A Circuit of Time: Book Two of Spark (A MPHFPC Fanfiction)

Chapter Three

"Jonathan!"

John woke up to the silence of night.

The monster was here.

John was lying on the floor, trying to be as silent as possible. Perhaps it won't find him if it can't hear him.

He didn't even dare to breath.

Beside him was empty glass tanks that used to be filled with stinking water.

How did he know that? he couldn't remember.

A short distance away, something shattered. He could hear the sound of tanks exploding and water splashing everywhere.

The monster was here, hidden in the darkness. The only trace of its existence was the noise it made when crushing pieces of glass underfoot.

The monster must have gotten really close, because the noise had become louder than before.

And finally, he could see it, a figure obscured in the shadows moving toward him. John quietly shifted to a crouching position, ready to run for his life. Then the tank in front of him was lifted by a pair of tentacles, followed by the explosion of a cracking sound. The tank shattered under the tight grip of the monster, and stinking glass rained on him.

The hollowgast stood in front of him.

One bite and it will be over.

"John? Are you alright?" someone's voice pierced the night.

But the creature was still in front of him, waiting to strike.

"John?" the voice came again, louder this time.

Finally, the monster dissolved into the shadows, and the stink was no more.

The darkness over head was just a ceiling.

He was lying on his bed, inside his room.

He was in a loop.

He was safe.

With great effort, he pulled himself up and saw Blanche holding the door open, her face full of concern. "What happened?" she asked.

"I had a bad dream." John replied, somewhat shameful about waking Blanche up. "It's probably nothing."

Blanche sat down on his bed. "You said you had a nightmare the night on the ship. Are they similar?"

"No. Last time I saw some shadow and bird fighting, it's clearly just a dream. But I saw a hollowgast this time. I thought it was real for a moment."

"Many people had nightmares about hollows." Blanche said gently, "It's in our nature to fear them."

"I suppose it's really hard to shake those things from your brain." John yawned, "What time is it?"

"Four in the morning. Try to get some sleep." Blanche said, "The monster isn't here, and it will never find this place. Don't let it bother you."

*

The lights flickered on in an underground garage on the modern side of the Swamp Town.

"Why did you take me here at four in the morning? The sun hasn't even come out." Emma asked.

"Francesca wouldn't want me to show you this. But I know what it means to you." Olive replied as she pulled away the sheets covering something.

A black Aston Martin V8 Vantage muscle car.

"Abe's car." Emma's voice shook.

"We found it and I insisted they drag it here." Olive said. "How did this automobile even come to your possession? I thought Jacob lost it in New York."