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

Chapter Twelve

"Hear that?" Ethan said, "They are going for the Mother of Birds, and they have hollowgast with them. We need to distract them before it's too late."

Blanche nodded reluctantly. John reached toward his watch, "At least take this so you can still get out of here."

"No," Ethan said, "Go find Olive, Emma and Miss Bittern and use the expulsatator to get them out of here."

"But—"

"No time to argue, their hollows are coming." Ethan insisted, "This is the only way."

*

"Three hostile peculiar children on the loose can't possibly be more dangerous than an ymbryne with an ancient soul." Isabelle risked arguing further. They couldn't waste more time now.

Suddenly, the ymbryne among them, Tima Petrel, shouted as two dark figures raced into the depth of this labyrinth of stone.

Isabelle shouted orders as the soldiers raised their guns to aim.

A shadow bolted out of darkness and slammed into the soldier standing at the front. He died before what's left of him splattered on the wall.

Ethan hurled his rifle at the closest soldier with full force. The three kilograms of metal and plastic broke his skull upon impact. Comparing to his raw strength, an almost emptied rifle wasn't all that useful anyway.

The soldiers' attention turned to him. Ethan charged at them and tore apart a soldier with ease before the first bullet hit him.

The small piece of metal penetrated the bulletproof peculiar wool coat and buried itself deep into his shoulder.

The shock came before the pain could register in his brain, but Ethan ignored them both. Olive needed him to do this. The world needed him to do this.

Ethan crushed a soldier's gun with one hand and punched through his head when the second shot hit him. Ethan elbowed the attacker, breaking his armor and ribs which stabbed into his lung.

Someone ordered retreat. Good, run away from me, Ethan thought.

Then he heard it, the unmistakable triple footsteps of two feet plus a tongue were closing in. The hollows were coming. Those beasts could finish him off in seconds. He didn't have much time.

The soldiers kept attacking as they retreated. Bullets tore through his flesh, spilling blood; energy bolts and erosive chemicals hit him, numbing his nerves, burning his skin, but the adrenaline rush allowed him to ignore them all, if just for a while.

Ethan charged on, tearing through enemies until he slammed into a figure in shining black armor and mask. The masked man pushed him back.

Ethan punched him. But the strike that could normally break concrete walls couldn't even make a dent in his opponent's armor. Instead, it only made his fingers hurt.

Ethan stumbled backward in panic and confusion. For the first time since he developed peculiarity, he was weak and powerless.

In his brief moment of panic, the masked man wrapped his fingers around Ethan's throat, cutting off his air.

Ethan struggled with all the strength he could muster, but he had none left. It was as if all the strength had escaped him.

His hearing turned dull, his vision blurred by the lack of oxygen.

When the Soulbender finally let go of him, the hollows devoured him before he could even realize what's happening.

*