Page 11 of Soaring into the Midlife

"Seems like it." Zara looked between the building and us. "But how?"

"Beats me." I shrugged, my vampire senses on high alert. "One minute, we're swimming through gelatin, and the next, everything's back to normal. Sort of."

"Except for the missing people and the sudden daylight that doesn't bother you two." Kendra peered down at the sticky residue that coated her clothes.

"Let's not forget that little detail." I scraped gelatin off my arm in disgust. "But we can't just stand here all day. We need to find out what the hell is going on."

"Should we go back into the building?" Zara said hesitantly. "Maybe there's something in there that can help us figure this out."

"Or maybe that's exactly what whoever or whatever set this up wants us to do." I tapped a finger against my chin as I pondered our options. "What if this is all some sort of trap?"

"Trap or not, we don't have much choice," Kendra reasoned. "We came here to find our skip, and we're not leaving until we do."

"Kendra's right," Zara said, a determined glint in her eyes. "Besides, you’ve faced worse before, haven't you? I’ve heard lots of stories."

I couldn't argue with that. We'd been through some truly bizarre situations since becoming paranormal bounty hunters, but this one was high on the list. With a deep breath, I squared my shoulders and nodded in agreement.

"Well, okay then." I sighed. "Let's go back inside. But be ready for anything, okay?"

Kendra simply nodded, her expression grim but resolute.

As we approached the building's entrance, I worried. What kind of supernatural force could turn a skyscraper into gelatin and alter the time of day? And why had it targeted us?

5

"All right,ladies, let's see what we're dealing with here," Zara announced as she marched up to the skyscraper's front door. She poked her head inside, scanning the seemingly ordinary lobby. "Looks pretty normal to me," she shrugged, her nonchalance making me wonder if I was missing something.

As soon as we stepped inside, a strange humming sound surrounded us. It was subtle, but undeniably present.

"Anyone else hear that?" Kendra said.

"Uh-huh," Zara said, her brow furrowing as she tried to pinpoint the source of the noise. "But it doesn't seem threatening...yet."

"Great, now you've jinxed us," I said. My dragon senses were on high alert, ready for anything and everything this skyscraper could throw at us.

Suddenly, the walls of the skyscraper rippled and morphed before our eyes. Vibrant greenery sprouted from every surface, transforming the once sterile interior into a whimsical outdoor garden. Gigantic flowers grew, some the size of trees! I blinkedin disbelief as animated garden gnomes appeared, wielding comically oversized garden tools.

"Okay, so this is new," I said.

"New? This is downright ridiculous," Kendra said. "I mean, come on. Garden gnomes? Really?"

"Hey, don't underestimate them." Zara looked between the pint-sized figures now roaming the garden. "They may be small, but they've got some serious firepower there with those tools."

Just as she finished speaking, the gnomes sprang to life, yelling in tinny voices and marching toward us with their oversized garden tools brandished like weapons. My blood ran cold at the sight. Sure, they looked ridiculous, but it was clear we were about to face a battle unlike any we'd experienced before.

"Time to show these gnomes who's boss." I bared my fangs.

"Agreed," Kendra chimed. "Let's do this."

"Bring it on, tiny terrors," Zara shouted, flexing her muscles and cracking her knuckles in anticipation.

As we prepared for combat, I reflected on the absurdity of the situation. Here we were, three supernatural women with extraordinary powers, facing off against a horde of animated garden gnomes. It was almost laughable, if not for the imminent threat posed by their deceptively cute exteriors.

Diving headfirst into the fray, the air whooshed around me as I dodged a rake swung at me by one of the gnomes. My vampire agility was coming in handy in this bizarre garden battleground.

"Hailey, watch out for the wheelbarrow," Kendra shouted, pointing at a gnome attempting to use the gardening contraption as a battering ram.

"Thanks for the heads-up," I said with a wink, jumping under the charging wheelbarrow.