What was that disgusting smell ?

Park Soyeon was just about to press the Bluetooth headset back into her ear when she breathed deeply and paused, nostrils flaring.

She'd just smelled something awful.

Closing her phone and pushing her headset into a pocket, she leaned over the open jar of dark tea leaves and inhaled.

She had been working in The Coffee Cup since she and her brother had arrived in San Francisco for the summer. It was an OK job, nothing special. Most of the customers were nice, a few were ignorant and one or two were dowright rude, but the hours were fine, the pay was good, the tips were better and the shop had the added advantage of being just across the road from where her twin brother worked.

They had turned fifteen last December and had already started to save for their own car. They estimated it would take them at least two years - if they bought no CDs, DVDs, games, clothes or shoes, which were Soyeon's big weakness.

Usually, there were two other staff on duty wth her, but one had gone home sick earlier, and Suzy, who owned the shop, had left after the lunchtime rush to go to the wholesaler's to stock up on fresh supplies of tea and coffee.

She had promised to be back in an hour. Soyeon knew it would take at least twice that.

Over the summer,  Soyeon had grown used to the smells of the different exotic teas and coffee the shop sold. She could tell her Earl Grey from her Darjeeling, and knew the difference between Javanese and Kenyan coffee.

She enjoyed the smell of coffee, though she hated the bitter taste of it. But she loved tea.

In the past couple of weeks she had been gradually sampling all the teas, particularly the herbal teas with their fruity taste and unusual aromas.

But now something smelled foul andd disgusting.

Almost like rotten eggs.

Soyeon brought a tin of loose tea to her face and breathed deeply.

The crisp odor of Assam caught at the back of .

The stench wasn't coming from there.

" You're supposed to drink it, not inhale it. " Soyeon turned as Lee Hyori came into the shop.

Lee Hyori was a tall, elegant woman who could have been any age from forty to sixty.

It was clear that she had once been beautiful, and she was still striking. Her eyes were the brightest, clearest green Soyeon had ever seen, and for a long time she had wondered if the older woman wore colored contact lenses.

Hyori's hair had once been jet-black, but now it was shot through with strands of silver, and she wore it in an intricate braided ponytail that lay along her back almost to the base of her spine.

Her teeth were small and perfect, and her face was traced with tiny laugh lines at the corners of her eyes.

She was always much more elegantly dressed than her husband, and today she was wearing a mint green sleeveless summer dress that matched her eyes, in what Soyeon thought was probably pure silk.

" I just thought it smelled peculiar, " Soyeon said.

She sniffed the tea again. " Smells fine now, " she added, " but for a moment there, i thought it smelled like ... like ... like rotten eggs. "

She was looking at Hyori as she spoke. She was startled when the woman's bright green eyes snapped wide open and she whirled around to look across the street ... just as all the little square windows of the bookshop abruptly developed cracks and 2 simply exploded into dust.

Wisps of green and yellow smoke curled out into the street and the air was filled with the stench of rotten eggs.

Soyeon caught another smell too, the sharper, cleaner smell of peppermin.

The older woman's lips moved, and she whispered, " Oh no .. not now .. not here. "

" Mrs. Lee ... Hyori ? "

The woman rounded on Soyeon. Her eyes were wild and terrified and her usually faultless Korean now held a hint of foreign accent. " Stay here. Whatever happens. Stay here and stay down. "

Soyeon was opening to ask a question when she felt her ears pop.

She swallowed hard ... and then the door to the bookshop crashed open and one of the big men Soyeon had seen earlier was flung out onto the street.

Now he was missing his hat and glasses, and Soyeon caught a glimpse of his dead-looking skin and his marble black eyes.

He crounched in the middle of the street for a moment, then he raised his hand to shield his face from the sunlight.

And Soyeon felt something cold and solid settle into the pit of her stomach.

The skin on the man's hand was moving. It was slowly flowing, shifting viscously down into his sleeve. It looked as if his fingers were melting.

A glob of what appeared to be gray mud spattered onto the street.

" Golems, " Hyori gasped. " My God, he's created Golems. "

" Gollums ? " Soyeon asked, thick and dry, her tongue suddenly feeling far too large for . " Golums, from Lord of the Rings ? "

The name meant nothing to Soyeon, but she watched with a mixture of horror and confusion as the creature - the Golem - on the street crawled out of the sun and under the cover of the awning.

Like a huge slug, he left a wet muddy trail behind him, which immediately dried in the fierce sunlight.

Soyeon caught another glimpse of his face before he staggered into the bookshop.

His features had flowed like melted wax and a fine web of cracks covered the skin. It reminded her of the floor of a dessert.

Hyori dashed out into the street. Soyeon watched as the woman pulled her hair free of its intricate braid and shook it loose.

But instead of lying flat against her back, her hair flowed out about her, as if it blown in a gentle breeze.

Only there was no breeze.

Soyeon hesitated a moment. Then, grabbing a broom, she dashed across the road after Hyori. Seungho was in the bookstore!

The bookshop was in chaos.

The once-neat shelves and carefully stacked tables were scattered and tosses about the room in heaps.

Bookcases were shattered, shelves snapped in half, ornate prints and maps lay crushed on the floor. The stench of rot and decay hung about the room.

Pulped paper and wood turned dry and rotting, even the ceiling was scored and torn, plaster shredded to reveal the wooden joists and dangling electrical wires.

The small gray man stood in the center of the floor.

he was fastidiously brushing dust off the sleeve of his coat while two of his Golems explored the cellar.

The third Golem, damaged and stiff from exposure to the sun, leaned awkwardly against a crushed bookcase.

Flakes of gray mudlike skin were spiraling off what remained of his hands.

The gray man turned as Hyori, followed by Soyeon, dashed into the bookshop.

He gave a neat little bow. " Ah, Madame Hyori. I was wondering where you were. "

" Where is Jihoon ? " Hyori demanded. 

She pronounced the name " Jihoon " . Soyeon saw a static charge ripple down the woman's hair, blue and white sparks crackling.

" Downstairs, I believe. My creatures are looking for him. "

Clutching the broom tightly in both hands, Soyeon slipped past Hyori and crept around to the other side of the room.

Seungho. Where was Seungho ? She had no idea what was happening and didn't care. She just needed to find her brother.

" You are looking as lovely as ever, " the gray man said, eyes fixed on Hyori. " You haven't aged a day. " He bowed again, an old-fashioned, courtly movement that he performed effortlessly.

" It is always a joy to see you. "

" I wish i could say the same for you, Junhyung. " Hyori moved farther into the room, eyes darting from side to side. " I recognized your foul stench. "

Junhyung closed his eyes and breathed deeply. " I rather like the smell of brimstone. It is so ... " He paused, " So dramatic. " 

Then his gray eyes snapped open and the smile faded.

" We've come for the Book, Hyori. And don't tell me you've destroyed it, " he added. " Your continued remarkable good health is proof indeed of its existence. "

Which book ? Soyeon wondered, glancing around the room. The shop was full of books.

" We are the guardians of the Book, " Hyori said, and something in her voice made Soyeon turn to look at her.

The girl stopped, mouth and eyes wide with horror.

A silver mist surrounded Lee Hyori, rising off her skin in gossamer threads.

Pale and translucent in places, it gathered thick and hard around her hands, making it look as if she were wearing metal gauntlets.

" You will never get it, " Hyori snapped.

" We will, " Junhyung said. " We'ved accumulated all the other treasures over the yeas. Only the Book remains. Now, make it easy on yourself and tell me where it is ... "

" Never! "

" I knew you would say that, " Junhyung said, and then the huge Golem launched himself at Hyori. " Humans are so predictable. "

Rain and Seungho were opening the door of the dry cleaner's when they saw Hyori, followed by Soyeon, race across the street and into the bookshop.

" Get this door open, " Rain snapped as he reached under his T-shirt.

From a simple square cloth bag dangling around his neck, he produced what looked like a small book bound in copper-colored metal.

Seungho slammed back the bolts and tugged open the door and Rain raced out, quickly thumbling through the rough-edged pages as he ran, looking for something.

Sengho caught a brief glimpse of ornate writing and geometric patterns on the thick yellowed pages as he followed Rain back into the bookshop.

Rain & Seungho arrived in time to see the Golem touch Hyori.

And explode.

Fine, gritty powder filled the air, and the heavy black overcoat crumpled to the floor.

For a moment, a miniature whirlwind spun there, churning up the dust, then it curled away.

But Rain & Seungho's entry diverted Hyori's attention.

She half turned ... and in that instant Junhyung drew his left arm across his eyes and hurled a tiny crystal ball onto the floor.

It was as if the sun had exploded in the room.

The light was incredible. Blinding and harsh, it blanketed the room in its ghastly flare, and with the light came the smell, the stink of burning hair and overcooked good, smoldering leaves and scorched metal mingled with the acrid fumes of diesel.

Seungho caught a glimpse of his sister just as Junhyung tossed the crystal.

He was partially shielded by Rain & Hyori, both of whom were battered to the floor by the light.

Seungho's vision became a kaleidoscope of black-and-white still images as the light seared the rods and cones at the back of his eyes.

He saw Rain drop the metal-bound book with a grunt of triumph while Rain d blindly on the floor.

" You lose, Rain, " Junhyung hissed, " as you have always lost. Now i get to take those things most precious to you. Your beloved Hyori and your book. "

Seungho was moving even before he was aware of it.

He launched himself at Junhyung, catching the small man by surprise.

Although only at 15, Seungho was tall for his age, and heavy. He was big enough to be a linebacker, and the youngest on his football team.

He knocked Junhyung to the ground, sending the book spinning out of his grasp. Seungho felt the heavy metal cover beneath his fingertips and caught it - just as he was lifted straight off the floor and tossed into a corner. He landed on a pile of books that cushioned his fall. Black spots and darts of rainbow light moved across his eyes every time he blinked.

Junhyung's gray shape loomed over Seungho, then his gloved hand reached down for the book. " Mine, i think. "

Seungho's grip tightened, but Junhyung's simply wrenched the book from his hand.

" You. Leave. My. Brother. Alone. " Soyeon brought the broom down five times on Junhyung's back, once for every word.

Junhyung barely glanced at her. Clutching the book in one gloved hand, he caught the broom in the other and muttered a single word, and it immediately withered and turned into ragged pulpy splinters in Soyeon's hands.

" You're lucky i'm in a good humor today, " he whispered, " else i'd do the same to you. " Then Junhyung and his two remaining Golems swept out of the devastated bookshop, carrying Hyori between them, and slammed the door closed.

There was a long moment of silence, and then the last remaining undisturbed shelf of books clattered to the floor.

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So how's it so far ? :B

COMMENTS PLEASE.

Haha and yes, a special appearance of Suzy from Miss A :D But sadly, she didn't do much x: -bows-

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