Rafael screamed as he rammed his shoulder into the door.

  “Stop!” Evelyn shouted. “God, Rafael! Please stop before you break your shoulder!”

  He gripped his arm, grunting as he dropped to his knees. Maybe he could try the other shoulder. No doubt he would get quite the bruise from this. But he couldn’t stop. Hazel was out there.

  Evelyn drew near him, and he jerked away.

  “I’m… not going to hurt you,” Evelyn said.

  Rafael was panting, still holding his arm. He was on his knees at the door, feeling tears racing down his cheeks.

  “God, Rafael. You’re already hurt!”

  He heard Evelyn’s shuffling footsteps in the small closet. She searched before grabbing a first aid kit off the wall and walking toward him.

  “I can do it,” Rafael said, still panting.

  “The cut is on the back of your head,” Evelyn said.

  “I can do it.” He reached out for the kit but Evelyn held it to her, glaring.

  “God, Rafael. You don’t have to do this on your own.”

  “I don’t want to hurt you. Just give it to me,” Rafael said, holding his hand out.

  Evelyn raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean by that?”

  Rafael was still panting, hand out, staring at the first aid kit. He refused to look at her. The reason why he threw himself at the door was mostly for Hazel, but also because he didn’t dare sit long enough to realize he was in a small closet with Evelyn.

  “I’ve done it before,” Rafael whispered. “I might do it again.”

  Evelyn stared at him, and he refused to look back. “Um… will you?”

  “I… don’t know…”

  His mind was scattered. He knew nothing made sense, and replaying the words he said, he realized how creepy they sounded. Yet Evelyn stood there, holding the first aid kit, not frightened. Even smiling a little.

  Evelyn glanced down at the first aid kit. “I just want to check that cut on the back of your head. I can see it better than you can. Let me put a bandage on it, then I’ll go back to the corner. And you can keep beating down the door if you want.” She paused, then screwed up her face. “Actually, I want you to stop that. It really could mess up your shoulder.”

  Rafael said nothing. He turned away from her, feeling the sticky blood on his neck. He wasn’t sure how much was there, but enough for Evelyn to notice.

  Evelyn took his silence as permission. She opened the first aid kit as she knelt on the ground behind him. Rafael closed his eyes, the tears continuing to fall as Evelyn checked the cut on the back of his head. Rafael’s ears were ringing from the phantom sounds of his shoulder ramming into the door as Evelyn quietly bandaged the wound.

  ***

  Nick froze for half a second before he forced his brain in gear.

  Alejandra started screaming as Akshi forced her over his shoulders and dropped to the ground, slithering away.

  “No!” Nick shouted, running after them.

  It was one of the most unsettling things Nick had ever seen. Alejandra was being dragged away, screaming, and no one was paying any attention. All their fellow high schoolers kept dancing like nothing was wrong. Like they couldn’t see Alejandra being dragged away by a giant snake man.

  Akshi slammed into the fire alarm door before escaping into the darkness. Nick sprinted, forcing himself onto the door, which is when the alarm sounded. He didn’t care. Let everyone be aware. It was terrifying how no one noticed.

  Akshi moved fast when he was flat on the ground. Nick was driven by desperation and adrenaline. Alejandra kept screaming, clawing at the ground to stop Akshi’s movements, but the crime lord of Osvoroth wouldn’t be stopped.

  Nick kept focus on Akshi as he concentrated, feeling his connection with Grizzizzik. The rogue appeared, dropping to the ground as Nick was already sprinting past him.

  “Kill him! Kill him! He’s got Alejandra!” Nick shouted.

  Grizzizzik sprung into action, chasing after Akshi. Hraktar appeared too, glancing around before his eyes widened at the scene. Alejandra was a lot closer to Akshi, so Hraktar was closer. Hraktar unsheathed his great sword as he ran to catch up with Akshi.

  “He’s mine,” Grizzizzik hissed. “That piece of shit is mine.”

  A dimension door appeared, and Nick’s heart stopped. They couldn’t escape. He could not let Akshi and Alejandra travel through that door.

  He pumped his legs, getting closer, as Hraktar let out a bellow and stabbed with his great sword. The sword pierced right through Akshi, cutting off the lower half of his body. Akshi shouted in pain as he dropped Alejandra. She scrambled to her feet, running straight for Nick.

  “Alejandra!” Nick shouted, arms wide.

  Akshi chanted something, throwing his hands toward her. Alejandra was frozen in spot, then started to sink.

  “No! No!” Nick shouted, running up to her as she started to sink further into the earth.

  “Nick!” Alejandra shouted, reaching out to him.

  Time froze for everyone to roll for initiative. Nick rolled, not caring. He needed to get to Alejandra. Time unfroze, and Nick grabbed Alejandra’s hand, trying to pull her out. Akshi had cast dimension door on the ground, and Alejandra was slowly sinking into it.

  “Nick,” Alejandra whispered as he grabbed her arm, pulling her out.

  A crack of thunder sounded, and both Hraktar and Grizzizzik were thrown back, shouting in pain. Nick grabbed Alejandra’s arm with both his hands, but she wasn’t moving.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  “Someone’s got me,” Alejandra whispered, tears running down her cheeks.

  “Don’t let go,” Nick pleaded.

  Akshi punched Nick in the gut. He screamed in pain, dropping to his knees as a gray mark exploded into life. Alejandra’s eyes widened. “Nick!”

  Nick’s vision blurred as he stumbled back, his shirt blossoming with blood. Too much blood. Akshi stared, his head cocked to one side. “Well, isn’t this interesting.”

  “No,” Nick groaned as Alejandra slipped through the dimension door. Nick stumbled to his feet, trying to punch Akshi, but Akshi grabbed his wrist, smiling.

  “I didn’t punch you this hard. What is this?” Akshi said.

  Akshi ripped Nick’s shirt open. Nick panted, struggling to keep the gray marks hidden. Akshi couldn’t figure out what they did. Nick, Derek, Evelyn, and Tyler would all be in danger if he did.

  Hraktar slammed his great sword into Akshi’s side. Akshi shouted, but kept a grip on Nick, spinning around and grabbing Nick’s throat.

  “Do that again and I will kill him,” Akshi hissed.

  Hraktar raised his sword again but froze, eyes wide. Nick couldn’t walk. He was losing consciousness. That cut in his belly was deep. Dangerously so.

  “Let the boy go,” Hraktar said, lowing his sword. “Your fight is with us.”

  Nick panted as the dice prompted him to roll. It was Grizzizzik’s turn. He couldn’t stay frozen in time. He wasn’t sure if he could bleed out while time was frozen, but he didn’t want to find out.

  He dropped the dice on the table before gripping his wound, trying to pinch it closed.

  Grizzizzik started to move forward. Akshi snorted, before elbowing Nick in the face. Nick screamed as another gray mark appeared. Akshi’s eyes were dancing in delight.

  “What an absolutely fascinating find!” Akshi said.

  “Nick!” Hraktar said.

  It felt like someone had punctured his lungs. He wasn’t sure if the stab wound could go that deep, but his mind was certainly thinking that happened.

  Nick dropped to his knees, grabbing his torso. Two. Two deep stab wounds, his eyes burning with pain. With a quick jerk, Akshi tore Nick’s shirt and jacket off, his eyes traveling over the gray marks with a delighted look on his face. “If only I could take you with me,” Akshi muttered. “I’d love to study this further.”

  Akshi’s head jerked back. Nick didn’t register someone had thrown a hammer at Akshi’s face until Akshi stumbled back, snarling.

  “You dare to-”

  Mr. Anderson appeared with another hammer, slamming it down hard on Akshi’s head. “Save your villain monologue for someone who cares,” Mr. Anderson said.

  “Nick!” It was Derek. Nick’s friend grabbed him, easing him on the ground as Milo ran up next to them, completely out of breath.

  “Alejandra. Alejandra,” was all Nick could get out.

  “Shit,” Derek said, his eyes wide as they traveled down Nick’s torso. “Oh, god, no.” Derek shed his coat and pressed it against Nick’s wounds.

  “Alejandra,” Nick kept saying. “He’s got Alejandra.”

  Grizzizzik’s knees gave out and Milo caught him before he sank to the ground. The rogue panted before shooting Nick a worried look.

  Akshi started laughing. “Nick getting hurt does affect you, doesn’t it.”

  Mr. Anderson hit Akshi again in the head with all his might with the hammer. “It doesn’t matter, because you will not touch Nick again.”

  Hraktar roared, slamming his great sword into Akshi before stabbing him right through the gut. Akshi’s laugh was horse as a dimension door opened up and Akshi backed into it.

  “No.” It was weak, but Nick tried to sit up. To follow Akshi, but Derek forced him down. It didn’t take much. Nick’s vision spun as he stared at the sky. “Alejandra. Alejandra.”

  His vision went dark.

  ***

  Derek swore as he placed his phone against his ear.

  “911, what’s your emergency.”

  “I’m outside Elmwood high. I need an ambulance. Now,” Derek said, his voice in a panic. “My friend’s been stabbed. Twice. Please! Hurry.”

  A thunk brought his attention to Grizzizzik. Milo, tried as he might, simply couldn’t keep holding the rogue. Grizzizzik fell unconscious soon after Nick did.

  “Shit. Shit. Shit,” Derek said.

  He couldn’t focus. Mr. Anderson knelt on the other side of Derek. Nick had two stab wounds that he didn’t dare lift his suit coat jacket to check to see how deep they were. Nick was as pale as death. Grizzizzik was on the ground, too, unresponsive.

  “If we heal Grizzizzik, will that heal Nick, too?” Milo asked, looking at Hraktar.

  The fighter shrugged, eyes wide. “Where is Ezekiel?”

  “Shit. Shit, I’m doing this all wrong,” Derek said as the 911 worker was trying to say something. “I’ll call you back.”

  Derek then hung up on the worker. “Mr. Anderson, call 911. I need to give Hraktar my phone.”

  Derek scrambled to his feet as Mr. Anderson pulled out his own phone. He didn’t care how weird it probably sounded to the 911 worker as he handed his phone over to Hraktar.

  “Keep this with you. It’s got the tracker app on it. Alejandra might teleport you, and we need to know where you guys are. We can still save her.”

  Hraktar nodded, then took Derek’s phone. A shattering of glass sounded, then Hraktar’s eyes widened as he glanced down at the phone. Derek gasped as the phone in the half orc’s palm started sparking.

  “I… I…” Hraktar said. He looked again at Derek, eyes as wide as saucers. “Deities above, I’m so sorry.”

  “It’s fine. Evelyn or Rafael still have the app,” Derek said, grabbing the phone again, trying to turn it on.

  Tears filled Hraktar’s eyes as he blinked them away. “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s alright, Hraktar. It’ll work out. We’ll get someone’s phone in time, I promise.”

  “I’m sorry,” Hraktar muttered again, eyes downcast.

  Mr. Anderson was talking calmly to the worker, and Derek could hear sirens.

  “Where is Rafael?”

  “Hopefully somewhere close so we can get Ezekiel here,” Milo said, trying to do his own examination of Grizzizzik.

  “How is he?” Derek asked.

  “Fine,” Milo said.

  Derek glanced above Grizzizzik’s head to see 13/49 HP. Sure, Akshi hit Grizzizzik hard, but he shouldn’t be unconscious. He still had thirteen hit points. Yet Grizzizzik was out, and not even Milo’s hard slap against his face was getting the rogue to wake up.

  Derek heard sirens, but the weird part was that he also heard hoofs beating against the ground. Derek stood, searching the dark grounds before he saw them. Ezekiel and Tyler riding on a black warhorse.

  Derek’s heart pounded in his chest. Something about this scene made alarm bells go off in his head.

  Clarissa the war horse rode right up to them. Ezekiel and Tyler jumped right off.

  “What happened?” Tyler asked, sounding out of breath.

  “Akshi,” Derek said. “He’s got Alejandra, and punched Nick in the process. The gray marks. They’re deep.”

  Tyler swore. He gripped his knees, taking a few unsteady breaths. He let out a final one before standing up straight.

  “Rafael and Evelyn haven’t teleported their characters to them. We need to track them down,” Tyler said.

  Derek realized that was what was wrong with this picture. Ezekiel and Clarissa shouldn’t be here. Clarissa had changed back to her elf form, and Ezekiel was kneeling next to Grizzizzik, touching the rogue’s chest as the cleric grasped his medallion.

  “There was something wrong with Hazel. Rafael and Evelyn took her outside the gym to check on her.”

  “I haven’t seen Molly since then, either,” Mr. Anderson said.

  “Give me your phone,” Derek said. “We’ve got to give Hraktar a phone with the tracker app before Alejandra teleports him.”

  Tyler didn’t even question it as he pulled it out of his pocket. Derek took it and placed it in Hraktar’s inventory, giving the fighter a pat on the back. “See? We took care of it. No harm done,” Derek said.

  Hraktar nodded, still unable to speak.

  “Shall I try and heal Nick?” Ezekiel asked.

  Tyler’s face physically crumpled. “Yes,” Tyler whispered. “God, yes. Whatever you can do, try and heal those injuries. We’ll worry about the consequences later.”

  Ezekiel nodded as he moved over to Nick, who was still too pale.

  “What do we do?” Derek asked, looking at Tyler.

  “Mr. Anderson, are you okay staying here with Nick and Grizzizzik?” Tyler asked.

  “Yes. Go find the others,” Mr. Anderson said. “Be careful.”

  “It’s not working,” Ezekiel said, turning toward Tyler. “My guess is Rafael is somewhere where he cannot roll the dice. I don’t have my healing powers.”

  Derek felt color drain from his face before his gaze shot toward Tyler.

  Tyler’s hands shook as he rubbed his chin. “Hraktar’s got a tracker app on him. We can’t do anything for Alejandra until she teleports him. Right now, what has me worried is that Rafael and Evelyn are somewhere somehow incapable of teleporting their characters.” Tyler turned around and headed toward the gym doors. “I need to know why, or else Alejandra’s situation might get so much worse.”

  “How?” Derek asked, jogging to catch up with Tyler.

  “Because if Akshi has figured out how to keep us from teleporting our characters, our lives just got a thousand percent more complicated,” Tyler said. “And Alejandra is all by herself. With Akshi.”