The Kung Fu Cover Teacher Vs the Soul Sucking Shabti

By James Twyman

Something strange is going on at Willow Brook Boarding School… something terrifying!

Michelle is a teenage girl who's become mixed up with a bad crowd. When a joyriding stunt goes wrong, her parents are forced to take serious action in an attempt to steer Michelle onto a better course. But will her new school really be any safer?

KC is the butt-kicking, Afro-sporting cover teacher the pupils of Willow Brook need! Learning of mysterious events which place every child in danger, KC and his trusty teammate Elle find themselves caught up in a supernatural plot which reaches further than they could ever imagine.

Blending Egyptology, paranormal horrors, and adrenalin-pumping action, The Kung fu Cover Teacher vs the Soul Sucking Shabti is a thrilling tale for readers aged 13+.  

• Language: English
• Publisher: Red Cape Publishing
• Release date: Nov 16, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223116936

Book preview

THE KUNG FU COVER TEACHER

VS

THE SOUL SUCKING SHABTI

JAMES TWYMAN

Copyright 2023 Little Red’s Publishing

Copyright 2023 James Twyman

This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to people, places, or situations is purely coincidental.

Special thanks to Dr Campbell Price (PhD in Egyptology)

For your help and expertise. The real Egyptian history and mythology helped ground the story and make it feel real.

Cover design by James Twyman.

Base gesture art by Emilo Alcala

CHAPTER 1

THE SHADOW REALM

The Heart Scarab of Hatnofer glowed blue in the presence of evil. The brighter the pulsing light shone, the purer the heinous nature of the enemy nearby. It could sense bloodlust from miles away, acting as warning to its owner that the most violent death approached.

Right now, it was radiating like a star. It illuminated the face of the Kung Fu Cover Teacher as he walked with confidence through unfamiliar territory.

I’m in. He scanned the area for danger, every one of his senses telling him it was close.

10-4. The sound was slightly broken as Elle acknowledged him.

You’re breaking up.

The temporal disbursement is jamming elements of the signal’s wavelength causing disruption to the feed.

In other words … I’m in another dimension so the signal’s awful?

Exactly.

Sometimes I wish you would stop overcomplicating things. I’m heading down the math’s corridor. There was a deep air of authority about the Kung Fu Cover Teacher’s voice as it carried, almost by itself, across the planes of reality.

I know, I’m right behind you. I can see you in the dimensional spectral imager.

The camera.

Sometimes KC, I wish you wouldn’t oversimplify all the hard work I do.

Touche. This thing's lit up like a Christmas tree. The light from the amulet tried with all its might to escape the oncoming darkness.

The corridor was deathly silent and completely still as he shuffled on. With each step, he took care not to alert the hideous monsters of his presence.

Well trained eyes darted around, paying attention to every corner of darkness. He looked through the various windows, searching for his targets.

Residue from the shadow world dropped from the ceiling and down the walls, coating the floor in thick, sticky black ooze.

This is creepy. Elle couldn’t believe what she was seeing on her spectral imager. I can’t see anyone in the classrooms on this side of the rift... but on here… they are all hiding. Under tables, behind doors… trying so hard to call out for help. They are so scared. We need to get them out.

We will Elle, don’t worry… we will. KC took a moment from sneaking around to comfort his friend. He stood there for a moment, scouting his next move.

A slight wind caught his mighty Afro, giving it an epic sense of movement. Purple light glimmered from the fabulous follicles of his fantastic ‘fro, illuminating his suit for a moment. A superfly mix of black trousers and a suave purple fitted shirt with black trims made up his superhero costume. The end of the sleeves sported square silver cufflinks and, on his feet, he had shiny leather Chelsea boots.

He continued to look through the windows into classrooms. Once full of happy children preparing for their futures, now they felt like fear and death.

The classrooms were empty to the eyes of a normal person. But his extrasensory perception meant KC could see the auras of the children and teachers trapped in the shadow dimension.

Even though he was technically only halfway in, it was enough to traverse the dangerous realm. If he couldn’t release them, they would be trapped there until their souls were devoured by the monstrosities that had pulled them in.

I still don’t know why I can’t just go in all the way. KC was still frustrated by an earlier heated discussion. He could have sorted this whole mess out by now if he was able to immerse himself in this dimension fully.

Because physical beings don't belong in a spirit dimension. And for some unknown reason we couldn't project your spirit astrally. If you spent more than ten minutes on that side, it would rip you apart until you became Kung Fu Dust.

Ten minutes? I’d only need five.

You’d be in the worst pain you ever felt from the moment you entered. Like being picked apart bit by bit, cell by cell, atom by atom… You’re much safer with one foot in and one foot out.

You mean more pain than listening to you lecture me?

Considerably

Perhaps 50/50 is best then.

The walls shimmered as the amulet pulled the worlds together. The living world could only just be seen through an ever-moving layer of thick, black gunge. It was as though the shadow realm had been stuck on top and was doing its best to pull away. A sharp movement caught KC's eye as he spotted a foe that was jumping from shadow to shadow.

They know I’m here. KC made sure it knew he was onto it.

I can see the scout on the… camera thing. Elle tried to dumb it down and KC smiled at this.

A scream ripped through the corridor. KC turned to the source and saw the aura of a teenage girl running towards him. Moments later he saw what she was running from.

Shadow people are a truly scary parasitic entity with a taste for young souls. They infect a place that houses a large number of children, subtly at first, making themselves a general nuisance.

They typically start by hiding things, to cause frustration. Soon, they begin to appear in a child’s periphery until they tell ghost stories to terrorize one another. This fear generates a renewable source of energy that the shadow people feed off. Then, as that energy builds, they begin to take form.

People would see them for longer but the fear of being called crazy would stop them telling others. Each morsel of negative energy helps them grow in strength and numbers.

Once the hive was ready, once every shadow was filled with the deadly seven-foot beastly demons, their queen would tear a hole into the shadow dimension. They would then pull everyone in their path into their hunting ground. For the next few years, they would chase the poor souls down as prey and consume them.

The Kung Fu Cover Teacher had been tracking this hive for nearly fifteen years and finally he had them in his grasp. Just in time to save hundreds of kids from a fate worse than death.

The wisp of the girl’s frightened aura drew closer, glowing shades of red that bounced from the shimmering walls. The dimensions struggled to be in the same place at the same time as two enemies forced to shake hands.

The hulking black beast smashed the ground with its huge feet, its claws ripping along the walls which in turn created tears so deep they affected the living world. The huge cracks tore towards Elle, who ducked instinctively even though she knew she would be fine. The tech wizard’s brown trench coat billowed in the air displaced by the beast's power.

The creature's red eyes were out-menaced only by its snarling, hungry mouth. It breathed heavily as it prepared to protect its hive. It’s time to get my groove on. KC took a deep horse stance.

Still working on that catchphrase there, KC?

KC stepped to the side, not just to let the girl pass but to line up his next move. As the beast bounded closer, the kung fu master picked his moment. Just as it got close enough to try to attack, KC fired out a side kick so hard the energy waves ripped outwards. Pictures on the walls of both dimensions came flying off. The energy wave distorted Elle's equipment for a moment. The creature was sent back down to the other end of the corridor, first flying through the air and then sliding across the floor and hitting the wall with a thud.

Then came a moment of silence as the shadow creature lay dead on the floor. With its life literally beaten out of it, hundreds of souls began to rise from it like thin wisps of smoke.

It was then the others revealed themselves. Almost fifty of the hellish monsters grew from out of the shadows to protect their newly found nesting ground.

The amulet began to pulsate so brightly that Elle could see KC’s silhouette without the aid of technology. The first few creatures launched themselves towards KC. Expertly and without effort, he moved, bobbed, weaved, slipped and ducked the huge claws.

The creatures fell over each other as their attacks failed to hit their mark. KC grabbed the little finger of one and twisted. The once menacing monstrosity squealed like a four-year-old with its hand trapped in a car door.

KC used the creature as a shield, moving it from side to side as attacks came in. He fired out epic kick after epic kick, dispatching evil. He ducked under the arm of the creature he was holding and applied a front kick to an oncoming enemy. The victim of the kick was forced back, toppling three or four others like huge black bowling pins.

KC’s foot was still out in front of him; he swung it into a back kick and took out another creature. He then spun his captive around and flung it into another creature that was halfway through a jumping attack.

You need to harness the amulet’s power; it will be much easier to dispatch them. Elle was watching the fight through the monitor.

I don’t want to waste it. KC started to block incoming attacks. He began striking back with expert speed and unbelievable punching strength. But there were too many of them. Taken by surprise, KC found himself pinned up against a wall by his throat.

YOU MADE A MISTAKE COMING HERE! NOW WE WILL FEAST UPON… KC didn’t let the foul monster finish its sentence before elbowing it in the face, taking its head clean off. Souls erupted upwards, joining the millions more escaping their confines. The freed victims joined the many swirling around, making it harder to see.

There were only a few left now. They stood in the corridor, clung to the walls and ceiling, poised and waiting for another to attack. It was like a buffet - they all wanted to have a bite, but none wanted to go first. But it wasn’t even them that would make the next move.

A shrill scream made both dimensions ripple. The shadow people fled back into their nearest darkness in fear of what was to come. KC prepared himself for the real fight. It came very quickly. So big, it hardly fit within the confines of the corridor. This was the moment KC had been waiting for… to come face to face with the queen. The corridor was perfect for this fight. The queen stuffed itself in the small space, trying to get to KC who took a stance in readiness. The fact the creature couldn’t stand would even the odds. Oh, she is big. Elle’s voice came through but barely.

I’ve fought bigger. But not uglier.

The queen struggled, causing the walls to begin to crack and tear. If she takes the building out, we will lose everyone inside. The urgency in Elle's voice couldn’t be ignored.

KC took something from his hair, two purple glowing ninja stars. They wouldn’t stop the shadow queen, but it would slow her down just long enough. He threw them with precision. As they sailed through the air, her devoted children leapt in their path, sacrificing themselves in an attempt to protect their queen.

KC grabbed the amulet and ran towards the queen who was close to tearing a hole in the school and trapping every soul in the in-between, the void that acts as a barrier between the dimensions. If that happened, over a thousand children and adults would spend eternity floating, trapped in a living nightmare, cold and alone.

More monstrosities were running down the corridor, hundreds now. KC tried to fight his way through them. He began well, calm and composed, taking out creature after creature, but was soon overwhelmed. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t hold on to the Heart Scarab of Hatnofer long enough to activate its power. It was his only chance to defeat these creatures and save the children, but there were too many of them. They wrestled him to the ground and ripped it from his neck, throwing it along the corridor and out of his reach. KC found himself fighting against the gnashing jaws of death as their claws lacerated his skin.

The queen let out another frustrated scream as it tensed every muscle and tore apart the school. Even in the real world the building was decimated, causing Elle to run for cover, narrowly being missed by falling chunks of ceiling. Screams filled KC’s ears as he saw the poor souls lost to the abyss of the in-between… forever.

He had failed. Even Elle who watched from her monitor couldn’t contain her pain as the innocent wisps filled the night’s sky.

KC let out his anger and his power. He no longer had to worry about the integrity of the dimensions. The bright purple light tore hundreds of creatures to atoms. The queen made her emotional pain felt.

The queen, now free from constraint, revealed her true size. Bigger than a house, she roared up to the ever-phasing sky. The nebulous clouds made up of dead husks of consumed souls parted from the vibrations in her voice. Her eyes glowed with fiery anger as she looked down at her next prey.

The amulet? Elle prompted its use, but KC was too busy sizing up the battle to come. KC… grab the amulet!

KC turned to the ancient relic that now looked supernova. No.

What? Why?

She doesn’t deserve it that easy. With that, KC made his move. The hulking hand of the aggrieved giant came slowly but powerfully downwards. It had all the violent intent and venom of a woman scorned. KC leapt over the dangerous appendage and front flipped, landing on its arm and running upwards.

The queen tried to swat KC like a bug but before the hand could squash him out of existence KC had transferred to the other arm and was almost to its shoulder.

The creature tried again, slamming its hand on its arm to try and destroy the man who had killed so many of her children. Again, she missed. The Kung Fu Cover Teacher leapt into the air, almost flying as he reached into his mighty Afro. He pulled out a glowing purple sword that sparked with all the fury its owner felt.

In almost slow motion, the queen’s eyes widened as she looked at her fate coming towards her, the magical weapon channelling KC’s powers. He brought it down, splitting the queen in half and landing on the ground in his superhero pose. KC kept his pose for a few moments, his eyes awash with the anguish, pain, anger, and guilt. He slowly stood as the two halves of his defeated foe began falling opposite each other. Souls poured out and the ground began to shake. Time to go, KC. Elle’s voice was sombre and sincere.

KC grabbed the amulet and turned a section clockwise. He stood and waited as the dimensions began to move apart. As he rippled back into his own existence everything began to return to normal... well, almost.

The school he had spent the last four days teaching in, working with the children as their supply history teacher, ended in failure.

Elle had always told KC that getting so involved with staff and students would be his downfall.

He couldn’t help it, though. The many, many years of helping young minds grow, seeing them flourish, understanding their hopes and dreams, was what kept him fighting.

But Elle may have been right. KC was back now, facing away from his helper, his head hung low. It was an age before he turned slightly, just looking over his shoulder to acknowledge his long-term companion.

KC. Elle knew the pain of such a failure might be the one thing that defeats the undefeatable.

A tsunami of thoughts flooded KC’s mind. He knew that he had destroyed the threat but failed at the most important part. Hundreds of children would now never see their parents again. Families would be forever changed and all because KC wasn’t fast enough or strong enough to do what needed to be done.

Elle gasped as KC turned; she could sense what was coming next. There was a long moment as KC and Elle stood, looking at each other in the rubble of what used to be a school… a place of safety and security.

I can’t do this anymore... KC turned and started to walk away.

CHAPTER 2

A POLICE ISSUE

Michelle leapt over the third fence, not even daring to look behind her.

Plod was on her tail, she could feel their presence.  Her head still felt a little woozy after Brad had wrapped the car she and her now absent friends had nicked, around a lamp post.

Michelle had always been