Free Torn From the Shadows by Yolanda Sfetsos

us.
    “Sierra, what the hell’s going on?”  
    As I turned to push her away, a rush of energy reached the power lines crisscrossing over our heads. The white, sparkly lights raced into the streetlight, causing the bulb to fizzle out and leave us in the dark.
    Lavie finally took a step, but it was too late. She stood too close, so when the spark manifested into a phantasm, it engulfed and zapped her with enough current to knock her off her feet.
    I watched as it took off, headed straight for the warehouse.
    “Shit.”
    An ethereal explosion lit the night with green sparks. The warehouse was buzzing with energy. I could see the glow from the square windows.
    The night watchman ran outside but was zapped in the back of the head. He collapsed in a heap on the driveway.
    “Lavie,” I called, stepping closer. “Lavie, are you okay?”
    She didn’t answer. I crouched beside her to make sure she was still breathing. She was, and her pulse was steady. I didn’t want to leave her alone out here but the others might need my help. I had to get inside.
    I pushed her backpack away to make sure she was lying flat on the sidewalk, took off my jacket, and threw it over her body so she’d stay warm on this cool September night.
    “Sierra!” That was Ebony. “We need your help!”
    I glanced at Lavie one last time before racing towards the warehouse. The closer I got, the more my skin itched and my hair stood on end. I was glad I’d decided to put it up in a ponytail. I touched the door handle but pulled my hand away instantly. An electric shock ran up my arm but it wasn’t too bad. I pulled my sleeve over my hand and yanked the door open before rushing inside.
    The interior of the warehouse was cavernous, filled with equipment parked in specific places, and rows of shelving that created a maze.
    “Sierra,” Jana called, running out of the dark with the canister at her side.
    “What’s going on?”
    “There’s too much energy trapped in here. I only managed to entrap three.” She held up her canister. “It’s heavy.”
    “Do you have more?”
    She pointed to three duffel bags, which were spilling spook canisters onto the concrete floor.
    “Good. Empty one of those bags completely and only store the full ones inside it,” I instructed. “We don’t want to lose sight of what’s been used and what hasn’t.”
    Jana nodded.
    “How many did you sense?”
    “There’s no need to sense them—we can see them.”
    “Phantasms,” I whispered.
    “What are those?” Juliet asked, sidling up beside me.
    “Spooks that can tap into electrical energy,” I said. “They travel through wires, cables, metal—anything able to conduct electricity.”
    “So, how do we get ’em out of here?” Jana asked.
    “We need to stabilize them.” I looked around. “Where’s Ebony?”
    “She’s looking for the fuse box, said she was going to switch off the power,” Juliet answered, her eyes wide and filled with fear.
    “Where’s Claire?”
    Both of the girls shrugged.
    I moved forward. “Come on guys, let’s take care of this.”
    “But I don’t even know what to do!” Juliet said.
    “We’ll do it together.”
    “But—”
    I stepped in front of her. “There are no buts, Juliet! We need to stabilize and remove the phantasms before they zap the life out of us . Do you want to be a spook catcher, or not?”
    She opened her mouth to answer, but didn’t.
    “Roe told me you were ready for this, but if he was wrong you can still get out. Go to the car and wait outside.”
    “No, she’s not going to the car,” Jana said, her eyes hard. “We’re going to do this together.” She grabbed Juliet’s hand and pulled her closer. “The three of us made a pact, remember? After what happened, we said we’d always stick together.”
    The electrical charge in the air was starting to make my skin itch.
    Juliet finally nodded.
    “Let’s go,” I said. Roe wanted these girls to become full-fledged partners of his business and I