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

Chapter 84

"This was it. This was the place we'd hoped to find." {Jacob Portman, pg 305 book 3}

JAKE POV

He and Emma arrived at a small forest via Bentham's Panloopticon, they followed the dirt path before them until it became a floor, then turned into a room framed and hidden by several crossed firs. Together they ran their hands up and down the walls searching for a door until they caught a small handle. Pressing their ears to the door they listened for footsteps or voices, not wanting to run straight into the wights. Carefully, he slid the door open a crack and peeked out, there was a curving concrete hall as clean as a hospital with several other doors just like the one his head was sticking out of. This was it, he thought, the wight's tower, they'd made it to the lions den.

AURORA POV

Have you ever woken up and immediately known you must have slept in an odd position because everything aches? That's how Aurora felt when she finally regained consciousness. She tried to stretch her muscles and sit up but was pushed back down by a firm yet gentle hand.

"Now, now dear, not so fast."

Aurora turned her head to the sweet voice and saw a nurse standing above her. It would have been a reassuring sight if the woman's eyes weren't pure white behind her glasses. Aurora instantly began to feel nervous and heard her heart beat increase on a monitor nearby.

"Where am I?" she asked feeling the plastic tube under her nose shift as she spoke.

"You're in our infirmary, dear. Now please do lie back down you're still recovering from a dreadful state. But nothing an IV, some vitamins and a nice rest won't fix. Try not to overexert yourself, Mr. Caul needs you to heal another hollow for him. You mustn't forget your promise."

Aurora let her head flop back onto the pillow as the woman reminded her of the deal she'd made with Caul. Her tone might have been sweet but just like too much sugar it made Aurora feel like gaging. She let her head loll to the side as she closed her eyes and wished for the peace of her dreamless sleep to return to her.

JAKE POV

They made their way down the hall of the tower as quickly and as quietly as they could. By the time they made it to the courtyard Sharon's distraction had already begun, he'd been able to rally the ambro addicts into causing such a disturbance that it distracted all the wights, causing them to abandon their posts and move to defend their wall.

Seizing their opportunity he grabbed Emma's hand and darted across the courtyard and into a building with a heavy metal door. It looked promising and most likely held something important. When they opened the door and slid inside they found themselves in a white tiled lab that smelled strongly of chemicals. There was a cabinet full of terrifying surgical tools, twenty or so beds were chained to the walls and peculiars – adults and children alike –were strapped to the beds, all of them unconscious. Needles and tubes snaked from the soles of their feet to bags that were filling slowly with black liquid.

"They're being drained." Emma said in horror, "Their souls drawn out."

He prayed that none of them were their friends and as he and Emma moved down the line of beds he recognized Melina and Joel-Peter. He stepped to the end of Melina's bed and pulled the needle from her foot, a tiny drop of black liquid leaked from the wound and a moment later her face seemed to relax. Emma did the same for the brothers before they moved on to continue their search for their friends.

"Look." Emma said pointing to the floor. Camouflaged by the tile was a hatch, together they took the handle and lifted it from the floor, below was a set of metal stairs that spiraled into the darkness below.

When their eyes adjusted they could see the barely lit dungeon underground, the walls lined with rough rock making the whole thing look even more medieval and cruel. They were at the end of a long subterranean hallway lined with cells and he couldn't help but feel a soaring in his chest – hope.

He saw only one guard with his back to them and before Emma could stop him and before his sudden bravery could abandon him he walked toward the wight.

HUGH POV

"Didn't you hear the alarm?" came a shout down the hall and Hugh turned his head to see their guard flinch. At first Hugh assumed it was one of the guards superiors but something in his gut told him that couldn't be right

"Why aren't you outside defending the walls?" when the man spoke again a light bulb went off in Hugh's mind, that sounded like Jacob! By the time the wight realized that the person speaking wasn't someone he should take orders from Jake had already gotten close enough to him to collide and reach for his rifle. The gun went off but the bullet hit the ceiling as the pair went rolling across the floor. By now the others had realized that their rescue party had arrived and were clinging to the bars of their cells trying to squeeze their faces through to get a better look. Just as the wight was getting the upper hand on Jacob the pair tumbled in front of Bronwyn's cell. She reached out and grabbed the guard by the head and with a quick twist and a sickening crunch the wight went limp and Bronwyn dropped him onto the floor.

"Jacob! Emma!" the little girl cried with glee as Emma rushed over to her.

"Bronwyn! Bronwyn! Is it really you?!"

"Is it really you?"

Then Olive reached out from her cell next to Wyn's, "Emma!" she cried as her friend took her gloved hand, "We've been praying and hoping and oh, I was so worried the wights had gotten you!"

"Oh thank the birds! You can't imagine how worried we've been." Emma said.

"Not half as worried as we've been!"

"I told them you'd come for us!" Hugh shouted, "I told them and told them, but Enoch kept saying I was a loony for thinking so. . . "

"Never mind, they're here now!" the older peculiar said from his cell.

"How in Perplexus's name did you find us?" Horace asked.

"We'll tell you the whole story but first we need to find the ymbrynes and get you all out of here." Jacob said.

"They're down the hall. Through the big door." Hugh pointed, "That's where they took Miss Wren when we got here."

"Here." Jake took the ring of keys from the dead wight's belt and handed them to Enoch, "Free yourselves and meet us there."

"Did you see Aurora?" Emma asked.

"We thought she was with you." Olive said now concerned.

"We haven't seen Mill either." Hugh added, "They took 'em a day or so ago, haven't seen hide or hair of him since."