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

Chapter Six

Albiar took the opportunity to make a run for his gun.

The hollow got up and roared at him, but before it could do anything to attack its target, Albiar fired two shots. One at the neck, one at its eye.

The hollow screamed in pain and lunged forward with its claws and tongues extended. Albiar risked another shot at its head before stepped aside as this heavily weakened animal fell on its face. Then he fired at the back of its head.

After he finished the hollow, Albiar look around. Corpses of humans and hollows surrounded him. No one else had survived.

Albiar picked up the rifle of a fallen soldier and wiped the blood away. The magazine was still full. This poor soul didn't even have a chance to fight back.

The general sighed and loaded the gun. Then he walked into the bloodbath he knew was waiting for him outside.

*

Fortunately, the hollow didn't damage anything too important for panloopticon to stop functioning. It didn't take long for Sharon to reactivate the machine, so within ten minutes, the evacuation resumed.

Their door went online soon after. Sharon sent a worker called Jarl to take them to the seventh floor and led them to the right door.

They didn't say anything during the elevator ride, Caroline's death was like a dark cloud hovering at the back of their minds. They tried to pretend her death didn't change anything, to focus on the task ahead like nothing's different, but deep down they all knew it will come back to haunt them soon.

But right now they needed to put the mission first.

Jarl opened the door to room Seven-o-six, revealing their doorway to New York, 1919.

Miss Bittern entered first, followed by Olive, and one by one, they left Swamp Town and 1958, into a completely different era.

After John had crossed, Khione was the last to leave, but before she could step into the room, the portal shimmered and disappeared.

"What the hell?" she cursed.

Jarl looked at her, confused as well. Then they heard an explosion, louder and closer than before.

Peeking outside the window, Khione saw the walls of Talon Base had been breached, wightish army and hollowgasts marching toward panloopticon.

"We need to leave this building, now!" she warned Jarl and ran toward the stairs.

*

The whole thing shut down just as a messenger told them the wall of Talon Base had been breached.

The hollowgast in the power chamber woke up again, slamming its body on the door Emma wielded shut.

The hollow was the least of his problem now.

"How's the evacuation?" he asked.

"We haven't even got half of them through." Someone replied, "Are we going to try bring it back online again?"

"Don't bother." Sharon said, "Tell them to run for their lives, the wights have won."

One by one, the workers put down their jobs and left.

It was better this way.

Sharon opened the safe hidden in the wall. One small device had been placed in there. One that could bury this building along with its invaders.

"Don't do it." A voice said.

Sharon turned around to see Marion standing at the door.

"Don't blow up this building, please." She pleaded, "My son is in here. At least wait for him to leave."