[center][h1][color=darkslateblue][b]Z A T A N N A[/b][/color][/h1][/center][hr]

[indent]The [i]thing's[/i] hands clutched at Zatanna as the latter toppled over, the shriek of adrenaline-infused terror caught in her throat as she fell back. Long fingers capped by rough, curving nails like daggers bit into Zatanna's arm leaving several thin trails of blood in their place. She hit the ground, hard, and could feel a welling at the base of her skull where it struck the pavement. Acting on pure, primal instinct she immediately rolled herself away. As she regained her footing, Zatanna took in the creature that just mere seconds before had appeared as a harmless, little old lady. 

It had fully shrugged off the shawl by now. Where before it had stood barely five feet tall and hunched over, the creature now appeared several inches taller than Zatanna with a straightened back. Standing erect also served to reveal the garish network of scars across its torso. Long since healed over, they marked it as a creature accustomed to brutal fighting. A predator who has had to defend its territory from others. And with those intense amber eyes peering down at her, [i]through[/i] her and into her very core, Zatanna very much felt like its prey.

"Give it!" It hissed once more. All traces of sweetness were gone from its voice now as the harsh cracking took over. 

Zatanna shook her head, then winced as the movement caused her skull to throb. 

"I don't know what you want!" She shouted back, her voice just as shaky as she felt. 

The thing screeched at her, gnashing its teeth. "Lies," it called out, "I can feel it inside of you. You have it!"

Before she could protest a second time, the creature was moving. It awkwardly shuffled forward but it was quick. The janky motion combined with its speed briefly reminded Zatanna of an old-fashioned move scene where the frames had been cut out and pieced together making everything appear to jump forward in sudden bursts. 

It was mere inches away from Zatanna before she even knew what had happened. The pale lips spread causing the craggy row of teeth glinting in the moonlight. But the thing didn't attack. Just as it had before, in its guise as the old woman, it waited there, expectantly regarding her. 

Zatanna stood still, frozen, her mind a whirl of emotion and thoughts she couldn't get a handle on. She had read about such things in her father's notes. She had even believed the elder Zatara's written words to be true. The supernatural world and its inhabitants had, in a way, always been a part of her life ever since she had been introduced to her magic as a young child. But to be face-to-snarling-face with the honest reality of such a world had left the would-be-sorceress at a loss.

After a moment of silence, with Zatanna seemingly not responding adequately for the creature, it jabbed a finger forward and caught the young woman square in the chest. A single nicked and razor-edged nail sank a couple of millimeters into Zatanna's skin causing her to draw in a sharp breath. 

"Take it out." The order was annunciated with a low growl. 

"I... I don- I," Zatanna's words came hitched and stilted. "Please, I—"

Pushing the embedded fingernail slightly deeper, the growl grew heavier. "Take. It. [i]Out[/i]."

'It.' The thing kept talking about 'it' and 'warmth.' But Zatanna didn't know what 'it' was and she certainly had no idea what warmth the creature was referring to. All she had on her person was the keycard to her hotel room and her phone. Not much else would have been able to fit in that outfit she had chosen for the night. And something told Zatanna that neither of those was what the thing wanted. 

"Are you- is this about Eldon P-peck?" Zatanna was shivering now, though she no longer noticed the cold air. Her eyes kept flicking down to the thin nail piercing her chest and the swelling red that surrounded it. "D-do you work for him?"

The creature stopped abruptly. It's head slowly tilting as it locked eyes with the young woman. Then, without warning, it yanked its finger away from Zatanna and stepped back. A stream of dark liquid ran down and stained Zatanna's top, but she barely noticed. The creature was shaking, its shoulders jerking back and forth wildly. A soft wheeze escaped its pale lips before slowly transforming into a series of high-pitched, undulating whines. 

Zatanna stood confused for several seconds, her eyes wide. It took a moment for her to comprehend what was happening. 

The thing was laughing. [I]Laughing.[/i] At her. 

She tried to take a step back, urging her body to prepare to run. But her legs were unsteady beneath her. Zatanna didn't even trust her own feet to carry her away at that moment. 

It took a moment for the creature to finish its cackling. As soon as it did, however, the thing whipped its head back towards Zatanna and spread its cracked lips widely. 

"You think I work for the Soul Broker?" 

It was phrased as a question, but the way the thing spat out the words made Zatanna feel as if it was the punchline to a joke.

"You attacked me," Zatanna said, her voice returning, "outside of his [i]club[/i]. You- you're, I don't know [I]what[/i] you are but he's a part of all this."

She opened her arms in a gesture towards the creature before continuing. "Of this world in the shadows. Of whatever it is my father was here for."

Another short, sharp wheeze spit out of its mouth. "The Soul Broker has no friends. I would rip his tongue from his greedy mouth if this place wasn't warded. I wouldn't be here if not for you. If not for [i]it[/i]," the thing punctuated this sentiment with another jab towards Zatanna, but this one came several inches short of making contact. 

"I could feel your warmth for [i]miles[/i]. I've been following it to you for days." It stopped momentarily to inhale deeply as if savoring a delicious smell. "It calls to me and I [i]hunger[/i] for it. And you will [i]give[/i] it to me. Now! Before it is [i]your[/i] tongue I remove."

Zatanna managed to finally force one shaky foot to take half-a-step backward. "But I don't know what it is you [i]want,[/i] she insisted. "I don't [i]understand[/i]."

The thing looked at her questioningly, disbelief etched on its grotesque face. "[i]It[/i]. Inside you. The [i]Books[/i], filthy liar. [i]Give me the Books[/i]!" 

Zatanna was at a loss. Books? She didn't have any books. Unless it meant Giovanni's notes, his journals. But the creature didn't seem to know or care about her reason for being here, of her father's investigation and disappearance. And why did it continue to insist whatever the Books were were [i]inside[/i] of her? None of it made sense to Zatanna. 

"I don't have what you want," she breathed out as a twinge of pain shot through her chest and sent her skin dancing under a thousand needles. "This is all a big mistake. I—"

"[i]Enough![/i]" It snarled at her again and Zatanna could tell the creature was about to lunge forward once more. "If you won't give it to me, I'll [i]take[/i] it!"

"No!" Zatanna shouted out, desperately scrambling back. Her legs felt waterlogged as she moved and it took no effort for the thing to catch her.

Those nails arced forward, digging into her chest once more. This time they went further than just the surface and Zatanna screamed as her body seared at the deep scratches. The creature's wicked grin stretched wider than ever before, shark-like teeth bared as it continually tore into Zatanna with pleasure. 

Blood now ran in rivers down her chest, pooling at her stomach where the tight shirt kept it. Her entire body ached and burned as her voice cut out, screams dying in the bitter cold of the night. 

Zatanna could feel her strength leaving her. Could just manage to curse herself for freezing up, for not even trying to fight back with magic. For being [i]afraid[/i]. And as the burning sensation enveloped her entire torso and the creature cackled with glee, just as Zatanna could feel herself fading away, it happened. 

A magnificent light burst forth from Zatanna's chest. It felt hot, hotter even than the open wounds that had been torn into her. The light enveloped the creature who shrieked and rasped. Barely two seconds later, the thing was launched up into the air and thrown across the empty lot. It landed with a dull thud, unmoving. And for a second Zatanna thought it might be dead as thin tendrils of smoke rose off of its body. But then it was up, moving in its wild, janky way. Instead of coming closer to Zatanna, though, it hissed and growled at her. 

The light had gone now but that heat was still present. Zatanna no longer felt the Los Angeles chill. Her entire body felt alight. 

Several dozen feet away, where the creature had landed and was now angrily snarling at her, Zatanna could make out patches of burned skin. Portions of its arm had seemingly melted away and several of the fingers that had just moments ago been digging into her chest were missing entirely. 

It was hurt. And it was scared. 

"If you don't want to lose more fingers," Zatanna called out with false bravado, "then I suggest you run away. And never come back."

The creature halted its pacing and stared directly at her. Lowering its hideous head it let loose the nastiest growl yet. 

The bluff didn't work, Zatanna thought. 

But no sooner had those words entered her mind than the creature turned its back with one final hiss and ran off into the night. 

What felt like minutes passed while Zatanna stood there, all the confidence and energy she had mustered for that final bluff leaving her as the natural adrenaline rush, as well as that strange, powerful warmth, went away. And with that, the numbing cold returned. She didn't dare move, afraid any second the thing would come back to tear out and consume her heart. 

A sudden vibration followed by a soft chiming caused Zatanna to leap in place. Her phone, she realized, as she fumbled into her back pocket. A single line of text appeared on the screen that filled Zatanna with relief:

[center]Your Uber has arrived at your selected location.[/center]




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