started bucking and writhing, trying to throw Kevin off. He hung on for dear unlife, slamming into the walls. He grit his teeth as masonry and glass showered down on his back. Wait, teeth?

“I’m an idiot.” Kevin mumbled, shaking his head. He was a vampire, on a creature’s neck.

He tried to bite through the tough, rubbery flesh, but to no avail. It was meant to burrow through the ground; his piddly jaw muscles weren’t going to be enough. He looked around for a solution. “Hey, Gulm! Watch it! You’ll fall if you swing around to the left!” There was a jagged piece of metal hanging that way, part of the frame. Kevin hoped he was reading his enemy right, and the worm did not disappoint.

“Die, bastard!” Kevin ducked low as Gulm smacked into the wall, his own muscle driving the steel into his flesh. “Ow! Are you dead yet?”

“No, but you are!” He ripped and tore down into the flesh, further than he’d ever had to bite into anything before. After five agonizingly long seconds, he came to the sweet, sweet ambrosia he’d been craving. “Blecch.” It still tasted the same as others he’d drank, but there was a greasy, slimy, sour wrongness to the texture and flavor that made it feel like he was sucking down motor oil. Still, as this was the only plan he came up with, and he was hungry anyway, he drank deeply. Gulm shrieked and redoubled his efforts to throw him off. Kevin latched on tighter; there was no way he’d let go now.

“N-No!” Gulm bellowed. “I must destroy the school!”

‘And, for that, Nightfang judges you guilty.’ Kevin thought, gulping down as much of the slimy blood as he could. ‘There is no jail that can hold you. You cannot go back to being a human. It’s not your fault, Brian’s the one controlling you. Unfortunately, you won’t stop. Which means I only have one recourse. I’m sorry, Gulm. I wish there were another way. Forgive me, but I can’t let you kill innocent people.’

The worm’s struggles became weaker and weaker as Kevin’s stomach grew fuller, gorging as much as he could. Finally, unable to drink any more, Kevin twisted his head, severing the vein. Blood leaked out, not in a spray or gush, he didn’t have enough left in him for that. Gulm, turning pale, lost consciousness and slipped from the hole, hitting his head on concrete from three stories up.

“Hyah!” Kevin leapt off for all he was worth, reaching for the roof, the window, anything. All that blood made him bloated and heavy. He could feel it dragging him down. His hand, stretched as far as it could go, fell short… and was grabbed by Will.

“Will!?” Kevin exclaimed, smacking into the building. It hurt, but he’d take it over hitting the ground any day. “Am I ever glad to see you!”

“Hold on!” Will grunted, bracing himself. “I…you gotta haul yourself up, you’re too heavy!” Kevin gratefully climbed back into the classroom, exhausted. He wanted nothing more than to lie down and sleep until the world stopped spinning.

“Good thing you were here. Thanks.” he said, panting.

“It’s nothing. Just couldn’t let you go splat like that.” Will said, flopping down beside him. “How’s it feel to save the student body, man?”

“Okay, I guess.” Kevin shrugged, looking out the hole. The students and faculty were gathered far out on the lawn, around the side. They’d been shouting and pointing at the worm and the holes. This time, he wasn’t concerned with his identity; they were too far away for either human eyes or camera lens. He smiled softly and huffed. His eyes could barely make out details, there was no way the others could see him. He looked them over, satisfied. The teens were starting to spill out into the parking lot, were…Will’s car was?

“Hey Will, is that-”

Will’s mouth stretched and bit down into Kevin’s shoulder, eyes blazing red. Kevin screamed and wrenched it away, leaving a trail of blood and a chunk of flesh. It felt like it was on fire.

“W-Will!?”

“That’s right.” Will hissed, circling Kevin.

“N-No! When did they get you!?” he cried, aghast. Will chuckled, his transformation beginning slowly as his legs expanded, the thick spikey metallic hairs tearing through his jeans.

“They didn’t.” Will’s mouth said, waving back and forth over his head. “Last night I went back and volunteered to join the club. And all it took was the school, grade, and class that we went to, to set up an ambush. You had no chance. We can be anybody, anywhere. There is no escape.”

Kevin went numb. There was a faint ringing in his ears. He stared at Will, hips widening to crouch down, in disbelief. He felt all the strength and tension sink out of his body, along with his heart.

“My master understands the value of a traitor, reee.” Will continued, making a pleased sound as Kevin collapsed to his knees in front of him. “The psychological trauma is immense, and they are in the perfect position for maximum impact. I will never betray him, so my loyalty is secured as well.”

Kevin stared at him dumbly, unable to feel the tears running down his face. Numb. He was numb. He coughed, but managed to choke out a single word.

“Why?”

Will threw back his head and roared with laughter, holding his sides with his new pair of arms.

“Why?” He suddenly tackled Kevin, forcing him onto his back. “You ask me whyyyy!?” he screeched in his face. Kevin trembled at the look of fury Will sported. Will stared at him, eyes narrowed.

“I wanted it.” he said, pulling him off the ground, strength too much for Kevin to resist even had he been in a mind to.

“Huh?”

“I said, I wanted it.” Will stood up and turned his back, pacing. “I saw what you had and wanted it. I’ve been on the basketball team since middle school. But in one night, you surpassed anything a pro could do, let alone me. No training, no countless hours of practice, no effort. I’d always been stronger, faster, better than you. I...I was jealous, I admit it. And then you decided to be a superhero, and the town loved you for it. And then you met these new guys who can do all these special things that I couldn’t. It made my head spin. I tried to keep you grounded, but you wouldn’t listen. You just kept pushing ahead, damn the consequences. So I tried to be happy for you, I really did.

“But deep inside I saw what you had, and I wanted it.” He turned to Kevin, eyes blazing redder than any Kevin had seen. “You have no idea how powerless I felt, how helpless, especially against these creatures.” He swept an arm up and down his body. “But now?” Now, things are different. I went to Brian and Riepaimva, and they gladly made me into one of their soldiers. Now, I’m better than any one of you could ever be. I feel the power surging through my veins. And I won’t be destroyed when the master remakes the world. I’ll happily help him tear it down. Oh, nearly forgot.” He dug in his shredded pants pocket, and flung a piece of black cloth at Kevin. He unfolded it to see his mask. “Can’t forget that, hero. Then again, if you were a real hero, you’d be able to stop me, instead of bawling your eyes out.” Will reared up, preparing to strike down his former friend. Kevin stared helplessly at his mask, entranced. “You’re no hero. You’re just a deluded little kid in his underwear playing pretend.” He raised his arm, and brought it down.

“GET BENT!” WHAM! A piece of rubble collided with his face, and Will turned back to see a furious, red-faced Amber with tears in her eyes and a scowling Scott at the door. “How the goddamn hell can you dare, DARE to say that, after everything he’s done! He’s risked his life at least three times this week trying to help other people, including you! He’s one of the bravest guys I’ve ever seen!” Amber spat, jumping between them still smoking and fizzy-haired.

“Save your breath, Amber. It’s not something a wretch like him could understand anyway.” Scott said coldly, pulling a piece of chalk out.

“What do you know about what I went through? How I feel!?” Will bellowed. “You’ve had powers since the beginning! Yu don’t know how helpless I felt, how overwhelmed I was! But now I have the ability to do something about it!”

“And the only way you could get that power was by giving in to Brian’s machinations. And even worse, you sold out your friend to do it. And worst of all, you have absolutely no intention of doing anything actually useful with that power, like fighting back.” Scott said, crouching down. Amber hefted another piece of concrete, hating herself for it but seeing no other choice. Damn it, why were there so many traitors around her!?

Will hissed, crouching on all sixes. He started to leap forward, but fell as his leg was caught on something. He looked back to see Kevin holding on with an iron grip.

“W-Will…I…I’m sorry. I’m sorry you felt that way, I’m sorry we put you in that position. But-” His grip grew tighter, and Will grimaced in pain. “That doesn’t change what you’ve done. Y-You…you know what I have to do. I…” He swallowed, hard. “I can’t let you hurt my friends, or anyone else. P-Prepare…prepare to face the wrath of Nightwing.”

“Ha! You think I’m scared of some pathetic little-”

Kevin’s body bulged, muscles swelling to a Liefeldian degree as his body digested the blood from Gulm, reacting to his anger. Will’s sinuous mouth was agape as Kevin heaved him up with one arm, then slammed him down into the floor hard enough to make it burst. But once was not enough. Will screeched and tried to bite at him, but the vampire blood coursing through Kevin’s body cried out in rage. He threw him around again and again, the super-resistant body and hard shell Brian designed being put to the test. Scott and Amber stared in shock as Kevin silently manhandled a screaming Will.

“Stop it! Stop it!” Will shrieked, pissed beyond belief and more than a little unnerved. He was supposed to be stronger than any normal vampire, as much as vampires were to humans! The blows, while he could tell they wouldn’t do any lasting damage, rang his bell more than they were supposed to.

“Puny vampire.” Kevin muttered, smacking him into a wall. He stood there, panting. Though he didn’t say anything, he was biting the inside of his cheek. There was something wrong with the blood he’d drunk form the worm; it had a strange, tingly burning sensation. The nearest he could figure, his body was working overtime to force it out of his system, like food poisoning.

“You freak! What’s going on!? Stop it!” Will howled.

As if in answer to his prayers, the roof collapsed, forcing Kevin to let go and escape. Will managed to scuttle out of the way as well.

Leo descended on top of Mielios, grappling him and doing his damnedest to saw off the alien’s head. Mielios was grasping a piece of rubble the flaming sword was embedded in, trapping it, his maggoty eye-tendrils snapping at Leo. Both were bruised, sweating, and exhausted, though neither would yield.

“Leo!” Amber cried, but the combatants paid her no heed.

“Your…grrg…sword is useless, boy.” Mielios spat, struggling to keep the hot flames away from him.

“I am… (huff) more than… (huff) mere…metal.” Leo boasted tiredly, holding another claw down and keeping an eye on the other two. They had been going at it full-blast for nearly ten minutes; Leo was weakening, kept alive only because of his quick wits and quicker reflexes, while Mielios’s wounds closed after a short while. It was obvious who would win the prolonged fight, and the only reason Leo had lasted as long as he had was Mielios’s previous training. He had learned much, but by now he had a grasp of how Mielios moved and attacked. He should, he supposed; he’d been trying to imitate him since the week began. But even knowing his patterns could only stave off the inevitable for so long.

“Boy!” Mielios snapped as Will. “Kill the ghoul and necromancer quickly, then help me subdue this one!” Leo’s blood ran cold. He could not allow his friends to die!

Will growled and started to move, tapping his fingers on the ground. He gazed at the targets before him, easy enough to slaughter. Suddenly, he felt a twinge of fear slice through him. For some reason, Mielios’s order sent chills through him, when he faced his opposition.

‘Flee.’ became his only thought. Unfortunately, there were people in the vicinity, and he felt as if he drew attention to himself, he’d die for sure. Unbeknownst to everyone there, his shadow’s head moved around on its own.

Leo snarled and with a burst of strength he didn’t know he had twisted the sword out of the concrete block. However, it also freed up Mielios’s arm. The alien took a swipe at him, but Leo saw it coming and ducked. He wrapped his legs around Mielios’s waist, ignoring the bites the tendrils gave him. There was only one way he could win, and it wasn’t going to be pretty. He could feel his sword vibrating in his hand, as if responding to his desire and will.

“HUT!” With a burst of air and a tensing of muscles, Leo used his position to flip Mielios over, and used that momentum to flip again, rolling towards the hole in the broken wall.

“What are you doing!?” Mielios screeched, trying to shake loose. Leo had him a death grip, the others moving in to help. But the quarterback knew full well just how dangerous Mielios was, and the others, no matter how strong they were, couldn’t be in a better position than he was right now to finish the alien off.

“Shall we fly, coach?” He smiled and rolled out, plummeting to the ground. He let go of the sword and it rocketed down faster than them, embedding itself in the ground hilt-first. He scowled trying to fight the floating sensation and the inexorable pull of the Earth’s gravity. If he could time it right, he could disengage and…

“Yrarayah!” Mielios screamed and thrashed, all traces of the noble warrior he’d been long gone. His flailing limbs knocked and disoriented Leo, until-

SHUNK.

Leo’s body felt hot and clammy, but there was a pervading numbness that was spreading through his body.

“What…what have you done?” Mielios asked weakly, trying to regain control of his limbs. Leo looked down. The blade had stuck as he wanted, but the shafft was sticking up through both of them. He watched as the red started spreading, staining his shirt.

“Heh heh.” Leo chuckled, drooling blood. “Meant to jump away, prob’ly get s’m broken bones. ‘Snot good.”

“Fool.” Mielios hissed, mustering the strength to move his arms and legs. It felt like hell, but he could push himself off the sword, where his regeneration would fix the damage. He sneered at the suicidal teenager slumped on his chest with contempt. Leo smiled ruefully as he saw him push up, unable to actually feel anything below his neck anymore.

“Sorry, Mielios. It’s not…that easy. The chosen of Zet-Mathaig…don’t get to…die in their sleep.” He drew as much breath as his clogged lungs could. “Burn.”

The sword, for the final time, caught aflame, immolating them both. The creature that had once been Mielios screamed and thrashed in pain, but Leo only smiled as the blade burned them from the inside out. He was too numb to feel it.

‘Sorry, everyone…I couldn’t make it. I hope at least Scott and Amber can stop the vampires…goodbye, Mom, Dad, Madison…Scott…Am…ber…Ev…a…’

The flames whooshed out, extinguished with the life of their master. The sword had vanished, leaving only ashes and the barest blackened remains of two creatures, twisted and entangled in each other. There was nothing left as Kevin and Amber landed on the ground, rushing over.

“Oh God…oh God…” Amber kept muttering, stricken.

“N-No! N-Not another one! Arrg!” Kevin hit his fist on the ground. “Why! Just a little faster…just a little faster and I could have saved him…” He turned back to the school. Will had long since vanished. He let out a cry and sobbed into the grass.

“Yikes, this’s a mess. Amber, could you get a tarp from the gym shed? Thanks.” Scott said, wincing at the charred bodies. Fire was a hard way to go.

“Right…” she said absently, jogging off with a dazed look on her face.

“And hurry up! The fire department will be here shortly!” Scott called after her. He turned back and let out a low whistle. “Crap, man.”

“What is wrong with you!?” Kevin exploded, shooting up and picking him up by his hoodie. His body had gone back to normal, but after what just had happened he felt like breaking something. “Don’t you realize what just happened here? A friend is gone! He sacrificed himself to take Mielios out, to save us!”

“Humph. That doesn’t matter to me.” Scott dismissed, and never had Kevin wanted to punch someone so badly in his life. His hand twitched to do just that, but Scott continued. “Have you forgotten who you’re talking to? Leo’s dead. But remember, I’m a necromancer.” His eyes shone with a toxic emerald light. “I am the one who passes final judgement on who lives and who dies. And I say Leo’s gonna be coming back. Heh heh.” He licked his lips and grinned. “I will not allow anything to befall those who do not deserve it. This is my specialty.”

“Oh.” Kevin said, letting him down. “Uh. Sorry. That…seems…a little like cheating, in a way.”

“Of course it is!” Scott declared joyfully, throwing his hands in the air. “That’s the beauty of it! Magic allows you to reject the natural order, to break all the rules! There’s nothing better than deciding for yourself what should be. The universe doesn’t care about us, I say screw it, we’ll impose our own order in its place! Reject the path in front of you for a better tomorrow, guided by your own hand! Necromancy is the ultimate art, allowing one to give the finger to the laws of causality, and fatality! Death has no consequences! All we need is Leo’s spirit, and I’m sure I’ll be able to find that too! Necromancy foreverrrr!”

Amber returned and they shoved the ashes and carcasses into the plastic as the sirens drew closer.

“Crap, we gotta run! If I’m caught, death will have very severe consequences! Hurry!” Scott said, Kevin giving him a withering look as Amber hefted the cargo and the necromancer. They ran into the small copse of trees near the school, managing to escape the notice of the teachers and fire department, but the police quickly formed a ring around the perimeter. Amber frowned. They looked way too suspicious as it was, and if they were caught with Leo’s remains…she winced at the possibilities. But stashing his corpse here until later didn’t feel right, either.

“Should we make a break for it?” she asked.

“Don’t see much else we can do.” Kevin replied glumly. Scott sighed, nodding agreement. They waited until there was no one looking in their direction, then dashed onto the street. A car with lights flashing in the back pulled out in front of them. “Oh come on!” Kevin complained.

“No, this’s good.” Scott said as the window rolled down.

“Get in. The official story is I’m taking witnesses in for questioning.” Cross growled, veins bulging in her forehead. “And store the tarp in the trunk, it smells like a barbecue.”