Adam had to admit, for murderous little psychopaths, the goblins sure knew how to throw one hell of a party. They danced around the fire, laughing, eating and drinking while he watched.

  He'd slept fitfully for about four hours while Hector, and then Natalie, kept watch, waking often to crashes or shrieks from the goblin rave happening right on their doorstep. They'd all agreed Samantha still needed rest, so she and Natalie slept in the far corner, well away from the front windows.

  Adam stretched, his back protesting after an hour in the same position.

  "Glad to see you didn't fix that asshole," he muttered, glancing up at the ceiling.

  As if in reply, his spine popped, and he felt immediate relief.

  He returned his attention to the mayhem outside. At some point, the goblins had acquired a mass amount of alcohol. Few of the bottles were finished before being hurled at the fire or smashed on the pavement. The bonfire's light made the growing carpet of broken shards glint like stars in the dark.

  Adam watched as one of the goblins wandered up to the window directly in front of him. He held his breath as it approached, its wobbling gait making it stumble several times. It pressed a grubby hand against the glass, leaving greasy streaks as it slid downward, trying to steady itself.

  A minute passed and the creature didn't move. Its chin rested on its chest, and for a moment, he wondered if it had passed out.

  Then it let out a loud snore. Its head snapped up, bloodshot eyes rolling before settling half-lidded on the ground. Without ceremony, it yanked down the rags that passed for pants and began pissing on the side of the building.

  The stench of ammonia hit Adam like a slap. He snorted involuntarily, covering his mouth a half second too late.

  The goblin's pointed ears twitched. It sniffed the air several times, and its narrowed eyes snapped fully open.

  Adam jerked back, nearly falling off his chair in his attempt to get out of view. He scrambled to his feet and moved behind the door, staying out of the goblin's line of sight, so long as it didn't look up.

  It banged on the glass once, giggling as it pressed its eye to the gap, peering into the gloom of the shop. Adam felt the door shake as it pushed at the metal frame. He glanced at the bonfire, an icicle of dread lodging in his gut as he waited for the rest of the horde to notice.

  The goblin continued banging against the door and Adam had a sudden, terrible thought. He impulsively reached up and unlocked it, flattening himself against the wall. The door creaked open, and the goblin stumbled inside, landing face-down on the floor. Adam gently urged the door shut, risking a quick glance outside. The others continued milling around the fire, seemingly oblivious to their missing comrade.

  He snapped his gaze back to the intruder and found it lying on its back, staring up at him. Its eyes were wide and shining in the near-darkness.

  "Hi," it said.

  A grin full of sharklike teeth spread across its face, nearly splitting it in two.

  Adam didn't hesitate. He drew his leg back and stepped forward, punting the little monster between the legs like a football. He felt something give beneath the toe of his boot. The goblin's eyes bulged in shock, its grin collapsing into a wide O of pain. It curled up, both hands shooting between its legs to cup the wound.

  He fell upon the goblin, his legs pinning the monster's arms beneath him as he locked his hands around its throat. The thing's eyes bulged even wider until he thought they might pop out of their sockets. It gnashed its jaws at him, arms jittering and spasming as he squeezed. One hand managing to slip free and slash at his face with its filthy nails. He flinched away, narrowly avoiding losing an ear to the ragged claw.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Adam let go with his right hand and punched the thrashing creature in its left eye. A burst of blue sparks exploded from the point of contact, and the goblin convulsed violently beneath him. He snatched the flailing limb with his free hand, pinned it down, and tightened his grip on the monster's throat, digging in with his thumb. Its feet kicked beneath him, and for a moment, it felt like he was strangling a four-year-old.

  Flecks of foul spittle shot from the goblin's mouth as it writhed, trying to break his grasp. Its heels banged against the floor, each impact like a hammer blow in the dark silence of the shop. Adam's heartbeat thundered in his ears, and for the first time, he could feel the power singing in his veins. It begged to be released, to be used, to be unleashed.

  He gave in.

  The current surged down his arms in a flood. The overhead lights flared like flashbulbs, then burst with a series of audible pops.

  The goblin immediately went rigid, steam billowing off the top of its head. He pushed harder, his hands glowing a soft blue as the smell of ozone flooded his nostrils.

  "Die," Adam growled, just as one of the goblin's eyes burst, spattering his face and hands with ichor. It spasmed one final time, foam leaking from the corners of its mouth. He released the arm and grabbed its throat with both hands, squeezing until he felt the goblin's windpipe collapse beneath his fingers with a wet crunch.

  He fell backward, away from the small corpse, his fingers still crackling faintly with electricity. Adam looked up saw all three of his companions staring at him in the dark. Their expressions ranged from horror to approval, and his stomach twisted.

  A part of him had enjoyed it. Not just killing the monster, but how he'd killed it. Feeling its life drain away beneath his grip felt like justice. The sensation filled him with a nauseating blend of satisfaction and revulsion.

  “What?” Adam hissed, focused on pulling the power back, the glow from his hands fading slowly. “I had to kill it before it alerted the others.”

  “No one would argue that," Hector said quietly, shaking his head. “But you were smiling.”

  Adam only had a moment to ponder that piece of information before Samantha spoke up. “Do you hear that?”

  “What?” Natalie sat up fully, pulling her hair back from her face.

  “I don’t hear anything,” Hector said, cocking his head toward the front window.

  “Exactly. It’s quiet,” Samantha whispered.

  Adam felt the lump of fear resurface in his belly, and he looked through the gap in the shades. All of the goblins had stopped partying and were staring in the direction of the shop. Adam looked down, one eye and half of a toothy grin staring up at him through the gap. The creature stepped back and waved like a small child, pulling a knife from seemingly nowhere. He reached up and managed to lock the door just as something crashed against it, rattling it in its frame.

  “We… need to go.” Adam turned, but everyone was already on their feet, packs in hand.

  “Way ahead of you,” Natalie said, racking the slide on her gun and slipping it back into her holster.

  “I thought you were out of ammo?” Adam slipped on his backpack. “Why didn’t you hand me another clip when we were being shot at?!”

  “Magazine,” Natalie said automatically, helping Samantha with her pack.

  “What?”

  “It’s a magazine not a clip!” The sound of glass splintering interrupted her as several impacts struck the front window.

  “Now is definitely not the time to be arguing semantics!” Samantha shouted, grabbing a small bag off of the counter.

  “They’re going to surround us if we don’t hurry.” Hector pulled rubber gripped hammer out of his backpack, tossing it to Adam. “Forgot to give this to you earlier, found it at the gas station. Might not replace your bat, but it’s something.”

  Adam took the hammer and nodded, fishing his keys out of his pocket and making for the backdoor. More blows struck the front window in rapid succession, shards of glass tinkling to the floor.

  “I bet you’re glad I opted for the tempered glass!” Samantha stuck her tongue out at Natalie.

  “Seriously? You’re going to bring that up now?!” Natalie half-yelled, glancing over her shoulder at her wife, eyebrows arched in annoyance.

  "Love you!" Samantha smirked and stepped aside, letting Adam through the narrow doorway to the stockroom.

  The windowfront took several more hits, the sound of falling glass becoming nearly constant as Adam grabbed the door handle.

  “Okay, they’re insane but not stupid. There’s probably a few out here already.” He mimed yanking the door open and pointed through it. “I’ll take the first one we see. Anything else you put a bullet in. Get into the car as fast as you can.”

  Natalie gave a curt nod and the front window finally gave way with a crash, shattering against the floor in an explosion of glass fragments.

  Hector slammed the interior door behind them, sealing off the goblins, while trapping the group in the small storeroom.

  Samantha flicked the light switch, the bulb struggling to life above them. “They already know we’re here.”

  “Fair enough. On three.” Adam shifted the hammer to his right hand and gripped the door handle in his left.

  “One. Two. Three!”