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

Chapter Six

Howls came first.

"Hollows!" an officer shouted. "Sent the signal!"

A soldier ran outside and fired a red flare at the sky.

Across the loop, every soldier saw the flash and knew immediately.

The shadow beasts were coming.

*

Civilians crowded into the panloopticon hall. They stayed indoor, safe from all the fighting and desolations, but the panic started by everything outside showed no signs of fading.

A few meters beneath them, Miss Bittern and her escorts arrived at the panloopticon through the underground passage connected to their arsenal.

A worker greeted them and led them through rooms filled with machines, each had workers operating them, until finally they came to the smallest room.

A tall, cloaked figure was inside, cranking the machines.

"How's the device?" Miss Bittern asked.

"It's almost ready. We still don't know how Bentham can power all his doors at once, but at least the loops we need seem connected." Sharon replied without slowing down what he was doing.

The telephone on the wall rang. Sharon reached out to pick it up. "Yes, tell them to move now."

Then he finally turned to his visitors, "The civilian's doors are online. Yours will take a minute."

"Where is the door?" Olive asked.

"Seventh floor. I will take you to the elevator when ready." Sharon answered.

"What happens after the evacuation is finished? You can't let the wights have this device." John said.

"We have planted bombs inside this building, once they breach Talon Base, we will blow it up." Sharon said.

"Is the hollow there?" Emma pointed at the small chamber with its door locked at the end of the room.

Before Sharon could answer, a worker interrupted them, "The red flare has been fired, the hollows are coming."

"They failed to destroy the hospital," Olive said, "We don't have much time left."

"Nightshade Resistance will hold them off." Miss Bittern said.

"Not the hollows," Olive shook her head, "They are too elusive in urban terrains. If one of them make it here, our evacuation will be significantly slowed down."

"How's the evacuation?" Sharon asked the worker.

"Still going," the worker replied, "There are too many people."

"Do not let people hear a word about hollows," Miss Bittern said.

"Tell them to just get people through the cursed doors," Sharon said. "We need to—"

A low guttural howl interrupted him, followed by the noise of metal cracking.

Sharon turned and saw the door to the small chamber bulged, black liquid leaking from the crack, black and coupled with an acidic stench.

Sharon backed away from the chamber as the people behind him raised their weapons.

"Marion?" Sharon said loudly, "We need more sleep dust."

The lock broke and fell to the ground, splashing the black liquid.

With one last loud cracking sound, the door came flying at them and landed before Sharon's feet.

Then it charge out like a shadow.

One of its tongues hit Sharon's chest, knocking him backward. The other warped around Miss Bittern's throat, choking the life out of her.