Terry laid in his cot nearly asleep when the sounds of creaking floorboards in the bar below sent an instant panic through his body. He pulled the blankets as far up as possible and froze, listening closely to the movements below him. The rhythm of the steps--short and quick without any distinct pattern--made him believe that more than one person was the cause of the ruckus.

He closed his eyes tightly and turned to face away from the door, trying to rid himself of the shaking, not from the cold breeze blowing through cracks and crevices but rather the fear of what lurked below. Footsteps grew closer, and the old age of the inn's architecture didn't leave much to the imagination.There was only one possible cause for the disturbance down in the bar, and Terry wasn't wanting to have anything to do with it.

                ~*~

The darkness made navigating through the bar difficult, but Tara led the way as if she had been there numerous times before. Gwen and Erin waited behind closely to follow her lead, bumping into one another with every sudden stop Tara made. The old building made sneaking nearly impossible with their footsteps that rang through the entirety of the establishment, but it was just something they'd have to deal with.

At the foot of the steps, a loud twisting of wood beneath their feet made Tara stop suddenly. Her rigidness immediately sent Erin into Gwen's back, which led to Tara having both of them fall onto her in a sloppy domino effect, causing Tara to bump her head against one of the wooden steps.

     Tara growled softly and turned to stare down Gwen and Erin, nearly on the ground, Erin steadied herself against the broad shoulders attached to Gwen. Erin pushed her lips inward and raised her brows before shrugging with a silly grin.

     Quiet! Tara mouthed. She pointed up the stairs and looked back to see Gwen and Erin nodding their heads in understanding.

     One by one they took each step carefully, trying to avoid any sudden creaking or screeching from the shabby stairs. The three of them remained so close to one another that they could feel the breath of each other on the back of their necks, minus Erin, who had turned her head to look into the pitch black void behind her.

     "Jeffrey!!!"

The sound of a higher pitched male voice made all three of them jump, their hearts racing. Two doors down from the first room they stood across from, a door opened slowly. The dark hid the man's features, but his stature couldn't be taken lightly; he towered above the night with a shadow that swallowed up the hall.

~*~

Jeffrey's breaths deepened against the cold night air that seeped into his room from the outside. He wrapped his blanket around him tighter, and moved into the fetal position to ensure his entire body was able to be covered.

     "Jeffrey!!!"

     Jeffrey moaned into his pillow and kicked around his feet a bit before finally giving into the yell from next door.

     "What do you want you bastard?" He mumbled to himself as he walked out into the hall.

     The hall remained desolate and dark, save for a small movement he caught from the corner of his eyes. He attempted to not freeze at the silhouette of three cloaked figures attempting to stand stationary only a couple feet away. He kept his face solemn and didn't pause for fear of them knowing he knew they were there. He quickly opened the door to Tomas's room and slammed it shut behind behind him.

     "Mr. Hilder," Jeffrey said.

     ~*~

     "That's him," Tara whispered to Gwen and Erin.

     "What can I do for you, sir?"

     "Grab me another pillow from your room."

"But sir--I only have one."

Gwen and Erin stood against the wall and peered at each other in disbelief.

"Do I look like I care, Jeffrey? Go fetch it!"

Tara shuddered at the shrillness of Tomas's last request before taking a knee. Gwen and Erin responded by doing exactly as she did and looked at Tara questionably. The door to Tomas's room opened and the tall man known as Jeffrey ran into his room quicker than when he had first left it, leaving behind an echo that rang through the hall after he had slammed his door.

"Let's go," Tara whispered.

"Shouldn't we wait for that guy to--"

"No time--besides I doubt he's going to give that creep the only pillow he has in his room."

Gwen and Erin looked at each other and shrugged before following Tara into Tomas's room.

"Jeffrey, is that you?" Tomas asked behind the curtain of darkness. The girls remained quiet but flanked his bed without hesitation.

Tomas squinted just enough to make out the shadow that had split into three and surrounded him.

"Oh no, you don't! Jeffrey!! Jeffrey!!" Tomas belted at the top of his lungs, his voice cracking.

Tara walked around the foot of the bed until she stood beside a frightened little man, clearly too big for even the most standard of cots.

"This will be a tough one," she stated. Gwen and Erin nodded, acknowledging the sheer weight of such a small man.

"You can't do this! Jeffrey!!"

Tara reached into her cloak to retrieve her sword slowly, and the sound of it escaping the hilt sent shivers through the still air. Tomas watched as the small steady breaths escaped Tara's mouth, making a small cloud with each one. The sword shimmered only slightly against the darkness.

"Oh my! Jeffrey!!" He screamed," where is that barbarian?!"

As Tara was about to bring down the sword to knock him out fear took over Tomas's pudgy body and he locked up--right before he fainted and pissed his pants from sheer terror.

"I thought he'd never shut up," Tara said, "I'll take his head, Gwen grab him by his torso--best you can at least, and Erin grab his feet."

~*~

Jeffrey laid down smiling to himself.

Jeffrey! Jeffrey!!

He grabbed his one pillow and placed it delicately under his head and plumped it up with a grin ear to ear. Tomas had ruined the only life he had and the fact that the furies had come for him had saved him the trouble.

     "Jeffrey!!"

     He laughed softly to himself before enjoying the cries coming from Tomas. He placed a hand on his pillow and snuggled against it. Things were finally starting to look up, and Tomas being taken was just the start of it.