Everything happened so quickly, Lizzy barely had time to consider them.

She felt her kick slam into the hooded figure, and she was actually quite surprised; she hadn’t expected that to work. She didn’t stop to congratulate herself, however; she tore across the parking lot as fast as she could, trying to get somewhere, [i]anywhere[/i] that wasn’t here. A glance behind her showed the hooded figures phasing through the walls of the restaurant, but they were still a good distance behind her now. [i]Good, maybe in the open, I can outrun[/i]-

She never finished the thought, as suddenly, yet another hooded figure appeared out of thin air in front of her. Having caught her completely by surprise, Lizzy had no time to react as the creature suddenly sent her flying back. She landed on her back with an audible “Oof!” as all the air rushed out of her. How had it done that? That creature hadn’t even [i]touched[/i] her! She hit her head as she landed, stunning her and making her vision go hazy. She saw the one creature in front of her slowly reach out toward her, the horrifying hand sliding out of the fabric that hid it. She brought her arms up in a feeble attempt to defend herself. “No… don’t…”

Suddenly, something stepped in between them, cutting off her view of the creature. She looked up, blinking her eyes a few times to try to clear them. Slowly, the back of a man came into focus. He was saying something, but she was still somewhat dazed. Suddenly, he was pulling her to her feet and pushing her behind him. She shook her head to try to clear it, and the world gradually came back into focus around her. It was then she realized that the… [i]things[/i] were talking.

“We’re here for the girl. Move aside, Wizard, and give her to us. Don’t make us kill you…”

[i]Me?![/i] Lizzy thought. [i]Why do they want[/i]me[i]? I don’t even know what these things are![/i] She glanced around the stranger’s shoulders. He was pointing… was that supposed to be a wand? Well, whatever it was, he was pointing it at the creatures, which were now gathering together in front of him.

“Not a chance, Wrath,” the stranger suddenly said. “This girl is mine and she will come with me, far from your clutches and your master’s, whoever that may be.”

[i]Um, excuse me,[/i] she thought to herself, [i]but when exactly did I agree to this? And next time you call me yours, I’m gonna kick you again.[/i] She thought about saying it out loud, but in the present situation, she figured it was best to wait. So she waited. The things… Wraths, was it? The Wraths waited. The stranger waited. Lizzy could have sworn she could hear the tension mounting, and she most definitely heard it when the tension finally snapped. The Wraths roared with enough force to send [i]cars[/i] flying, and Lizzy ducked behind the stranger’s back, trying to keep her head down. Somehow, however, the shockwave never reached her, and she realized that she and the stranger were now surrounded by a large bubble. That bubble didn’t last long, however, and suddenly the Wraths were all around them, surrounding them in a circle and rushing at them, screaming their terrifying war cries. Just as suddenly, however, they were all gone. With a loud “Back off!” the stranger suddenly sent flames exploding from his wand that caused the Wraths to vanish. Before she could say anything, however, the stranger was suddenly running with her, his hand tight on hers as he took off with Lizzy in tow.

No questions? Nothing could be further from the truth, but if the stranger was right, they needed to get away fast. “Fine!” she shouted. She tore her hand from his, adjusting to his speed and running on her own beside him. “But I expect answers once we’re clear!”