Retreat Back Into The House

Backwards.

A pivot on your heel, a swipe at the floor for traction, and you launched yourself away from all three women like a spring uncoiling. Seraphina lunged a half-second too late, wings slicing air where your shoulders had been.

You hit the stairs at a run.

“Hey!” Lilith barked behind you. “Get back here!”

Not a chance.

You bounded up the narrow staircase four steps at a time, claws sparking briefly against the wall to steady yourself. You still hurt from the earlier hits, but you could ignore it. If you could just get somewhere wider, you might regain some advantage.

You burst back through the thankfully still-unlocked wooden door at the top, then skidded into the hallway of the mansion’s first floor, breathing hard. Looking around you were glad you had your night vision to see all the shadowed spots, blind corners, and other stairwells. Perfect. Even someone who’d lived here wouldn’t be able to find you easily.

You heard several pairs of high-heeled boots clambering up the stairs. You considered trying to exploit the stairwell’s bottleneck, but there were so many ways that could go wrong. You’d come up here to play to your strengths.

You darted left, then vaulted over a table, landing silently behind a massive bureau, and crouched low.

The footsteps reached the same floor as you, but then slowed.

“Damn it,” Seraphina cursed, which made you smile. “He could be anywhere. He could leave.”

A pause.

“If he leaves…” Siren began. “He’ll have no proof of anything. He’s here to take us down. But we know this place. Split up, find him, and kick the shit out of him.”

“Will do,” you heard Lilith say, which made you smile more. She was overconfident. Seraphina might actually prove the hardest.

You peaked out, and seeing the coast was clear, moved away, into the spacious kitchen, still keeping low. You could hear your own steps, but were sure they couldn’t hear yours. You stopped and tucked into the shadows when you heard - and smelled - the demoness coming towards another entrance.

“This cat thinks he’s clever,” Lilith muttered and she entered, whip dragging behind her.

She stopped just short of your hiding space, but this wasn’t a video game; that was probably for the better.

You broke cover and hit her groin first. She doubled over, and you threw her to the floor while she was off balance.

But faster, and with more precision than you expected, she flipped over. You dodged her swinging leg, but not her whip, which hit your cheek.

While you were stunned, she got to her knees, but you delivered a kick to her face, knocking her on her tailed behind. Then you delivered another to the center of her stomach.

Her shout of pain seemed to die in her mouth as you knocked the wind out of her.

But before you could deliver one more to keep her down, you heard a faint whoosh of feathers from the entrance you came in from.

IN all this excitement, you hadn’t been paying as close attention to the sounds elsewhere. You didn’t need to look up to tell that Seraphina was already on you.

But you still looked up anyways, and that was a mistake. You didn’t even get a look at her angelic appearance, just a white light that seared your sensitive iris.

You staggered back, covering your eyes. Seraphina had used her light based powers on you before, but never this close, and never in this darkness.

But then someone swept your legs out from under you, and you fell painfully on your back, still blind. You’d already forgotten about Lilith, and paid the price. So much for regaining control of the situation.