The Troubles from Monsters and Men (The Secret of Moonacre Fanfiction)

Of Monsters and Men

Robin took Maria's hand and pulled her out of the room, running down the steps and skipping as many as they could. Sir Benjamin followed closely, watching their backs, and making sure no enemy appeared from behind. In the hallway, Robin made a sharp left and continued running, faster, hauling her with all the urgency in the world.

They rushed through the ballroom doors and found their friends grouped in the center, encircled by a ring of iron. Cat held her sword steady in her hands, and behind her stood Jane with her crowbar at the ready, followed by Lizzy clutching her satchel with one hand and the other holding a glass bottle. The young men surrounded them with guns held high and swords strapped to their waists. Along the walls, crosses and religious relics were hung about, always within reach and evenly spaced apart.

Once Sir Benjamin crossed the doors, he slammed them shut and began to barricade them, hammering wooden planks over the frame while Robin and the rest of the young men rushed to drag furniture and whatever they could get their hands on for an additional barrier-a bookshelf, a liquor cabinet, chairs, and finally a grandfather clock right at its center.

Maria ran to her friends. Filled with a mixture of guilt and relief at having their support, she begged, "Please, whatever happens, stay behind me."

A choir of protests erupted from them.

"You think that's why we're here?" Cat asked aghast by her request.

"If we wanted your protection, we'd have gone to the church!" Jane added.

"You're mental if you think I don't have a bone to pick with my uncle," Will's chide was interrupted with a hiss. Black smoke erupted from his chest. It was the cross inside his breast pocket, burning red. Its edges began to dissolve, as though it were being eaten away.
"They're here!" Will howled through the pain and doubled over. Bast rushed to him and shoved another cross into his back pocket. That too began to smoke.

Robin winced. He felt that invasive prodding in the back of his mind-but it was weak, barely a sliver of the strength it once had. He forced himself to focus as he readied his gun and moved to stand alongside Maria.

An explosion echoed from the direction of the main entrance; it was followed by Althea's screech. Sir Benjamin rushed to stand on Maria's other side with his pistol as her friends surrounded them protectively.

Robin and Will stood at the front. They gritted their teeth, the ache in their heads and smoke from Will's burning cross increased with every swing of the clock's pendulum. Sir Benjamin reminded them to steady their breath against the adrenaline coursing through their bodies.

Then they waited.

The grandfather's ticks echoed throughout the ballroom, a haunting reminder that their enemies were growing closer. The lanterns began to violently flicker despite the lack of wind. The erratic shadows shifted and morphed into various figures and shapes, creating the illusion that they were surrounded.

A faint stench of sulfur invaded their noses.

Maria snapped her head to the side. She swore she saw a white mist from the corner of her eyes, but there was only a dark and empty corner.

BOOM! They flinched as a loud bang shook the doors. A second blow followed. Then a third, growing stronger. The pearls around Maria's neck began to grow warm.

Time seemed to slow down as the ballroom doors exploded. Maria saw the cracks growing through the glass of the grandfather clock, the fire that burst through the fissures in the wood, the pendulum that shot straight at her surrounded by a cloud of jagged glass, sharp splinters, and scraps of wood, hurdling towards them.
Before her friends could even duck for cover, Maria shot out a wall of light. Shockwaves of light rippled throughout the wall as the pendulum and debris made impact with the shield. The force pushed Maria back, threatening to knock her over, but Robin jumped behind her and held her steady.