The Zodiac's

Kendal traced her fingers over the stylized bull tattoo on the inside wrist of the guy sitting next to her. He’d bought her a drink and asked her to sit and talk with him.

“So what are you, a Taurus?” she yelled to be heard over the music.

He grinned at her and slid his arm around her back, clasping her hip.

“Exactly,” he replied. “What are you?”

“Um, I think a Virgo? I can’t ever remember.”

He frowned at her and flipped her wrist over. His frown deepened as he traced a thumb over her bare skin.

“New are you?” he asked.

It was her to turn to frown. She’d broken up with her long-term boyfriend of over five years just months ago and this was the first time she’d ventured out, but still. It seemed rude of him to comment on it.

She opened her mouth to tell him so when another man stepped up to the table where they sat tucked back in the corner of the bar.

“We’ve got incoming,” she heard him yell.

The guy next to her seemed to perk up at that. He gripped her hand in his and tugged her up when he stood. The other guy scowled and shook his head.

“It’s cool,” the guy with her claimed. “She can come.”

“You sure?”

They were shouting so Kendal could hear everything.

“Yeah, she’s with us.”

“Um,” Kendal began, trying to pull her hand out of his. He was a big guy though with wide shoulders and a trim waist. The top of her head just reached his chin and she was wearing heels. She’d been checking out the muscles bunching under the thin T-shirt he wore which was part of the reason she’d accepted the drink. “Not sure what you guys are talking about but maybe I should sit this one out. I’ll catch up with you later, okay?”

She smiled up at him, just now realizing she didn’t even know his name.

He grinned and began walking towards the exit following the other guy. Since he was still holding her hand, she had no choice but to follow, practically jogging to keep up with his long strides.

“I get it,” he yelled over his shoulder. “I was nervous too, at first, but you just gotta get out there.”

“Wait a minute,” she called. “Where exactly do you think you’re taking me?”

He didn’t answer, only pushed open the door and pulled her through. Outside, there was a group of six others, men and women both. They wore a mix of jean and leather, with two of the women wearing leather skirts and heels Kendal knew she’d never be able to run in. As her and the guy stepped out, they were all tugging on leather jackets. The one who’d come and gotten them tossed a jacket to the man with her.

One of the women saw her.

“What’re you doing bringing her along? We don’t bring candy with us.”

Kendal’s face flamed and she stood up straighter. She took a breath to tell the woman where she could shove her insults but the first guy spoke before she could.

“It’s cool, she’s one of us.”

Kendal frowned up at him and opened her mouth to ask what he meant when the guy who’d gotten them interrupted.

“We don’t have time for this. Gordan vouched for her so she’s coming,”

“But I don’t want to-“ Kendal started.

“It’s ok,” the first man, Gordan apparently, spoke over her. “We’re good.”

“But really, I’m fine-“

“Yes, you are.” He squeezed her hand and then let it go to shrug into his jacket. “Where’s your jacket?”

She looked around as if one would appear.

“Um, I didn’t think I’d need one. It’s kinda warm tonight.”

“She’s not even prepared,” the other woman snapped. “This is ridiculous Sean,” she said to the second man. “What’re we supposed to do with her?”

“Shut it, Jaz,” Sean told her. “I said we don’t have time. Let’s go.”

As a group, the men and women fell in behind Sean as he started jogging down the street. Gordan clasped Kendal’s hand and followed. Kendal tried to keep up but she wasn’t used to jogging in three-inch heels.

“Stop, please,” she cried. “Wherever they’re going, we can just meet them there.”

She was finally able to jerk her hand away and Gordan turned to her with a look of confusion.

“They might need our help,” he said and it was her turn to be confused.

“Our help with what?”

He opened his mouth to answer but a horrible screeching sound filled the air, like metals nails on a steel plate.

“Shit,” he cursed and grabbed her hand. He began running again and Kendal followed, this time willingly because she wanted to see what was happening.

Halfway down the next street, they heard the noise again and she winced. It was even more ear-splitting this close. Gordan turned into an alleyway and cursing, he pushed her behind a dumpster.

“Since this seems to be your first time, just watch.”

Kendal could only nod, having no idea what was going on.

He moved down a little ways towards where his group seemed to be just standing around and then he stopped at another dumpster. He bent down, digging his fingers underneath and Kendal watched with her mouth hanging open as his muscles bunched and he lifted the dumpster. It had to weigh over 3,000 pounds.

With a grunt which sounded like the bull he’d been tattooed with, he turned and tossed it like a disc. Kendal watched it fly, just now noticing the three people facing their way at the other end of the alley. She opened her mouth to shout a warning, wanting no part in murder tonight, thank you very much, when one of the women in the group raised her hands. Her face strained and then a gust of wind caught the dumpster in midair and hurled it back towards Gordan. At the same time, the man next to her flung his hands out and streams of fire filled the alley.

Gordan and his group cursed and ducked behind whatever cover they could find.

“Elementals!” someone screamed.

“Fall back!” a man, she thought it was Sean, called. “We don’t have anyone to engage.”

“Yeah we do!” Gordan shout back. He turned to where she was cowering behind her dumpster. Raising a hand, he gestured for her to come to him.

She shook her head adamantly. No way was she coming out. She had no idea what the hell was going on and she seriously regretted accepting his drink.

He frowned at her.

“You’re the only Elemental we’ve got,” he yelled. “I know I said you could watch, but we need you.”

She shook her head again. Her entire body was shivering with fear and adrenaline. Who the hell were these people? What was going on?

“Children of Marduk,” a voice called from the other end. Who was Marduk? “Tell us where the scrolls are and we’ll let you go.”

“Go to hell!” one of their group called back.

“Gordan and Thomas, block them so we can get out of here,” Sean ordered.

Gordan cast her a hurt look, like she’d disappointed him, and then stepped out. He and another guy began tossing things towards the other group, quickly and frantically. Dumpsters, shopping carts, bicycles, trash bins. Things were flying through the air, creating a lot of noise and under the diversion, Sean and the four remaining people jogged back towards where Kendal knelt on the ground.

“Come on,” Sean tugged her up, “while they keep them busy.”

She was all for getting out of there but as soon as they were a block from the alley, she pulled her arm out of his grasp and turned on him.

“What the hell is going on?” she demanded. “What was that back there? How could Gordan throw a freaking dumpster? And that other guy? Was there a flamethrower somewhere I couldn’t see?”

All five of them stared at her in surprise.

Sean grabbed her wrist and turned it.

“What the hell?” he looked back at her face. “Gordan said you were one of us.”

Jerking her hand back, she scowled at him.

“I don’t know what he was talking about,” she told him. “He bought me a drink so I-”

“Gordan!” one of the women interrupted them. Everyone turned back the way they’d come. Gordan and another guy, Thomas she assumed, were running up the street.

“We need to move farther away,” Gordan called. “That won’t hold them long.”

“Gordan, who the hell is this?” It was the same woman who’d called her candy before. “She doesn’t have a tattoo but you said she was one of us.”

He shrugged as he neared them.

“She said she was new.”

“I am new,” Kendal spoke slowly, “to dating. I just broke up with my boyfriend and this is the first time I’ve gone out.”

Gordan’s mouth dropped open.

“You’re not a Zodiac?” he asked.

Kendal shook her head and threw her hands up.

“Not even sure what that means so I’m gonna go with no.”

Someone groaned.

“Gordan’s little head is doing the thinking for him again,” someone else said.

“You don’t have a power sign? You’ve never been tested?” He sounded as confused as she felt. “You said you were a Virgo. I thought you were earth, an Elemental.”

“Listen guys,” she began. She stepped backwards, getting ready to bolt. “I’m not sure what’s going on and I don’t think I want to know so let’s just pretend the last ten minutes never happened, okay? I’m gonna go home, take a pill, and try to convince myself I drank too much tonight.”

A hand landed on her shoulder. She glanced down and saw a bull tattooed on the wrist. Looking up, she saw the face of the man who’d been with Gordan, Thomas.

She glanced around at the others and one by one, they each pushed up the sleeves of their jackets. Different animals were tattooed across the inside of each wrist. There was a ram, a lion, a fish, a goat, and a scorpion.

“Shit,” she sighed.

“Yeah, that’s about right,” Sean said. He even looked regretful. “We can’t let you go, not until we take you in to talk to our leader. He’ll decide what’s going to happen.”

“What do you mean, what’s going to happen? I have no idea what’s going on.”

“Good job, Gordan,” the last man of the group shoved Gordan’s shoulder. “Bringing her along was a great idea.”

“Knock it off, Ryan.” Gordan shoved him back and the man stumbled. “She recognized my sign. How’s I supposed to know she wasn’t one of us?”

“One of you?” Kendal clamped her hands on the sides of her head. She had the beginning of a killer headache. “Who are you people?”

“Long story short, we’re magic,” Sean explained.

Kendal stared at him, waiting for the punchline. But she’d just seen a man toss a dumpster down an alley like it was a frisbee. Another man had acted like a living flamethrower and she’d almost forgotten the women who’d blown the dumpster back at Gordan. She must’ve used air somehow.

As hard as it was to believe, she’d seen it. She couldn’t not believe her own eyes.

“Magic?” she repeated. “Like spells and Harry Potter and stuff?”

Someone snorted and Sean cracked a smile.

“Kind of, yeah. We’re tested and whatever we show affinity for, we get tattooed with that sign.” He gestured to his wrist where a lion roared. “That tattoo enhances whatever power we inherently have. We use those powers to fight a battle most people don’t even know is going on.”

“What battle?” she asked, intrigued despite her lingering fear.

Sean shook his head.

“It’s better if Jacob explains. He’s our leader.”

“I still don’t understand. What signs?”

He smiled.

“Welcome to the Zodiacs.”