[ Glow ] ~ Anthony Lockwood x OC

XXIX - Riccochet

"Where's my light?" George called. Daniel scoffed, laughing slightly.

"It's here. I've got you." Lockwood replied, switching his torch on and walking over there with Daniel. They stood just outside of the iron circle, Lockwood shining his light down onto where George was brushing dirt off the casket. 

"This coffin's made of iron." George stood up.

"But isn't this the older section of the cemetery? They didn't know about the Problem back then." Daniel tilted her head slightly. 

"Get out." Lockwood dropped Daniel's hand, holding it out to help George out of the grave. The thermometers kept beeping as the temperature dropped further. "Okay- Okay. The coffin's made of iron, but it was put in the ground way before the Problem started. So, what exactly is in there that they needed to trap?" 

"And how did they know how to do it?" George added. "We need to regroup, research what th-" 

"No time." Lockwood cut him off.

"Locks-" Daniel's vision started going fuzzy once again as her head panged. 

"There is no time. There's a hole in the casket. We need to open it up and seal the source." Lockwood paused, looking between both Daniel and Lucy, who both seemed distant and lightheaded. "Dani, Lucy, you okay-" 

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." Lucy's words were breathy. 

Daniel only nodded, swallowing down a knot in her throat. Everything felt off. 

"It's just. . .Can you hear those flies? What is that?" Lucy asked. 

"No." George returned. "But. . .I'm getting intense waves of nausea." 

"Oh, so now you feel it." Daniel grumbled, holding onto her head as a stabbing pain ricocheted through her skull. 

"Let's get back to the casket." Lockwood said, his tone determined as he ignored the clear signs that all of his team members were showing. "I'll protect you. Deal with whatever's inside, then. Luce, grab the net." He called. 

Daniel saw Lucy wasn't moving and rushed to grab it herself. 

"Lucy!" Lockwood yelled when she didn't react. 

She drew her rapier with a pant, turning and holding it at the ready. 

Daniel stumbled back. A cry of pain racked through her lungs as it felt like death itself had settled on her spine. 

"What?" 

"Come on, focus!" Lockwood rasped as he and George were digging up the coffin with shovels. "Don't get distracted. Dani, I need the net." 

Daniel tossed it over, doubled over in pain as she clutched her head. 

Lucy gasped lightly, her rapier clattering to the ground. Daniel grabbed a silver lined box as well from her kit bag, just in case the net was too much for transport - it usually was. 

"Oh shit-" Lucy grunted, screaming slightly. 

"Hello?" Daniel could faintly hear Ms. Joplin calling into her walkie-talkie as she ran away from the team. "Can I get some help, please? Yes! Help! Help!" 

Lockwood and George lifted the coffin slightly so they had better access to it. "This isn't a coffin at all. There's a door in it." George said with a small smile, Lockwood panting as Daniel released another cry of discomfort. She bit into her bottom lip to muffle the sound, hard enough to draw blood. 

"Well, whatever's in there is coming out through that gap." Lockwood pointed to a crack in the non-coffin. 

"Ugh! So loud-" Lucy shouted as Daniel hopped into the grave with the boys. 

"Lucy, stand by!" Lockwood called behind him.

Daniel drew her rapier, dropping the silver glass box to the side and holding it at the ready - just in case. George wedged his crowbar into the door and started to pull it up as Anthony stepped back and readied his rapier from outside of the circle. 

"It won't budge." George groaned. 

"Please, just make it stop!" Lucy screamed, Daniel's teeth digging further into her bottom lip as her eyes completely blacked out. George lifted the door off the casket, Anthony jumping down and getting ready to impale whatever was inside. His rapier hilt stopped just at the skull to the skeleton and George seemed to get lost staring at the context of the iron casing. 

Daniel let out a cry of pain, stumbling back and effectively driving the edge of her rapier against her thigh. She aimlessly reached for the net she'd brought. As soon as she felt it in her hands, she spread it out and threw it over the body. 

And then everything went quiet. Lucy stopped screaming for her team to 'make it stop'. The deafening pain Daniel felt encompass her entire self vanished. And even George seemed to stop zoning out. Daniel's head fell back against the dirt she was leaning on as she clutched her thigh with a muffled scream. 

"Here comes the cavalry. Finally." Lockwood huffed out annoyedly. 

"God-" Lucy whimpered, looking at the gash she'd made on her wrist. 

"Bloody hell-" Daniel panted out, staying in her spot in the iron chain ring, laid up against the dirt. 

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Word Count - 1,465

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Published - October 24, 2023

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