The Elements Trilogy: The Secondaries

Chapter 37: Air

We waited in silence for a few minutes, the air still spinning in a force field in front of us. Just as I was about to lower it, more bullets were fired our way.

Harry placed a hand on my head, shoved me down to the floor, and immediately started firing again. I crawled my way over to Derek, and sat his unconscious body up.

My fingers clumsily went up to his neck, and felt for a pulse. For a few horrifying seconds, I couldn't find one. But then I felt it; faint, and slow, but there definitely was one.

Harry dropped next to me with a thud, panicking. "I'm out of ammo, and they just keep coming!" he whispered.

Even in the darkness, I could feel the presence of other people standing not too far away, trying to see in the dark. I held a finger up to my lips, hoping Harry was close enough to see it.

Off in the distance, loud echoing gunshots resounded through the building twice, and then stopped. Then somebody screamed.

Harry grabbed my arm, and underneath his palm I could feel his pulse hammering away like a jack hammer.

Footsteps quickly started, and faded off into the distance. As they got further away, Harry released my arm. "We have to go after that scream." he said immediately.

"What? Why? That's where those clones went!"

"Yeah, and probably any other clone within hearing distance. That is most likely one of the others. We have to go!"

Even in the darkness, I could see the determined look in his eyes.

"Okay," I said, picking up Derek in my arms. "Let's go."

***Skylar's POV

"Diamond! Tony! Where are you guys?!" I called out, panicking.

After the scream had died out, we hadn't been able to find them, and so now we were back where we started. Running around, looking for anybody.

A clone with a gun rounded the corner and I easily held up the pistol Thomas gave me. I fired off a single shot, and he fell to the ground, blood staining his white shirt crimson.

Evie made a strangled noise, but we kept on running. Suddenly, Tony jumped out from around a corner, pistol held high. Before my brain could even register who it was, my pistol was up and cocked, my finger on the trigger.

"Dammit, Hastings, it's me!" His gun clattered to the floor, and he took a step backwards.

"Holy shit, Sparkplug!" I dropped my gun as well, and rushed forward to hug him, but stopped halfway over.

His face was extremely white, and he was shaking. His eyes were huge, and his face was tear stained. There was blood all over his hands and shirt. "Tony?" I whispered. "Tony are you hurt?"

Thomas rushed past me, and gripped Tony's shoulders tightly. "Tony, are you hurt?" he repeated.

Tony shook his head violently, curls going every which way. "No, no I'm fine, I'm not hurt-"

"But you're bleeding!" David stepped forward.

"No, it's not me!" he cried out. "It's Diamond, she's been shot! I...I don't think the accelerated healing will help now!"

*** Evalynn's POV

"Get away from her!" I snarled.

Diamond was lying on the floor in a pool of blood, a clone holding a pistol to her head, ready to shoot. I flung the clone to the side with ease, and I set Derek down on the floor, as Harry rushed for the clone, hands out.