SharpShot:
I scream as the explosion knocks me into the air. Hitting and bouncing off the dock, I quickly pick myself up and look around.
Despite the ringing in both my ears and the blurry vision, I can still make out enough. Enough to know something is climbing out from beneath the dock and onto it. Not one something, but hundreds, thousands, maybe even millions of them. Whatever they are, they're tiny, black, and crawling onto the broken planks. Quickly spreading out and covering everything, it finally hits me. I know where I've seen these before.
"The black sand."
"Justice," someone shouts. "Ms. Justice!"
Seeing QuickShot standing near some destroyed game booths, looking at something, I follow her gaze and see both Ms. Justice and JumpStart surrounded by the black sand. Worse is that it's moving toward them.
"QuickShot," Ms. Justice yells.
"OutCasts!"
When I shout, I point at the black sand as it moves toward Ms. Justice and JumpStart.
"Everyone," QuickShot screams, "Step back. Now!"
Immediately, the four of us step away from the creeping sand, but as I step back, I see something else.
"It's...not moving toward me? What in the world?"
For some reason, the black sand isn't moving toward me. Only toward the OutCasts.
"Hey! The black sand, or whatever it is, it's only moving toward you."
"What?" QuickShot yells.
"I'm serious. Look!"
Pointing to the area around me, QuickShot, Ms. Justice, and JumpStart watch the black sand ignore me. It's leaving me alone and quickly crawling toward the OutCasts. Watching as they're forced back, QuickShot's back already hitting the dock's railing, I reach down and pull out my second blaster.
Aiming at the sand, I start shooting. Hitting it, some of the sand bursts into the air, and it seems to finally notice me. The sand crawls toward me. Before I can do anything, it shoots out and hits me.
Screaming as I'm knocked off my feet again, I fly through the air before landing with a loud thud.
"Ahhh...Yeah. I'm definitely sleeping with ice packs tonight."
Shaking my head, I moan as I get back on my feet. Once my head is clear and the world isn't spinning anymore, I drop the empty magazine, reload both blasters, and run back to the OutCasts.
QuickShot:
With my back hitting the wooden railing, I look behind and see a piece of it fall into the ocean below.
"Too far to jump," I think, "And besides, even if I did jump, I'm a horrible swimmer."
Turning back, I look at the black sand. Pulling out my bow, I reach behind me and grab a handful of trick arrows. Loading them and pulling the bowstring, I fire explosive, slime, and even regular arrows at the sand.
My explosive arrows send some of the black sand into the air. My slime arrows cover and trap some more. My regular piercing arrows cut away at them. My trick arrows are doing damage, but it's not enough.
The sand keeps coming. The ones that didn't fly into the air or weren't caught in slime lung at me. It hits me in the chest, forcing me into the railing. Hearing the wood creak, I turn around and see the whole thing bending.
"Oh no."
Looking back at the sand, I see it lunging at me again. Screaming, I jump out of the way. Barely dodging it, the sand hits the railing instead, splinters flying all over as the last of it falls into the water.
Falling onto more black sand, I try to push myself up and get away, but the sand wraps itself around me. Covering me from head to toe, I feel the hot little grains as they run all over my body.
Screaming as the sand somehow starts stabbing me, I scream again when it begins squeezing me. Feeling the air as it forces out of me, I reach behind to try and grab another trick arrow.
"Come on," I say with a mouthful of sand. "Come on. Where is it?"
My fingers jumping around, I feel the plastic tip at the end of my arrow, but it's still out of reach.
"QuickShot," someone screams. Looking up, I see Ms. Justice running toward me. Armed with one of JumpStart's stun batons, Ms. Justice jumps before slamming the baton down.
Burning up as the electricity runs from the baton into the sand, the sand lights up and sparks before breaking apart. The second it does, I take in a deep breath and almost immediately feel relief.
"QuickShot? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," I answer in between breaths.
Helping me onto my knees and dusting me off, I place my hand over my chest and take a few more deep breaths.
"The sand. It tried to suffocate me."
"The sand tried to suffocate you," Ms. Justice repeats. "What? How?"
I open my mouth to answer, but that's when I see the sand around us start moving again.
"Tell me later," Ms. Justice yells, raising the stun baton.
Reaching behind and grabbing a trick arrow, I load it into my bow and aim. The black sand spirals around our feet. It begins transforming into something. During the transformation, Ms. Justice stabs some of the sand with the stun baton as it moves. Bright-blue electric current runs through it, making it expand and then explode again. Black sand rains down around us, but most of it keeps moving.
"Come on," I yell, "We have to get out of here."
Ms. Justice nods, and together, we run along what's left of the dock. As Ms. Justice and I run, the black sand that exploded regroups and chases us. We keep running, even as more of the dock explodes and black sand comes flying out from beneath it.
"Watch out!"
Seeing wooden beams breaking apart, I push Ms. Justice to the side as another part of the dock erupts with black sand. Stopping, I raise my bow and fire. A loud pop echoes throughout the night as my arrow opens and covers the sand in green slime.
"QuickShot!"
Hearing Ms. Justice, I turn and look for her. Finally, I see her climbing a game stall. Black sand is already closing in around the bottom of the stall. Pulling back my bowstring, I'm about to fire, but stop.
"No, no, no," Ms. Justice shouts, waving her hands. "Not me! JumpStart! Help JumpStart!"
Pointing to the side, I follow, turn, and see JumpStart also climbing another game stall. To my surprise, besides him, there's also a little girl with short orange hair hiding on top of the game stall. She's crouched, with her legs pressed against her chest.
"It's worry, kid," JumpStart says, reaching his hand out. "It's fine. My friends and I are going to get you out of here. Just take my hand."
As JumpStart reaches out to the girl, he doesn't see a large amount of the black sand forming right behind him, picking up an entire metal food cart.
"JumpStart! Watch out!"
"Huh?"
Turning around and seeing the metal cart, JumpStart grabs the girl. He tries to jump away, but the black sand reaches him. It binds him to the top of the stall. JumpStart can't do anything as the sand throws the food cart at him.
"JumpStart," Ms. Justice yells, jumping off the top of her game stall.
"Take the girl," JumpStart shouts, throwing the little girl before the cart hits him. Knocking him into the air. Ms. Justice and I watch as JumpStart falls into the freezing water below.
"JumpStart!"
Ms. Justice shouts while running to the ledge of the dock and looking around.
"JumpStart? JumpStart!"
The little girl in Ms. Justice's arms begins crying. Ms. Justice looks at the girl and pats her back.
"Don't worry," Ms. Justice says, "We'll get you out of here."
Turning to run, the sand rushes toward her and the girl. It transforms itself again, turning into a wall to block them.
"Justice," I yell, pulling back the bowstring. "Get back!"
Firing an explosive arrow, it hits the black sand wall and explodes, giving Justice and the girl an opening. Looking back at me and nodding, I nod back and watch as the two run through. The moment they're through, the hole seals itself.
Loading another arrow into my bow, I step back as more of the black sand crawl toward me. Firing trick arrow after trick arrow, they don't do anything except knock a few grains back. In seconds, the sand reaches my boot.
"Ahhh!"
Already feeling it as it moves up my boot and onto the leg of my pants, someone screams. Looking up, I see Ms. Justice jumping into the air, stabbing the surrounding sand with JumpStart's stun baton.
"Ms. Justice," I yell. Ms. Justice turns to look at me while holding out the baton.
"QuickShot! Are you okay?"
"I'm fine! What happened to the girl?"
"I reached the parking lot and found her mother. The two ran away, and I came back here."
While explaining, the sand forms more arms. They lunge at Ms. Justice and me. Using JumpStart's stun baton and my trick arrows, we manage to destroy a few of them, but one still hit Ms. Justice, knocking her to the ground.
"Justice," I yell. Memories of the strange dream flood my mind. I see myself. I see myself back in the ballroom, dancing with Ms. Justice. Her hands on my shoulders. My hands on her hips.
"Control your emotions," the voice said. "Control your emotions."
"What does that mean?" I think. Hearing Justice scream, I snap out of it and look to see another arm punch and knock Ms. Justice back to the ground.
Firing an arrow, I break the arm, shattering it into grains of black sand, but the grains are already moving and re-forming. I run to Ms. Justice, grabbing her hand, and pulling her up.
"Thank you," she says.
"Ms. Justice," I start, "You need to get out of here. Now! Just forget everything and run!"
"What?"
"I am not going to repeat myself! Get out of here!"
"What about you and JumpStart? I'm not leaving either of you!"
"I can get him later. Right now, I am just focusing on you!"
"Don't focus on me! I'm not the one who was hit and thrown into the water."
Fighting to keep my grip on Ms. Justice's hand, she notices and uses her other hand to pry my hand off.
"I am not leaving JumpStart or you, and you cannot make me!"
"Ms. Justice. As leader of the OutCasts, I am ordering you to —"
"Ordering me," Ms. Justice repeats. "Ordering you? Oh, you have to be kidding me."
"Ms. Justice."
"QuickShot!"
"OutCasts!"
Someone else shouts, and we turn to see SharpShot stepping back as a massive shadow grows over him. Looking at the shadow's source, we see all the black sand gathering together. As it gathers together, it takes shape, growing two arms, ten fingers, one head, and one body. The body grows bigger and bigger until it towers over the three of us.