As I nearly collapsed with dread, the things let out their terrible giggle all at once. The unholy sound made it feel like my skin and surroundings were crawling all over with a million squirming worms and insects.

"P-Put him down!" I shouted, my words slurring with fear.

The big crowned thing let out a dry chuckle that sounded like metal scraping against concrete as I saw through its shadow that it stroked Aaron's cheek. Aaron had fallen unconscious. The smaller ones guffawed as their shadows clapped their tiny stick arms together.

Jared aimed the gun at the "king". Its shadow feigned fear, then let out a howl of laughter that sounded like a squeal from an animal being led to the slaughterhouse more than anything.

The lights started to move closer to us as they danced and giggled. Now that I really thought about it, they reminded me of some of the books I used to read in Edward's library, the ones about the fairies that would kidnap bad children so that they'd never be seen again. Would they... take Aaron away?

My body shook with fear, but also with a rising rage. They wouldn't take him...

"Jared..." I managed to spit out as the king's shadow went to stroke Aaron's hair, "...let's kill it!!!"

He nodded with resolve.

I dropped the pack I was carrying on my back, quickly grabbing the crowbar I had strapped to it. I didn't know if we could even hurt these things... the one Jared had shot just faded away and reappeared like nothing had happened... who knows what else they could do...

We had no choice but to try! If we did nothing, Aaron would die! If we did nothing, we'd die anyway! So... we had to fight!

Jared and I looked at each other, and we both understood what we needed to do.

I charged forward at the big ball of light with the crowbar raised high above my head, not knowing if I'd even be able to anything, while Jared started to run around him, swinging the butt of the gun at the smaller lights as he ran by them. Right before he'd hit them, they disappeared and re-materialized with a chuckle a few feet away.

There was something especially unnerving about their behavior, as if they had the innocence of a child along with an unrestrained cruelty that knew no consequences or discipline. They didn't even entirely seem intelligent, it was almost like their intelligence was limited to their playfulness and cruelty.

The king locked his empty sockets onto my eyes as I charged. An indecipherable noise that sounded like a bird chirping or a cricket resounded from the king, and the smaller "fairies" let out what sounded like snarling as they rapidly moved in on us. I swung the crowbar wildly, though I didn't make contact with any of them, they just popped into existence in another spot before I could hit them. I heard Jared struggling as I tried to swat them away.

I felt an icy touch on my shoulder and turned to see the shadow of one of the things poking me with its thin, squirming arm. Though it didn't hurt, for some reason it sent an irrational feeling of pure terror through my entire body. I screamed like a madman, and the fairy cackled as it let off an absolutely blinding flash of light.

I couldn't see anything... it felt like the whole world was spinning like a merry-go-round, like my entire mind was being put through a blender. I swung the crowbar wildly around, I heard the fairies demented giggling echo all around me...