Marcus fires the shotgun. All Jeremy knows is terror as he throws himself to the ground and covers his face with his hands.
Buckshot grazes the troll and it turns to Marcus. He fires again, but the thick grey skin of the creature absorbs most of the impact, leaving little more than shallow pockmarks in its flesh. The troll grabs the shotgun, but Marcus refuses to relinquish his hold on the weapon and is dragged upwards, his feet kicking ineffectually at the air.
The troll hurls Marcus towards a row of metal shelves that buckle under his weight and topple backwards, causing a chain-reaction that fills the garage with the deafening clatter of falling equipment. Jeremy opens his eyes, watching as the garage seems to disintegrate before him.
Sarra remains in front of Jeremy and he realises that her open palms are glowing. She says something (to nobody in particular and in a language that Jeremy doesn’t understand) and the troll turns towards her, baring its chunky yellow teeth.
Helena fires a rifle from the fire side of the garage. The troll bows its enormous head and gazes up at the suspended platform beside the giant lamp.
Helena fires again and the troll bellows angrily. Lurching forward it begins to clumsily ascend the spiral staircase leading to Helena.
“Hey!” Yells Sarra defiantly , causing the troll to turn back. Sarra’s hands are balled into fists at her sides, each glowing brightly.
The troll moves swiftly, closing the gap in an instant and scooping Sarra up from the ground. Jeremy watches as she reaches out and places her palms against the troll’s skin. The creature wails as its thick grey flesh begins to burn.
Sarra tumbles from the troll’s hands and falls limp on a set of overturned shelves. The grey skin of the troll is now scorched and marked with bullets, but it still doesn’t fall. The monster takes one lumbering step towards Jeremy and his nostrils fill with the smell of deep, dank earth. He realises that the garage is now silent, except for the settling of items where they’ve fallen.