Anora shouted and spun in surprise when the window at the end of the hall practically exploded, shards of glass trailing behind the invisible force that smashed it. She stumbled back as that something rushed past her and slammed into Darsby. She tumbled to the floor just inside the living room.
	Whether she suddenly began to move in slow motion or everyone else was darting about at supernatural speed, Anora couldn’t say. But before she had hit the floor, before even the clatter of the scattered shards of glass could finish raining down, a gunshot rang out. Or perhaps multiple. She would never be sure.
	She could only stare, horror-struck, at the blurred attack taking place before her. The sickening crack of breaking bones fought to be heard over the echo of gunfire still ringing through the farmhouse.
	Heart hammering in her throat and eyes wide, her gaze settled on Darsby’s now sputtering, bloody form.
	“No!” she breathed, scrambling to her knees. Her powers sparkled to life in the air in front of her, reacting to her terror and panic rather than conscious orders.
	Before her powers could so much as solidify into something helpful, another gunshot rang out. She had not even realized the man in gray had stood, let alone drawn a gun. The bang of the gun momentarily deafened her. But she didn’t care. All her focus was on the target of the bullet.
	Just like that. He was dead… again. In only a matter of seconds. Her hands fell limp to her sides. Her powers sputtered out. Dead and broken. Anora swallowed, hard. 
	The sound of the man’s voice reached her through the ringing in her ears. She shook herself from her stupor in time to catch only the last sentence. She glanced to him as he left the room, neither of the murderous monsters paying her any mind. 
	With fear-shortened breaths, her gaze flicked between where the man had walked off to, to Darsby, to the woman. Crimson dripped from the woman’s fingers, splattering the floor in blood. The same crimson soaked Darsby’s shirt and streaked his face.
	She was beginning to loath that color. 
	Her hands clenched into fists. She let her fear fuel her anger. Anger at the intrusion when she was so close to getting answers, to learning more about a side of the world most humans never saw. Hatred at what they had done to Darsby. At herself for being capable of doing nothing to stop it.
	She could be afraid later. Right now, she needed to [i]act.[/i]
	She glared up at the woman, her eyes glowing as mist cascaded from her hands. Indignant rage twisted Anora's face as she slowly stood, trying to mask the trembling of her legs and pounding of her heart. The mist quickly created a pool at her feet, golden lightning and specks of black flowing through its vivid violet.
	She needed a distraction. Something to keep them preoccupied long enough for her to get Darsby to the van out front and escape. She knew it was risky, knew she could be overdoing it or even fail and end up just like Darsby—only without the regeneration part—but there was no way she was going to let that stop her.
	Darsby had tried to protect her, watched out for her upstairs. Now it was her turn to return the favor.
	[i]I’ve got this.[/i]
	“I don’t know who you crackpots think you are,” she growled, proud and shocked she managed to keep a tremor from her voice. She took a cautious step closer to Darsby and his attacker, her puddle of magic following her, “but you’ve overstayed your welcome.”
	In the span of a thought, her mist rose into three swirling masses. They molded and solidified into the form of hellhounds about waist high to the intruder. Ebony and gold flashed over their matted fur and through their translucent purple bodies. Each one bore its fangs, their growls coming out in a crepitating hiss through their gnarled snouts. Their pupilless eyes glowed a swirling black and gold.
	Though she had no clue whether or not the woman could see her powers, or was as blind to it as everyone else she knew, all that mattered was that she kept them solid enough to do damage and keep the duo busy. All the better if the murderers couldn’t see them.
	As soon as they fully formed, the monstrous dogs readied to leapt at the woman, snarling and snapping their jagged fangs.