Chapter 210: A Phantasmal Nightmare

Mal couldn't understand the feeling of danger that he felt, but he knew he had to act on it.

With a shove, he sent the centipede he was holding onto flying through the air like a kite, and he immediately rushed to grab Joanne and put some space between them and the creature in the form of a child.

He very nearly gave her whiplash with how fast he moved, but there was absolutely no way in hell that he was going to let Joanne get so much as a scratch ever again.

A pool of shadows opened up beneath the two of them and he immediately dropped her into it- sending her safety onto the couch in his living room.

He threw out his hand to get everyone else to safety too, but in that instant the child appeared right in front of him and grabbed his wrist to stop him.

It's unnerving red eyes bore into Malachi relentlessly, almost as if it were looking for some kind of explanation on his face.

When it found none, it's frown only deepened.

It spoke in a language that Mal had never heard, but easily understood.

"Who... or what... are you? I do not recognize your bloodline."

By now, Mal was certain that the creature in front of him was an intelligent nightmare, just like him.

But also, much more powerful than he was.

To such a degree that he hardly even considered fighting and instead was only focused on getting his people out of here.

"Malachi!"

"What's going on?!"

"Why is that kid so fast?!"

The rest of Mal's group was already running to approach him, and he started to panic a bit internally.

"Go home!"

At Mal's behest, the shadows rose up from the ground and swallowed all five of them in an instant- sending them right back to the base.

"You use this world's power..? How are you even capable of such a thing?" The child asked in a robotic yet clearly stunned tone.

Once Mal put a safe enough distance between himself and the strange child, he warily tried to begin some kind of conversation with it.

"Don't know if you can understand me or not... but I'm a different kind of cocktail than whatever you are."

Like Malachi, at first the child did not seem to understand the language his words were in, but the intent was conveyed all the same.

"Not like me... but like me..? Elaborate."

Mal transformed into a seven foot tall nightmare with four snake-like tails and a face containing only a mouthful of sharp teeth.

Possibly out of respect, the child changed too.

...From the nightmare at least.

"YOU BASTARD!"

"ACK!"

Out of nowhere, Joanne leapt on top of Malachi and her hands found her way around his throat.

Like a scene from a famous cartoon, she began to strangle him with all of her frustrations channeled into the act.

"How could you just toss me aside like that?! I'm not incompetent you know? You could have let me help you!"

Gradually, Mal overpowered Joanne and removed her hands from around his neck so that he could actually speak.

"If you're expecting an apology from me.. you won't get one. Not about this."

"What does that mean!?"

"It means that I care about you! And even if I can not guarantee my own life I will always make sure you have yours! Nothing else matters to me, Joanne!"

Joanne ground her teeth together until it seemed like she was going to turn them into powder.

A wave of emotions washed over her chest; all of which she felt unable to contain.

She grabbed Malachi roughly by his shirt collar before she kissed him forcefully and with unhidden desperation.

And though he was surprised, Mal did not pull away from her.

Hell, right now he felt like he really needed this.

But when their bodies were pressed so close together like this, it was hard for Joanne not to notice the state his body was in.

"Hey... why is your heart beating so fast?" she asked exhaustedly.

"Tell you later.."

Mal quickly pulled Joanne's lips back to his and their kiss resumed, quickly picking up intensity and fervor.

*Clatter*

The two lovebirds froze dead in their tracks as they heard the sound of something being dropped.

Looking up, they found Camille and Nadine with their heads peaking out of a doorway.

Cami seemed to have accidentally dropped her bottle of milk, and in doing so alerted Mal and Joanne to the fact that they were being spied on.

"Uh-oh..."

Nadine grimaced slightly as she picked up her daughter's bottle.

"...Cami honey, remind mommy to teach you about stealth as soon as you can go to the bathroom on your own."