A Peculiar Time in 1944 - A Millard Fanfic (Miss Peregrine's Home) #wattys2020

Chapter 68

"Which is why you can't go back and kill baby Hitler to stop the war from happening. History heals itself." {Enoch O'Connor pg 280 book 2}

Esme had started getting worried again as her eyes filled with tears she did her best to hide. Then, to everyone's surprise, Enoch settled himself next to the tub.

"Look here. I have a little man who'd like to ride on your duck, and he'd just about fit, too." He pulled a small clay homunculus out of his shirt pocket and Esme's sobs stopped immediately. Enoch sat the man on the edge of the tub.

"Go on. Show her what you can do."

The clay man jumped up and took an exaggerated bow. Esme laughed and clapped her hands and when the next bomb fell and the tiny man lost his balance and fell into the tub she only laughed harder. The baby in Aurora's arms also giggled at the little man as Aurora bounced the girl in her lap. Then Jake groaned and doubled over and they instantly knew what that meant – a hollow was coming.

Then something started beating at the front door as Jake yelled, "They're here!" Everyone scrambled to their feet and headed into the hall – except Sam and Esme. They heard one of the front windows smash as they ran through the kitchen and out the back door and into an ash covered garden. They headed for the closest alley, their group spread out in a long line.

"Look!" someone shouted and they looked up at the sky where something was falling by parachute.

"Mine!" Enoch cried, "It's a mine!"

"Get down!" Jake screamed as the mine landed right beside the house they'd been in. Aurora fell to her knees, shielding the baby with her body as she felt Millard duck his head next to hers and wrap his arms around her neck as he crouched in front of her. There was a blast so loud it made her ears ring, the ground beneath them shook with a terrible jolt and she felt debris go flying, some of it hitting her, some of it landing around them. She felt Millard tighten his grip making their little cocoon as compact has he could. The baby started crying and Aurora shushed her trying to sound reassuring but feeling terrified herself. Had the others had a chance to find cover? Were they okay?

The air around them became thick with dust and she pulled the collar of her sweater up around her nose and mouth while she used the long sleeve to cover the baby's nose – not too tight – but enough to help filter the air. Slowly, she and Millard sat up and took themselves into account. Two arms, two legs, no blood; they looked alright but had the others been as lucky?

They couldn't see anything around them but the grey fog the dust and debris had created and Aurora strained her ears for any sound from her friends. There were a few voices calling out through the haze.

"Emma!" she heard Jake call. Then she heard more voices, Horace, Bronwyn, Hugh. It took some time but they all were able to eventually stagger together, they only had suffered minor injuries and Millard insisted Aurora not waste her strength on healing them in case they had to run again. Enoch wandered over to a car parked nearby, its windows were smashed and nails, knifelike splinters of wood and shrapnel had pelted it like it had been sprayed by a machine gun.

"We should be dead." He marveled, "Why aren't we full of holes?"

"You're shirt mate." Hugh said and Enoch pulled a nail from his dusty woolen sweater.

"And yours." He pointed back at Hugh where a large metal spike was lodged into the fabric. It wasn't just Hugh and Enoch, all of their sweaters were full of deadly shards from the blast, Enoch was right – they should be dead. The itchy peculiar sweaters weren't fireproof or waterproof as the emu-raffe had guessed, they were bulletproof. And they had saved their lives.