I tried to jump out of its way but it got a grip on me and the next thing I knew I was flying through the air. I hit the wall. I felt ribs snap. I looked up.

Mo’Lock was going after the thing, but it wouldn’t fight him. It just kept coming after me. The ghoul grabbed onto it and tried to stop it and the thing lashed out and turned to him.

“I have no quarrel with you. You are soulless. Get off me!” it screamed, and threw the ghoul clear to the other side of the room.

It swung at me. I dodged and leapt out of the way, just missing a fist that smashed stone. But it kept after me. I saw it coming, still shifting and this time it was getting bigger and bigger until it had turned into the biggest fucker I had ever seen in my life.

I was frozen.

It lifted me off the floor and pulled me close to its face.

“Do you have any more wisecracks before I kill you?! Any last words?! Do you? Do you!?” it screamed.

I was done for. I looked him right in the face. His hot odd breath went right up my nostrils. “You know, dead or not, a Tic Tac would go a long way,” I said.

BAM!

It felt like a bowling ball smashed against my head and I was flying through the air again. My nose was definitely broken, maybe my jaw, maybe my entire head was broken.

I hit the floor, moaned, and rolled. But the damn thing had me by my legs and was spinning me. I started barfing and all I could think was poor Mo’Lock, having to get sprayed by my puke.

Then it got worse. The blue soul-thing let me go. Wheee! I was beyond pain. I was a meat-bag flying through the air.

I hit brick, wood, plastic, and finally glass. I was pulp. And it was still after me. I could see it through bloodied eyes. I was doomed.

But Mo’Lock was there too. I’d forgotten. He was running to get in between me and the beast, but Mr. Blue just kept coming at me. There was nothing I could do. I couldn’t even feel my arms or legs, let alone move.

Mo’Lock didn’t fight. He didn’t even raise a fist. The ghoul did the one thing I didn’t expect.

He inhaled.

He faced the blue beast and sucked in a lungful. The soul stopped in its tracks. Mo’Lock sucked again and this time I swear to God the side of the blue man’s face was pulled outward toward the ghoul. He sucked again, and harder, and suddenly the entire side of the monster was being stretched, sucked toward Mo’Lock.